Luke is a Canine Good Citizen
Estaika’s Lucky Lukas CGC
Once again, here is a link to the American Kennel Club’s CGC program. AKC CGC
Canine Good Citizen Certificates arrived today!
Astro is a Canine Good Citizen
For those of you unfamiliar with the title, I have included a link to the American Kennel Club’s description.
Lucy earns another agility title
Kooikerhondje Lucy’s Master Agility Jumpers Title
UKC CH Vonlin’s Temple of the Winds, RE AX MXJ CGC received her MXJ title certificate yesterday. As much as we enjoy agility, we are going to limit our entries for the time being. Almost all trials in the Houston, TX area are now held in a building 1 1/2 hours away with only one ring. With dogs competing in various levels, it makes for a very long and boring day. We were gone from the house for 15 hours recently and then had to wake up early and leave the house by 5:00 the next morning and do it all over again. All for about 4 minutes of ring time. We will now concentrate on obedience trials.
Clanci Graduates!
Clanci and her Graduating Class
Mendikan Clanci Bema CGC, better known as “Clanci “, is pictured with her graduating class from Basic and Beyond Puppy Training Class. About 12 dogs started the class, but only 4 showed up for the final class. Clanci learned some basic commands such as “go to your mat”, “watch me”,”come”, “sit”, “down”, “spin”, “touch”, and “back up”. She also started heeling and stays. Kooikerhondje can excel at obedience training. Most love to please and are very food and toy motivated.
Interesting Dog Training Website
Interesting Dog Training Web Site
Mind to Mind
Happy dogs, happy owners, mind to mind
I have reprinted Sue Ailsby’s Introduction.
All of Sue’s Levels of Training Free Books can be found at http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page26/page10/
“I’ve chosen these behaviours as the important steps in making a dog a partner and team member. At later levels, the trainer can begin choosing specific channels leading to his own particular sports interests or, like me, work on them all to give the dog the greatest versatility:
1. Come. From running back and forth between two people, to coming through other dogs and people, to formal Recalls.
2. Contacts. An agility skill with applications in many areas. You can stop the dog where you want, when you want.
3. Crate. The dog learns to be confined at home, in the car, at the vet. To enter the crate willingly and stay in it – calm, quiet, and relaxed.
4. Distance. The dog learns to respond to cues near you AND away from you.
5. Down.
6. Down-Stay. In sight, out of sight, confidently, quietly.
7. Finish. Lateral movements for carting, obedience, agility. To return to Heel position from anywhere.
8. Front.
9. Go To Mat. Anchor the dog in a place anywhere so you can do what you need to do with the dog quietly and confidently out of the way.
10. Handling. Manipulate the dog’s body in any way, cut toenails, groom, repair.
11. Heel. Total concentration and total position control.
12. Homework. Various questions to give the trainer a good grounding in the theory behind the training.
13 & 14. High and Broad Jumps. What sports DON’T require confident, clean, enthusiastic jumping?
15. Leash. I’d call Loose Leash Walking the hardest thing we’ll ever teach a dog!
16. On The Road. Concentrating on training all behaviours in strange places two Levels below the current Level ensures the dog is able to perform in many locations, and ensures the handler understands that “He does it at home” is NOT a reliable indicator that he can do it elsewhere!
17. Retrieve. My personal indicator of true communication between a dog and person. A TRAINED retrieve of any article.
18. Scenting. Add a little fun and amazement to your training schedule.
19. Sit.
20. Sit-Stay.
21. Stand.
22. Stand-Stay.
23. Target. With paw and with nose, targeting is the basis of hundreds of behaviours and an easy way to lure many others.
24. Trick. I use tricks to explain the various ways there are to get behaviour, to teach the dog and trainer to be creative, and to remind the trainer of why he got a dog in the first place.
25. Watch. A concentration and duration behaviour, difficult and important.
26. Zen. The more the dog wants something, the harder he has to think about giving the trainer what HE wants. A perfect explanation of life and training!
The rest is up to you. Let’s clear up a few points and then get started.