I have recently mentioned my resurgence into the dog obedience and trialing world.

The first time I trialed and showed, I was egged on by my client who challenged me and my dog to an “obedience dare” to see who could title their dog first.  I REALLY, REALLY didn’t want to, but I had help to get her ready for her competitions and she wanted company IN and around the show ring.

I never wanted to trial my dog or get titles, I never cared and was terrified of competition and getting up in front of people.  But the irony of the situation is that the trainer she left me for fashioned herself as a competition training aficionado.

I happily admit I took her up on her dare and not only did I title first, I beat her former trainer   But, for me its not about the competition it is about spending time not only training with my dog but also the short time spent in the ring together!

I intend to get as many titles on my little girl “Fury” as I can!  It is my challenge to myself!

And, my favorite obedience sport, you ask?

Rally Obedience!

Some of the Signs Used

I am proud to admit she got #1 blue ribbon her first time out of the gate with a score of 99 pts!  I let the leash get tight once!  Above is our first place run!

For those of you who aren’t familiar, let me educate you!

Rally Obedience was created by Charles Kramer.

Unlike regular obedience where you must wait for the judge to call out instructions you proceed around a course of designated stations with the dog in heel position.  The course consists of 10-20 signs (depending on the level of advancement) and the signs instruct the team as to what directive to complete.

And, distinct from other obedience sports are allowed and even encouraged to praise and talk to their dogs throughout the course!

THAT is my #1 reason for loving Rally!  Most obedience sports are very cold and absent in the relationship between the dog and the owner/handler.  I personally like to at least be able to praise my dog when he/she does something phenomenal and to keep him/her motivated and happy.

I understand that you should not be able to use training collars, issue corrections, or give treats but I emphatically admit that dogs deserve praise for a job well done!  And, in Rally you can praise, talk to and even clap for your dog when he does something right!

Since I don’t have a judge barking directions at me, I can also relax and stumble about the course on my own without having to worry about listening to someone else.  This allows me to block out everything else that is going on around me.

Fun had by All

And, IT’S FUN!

Even if you don’t compete…Rally obedience is just fun!  And the obedience behind it is functional!  I love the fact that by working on the simple commands on the signs like: Stop (dog should sit) Take one step halt (dog sits) Two steps halt (dog sits) Three steps halt (dog sits) and  Call Dog Front Finish Left halt (dog should come and sit in front then go to heel position and sit on the left side).

And, it’s FAST you are usually in the ring for less than 2-3 minutes!

This is a great sport to get started in with your dog!  It is my favorite way to start!

Look it up online.  Many organizations offer Rally Obedience AKC, APDT, UKC and several others!  You don’t even have to have a pure breed to get out there and have some fun!  You can find more information here.

If you are “on the fence” about competing go to a show and watch, it is so much fun!

A Word of Caution

To those of you who may end up being “die-hard” obedience competitors; be careful about getting use to lots of praise and using your hands and hand signals.  Even if though these are allowed in Rally you don’t want to get into too many bad habits that will be hard to drop when you eventually work your way up or onto another obedience sport!  Do as little and as quiet as possible!

I truly believe that this will strengthen the bond between you and your dog, even if you don’t want to compete, check out the signs and train like you are a competitor!

My Favorite Dog Obedience Sport is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Working with a Cheetah! How's that for training experience!!

I love to read!  When I was a baby I got a vaccination that almost took my life.  I am sure my mother was terrified.  I have some memories of lying on the couch very sick.  My mother would read to me for hours, and at that time (before DVDs or VHS…ahhh I hate aging myself) Disney movies came on record.

I would sit and listen to a movie over and over until I had basically memorized it. In some ways I am grateful for all of my experiences they have shaped me and who I am as an adult.  Because of that one shot, my immune system was never quite able to fight off infection and I did get and still get every flu bug that goes around. I grew up loving reading.   Reading was my way to escape into another world and to learn about…well, anything I was interested in at the time.  My mother did not allow video games, and TV was restricted

This love of reading followed me to college when I double majored one being in English.  I still love English Literature (I know I am a nerd).  But, in many ways these are all the reasons you are reading this article right now.  If I grew up playing video games, I probably wouldn’t be writing or reading to entertain myself.

I am able to learn by reading, and I have hundreds of books lining a book shelf to prove it.  I enjoy reading and breaking things down; highlighting important points for further study.

