BusyDog

One-More-Time-itis

Do you suffer from ‘One-More-Time-itis’? If you answered no, the answer might really be yes and you don’t know it. Have you ever said any of the following during a training session? – ‘If I can just get him to do it one more time perfectly, then I’ll quit’ – ‘He did it perfectly a few minutes ago but now he won’t do it’ – ‘We do it over and over and he just doesn’t get it.”

When training a dog there is a definite rush you get when the dog performs the exercise perfectly with speed. This rush is what causes us to fall prey to thinking “If I can get him to do it one more time perfectly, then I’ll quit.” When you are working with a dog that is still learning the correct performance, often he doesn’t do the exercise perfectly at first. It may take several attempts. It may take several days or even weeks. When you first start teaching a behavior, you usually ‘shape’ it into the perfect performance. The perfect performance doesn’t happen over night.

Sometimes we get lucky and the dog gets the right performance after only teaching him a short time. As the trainer, you have to distinguish between beginners luck and a dog that truly knows his job. When the dog gets the performance right ‘by accident’, it is hard to recreate that performance consistently. Sometimes we get optimistic and think that the dog knows his job really well, when in reality, he doesn’t, we’ve just been lucky.

What is ‘One-More-Time-itis’?
It is when the trainer has seen a dog do a performance correctly and is trying to get the dog to repeat it. Unfortunately, the more the trainer tries, the worse the dog gets. The dog and trainer both get frustrated. This is more noticeable with exercises such as weave poles or exercises where the trainer is specifically asking for speed.

How does it happen?
There are several forces at work here. One issue can be that the dog isn’t quite 100% trained on the performance that is being asked of him. So the dog doesn’t reliably do the desired behavior every time, exactly as desired. However, the dog has performed perfectly a few random times. So the trainer starts thinking (and expecting) that the dog is ready to do it perfectly each time. It is up to you, as the trainer, to determine if your dog is experienced enough to do a perfect performance reliably.

After the trainer has gotten the dog to do the exercise perfectly (or near perfect), they continue training the same exercise in hopes of repeating that performance. Unfortunately, the dog’s performance starts to degrade. The trainer ends up frustrated because subsequent performances get further and further from the ideal performance.

One contributing factor to doing too many repetitions is the amount of time it takes to prepare for a training session. For example, if you signed up for an agility class that requires a 45 minute drive each way, you expect to work your dog that full hour of class time. You will spend 1.5 hours in the car, so you should get your money’s worth. Right? Well, not always. Some dogs can’t work for a full class hour, especially young ones. What would be better, is to bring two dogs and switch dogs halfway through class to keep them both fresh. As the dogs get older and more experienced, a full hour of class won’t be as hard on them.

Why is it bad?
When a dog’s performance starts to degrade but the trainer keeps asking him to repeat the exercise, both the trainer and dog start to get frustrated. The dog gets tired, the handler is disappointed and damage is done to the relationship. Also, if you keep repeating the performance incorrectly, the dog never learns how to do it right. Or even worse, the dog gets used to doing the performance the wrong way.

How to avoid it?
“End on a good note.” “Quit while you are ahead.” We have all heard these phrases before, but they are very applicable. It’s hard to quit on a good note. When your dog nails an exercise, is fast and clean, it’s a big rush. It’s so fun, most people want to do it again. Unfortunately, the next performance might not be as fast or as clean. The performance starts to degrade. Once this happens, then the trainer feels like she must ‘fix’ the problem that has popped up and continues working the dog.

If your dog can’t get the perfect performance during any session, perhaps you are asking too much from him. Try breaking the exercise into smaller pieces that he can master and then putting them together later (like a few training sessions later.)

I want to add another catch phrase: “Less is more.” It is better to train your dog for a shorter period and keep him fast and motivated, than it is to train longer and risk him getting tired and sloppy. This is especially true for young dogs. Not only do short sessions save wear and tear on their bodies, but it also keeps their minds fresh.

One way to avoid working too long, is once your dog performs an exercise correctly, move on to another exercise. Even if you decided that today you will work weave poles, switch to something new, once your dog performs correctly. If the dog performs a great set of poles for you the first time out, give him a big cookie and as a treat, don’t ask him to do the poles again. Instead find another exercise to do. You can always come back out later that day and try the poles again.

Less is more
Keeping your training sessions short and switching to a new exercise once your dog gets the correct performance, will keep your dog fresh and motivated. In addition, by quitting before your dog gets tired and sloppy, you will help avoid creating new problems.