Occasionally our agility class will take a field trip to let the students see agility in real life. This gives them a chance to see what happens at trials, how the set ups work, how the rings are run, what the ring stewards do, and what agility actually looks like Read more…
Background: Recently a dog owner came to class with the goal of getting the dog to walk without pulling. This adult dog had recently been retired as a conformation dog. He had spent several years being trained to put a significant amount of steady pressure on the leash, out ahead Read more…
Sometimes students have ‘Potentially Unrealistic Expectations.’ Behaviors that they say they want, and that we can theoretically train… but there isn’t actually enough time, commitment, or experience to make it happen. That’s one of the reasons we emphasize management. Crates, Gates, Leashes, Kongs, Food Toys…. things to keep Read more…
After leash reactivity class we try to always ask “Which part was the best and which part was the hardest?” It’s very, very interesting how most people will then tell the best part.. and the “worst” part. Part of that probably is that “worst” is considered to be the opposite Read more…
1: Offered Sit: The handler/owner/family can practice this. When the dog sits…toss a treat. Repeat until the dog is readily sitting with no prompting. If the dog does not offer a sit but does respond to the verbal cue…. cue the behavior, reinforce. Repeat 5-10 times and then wait and Read more…
I don’t know if it was because I had an almost normal amount of sleep for the first time in 10 days or if the information from vet conference was finally seeping into my head, or if it was just luck, but class last night was great. All the dogs Read more…