If you’re serious about dog training, tracking your sessions is a game-changer. Without data, how do you know what’s working, what needs improvement, or if your training is balanced?
That’s where my Google Sheets Training Tracker comes in! This simple but powerful tool allows you to log and analyze your training sessions, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve performance and consistency.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through why tracking matters, how to use the tracker effectively, and how to apply insights to level up your dog’s training.
Why Tracking Your Training is Essential
Many trainers rely on memory alone to track progress, but this can lead to:
- Overestimating or underestimating how often you train certain behaviors
- Not realizing patterns in false alerts vs. successful searches
- Training some skills too much and others not enough
- Missing critical trends in performance over time
With a structured tracking system, you’ll be able to:
- Identify strengths & weaknesses
- Ensure balanced training across different skills
- Spot trends in false indications, missed targets, and search efficiency
- Make data-driven adjustments for better results
How to Use the Google Sheets Training Tracker
1. Log Your Training Sessions
Each time you train, enter the session details in the main data entry tab:
✔ Date & Round – Track each training session in sequence
✔ Search Type – Was it a lineup, vehicle search, deep hides, etc.?
✔ Blind Level – Known, single blind, or double blind
✔ Odor Used – Record which odors you’ve trained with
✔ Outcome – Did the dog succeed, false indicate, or miss the target?
✔ Reward Used – What type of reinforcement was given?
✔ Reinforced (Y/N) – Did you reinforce the behavior after the response?
✔ Reset (Y/N) – Did you need to reset and repeat the search?
Customization Option: The setup section allows you to add more variables to fit your specific training needs!
2. View Your Training Stats in Real-Time
Once your data is logged, the Google Sheets Tracker automatically generates statistics to give you instant insightsinto your training trends.
What you’ll see:
✔ Percentage breakdowns of search types, odors, and blind levels
✔ Success rate vs. false indications vs. misses
✔ Graphs & charts that visualize training balance
✔ Reinforcement data – How often are you rewarding (variable reinforcment schedule)?
✔ Reset frequency – Are you having to restart searches too often?
Example Insight:
If the stats show you’re doing 70% known searches and only 30% blind searches, you may need to increase blind searches for a more well-rounded training approach.