Every time the Spaniels come inside, we go straight to the kitchen and they get a carrot. But they practice a trick, first, to "earn" that carrot. Usually it's "sit" or "lay down," but it might be anything they know well.
Most times when we go to the kitchen for anything, we have the Spaniels do a trick then they get a carrot.
If we're idle in the kitchen for a few minutes (say, waiting on the microwave), we may work on a new trick or expanding an existing one, or mixing them in new ways.
In this way we practice both attentiveness and trick training all day long, but without anything like focused training sessions. They're more... opportunities to find reasons to give carrots to the Spaniels. We all have fun, and they get told they're VERY GOOD, and they get carrots.
Some days I'm not capable of much, so the attentiveness is really useful. Some days we work on several new tricks throughout the day. It all works out.
This trick is "hup": jump up in place. Yvaine does a tidy, responsible, adorable hup. As usual, Tristan is an overachiever. Melodrama Puppy has to be extra.
