From what I've read I'm supposed to stay away from climbing for a couple weeks, but I need to go to the gym anyway to take my kids and the temptation to climb is pretty strong.

My question is, why couldn't I do drills focused on the lower body, like no-hands climbing, and just avoid using my shoulder much? That's probably where I need to develop my technique the most anyway, so really it's working to my benefit, right?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who's been in this situation.
Perfer not to hear from any grumpy hall monitor types, they're such a buzz-kill...

Full disclosure: I have taken the liberty of deleting part of your comment, in the interest of brevity.

Also, I might end up sounding like a hall monitor.

I was a recurrent shoulder dislocator, one of several injuries which have led me into my current profession. Your post is (please forgive me for this) maybe a bit childish. Your answer to a shoulder injury is (really?) to not use your shoulder by climbing no-hands routes?

You have an injury. Rehabilitate it. Solve the problem. Go see a good, sports medicne doctor and/or PT. Learn how to strengthen your rotator cuffs. Don't assume you have a 50 yr old shoulder ( I WISH I had one of those!) in a 25 yr old body.

If you have no insurance, save up and private pay for a couple PT visits. Explain the situation, and ask to be taught how to progress a rotator cuff strengthening program. While it's not simple, it's not rocket science either. Do it soon, before you develop the more permanent bone spurs that are common to longstanding shoulder issues.

I can assure you, the answer is NOT to just avoid using your shoulder. Fix it. Good luck.

If I may, I'd like to give you the advice that I pass on to my fellow climber patients. Yes, I'm a PT that climbs : ) I also have a BA in Exercise Science and was a former personal trainer.

Rest is essential, but that doesn't mean you're ready to get back on the wall as you have found out. As most PT's will tell you, big "phasic" muscles = strength and smaller "tonic" muscles = stability. Phasic muscles (biceps, pecs, deltoids, upper traps) will help pull you up a route, while tonic muscles(SITS-supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis, as well as serratus anterior) help you keep your balance and stabilize the rotator cuff and shoulder joint while performing both static and dyno moves. Also, it is important that your spine has normal range of motion in all planes-forward/backward, sideways, and rotation.
I'm a proponent of working muscles like you will use them. This means closed chain(hand is fixed to the surface) exercises for climbers. While I can't give you specific exercises b/c you are not my patient, I can recommend yoga and pilates type regimines.
Good luck!

Based on the information that you’ve received from a couple of practicing PT’s, I suspect that you already have an inkling of what the answer’s going to be to your “bullet proof” question.

I’ve injured both of my shoulders (separate events) and had surgical repairs on the rotator cuff in each. Along with those surgeries came learning PT exercises, which I dutifully did and, after a time, got back to climbing at about the level I’d previously been at. (I’m an older guy and I don’t expect to get better. I’m just not ready to stop.) But I wondered how long I had to keep up with the rehab exercises. Every professional I asked pretty much came back with the same reply: “How long to you want to keep climbing?” Stop one and the other stops. So I still do ‘em. My shoulders aren’t bullet proof but they don’t bother me and that means climbing is still fun.

I heartily endorse OnceaHM’s suggestion. Do what it takes to get in to see a PT and learn the proper way to do your rehab exercises. You sound like a pretty good candidate for lifetime membership to the broken (but repaired) wing club.