Never do nothing
I like to preach a lot about the benefits of small changes when compounded over time. It’s better to do 5 minutes of training every single day than do a single 30 min training session every week. Going along with this idea is the general handler’s lack of understanding that not all training sessions have to be specific to a finished set-up.
Living in NE Ohio means that our weather sucks most of the year, so if you want to be successful as a trainer/handler, you have to get creative and find ways to train indoors when bad weather does not allow for full sessions. There is so much that can be done indoors (obedience, hold conditioning, trained retrieve, etc.) that can also have major carry over to your normal sessions. The house can be just as distracting of an environment (if you have kids, you'll know what I mean) and can teach your dog to problem solve in an area they are probably used to doing nothing in.
So the next time you contemplate vegging out on the couch because of a little rain, spend 5 minutes cleaning up something small in your dog’s behavior. Polish their understanding of “Place”, work on that hold, or dial in their “Heel” all from the comforts of your own home.
Stay training, train always.
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