Part of the beginning of my successful dog training career came from reading just about every dog training book I could get my hands on.  Almost 20 years ago it was difficult to find any kind of dog training on VHS or to see anything visually that wasn’t learned at a class or a seminar.

Much of my learning took place at night reading one book and then another.

My FAVORITE Book!

I remember when Karen Pryor came out with “Don’t Shoot the Dog” such a remarkable ground breaking book. I still read it for fun occasionally (party animal that I am).  I recommend that book to anyone who has a dog, is a mother, works with people…well, ANYONE really!

But not everyone likes to read.  My husband (bless his heart) admits that if it is not a popup picture book he is probably not interested in reading it.  I am not sure he has read a book since high school and/or Navy Training and he was forced to do so.  I can say these things because I know he is not going to read this ha ha ha

Don’t get me wrong, he is a smart guy and was E8 Senior Chief Engineer on a destroyer in the Navy.  He actually has much better recall on most factual things than I do; he can tell you each step or how a bill becomes law, the capitals of the states, and all kinds of bizarre history facts.  I pretend to remember these things too, unless put on the spot.

So what happens to those of you who might learn better from a hands on approach to dog training, and other things?

We are introducing instructional dog training videos!  Me and my furry kids have been hitting the grass (no pun intended) and shooting some videos that tackle some of the most basic, and some of the most difficult dog training problems.

Although it is hard for me to keep things to a short minimum while writing or taping (I like hearing myself my husband says), most of the videos are a short 2 to 3 minutes long.

2 to 3 minutes may not seem like long, but it is enough to help you visualize the problem and how to fix it!

It may be difficult to imagine working a dog in “drive”, but it only takes a minute or two to show you how to begin developing drive to utilize your dogs instincts in your obedience training program.  Drive and Focus are two of my favorite aspects about good, competition style obedience.  Often the things I have written articles about, I have also shot instructional videos to help you achieve these goals.

Come Join Us!

We also tackle some of your questions and some of the basic needs everyone has with their dog.

I know, too that there are many readers from around the world, and these videos will help to break down the language barrier for anyone who might struggle.  Visually seeing how to do things will be enough to help you with your dog’s training, problems, or level of exercise and entertainment.

So come check them out at the Dog Training Secret Video Vault and utilize these tips to further your relationship with your dog and your dog training skills.  We guarantee you will enjoy them and you will see a rapid change in your dogs obedience and attitude toward you and training!

The Dog Training Secret’s New Video Vault is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

My Jovi!

I have a 9 week old puppy!!  Life is certainly exciting at my house right now, especially with two dogs under the age of 1!  So I thought I would write a puppy training article about teaching your new puppy his name and then I realized…how often do people have trouble getting their ADULT dogs to come to their names?

So I shifted my focus, to a reinstatement of dog training commands, going back to literally “Square One” and teaching your dog his name, in most cases AGAIN!

We get a new dog and after we name him, we promptly assume he knows his new name.  This is what I am finding with my new family.  I say “new family” because we, too are new at being blended and they don’t come to dog training with the knowledge I have.  We named our pup “Jovi “(I am a huge Bon Jovi fan).  And, it was as if automatically everyone assumed he should know his name!

“Jovi this” and “Jovi that” has been uttered since, but no one has really taken the steps necessary to TEACH him his name and what it means!

When I get a new pup, I wait a few days before doing a lot of puppy training.  I want my pup to be able to acclimate to his new environment and his new siblings before adding much more to his plate. But, with that said I do work on teaching him his name at any natural moment throughout the day.

I believe to build a firm foundation in the beginning of dog training you must pair his new name with his food and his treats!

• How many of you have dogs that come running, from anywhere in the house or yard when you say “cookie, treat, or biscuit”, how about if you open the food container or shake the treat jars?  I use to work for a couple that would call their cat by screaming “mouse in a can” and running the automatic can opener.  Their cat would come running like his tail was on fire from anywhere in the neighborhood when he heard “mouse in a can”…you’d think that was his name ha ha!

That is when I had an “AH HA” moment!  What if I could get that kind of intensity from my dogs when I called their names?  I love a challenge, and this was and is exactly that!

We all have pets that come running for whatever word you use for treat.

WHY?

Because we have conditioned our pets—-when you hear that word, “cookie” at my house, with almost 100% reliability you will be getting a tasty morsel or something good!  Most of us don’t run the can opener, open the food container, shake the treat jar, or even say the word without following through!

