level 2 obedience class

the second post about 2009 group classes- this is high school for your pup. when you've trained the basic cues and got a good start, there is often more you want from your dog, and this class is where we fine tune those skills!


Level Two Obedience

Many people find that after completing a beginning obedience class there are areas in which they would like to improve their dog’s behaviour. These challenges can vary, depending on the dog and the owner’s desires for their dog’s behaviour. Some pairs simply need more time within a class structure to really master the basics, while others want to move to higher levels.

The Level Two Obedience Class is middle school for dogs. During this class we take the basic behaviours to the next level, with higher distractions, off leash work and real life practice. Refining the abilities learned in Basic Obedience, “raising the bar” for our older and more practiced dogs.

Prerequisites for this class are proficiency with basic cues, on leash with low distractions, including sit, down, stand, come, and stay. Graduation from a Best Friends class not required.

During this class we will cover

Holding cues for longer periods- including “out of sight” stays
Loose Leash walking with distractions
Complying with cues at a distance
Emergency sit or down cues
Recalls with distractions
Off leash compliance


We will spend some of the sessions of this class “on the road”, practicing in the real world, with sessions in Crippen Park, in the Cove and at any other locations desired.

Class consists of eight 90 minute sessions, usually once a week. Class size is limited to a maximum of six dogs. Small classes ensure lots of one on one time with the instructor, and allow flexibility in curriculum. Schedule of class depends on attendees schedules- never think you can’t come to a class because you are busy- the group decides together what the most convenient time for class will be!

group classes on offer

i am going to do a series of posts about the classes i will be offering in 2009- they will be labelled "classes", so they can be searched easily. i am planning on adding some fun stuff! this is the first, my normal obedience class that has been available for several years. all my classes undergo constant rejuvenation, so this is not the class you did a couple of years ago, or even last year! my constant education process gives me lots of new things to pass on to my clients! email me or call anytime for more information...

Basic Obedience Class

Teaching you to teach your dog the basic cues and skills for life.

A class for older puppies to older dogs, who have had no formal training yet. It’s never too late too start, and this is the class to do it in. Teach your dog to respond to cues, even in distracting environments, and be able to hold those cues when asked.

Topics covered-

Loose leash walking

Sit Down Stand

Stay, or hold a cue

Go to your Mat

Come

Watch me, or pay attention

Positive training techniques are explained and utilized in this class, enabling you to teach your dog to focus on you and respond with appropriate behaviours. Common problem behaviours are addressed as needed throughout the program. We will deal with jumping up, doorway etiquette, barking and any other unwanted behaviours as requested by attendees.

Class consists of eight 90 minute sessions, usually once a week. Class size is limited to a maximum of six dogs. Small classes ensure lots of one on one time with the instructor, and allow flexibility in curriculum. Schedule of class depends on attendees schedules- never think you can’t come to a class because you are busy- the group decides together what the most convenient time for class will be!

another email

so today i am adding a recent email that inadvertently covers two topics- training a behaviour and age specific behaviours- read on!

Hi Pam;

The video of Bruno was very inspiring, I have seen this couple in the cove using the ramp to get Bruno into the vehicle.

Keela still hates going near the truck so we've been lifting her in and out. When we get to a really fun place she stands on the back seat and looks like she'd like to jump down but you can just see she's so uncomfortable.

At 7 months old and still growing - I assume - when is it a good time to start training her to jump in and out of the truck? Thanks!

and the answer.......

There are 2 ways of looking at this problem.

The first way is that she is plenty old and plenty big enough to jump in and out of the truck by herself, this is silly, lets teach her now, my 18 wk Mexican puppy jumps in and out of Dave’s Silverado, yada yada yada…

The second way of looking at it is that she is still a puppy, and not physically mature, her growth plates are still open, maybe having her jumping and jarring herself isn’t a great idea, she could injure herself for life, especially if she slipped and fell.

