Dog Training Class--Level Two

 

Basic Manners Level 2 class. 
Classes will be held outdoors in Lahaina and other West Side locations.
This class will be held Saturdays from 5:00-6:00p.m.  (October 4th -- November 8th)



The cost for this class is $150 CASH. (Discounts will be given to multiple dogs). Please bring your payment with you the first day of class, along with your pet's vet records. I do not need to keep any vet records, but I DO need to see them. Your pet should be up to date on all shots including Parvo, Distemper, and Rabies (if your pet is from outside of Hawaii). These vaccinations are required prior to beginning training. Bordatella vaccination, or Kennel Cough, is recommended but not required.

Basic Manners Level 2...
Starting in mid to late August (TBA)
In this class we will review the Basic Manners and improve on them.  This is a 6-week, one hour per week class. 

Week One:

Paper work.  Review of all Basic Manners, body rewards, leadership, motivation, positive reinforcement, and energy balance.

--Basic Manners:  Loose Leash Walking, Look, Come when Called, Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Drop It, and Leave It.

Week 2:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Reward Grading Scale.  Come when Called with Distance and Distractions.  Practice Look, Sit, Down, and Stand.  Practice Stay with Duration (time).

Week 3:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Adding Distractions to Heel.  Greeting a stranger while walking in Heel.  Adding Distance and Distractions to Stay.  Practice Look, Sit, Down, and Stand.  Practice Come when Called with various distances and distractions.

Week 4:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Wait with Recall.  Wait with a long line leash.  Practice Come when Called with various distances and distractions.  Drop It and Give.  Take it.  Fetch.

Week 5:

Adventure pack hike.  Practice Wait with a long line leash.  Practice Look, Heel, and Loose Leash Walking.  Socialization.

Week 6:

Review of all things learned.  Games.

ANY dog breed of ANY age is welcome (and encouraged) to take these classes.

Please contact Such Good Dogs to sign up:
suchgooddogs@gmail.com
808-463-4684

Check out Such Good Dogs at:
SuchGoodDogs.com
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Athena Angelic is an Animal Behavior Certified Dog Trainer. Athena is certified in Pet First Aid & CPR through the American Red Cross, is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and a Certified Mentor Trainer with Animal Behavior College.

Such Good Dogs offers group classes, private lessons, adventures, dog socialization, dog bootcamp, and in-home boarding.

Challenge Accepted

I have been working with a nice couple in Kihei and their puppy, Bala, a Coton de Tulear.  He is a very sweet little pup and an amazingly quick learner.  I am extremely happy with the amount of work his family has put into training him!  Good job guys!

I have been working with Bala and his family for about 2 months now.  We have covered all the Basic Manners Obedience training and will soon be moving into more specialized training for Service Dogs.  In our most recent appointment this week, the owners wanted to focus on the walk.  Upon deciding to go over some Loose Leash Walking skills, I discovered that the owners have been unable to attach the leash to his collar and walk him that way, they have always used his harness.  The owners said he would NOT walk if the leash was attached to his collar.

Well, as a trainer, I always love a challenge, so I accepted this one.  Although Bala did initially have a negative reaction to the leash being attached to his collar, I worked with the dog and the owners on how to overcome this problem.  At some point, for whatever reason, Bala had a negative experience with someone attaching a leash to his collar (this most likely happened before the current owners got the dog).  To overcome this negative association, we must build a new, positive association with the leash being attached to the collar.  So I repeated the exercise of slowly and calmly attaching the leash to his collar and paid with his favorite cheese every time Bala relaxed a little bit.  After about 5 times of repeating this exercise, Bala became much more comfortable with the leash attached directly to his collar.

Then the next step...although we worked on building the positive association with attaching the leash, Bala still, of course, was reluctant to follow us out for a walk.  This was to be expected.  To overcome this problem we simple keep building the positive association with his favorite thing, cheese.  After about 30 seconds of some simple coaxing, Bala began to walk on the leash (attached to his collar instead of the harness) very well.  His family was very surprised and amazed that he did so.

