Super Dog Class - Week 1
Welcome to class Holly, Gus, Ted and parents,
For some of you the lecture of "Level 1 - Class" was already quite a while ago and of course the lecture wasn't done through Sit Happens back then. Therefore feel free to download a combined version of the Adult & Puppy Fun and Focus lecture here and have a read.
In order to avoid confusion: we always need a marker to let our dogs know when they have done the right thing and we need a release command to let them know when they can stop doing it. The reward usually comes after the release to make sure our dogs wait to be released. Some of you have learned "Good" as the marker and "Yes" as the release and some of you have always used different words. At Sit Happens we use "Yes" as the marker and "Okay" as the release. As with any commands you just replace my word with your own commands as to your dog it is only important that you stay consistent.
Remember to not overdo exercises in class. When I come around to see how the exercises are going and give you further advise, please use the time that I am not with you to play with your dog and to take them outside for toilet stops. If they do have a mistake inside, please let me know, so I can clean and disinfect properly.
Please bring your dog's mat/bed, their special toy and YUMMY treats to class for training (cut treats in tiny pieces since we will use them a lot) and leave your dogs in the car until I come and get you.
Let's have a look at what we did in our first session:
- Not jumping out of the car unless released for safety
- 'Positive Interrupter' to stop unwanted behaviour or get attention (I've got a wee video that shows where it is used and you can decide whether this is useful for you or something you have covered with the Name-Game. We just need to make sure if we use the name for this to not use the name in front of the dog when we are not expecting anything from them)
- 'Watch' to have undivided attention in all situations
- 'On your mat' as start of Visitor Training
- 'Arousal mode to training mode' (Play+Down) as Preparation for Distance Control
Here are the videos as preparation for next week:
POSITIVE INTERRUPTER
Please note that any time Kikopup uses the click, we will be using the YES in class since it will have the same effect, but be more handy in every day life.
First exercise week 2
In week 2 we want to bring the dogs out of the car (on the release command), one after the other and practise the watch exercise while the other dog and owner walk by. We are going to repeat this exercise a few times to have one successful watch before moving on. I will talk you through the exercise, but it would be very helpful if everyone practised the WATCH as much as they can this week already. Once inside I would like all dogs to be as settled on their mats as possible. Bring them in a DOWN-STAY and make it easier on them by having a filled Kong or another toy with treats or something like a Venison chewie.
Visitor Training
We are not expecting the whole picture to be completed by week 2. In week 2 we would like to be able to send our dog on the mat (in a down) without having to bend over and walk to the door without them getting up. We want to make sure that by now our dogs have really gotten the hang of the release command.
On your mat
Whole picture Visitor Training
Next step Distance-control
You are welcome to give this a go already. It's a fairly easy exercise, but for your dogs it's very unnatural going from a DOWN into a SIT or doing the exercise anywhere but right in front of you.
Recall - if there is time (otherwise week after)
If we would still have time towards the end of class, we would like to do long-lead-recall with 2 dogs at a time (other dogs in down). Important to remember is to call your dog's name only once and give the COME command only once. Therefore don't ask your dog to come if they are not focused on you already. This is no news for anyone in this class, hence we are adding another little piece to the puzzle: We want the dog to come to you and SIT until being released. After the release some great play with the toy! It is important that we make the SIT part of the COME command rather than saying it since we are always reinforcing the last behaviour and we don't ever want to miss out on rewarding a good recall.
Feel free to comment with questions and see you at week 2.