Training two at a time

Neah's so smart that my training methods have kind of back fired on me. When we are outside, Langley and I do a lot of work on him being able to stop his compulsive snuffling for gross stuff to eat and check back in with me. He has learned to check in and sit in front of me and he gets a treat when he does this. Since he needs to be able to stop obsessing long enough to pee, this is an important lesson for us.

Well, Neah ALSO needs to pee while she's outside. However, when she saw Langley and I working she decided to join in on the training exercise and get in on the treats. Every time I'd look down, there she was waiting patiently in a perfect sit, ears straight up and peering at me expectantly. 

One of the rare photos of Neah with her ears in their natural state

At first I treated her for it. But then I realized, she was so focused on me and the treats, that she was unable to take the time to pee. I had taken a dog that was great at going outside and immediately peeing and was starting to turn her into a dog that was too distracted to remember to pee.  Langley's training to break from distractions had become Neah's distraction.

While I may just be a dumb human, I try to learn from my mistakes and I've started to do separate potty breaks and Neah gets rewarded for going to the bathroom but not for checking in, like Langley does.