I hope you don't seriously think that!! Your dogs sound very happy & much loved.

It's nothing to do with "constant" this or that. Most pet dog owners would only spend a few minutes once or twice a day doing any sort of formal "training" & this can be anything from making sure they don't pull on the lead as they set off for a walk, to having a game of "retrieve". Once the dog has learned what is required, then it should be topped up now & again by a reward, but this can be anything from a pat, to a treat, to its dinner.

When I first got Barney I didn't teach him to sit for his dinner ~ but his previous owner obviously had, so I've just played along with this. I've never taught Wilma to sit for her dinner ~ she just stands & waits. However if she was jumping up at me, or trying to grab food from the work tops, then, yes, I'd teach a sit while I'm preparing their food. It's all a case of what works for you & if your dogs are happy with their lives & they don't have any behavioural problems that could be addressed by training ~ then it's up to you what you do.

I never ment to imply that NOT trick training is a bad thing in any way
We all do different things to stimulate our dogs and enritch their lives

TBH Ben is a v happy wee dog and would be happy in a family with daily walks and pottering about
He dosent need the tricks or agility or whatever - but he enjoys it

Mia because of the problems she came with I found trick training is very important for her to learn to work with people and that it is fun, her life has to be far more structured because she is v smart and independent and can be v hard work if not given 'work' to do

But I am not training 24/7 - I would say I do about 5 min with each dog about 5 days a week (usualy when I am getting ready to go to work or something) plus agility classes
Sure I work on recal and sometimes ask for a trick or something before I chuck the ball when we are on a walk, and I practise loose lead walking on the way to the park

Noone says anyone HAS to trick train, or do agility, or obedience train, or go to dog shows
If you and your dog enjoy it then why not?? But I dont diss anyone for doing it or not doing it

and rewarding for being calm and good IMO is great training 90% of my dogs day is boring and dull, teaching a dog to be settled in the house is a v important thing

Don't you dare feel this way. I know I haven't posted in this thread but I have been reading it with interest. You are one of the most dedicated owners that I know.
Just look at the pics of Zena and Georgie, they are always happy, doing something, either playing in the water or going for lovely walks, what's wrong with that? I have seen some pics on here and some dogs (no one in this thread btw) never seem to look happy or smile

It's a case of horses for courses imho. If you want to teach your dog tricks then that's fine for you, if you don't the that's fine too! I often wonder though when people teach tricks, and by tricks I mean the rolling over play dead type of trick, whether it's for their amusement only, that's my opinion and I don't want to start a row!

xx

For me personally I don't specifically set out to train
" tricks " it's just that that's the label put on them. They certainly aren't for my amusement they provide me with a way to train my dog in a short space of time in a small area.
If I didn't do some trick work my nutty collie would be bouncing off the walls and I'd never get a moments peace as no matter how much I physically tire him if he isn't mentally tired he's a pain in the butt! Lots of tricks are useful to me I taught him tight left and right turns for agility by doing spinning circles and play dead is very useful if you are stuck in a never ending queue at a show as he has something to focus on but maintains a calm body. It is horses for courses though and no one is right or wrong as long as dogs are loved and well cared for that's all that matters.

If it's any consolation Helena, I just let my dog be dogs too for the main part. The only formal training they get is agility on a Monday for the collies and gundog training on a Friday for Flynn. The collies dont get any training inbetween and Flynn may get an odd 15 min practice session here and there.

They know all the commands I need them to know which are put into use on a daily basis e.g sit and wait along the canal when a bike comes past blah blah. They generally dont get treats because they arent learning anything new. I certainly dont sit at home and teach them "extras" which arent useful to me.

People have said they train tricks in part to stimulate mind, form a bond etc. I prefer my dogs to be stimulated in a more natural way by hunting, tracking, swimming, digging etc. The only time I do any kind of training outside a class is perhaps when the dogs are playing up, they've got their pack mentality in full swing and are blocking me out so I like to remind them all they listen to me and not each other!

I think sometimes we as dog owners overdo things and can cause more problems than we solve. I'm thinking back to when even I was a kid and we had our family dog. My parents never formally trained her, she didnt get socialised, they didnt agonize over what to feed her and yet she was a totally balanced dog with perfect manners. I think it's possible to be over conscientious and as they say "less is more".