• When was the last time you said the treat word and then yelled at or beat your dog when he came?
• Do you say “cookie” and trim your dog’s nails or do other things he doesn’t like?
• When he gets in trouble do you say “COOOOOKIE” with anger?

NO!!  “cookie” always means something good!!

HOW Do You Change Your Dog’s Mind or Teach Him His Name?

Positive Reinforcement is the Only Way To Go With That Face!

You use these same principals!!  They are quite simple, really!

When you say his name pair it with a treat!  Vary the degree of greatness of the treat, once it might be a biscuit and sometimes it might be chicken breast or liver!!!  Not knowing how fantastic the treat may be helps give your dog the motivation to come running!

ALWAYS make it a big deal and a wonderful affair when your dog comes to you or to his name!  This is a time for celebration and fun!  His name and coming when called can save his life someday so you want him as reliable as possible!!

NEVER (can I say that again?), NEVER, EVER, NEVER use your dog’s name as some kind of verbal correction!!!  I know it’s tempting…”JOOOVVVIII get over here NOW!” is not something that makes your dog want to come to you.  This negativity teaches your dog that his name is actually a bad thing!!!  You NEVER want your dog to associate his name with bad or negative things, this will teach him to avoid you when you say his name, which is the opposite of what you want!

NEVER, EVER, NEVER do horrible things or things your dog may deem horrible to your dog when you call him; if he hates his crate don’t crate him, don’t trim his nails, don’t give him a bath, don’t reprimand him!  Bad things make your dog want to avoid you.  If you have to do these things go to your dog or teach him that doing them means the rewards will be phenomenal but don’t use his name, you don’t need it!

Jovi=treat, Jovi=treat!  You get the idea right?  If you adhere to this plan or put it into action starting today you will see a HUGE improvement in your training program almost immediately!  It’s simple and it is common sense.  Have fun with your dog!

Teaching Your Dog His Name is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

I just got back from the AKC National Agility Championships in Virginia!  Wow, what a fun experience it was to watch canine and human work together to achieve such fun goals!  I must admit it gave me a little bit of “agility competition fever” or at the very least “agility fever”!

I took my first agility class almost 10 years ago when I lived in Colorado.  I was training Service Dogs and raising a young Malinois puppy and he needed a little help with socialization and something to entertain his mind.  Now, at over 11 years old he still gets excited to see the equipment come out!

About Agility

Agility is Just A Lot of FUN!

Dog agility is a sport in which the handler directs a dog through an obstacle course, in a race for both time and accuracy.  Dogs run off leash with no food, or toys and the handler is not allowed to touch either the obstacle or the dog at any point.   The course changes with each competition and each judge so there is no set course to study; the dog must be controlled by the handler’s voice and body language in order to successfully complete the course in the allotted time.

The courses are complicated enough that the dog cannot complete it without the guidance of his handler, and care must be taken on the handler’s part to guide the dog correctly.  Many strategies and training programs exist to compensate for strengths and weaknesses in both human and dog teams.

In order to make sure competition is fair (Mastiffs are not competing against Border Collies) the classes are divided by jump heights, meaning same sized dogs compete against same sized dogs.  Dogs are measured at their shoulder height.  A dog may jump a class higher than his shoulder measurement, but never lower.

There are many classes or types of agility and there are several levels of competition;  Novice is for dogs just starting in agility and there are 13-15 obstacles, Open is for dogs that have earned the Novice title and there are 16-18 obstacles, and Excellent is for dogs that have completed the Open level and there are 18-20 obstacles and that is just a start!

There are also many organizations (not just AKC) that put on trials and all have different rules and regulations, and many accept the entry of mutts! USDAA and NADAC are very common but always take care to study new rules and regulations prior to trial!

How Can Agility Help Your Dog Training Program?

Get Out and Have Some Fun!!

As stated earlier, agility is an off leash dog training sport and therefore takes a lot of training and work!  Good obedience is a must with agility, but what makes it different is agility is FUN!!

When I taught doggy obedience classes, agility was my most popular class simply because it was FUN; fun for the dog owner and fun for the dogs!  Everybody won, including me, because everyone was having such a fun time together.