This serves as a helpful reminder:  No matter what issue you may be having with your dog, no matter how difficult it may seem to overcome, there is always a way to get the dog to do what you want.  And that way is positive reinforcement!  :)

Foster--Keaton

Keaton, German Shepard Mix

Keaton is quite a handful.  Very jumpy and extremely nippy.  Keaton is a very impulsive dog.  Although we started with the basics like food lure, sit, down, and kennel, we also ventured to Leave-It so that I could help get the fosters on the right path.  Although it did take him a long time (the longest I've had to wait for a dog so far), the fosters were able to see that Keaton was slowly picking up on the command.  I encouraged the foster mom to be the only one doing the Leave-It training with Keaton for now because he still bites fairly hard at your hand, and her two kids are rather young.  All three family members went through truing with Keaton on Sit, Focus, Down, and Come.  We went over all the right and wrong things to do when he jumps and nips.  The kids learned how important it is to give a dog good positive feedback so he knows exactly what behavior he should be doing.  The fosters will now be giving him more exercise and working daily with him on basic obedience skills and impulse control.  I believe with a few more weeks of good training and exorcism we will see a drastic improvement in Keaton's behavior.

Remember:  BE PATIENT!  KEEP AT IT!

Foster--Calvin, Conclusion

I must say, I really fell in love with Calvin.  If I owned my own house, I would have considered adopting him.

Calvin likes to greet people in a very boisterous way at the door, including jumping up on you the second you get through the door.  Calvin's foster mom also had 3 other dogs in the house.  To best help Calvin, it was important to work on an Auto-Sit at the door with all four dogs individually, then slowly adding them all together.  Calvin is an extremely fast learner.  I believe Calvin would make an excellent dog for the person who has the time to train and properly exercise him.  Calvin is also somewhat of an escape artist, so it is very important that he be both physically AND mentally challenged on a daily basis.  Calvin has made vast improvements in his behavior over the course of our training and I believe that as long as his foster (or hopefully future adoptive) parents continue to train and challenge him, he will become a fabulous dog.  He is a very sweet and loving dog, and I will truly miss getting to work with him.

Foster--Calvin, Day 2

On my return visit to Calvin's I was pleasantly surprised to see that his foster mom had been doing her homework.  She was walking Calvin every day, with some improvement, and playing structured games with him more at home to help get out his energy.  On the second visit we focused again on the jumping and nipping.

When dealing with any dog, but especially a very large one, it is important to remember how you carry yourself, what your body language is, and what that is saying to your dog.  Many times people become intimidated by their pet's unruly behavior, emotions like these will affect your training in a negative way.  Remember to say calm, but firm.  You are in charge, not your dog.  The key is to find what motivates your dog to do the things you ask of him.  For most dogs, and for Calvin, this is food.

Positive reinforcement training using treats is very fast and effective way of training your dog.  We worked on an "Auto-Sit" with Calvin while coming up to him to say hi, and at the door.  The more you can repeat these activities, the more chance your dog has to do the right thing and get rewarded for it, the more he will perform that behavior for you!

Foster--Calvin, Day 1

I was very excited to get to work with Calvin, a Husky/ St. Bernard mix.  Having a very large (and tall) dog myself, I enjoy getting to work with bigger dogs that many people tend to somewhat fear, just based simply on their immense size.  I will admit, Calvin was definetly quite the hand-full.  Calvin was a very boisterous foster that liked to greet people by jumping on them.  Now I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that having a 100 pound+ dog jump on you is not exactly the greeting we are hoping for.

Calvin's foster mom and I worked on many things with Calvin, including some basic food lures and waiting for calm behavior.  Calvin is a big dog with LOTS of energy and needs plenty of exercise.  After working on some anti-jumping techniques, I took Calvin and his foster mom out for a walk.  It was a very, very slow walk.  I can see why he doesn't get walked at this point in time.  It took us probably close to a half hour to walk about 100 feet.  Calvin tries to pull you like a freight train.  Again, patients and consistency.

After our very tedious walk we tackled some fetch training in the back yard.  The foster mom had told me that Calvin was uninterested in fetch.  The key is finding a way to make it interesting.  For Calvin it was playing fetch with a rope toy and rewarding him with a little bit of tug-of-war when he brought it back.  Of course there should always be rules to teaching any game to a dog.  Amongst others, our rules included sitting and waiting calmly before throwing the toy again.

Foster--Chandler, Day 4

Unfortunately it is not always easy to match schedules with other people.  I was unable to walk Chandler for a few days, and it showed.  Although I had taken both of Chandler's foster parents on a walk with him (without my dogs of course) and showed them the proper techniques for keeping him from pulling on the leash, people do not always remember to follow instructions.

I say again, it is HARD WORK to properly train a dog.  If you are unable or unwilling to put in the time and effort it takes, you will not achieve the goals you set out too.

