Your dog has a magic bowl. Food appears in it every day.
No hunting. No foraging. No tracking. He just goes to
his bowl and Poof!, there is the food. So, what does he
do with all that extra time on his hands? Well, he has
probably decided to eat your book or your shoes and start
his own barking choir that is not making a huge impression
with the neighbors. So put the hunt back in the food for
him! Well, sort of.
Here are five ways to feed your dog, starting today!
1) Scatter food in your yard or home
or hide small piles for your dog to find. Help him out
in the beginning by showing him where it is.
2) Teach your dog to play catch for his food. Toss a
piece of kibble or a treat right in front of your dog's
nose. He'll probably watch it fall to the ground and
then eat it. Keep working at it and he will eventually
catch it. I use this one at night when I want to watch
TV and entertain my dogs at the same time.
3) Stuff a Kong or Havaball - take your dog's regular
kibble and mix in just enough peanut or almond butter,
whipped cream cheese, or canned dog food to coat the
kibble so it sticks together. Then, stuff it into one
or two Kongs and serve! The peanut or almond butter
ones can even be frozen first for an extra long lasting
treat!
4) Use some of your dog's meal kibble for rewards during
the day. Ask your dog for a behavior or trick and reward.
Keep some at the front door to give to friends that
come over. Your dog will soon learn to love the sight
of new people. Not only is your dog working for his
dinner, but there are no extra treats to make your dog
gain weight!
5) Last but not least, make knotted toys out of rags.
Take old margarine or yogurt containers and put yummy,
smelly treats in them. Tie an old rag loosely around
the container and encourage your dog to untie the knots
and find the treats. This one must be supervised so
your dog doesn't eat the rags or plastic containers.
You should supervise your dog with Kongs, Havaballs
and Squirrel Dudes (toy by Premier) until you are sure
he can use them safely on his own. And, supervise or
separate multiple dogs so you don't
have any battles!
All of the classes in our family dog program
are geared towards teaching you how to help your dog become
a fun, well behaved and well-adjusted family pet. Basic
manners and obedience are emphasized using dog friendly
methods. No choke chains or pinch collars are used. You
will learn how to "think dog". We will help you
avoid the most common problems and prevent the most common
bad habits. Each session consists of one class once weekly
for six weeks.
• Obedience
Classes •
Please go to the Schedule
section to see what classes are currently scheduled and to sign
up.
Learn the basic skills needed to build a better relationship
with your family dog or to start competitive dog sports such
as agility and rally. This class is the foundation for all future
training. It will increase communication and awareness between
your dog and you. Some of the skills we will cover include attention,
some off leash control, ability to work around other dogs as
well as people and distractions, drive and motivation, confidence
and basic obedience such as sit, down, stay and come. Other
topics covered include: heel and side position, toy drive, and
motivation. The focus of the class is on gaining skills and
confidence to create the right relationship to become an effective
team. This class is a prerequisite to Intro to Agility as well
as a great prelude to any obedience class.
This class is a prerequisite to Intro to Agility as well as
a great prelude to any obedience class.
Obedience
I/Pet Manners
Obedience I/Pet Manners is a basic 6-week class for adult and
adolescent dogs that teaches pet manners. The dogs must be 5
months or older. The purpose of the class is for the human/dog
team to learn basic, important dog handling skills and manners.
Our goal is to help create a lifelong friend in your dog by
making your dog more obedient, confident, well-mannered and
more enjoyable to be around. Your dog will become a more well-behaved
and well-adjusted family pet. Our focus is on training you to
train your dog with respect, consistency and trust. Teaching
your dog manners strengthens the bond between you both and through
better communication you'll have a lifetime of companionship.
We will teach you how to build rapport with your dog using positive,
reward based training methods. These methods foster trust and
learning. No punishment, no jerking.
At the completion of Obedience I the handler should be able
to:
Heel or walk with the dog at the handler's side on a loose
leash
Maintain Sit/Stay and Down/Stay on command for 30 seconds
Maintain Stand/Stay for 10 seconds
Come when called on cue off-leash with some degree of distraction
from a distance of 20 feet.
Register for the Rally-O class
Obedience
II
Obedience II is an intermediate obedience class for dogs and
their handlers who have completed Focus Foundation, or Obedience
I or equivalent, and for those handlers who wish to improve
their companion dog handling and the dog-handler relationship
using positive reinforcement. It is also for those handlers
and their dogs that have an interest in entering the Obedience
sport and want preparation before taking the Obedience III class.
To enter the Obedience II class, the human/dog team should be
able to accomplish all of the final tasks of the Obedience I
Class.
At the completion of Obedience II class the human/dog team
should be able to:
Heel (or walk with dog at side) with the dog on loose leash
to off-leash (or simulation of off-leash with umbilical cord,
leash-over-shoulder or lure techniques), do about turns, left
and right turns, move at a normal, slow and fast pace.
Heel with the dog on loose leash or off-leash, Heel in a Figure
8 pattern, and to perform some "Rally doodles" such
as spiral left, spiral right, circle right, circle left.
Maintain a Sit/Stay, Down/Stay and Stand/Stay off leash for
a specified time.
Come when called off-leash with some degree of distraction
from a distance greater than 20 feet.
Obedience
III
This is a 6-week course designed for dogs and their handlers
who have completed Obedience II or equivalent training. It
is intended for those handlers who wish to continue in improving
fluency in handler-dog teamwork. Obedience III provides opportunity
for experienced handlers to work in an environment similar
to a more formal obedience ring. Entry to this class requires
the ability to perform the skills of the Obedience II Class.
At the completion of Obedience III class the human/dog team
should be able to:
