Back to School
Ok, with summer winding down for those of us in this hemisphere and fall creeping towards us, this is a great time to restart your training that might have gotten put on the back burner as you enjoyed your summer adventures! When you look at the events calendar you will see a lot of opportunities to jump back into a live training class.
This Fall our focus in Foundations class will be working on the skills needed for a dog to pass the Good Citizen tests. Basic skills that demonstrate a dog is safe and under control in public settings. We will look at greeting skills, walking on loose leashes, staying and being calm as we navigate those settings. Obviously in the live classes we are limited to the space in front of our computers for the class, but we will be talking about how to take this training out into the world between classes. Even if you have no interest in the Canine Good Citizen programs, it is just nice solid foundation training for all dogs!
We also have more Nosework, lots of Q&As and support group as we move into the more time indoor season. So even if you have done no training all summer, now is a great time to jump back in with us!
Having trouble finding the events? You can visit the Home Page and scroll all the way down, you will see a calendar and instructions!
What are your Fall goals?
To stay on track with training it helps a lot to keep setting small attainable goals! Here is an example of my Fall goals:
Leo:
Tucking practice: getting better at laying under my chair/table when we eat out. He is great at chilling and lounging as we dine, but has a tendency to sprawl out making it a bit inconvenient for staff.
Polish off his loose leash walking skills again. We spent so much time this summer hiking and trail running in his canicross harness that he’s a bit rusty loose leash walking.
Nosework- buried under water sources
Julia:
Agility: contact training, try a fun match
Big Feelings: with the cooler weather hoping to get more practice working on foundation skills out around other dogs
Foundations: Loose leash walking! Due to her fears and reactivity I pushed her leash walking skills to the back as I worked on building her confidence. We need to work on that now!
Nick:
Fitness exercises. With his increasing neurological issues hoping to keep that body as strong as we can
Harold & Gerald:
Foundations: Sit, down and walking on a harness
Clicker training: introduce behavior shaping- box game, target stick, etc