5 Tips to Create a Successful Training Session (CROPS)

Every training session is a step towards your training goals, so you want to make sure you and your dog are always successful.

Although learning is never a straight line, it can be very frustrating when your dog doesn’t offer the behavior you want, or practices the very behavior you want to change. 😬

Before pulling out the juicy treats, I encourage you to consider these 5 tips to create a successful session. Think of CROPS 🌽

• Consistency – Use a reward marker that will ALWAYS mean they did a great job. A reward marker can be a clicker, a verbal marker (Yes!), clapping, tone, and the like.
• Reinforcement – Your dog is the only one who decides what’s reinforcing for them. Find out what YOUR DOG finds valuable, and use this to strengthen the behavior.
• Objective – Define the skill or behavior you want to build or reinforce in your dog. What do you want your dog to do?
• Plan – Set up the environment where you and your dog can work with little to no distractions, so you’re both always successful.
• Short and sweet – Keep the training session short, then give your dog a break. 2-5 minutes is already enough. 💆‍♀️

💡Bonus: Enjoyment – let every training session be a fun and engaging learning experience for both you and your dog.

All my client teams have CROPS to guide them in their R+ journey. If this is something you resonate with, I encourage you to work with a credentialed trainer that adopts and creates training plans with this mindset.