So. Take your pick. Both sides are valid. A interm solution would be to borrow a ramp- I have ideas about where, and see if we can get her using that happily, and once she’s a bit older take the next step and get rid of the ramp. I did use the ramp with Bruno, and then graduated him to jumping in the same session, but he is older and BIGGER!

the current medical consensus is that extreme exercise and jumping can damage the growth plates in an immature dog's joints, creating a painful lifelong disability. the recommendation for agility dogs is that you do not begin training jumps until the dog is at least 12 months, and you cannot compete in agility until after that age. how much jumping and running is too much, i can't say. your vet may be able to help there, but its best to err on the side of caution, obviously.

it is never too early, or too late, to work on having your dog comfortable in the car. there are lots of things that can be done to help a dog that just doesn't really like car rides, including feeding meals in the car. also to be taken into consideration is whether you dog gets car-sick. if being in the car makes your dog nauseous, they probably won't be fond of car rides! as always, specific dogs and specific solutions, so don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

link list

what i am trying to do today is a list of sites for reference- these are sites i know and trust giving solid information on dog training, with maybe a few just for fun, but right now I'll concentrate on just listing the best of the best that i know of for hard training information. the list shows up below my info on the right had side of the page. recommendations for this list will be gratefully checked out!

posts

so now i am going to try to post something every morning after i do my emails, cause that way i might even get something on here..... i have permission to use some email questions as posts, so here is the first one!

Hi Pam;

Hope this finds you well ! Our little Floofer is off her food again - sigh...

She's chowing down on a shell right now and her kibble is in the bowl untouched! I started noticing changes while she was on her medication. At the same time, she was loosing teeth - one day we found 4 teeth. So, I gave her a couple of acidopholis capsules in case it was the medication. As for the teeth - I think we've found about 8 teeth -so I think she's almost done her baby teeth. During all of this she threw up a few times - I figured it's teething and/or medication. We've had about one week to see if things would go back to normal. One day I forgot to lift her bowl. She'll go over and nibble a few pieces and maybe finish it all by 9PM. If I lift the bowl she's not any more interested at the next meal time. I put Salmon on her food - great the first time - no interest the second time. She won't take the kibble as training treats anymore also. She used to love it! She loves her chew treats and she's still crazy for pepperoni. I gave her a raw chunk of beef and one chicken wing so far - she loved it. I know one other dog on the island - M. - (names removed to protect the innocent!) who loved Riplee's then went off it - and she's a grazer (doesn't wolf down her food). She's going to give me a sample of M's kibble to try.

Is this a "Poodley" thing, maybe? Is it OK for her to graze - i.e. is that possibly a natural tendency?

Time to change her food again?

Raw food time?

and the answer was...

My first thought is that she is changing her molars, and chewing hard food hurts, plus teething dogs have the same problems as teething humans- she probably feels really shitty, too, especially if she is growing in a bunch of new teeth at once. You could certainly try a different food, she may eat it out of novelty, or not, who knows? Don’t rush things- she won’t starve. I don’t like grazing dogs… I think M mat be using her food as a power trip over her Mom, they were in a class when M was little and she’s opinionated wee thing! Keela basically sounds like she is just not hungry. Is she still growing like crazy? If her growth has slowed she may simply not need as much as she did. Just stream of consciousness ideas…

and the final result? little puppy did have a sore mouth... softening her food helped her eat better, and lots of cold chew toys helped her mouth feel better, and in a week or so she was back to normal.

and the moral of the story? not everything is behavioural! dogs do not show pain the way we do, and if your dog has a problem, he may hide it from you. in this case, refusing to eat was a sign that Keela was in pain, luckily a normal pain, which ran its course and she was fine. lethargy, refusal to eat, grumpiness, changes in gait, not wanting to exercise or play, and many more subtle things may be signs that your dog is in pain, and a vet check is always a good idea.

yay

i finally got a picture to add to my blog properly! and not so yay, all group classes are still suspended indefinitely while we wait for our climate to come back. the training yard is full of rock hard snow and the park is totally treacherous. Pray for some real rain! (never thought i'd say that!)

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the dog whisperer

interesting news clip from KOMO news, have to say i agree........

http://www.komonews.com/home/video/37440019.html?video=pop&t=a

sorry, cut and paste- i still don't know how to do links!

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