Athletes stay in shape by regularly exercising their muscles.
Scholars study to maintain and expand their knowledge.

The secret to maintaining a high standard of dog obedience is to practice tasks on a daily basis. I advise owners to exercise their dog’s intelligence by performing daily training routines.

Your daily training can vary depending on the level of obedience you insist upon. A daily routine need not be a chore.
I would suggest that you incorporate a few sits, waits, some heelwork and a few recall commands into your daily exercise regime.

This is surprisingly simple to implement and with a bit of thought and organization can turn a dreary saunter into a stimulating experience for dog and owner.

Here is an example routine that can be exercised as part of your morning walk.

• Start by asking the dog to wait in the lounge while you get ready for the walk.
• Call the dog and put his lead on.
• Ask him to lye down while you open the house door and step outside.
• Call the dog to you and ask him to stand at your side while you close the door. 
• Proceed with the walk keeping him at heel until you get to the park. 
• When you reach the park, take his lead off but ask him to wait for 20 seconds before releasing him.
• When it’s time to come home, ask him to carry his ball home. 
• When you reach home, ask him to wait in the garden while you take your coat off etc. 
• Call him into the house and ask him to stand inside the door while you dry him.
• Send him to his place and reward him with a tasty treat.

This routine doesn’t take much effort but reinforces the owner’s pack leader status and keeps the dog stimulated physically and mentally.

I honestly believe that a stimulating daily training routine controls boredom and can help curb aggressive tendencies.

I urge all my clients to create and maintain a daily training routine. Don’t be afraid to change the routine so that new behaviours are exercised.

I tend to amend my routine to incorporate new behaviours that I’m working on.A daily training routine is one of the key factors to establishing consistent reliable behaviour.