BE CONSISTENT!!!  Being consistent in dog training is one of the most important things.  Think about it...if it's ok to get on the couch when dad is home, but not when mom is home, you are not being consistent.  The dog will be confused and may get yelled at by mom because she was not aware dad let the dog on the couch.  This is a simple example, but holds true.

Foster--Chandler, Day 3

By the time our third walk with Chandler came around, I could see real improvement.  Chandler began walking very well on the leash today and rarely pulled.  When he did pull he stopped, backed up (to release the tension on the leash), and looked at me.  I was amazed.  This dog has come such a long way in a very short time.  It just really goes to show that if you put the work in, you can see the results almost immediately.

During this walk I added the "Wait" cue at street crossings.  Although we had always paused at these places in our previous walks, I waited until Chandler picked up the behavior before adding the cue.  When training any dog it is important not to try too much too fast.  This can confuse a dog and set back progress.

Foster--Chandler, Day 2

So I decided it would be best to try and take Chandler for some more leash training as soon as possible.  So they next day sounded perfect.

While training Chandler to Loose-Leash-Walk today I also added in a few extra cues.  One of these was, Watch Me.  During Loose Leash Training, once a dog picks up on the idea that he can't pull and continue walking forward, I like to up the anti a little and wait for the dog to not only stop and relax the tension in the leash, but also to look at me.  Teaching a dog the "Watch Me" or "Look" cue is one of the best commands to learn that will greatly benefit both you and your pet.  Dogs who are conscious of their owners and who look to their owners for permission and cues are much better behaved.  Plus, you can't train a dog that is not focused on you.

Foster--Chandler

A few days ago I met a neighbor of mine who is fostering a dog for MARS (Midwest Animal Rescue & Services).  I chatted with them for a bit and asked if they were in need of any help.  They expressed interested in having their foster leash trained.

So today while taking my own two dogs for a walk, I also got to take Chandler.  Chandler had met my dogs previously when I had first spoken to the neighbor, so there were no "doggy introductions."  We went to their house, picked up Chandler, and continued on our usual walk.

Although adding a dog to your pack who is not leash trained is anything but a usual walk.  When leash-training any dog it is always important to have patients.  To really train a dog properly can take a long time in the very beginning, and so it did with Chandler.

Loose Leash Walking

What is loose leash walking?  Basic this means walking with your dog nicely, where the leash is loose.  This means there is no tension on the leash; that the dog is not pulling you.

Now, loose leash walking (LLW) is not the same thing as heel.  LLW means the dog is walking nicely on the leash, but in no specific place.  Heel is when a dog walks next to you, directly at your side.  Heel is a step up from LLW.  Teaching a dog heel is like going to college, but before we can go to higher education, we must first start in Kindergarden with Loose Leash Walking.

Teaching a dog to properly walk on a leash is actually quite easy, but requires a LOT of patience!  Patience is the most important tool you can bring when teaching this to your dog.

Its quite simple really.  To begin, go out for a walk using a regular 4-6 foot leash (NEVER use an extenda-leash), and a buckle collar properly fitted to your dog's neck (so they cannot slip out).  As you begin your walk, as soon as your dog pulls, stop directly in your tracks.  Do not pull on the leash, just freeze yourself and wait for your dog to release the tension on the leash.  Once s/he does, mark that behavior with a calm "good" or "yes," and continue on your walk.  When the dog pulls again, stop, wait, when the dog releases the tension, say your "good," and continue on.  Like I said, very simple but requires an immense amount of patience!!!

A spin off of this technique for LLW is the turn.  Instead of stopping and waiting, when the dog pulls, say "let's go" and make a sharp turn in the opposite direction.  You can also start with the first option, then move into the second.  For example:  you went out on your walk and your dog pulled, so you stopped and waited.  You have now been waiting for 5 minutes.  You can move right into the second option, say "Let's Go," and move off in the opposite direction.

I highly recommend starting with the first option.  Using this technique, dog's tend to have better success in the long run.  Keep at it!  It takes SO much patience!  Practice, Practice, Practice!

If you take the time to get your dog walking properly on a leash, your walks will be so much more enjoyable and you and your dog can enjoy your time together the way it was meant to be.  Many people do not walk their dogs because they are so bad on leash.  Please don't become one of them.

We have all heard the old saying, "A tired dog is a good dog."  Your dog needs exercise every day just like you do.  Remember to get your pup out for a good walk EVERY DAY!!

Have you walked your dog yet today?