This video is from the final class of Weaves & Teeters. I am very proud of the progress each dog made and wanted to show them off. The students in the class were all very supportive of each other, and that made for a lot of cheering.
These dogs started by working with just 2 poles and getting comfortable the movement of the teeter totter. Here you can see how they worked up to 6 poles, as well as a 2 on 2 off contact position!
Because Cristina was handling Pan during that class as well as acting as camera person, we do not have any footage of her. Too bad, because she really rocked it that night. Bica & Charlie proved to be aces in the weave poles and Polly & Roscoe just loved the teeter totter.
Way to go guys!
This class was such a success that I will likely offer it again in the Fall. Sign up for my newsletter to find out when it gets scheduled.
The day after Thanksgiving, Hank and I embarked on our first ever agility trial. I was super nervous, but thankfully I had three very supportive people there to help me. Vinny came, even though it was probably the most boring day every for him, just to keep me from totally freaking out. My teacher, Frankie Joiris, came to run her dog Boing! and to make sure I got checked in, Hank measured, had a decent handling plan and to make sure I was in the right places at the right times. And a fellow student, Lindsay Hill, who's first trial was last Spring so she had good, fresh advice for me. I do not think I would have gotten through the day without those three people.
Our first run was the Novice Standard run. Hank held his start line well, took the first jump then messed up his contact at the end of the dog walk. I stopped, asked him to sit at which point he knew he screwed up so he took off. Boy did he take off! If it hadn't been my dog I would have been giggling at how much fun he was having. But I waited him out and he eventually came back and we finished the course.
I was very happy that he finished the course with me. His contact on the the teeter is fantastic! Overall, I am thrilled with the performance for our first trial. It was a challenging environment for him to work in. We were in one of three rings running at the same time, plus tons of people and dogs milling about. Here's the video:
Our Jumpers run had many more handler errors, but Hank stayed with me the entire time and we had a blast! If you'd like to see that video it's posted on my Facebook page.
I am already trying to plan when we can go to another trial. We have a plan of what we need to work on and maybe next time we'll even Q!
Yesterday I graduated two classes at the Brooklyn Dog Training Center: Puppy Fundamentals and Leash Aggression Seminar. I am very proud of how hard my clients worked and how far both dogs and puppies progressed. Well done Gatsby, Grizzly Bear, Kelly, Lucy M., Albus, Walter-Melon, Lucy K. and Buddy!
I've been working with Henry and his family since he was a puppy. From the very beginning, he was not happy being handled. Even something as small as touching his harness elicited a bite from the little guy. In puppy class, he would try to bite his mom, his 11 year old brother, my assistant and even me! It was a very serious problem, especially in such a young dog.
Since then, we've been working in private lessons. Henry's family has been working very hard and he has been making steady improvement. They have followed all of my directions and practiced all the exercises I assigned. I am quite proud of the latest update from the family:
"Henry's new morning routine! He comes in for a snuggle and falls asleep again! Absolutely amazing! Thank you!!!!!!!!"
Congratulations are due to Henry's family. Henry had a behavioral problem that could have ended with him in another home or even in a shelter. Instead, he is an adorable cuddle bug that gets to throughly enjoy his family and vice versa! Hooray for Henry!
This does not apply to any Doggie Academy students, of course! But in case you are interested...
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If you live in the Tri State area, and have a pooch that’s an obedience school drop-out or disrupting your life, IT’S ME OR THE DOG wants to hear from you!
This season the network is looking for dog owners with BIG personalities, who have stories where their dogs’ behavior is causing high tension and drama in the household. If bickering and disagreements are an everyday occurrence and someone is saying, it’s me or the dog, contact us today!
I have been unsure about what brush would be best for Hank for almost 3 years. The brushes I used for Charleston didn't seem to do anything other than brush dust of his coat and did nothing for the copious amount of fur Hank sheds. He is so low maintenance as far as grooming goes that I have been too lazy to experiment.
I was placing a large pet store order online recently when I saw The Furminator. Something about it made me think it could be the perfect solution, a marriage of a slicker brush and soft bristle brush so I ordered one. At $50 a pop, it was a pretty big gamble.
The day it arrived I opened the package and called Hank to our usual grooming spot. He took one look at The Furminator and decided he didn't want anything to do with it. I wasn't surprised since he does understand new stimuli easily, so I did some quick Classical Conditioning work with him.
Very soon I was able to brush him. Oh my goodness! I could feel how thorough how the brush was and Hank quickly realized he was enjoying it. Within a few strokes the brush was completely full of fur so I held it over the garbage can, hit the discharge button and bam! the brush was empty. It was so easy and clean. Hank was Furminated!
I highly recommend this grooming product. The only drawback is that I should have bought the large instead of the medium, but that's the fault of the website for mislabeling the size recommendations. Best of all, now through April 21st you can save $10 AND get free shipping when you use the promo code DOGSTER2011.
Something about it made me think it could be the perfect solution, a marriage of a slicker brush and soft bristle brush so I ordered one. At $50 a pop, it was a pretty big gamble.