Even dog owners that were struggling with their dog’s obedience at home often excelled in my agility classes because they were both enjoying the time they spent together!  Instead of focusing on what the dog wasn’t doing or how frustrated they were with their dog, they were relishing the fact that their dog was so fast or so willing to excel at difficult things like tipping the teeter totter.  They were able to see their dog in a new and exciting light; AND their dog was learning that mom or dad could be super fun and it gave him more of a reason to listen to commands and the guidance given.

No one like monotony!  Monotony is boring whether at work or in your personal life and let me be the first to tell you…your dog often finds obedience boring and monotonous!  Most of us don’t stop to realize how boring we must be for our dogs!

I liken this theory to having an accelerated and extremely intelligent child who is simply bored in a regular school room.  Sometimes these children are accused of having ADHD and not paying attention at all because they aren’t challenged.  I think our dogs are the same way!!!  I think our dogs ignore us because we aren’t exciting and they fall into a habit of not listening.

Something as simple as taking an agility class or adding some agility equipment to your training program can be crucial to how well your dog listens to you.  As you become more exciting…you become more important to your dog.  I know that sounds sad, but the fact is it; is true!

If your dog thinks that coming to you when called might end up in the ability to play his favorite game; I guarantee he will have improved listening skills! The more exciting and more fun you are, the more apt he is to be obedient!

With all types of training comes obedience; that is the great part…its like you are having too much fun to realize you are both actually WORKING together towards a goal and you are both LISTENING to each other!  This working and listening becomes habit and you will soon see the benefits around the house and in other areas of your life together!

The goal is to have fun together working on obedience as a game and enjoying each other’s company.  The more time you spend together, the more training you accomplish, the better behaved your dog will be and the happier you will be!  So get started!  Find an agility club or class and start bonding, even if you never compete you will relish the time you spend together!

How Dog Agility Can Help You with Dog Obedience is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Join Me On Your Favorite Social Networking Site!

Hello everyone!  We are going viral…no, no that doesn’t mean I have a virus, thankfully I kicked that bug a few weeks ago, we are taking our information and knowledge to share on Facebook and Twitter!

I know what you are thinking, you have a busy life and even if you are already have an account with Facebook and Twitter you are wondering if you have the time to add something else to your plate and your life.  I completely understand!  I feel the same way every time I click “Like” on my facebook page.  I make a concerted effort not to add anything I am not truly passionate about on my page.

But I am here to convince you to join me!  Not only will all of our new articles and services be added immediately to our account, but I will also be adding fun facts, services, and new and upcoming items to our pages!

Today, for instance, I added a link to get free pet supplies!  Who doesn’t like free stuff?  Some of the things offered are coupons to get money off items you are probably already purchasing and some offer free treats and items to the first 150 people!

Yesterday, I posted a link to one of my favorite videos a Man vs. Dog eating contest!  I simply love this video, it brings a giggle and a smile to my face every time I watch it.

I will be posting news articles, rescue information, articles, pictures and cool doggy supplies on our pages!  It is my desire to find the coolest stuff and share it with you!  I also encourage you to join me and send me links you would like to share and leave questions and comments for me.

I will do my best to answer your questions and give you the best, and the most fun information I can!  My passion in this life is to truly enjoy the time I spend with my family and my dogs!

So PLEASE join me, so I am not Tweeting and Facebooking to myself!  Share the links and encourage your friends and family to join us!

Join Our Facebook Page!

Follow Us On Twitter!

I look forward to building a more personal relationship with you and finding the coolest dog stuff around!

We Are Going Viral! is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Video: Through a dog’s eyes

By Daniela Caride, Publisher, www.thedailytail.com

The PBS series “Through a Dog’s Eyes” will surely be wonderful. With premier scheduled for April 21 at 8 p.m. E.T., the series follows the journey of service dogs and the people whose lives they change.

The film is based on the book, “Through A Dog’s Eyes,” by Jennifer Arnold, founder and director of Canine Assistants.

I had tears in my eyes already only by watching the trailer (below). Enjoy it! But before hitting the play button you might want to bring out the Kleenex!

Read more and watch snippets of the PBS series here.

www.thedailytail.com

PBS Series: “Through a dog’s eyes” is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Dog and Deer is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Dog Laps Water in Slow Motion is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Doggie Lullaby is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

You’ll love this tune by Randi Breese. I think it pretty well sums it up for the majority of us.

‘There’s Dog Hair In Everything I Do’ is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog