Consistency.

 Consistency in Training

Bringing  consistency to your training will improve your relationship with your dog , their ability to learn new behaviors, and your overall success of your teamwork. 

Consistency in the Behavior

When training a new behavior from the beginning steps of loading a marker and everything that follows, teach the behavior and reward nothing less than what you want in all future behaviors. If you expect a competition sit, then teach a reliable square sit, and  reinforce the sit that you have taught to maintain the behavior. 

Nick practicing a sit/stay while we were at an appointment. 

Consistency in Training 

When teaching a each behavior, teach it on a regular basis and in as many places as often. The more often a behavior is practiced and repeated. This will ingrain the behavior and make it more reliable. The more often the behavior is repeated, the stronger the behavior becomes. 

Consistency in Cues

Keeping cues clean, clear, easy for the dog to understand with consistency will training problems from forming. With my current service dog, Nick, I taught Get It (retrieving), Down, and Take a Bow with the same hand cue. When I was asking for any of the three cues, he wasn't sure what I was asking for. The solution was to rename the cues and change the signals so Nick was no longer confused. 

A long down stay at a distance in a busy environment becomes a simple request when practicing on a regular basis in different environment. 

Consistency in Yourself

Having a consistent training time daily and consistently asking for the behavior in new environments will continue to reinforce the behaviors. It's also important to break more complex behaviors down periodically so the entire behavior chain stays intact. 

Nick and I working on a new skill, loose leash while I'm on a scooter. 

Consistency with your Dog

Be as consistent as possible with your dog as you train so when unexpected things happen in real life, your dog is ready for it. 

In Sumary

Training with consistency will make training more fun and moves it along more quickly.