Scott Linden Outdoors

Time for a break, boss?

Mondays may not be your favorite day of the week, but at least most time you are refreshed, reinvigorated and ready to face the work ahead, if you had the weekend off. You know the opposite: if you worked all weekend, you’re probably not at the top of your game when you clock in on Monday morning.  I know I’m not (this, written after a long weekend working.)

Buddy and Manny are the same way, they need a break from training once in a while. There’s only so much of their undivided attention I can expect. So I give them a “weekend” too.

Some days, we just play. Explore new places. Or hunt. Or go back to the easy stuff on the training agenda. Or practice old skills in new places. What we don’t do is focus on mastering new skills.

We let the newest bits of knowledge “sink in,” so to speak, without burning him out or boring him. Buddy – and his handler – enjoy a no-stress holiday that makes the next intense training more productive.

It’s kinda like when we humans put on our sweatpants and watch football all day. We still know where the fridge is and how to open it, but it’s second nature and doesn’t require much concentration … until we can’t figure out where our wife hid the beer!

So, what do  you and your dog do for some “time off?”