It’s surely a good idea to have cancelled morning classes for Saturday(21st). Ice was accumulating at a rapid pace early Friday evening.
Mindin explores the accumulating ice in the kennel this evening (Feb 20, 2015). It’s pretty, but …
Nice detail in this article about the 330 agility entries at the Westminster championship. Surprising that the average age for the competitors – about 7. Not surprising a Border Collie won.
Take a look at this short video of a pick in the beginning agility class at a dog school near Seattle. It ought to give you inspiration for training your canine.
40 dogs and their handlers presented three holiday programs at the school the first weekend in December (2014). The show featured holiday lights, music, costumes and lots of impressive dog training. Here is a sample of the event captured in pictures. We welcome others to join our group. Use the ‘contact us‘ tab on our website for register online.
The end-of-the-year holidays can be joyous for us and hazardous for our dogs.
Beware.
Our homes are normally filled with hazards for a dog’s wellbeing, and during this time of year the number of hazards seems to explode. Much of the holiday food, and many of the decorations and the gifts can all be dangerous or poisonous for a dog. Couple that with our own inattention caused by the change in our own schedules and you have a receipt for danger.
Check these lists for things to attend. The first is from the College of Vet Medicine at Washington State University. The second is from the Pet Poison Helpline. The third from the American Kennel Club some advice on general care for the dog during the holidays.
Luring a puppy with food early in training has lots of advantages. The puppy chooses where to be. The handler does not have to hold the dog in place with a tight leash. The treat begins to build the dog’s attention on the handler and builds the dog’s concentration. Here is an early picture of Stuart’s second training session.
From the first class session, we help you get your dog’s attention. Getting your dog to pay attention to you often starts with your paying close attention to your dog. Attend to your dog intensely early in training, and your dog will begin to pay attention to you, too. The picture is an example of that two-way attention. Your goal will be to build your dog’s habit of paying attention to you even in the midst of lots of distractions – noises, other dogs, rabbits and squirrels, other people, etc. The first step is your paying close attention to the dog.
Here is a substantial story about the two-year training program that the Leader Dog organization uses to get dog’s ready for service to seeing-impaired people.
Dogs are body-language communicators. They are really good at it. They will expect us to tell them what we want them to do with body signals. That’s where consistent footwork in heeling is essential for effective training. That’s where consistent hand signals also help speed the dog’s learning and responsiveness. In dog training — actions do speak louder than words, to quote an old saying. In this picture, perhaps showing her puppy what the we expect in the ‘relax’ (lie on your side) command can help.
If you’re handy with tools here are two ideas for creating exercise opportunities for your dog in your own backyard.
This site includes the list for shopping and tools you will need and and step-by-step instructions with photos on how to build your dog’s own agility course. And here are instructions for building the doghouse with roof-top veranda and stairs to give the dog exercise going up and down.