AvaRotterman

 So many people do not train their dogs.   Some humans don't want to.   Some humans feel their dog is already well mannered as it is.   Some people have gone to training classes but not left with a trained dog (trained to a standard, and I will discuss that in another article).  However, living with a trained dog makes life so much easier.   I only wish people knew that once the work was put in, living with your dog is a delight NOT a chore. Here are some reasons to train your dog that benefit both members of the team: ·   Your dog is happier because he/she understands what you want. What are people thinking when they ask an untrained dog to sit?   I know the dog is thinking   “Whattttt??????”   Dogs are not born with an innate ability to understand English, even if to us those words are the most common commands used.   If your dog isn’t trained, he/she has no idea what you want of him/her.   They will try t...

  Novice has been traditionally the 1st level (now there is rally as well) of the American Kennel Club's obedience trials . Three different judges must at least qualify a team with a score of 170 or higher in order for the participants to move onto the next levels, if they would like to. You can move onto open and utility trials after that. When people see these dogs in the ring, they think it's all about "pretty walking". It's actually about a lot more than that. Here are some exercises from the Novice trials, and their real-life applications.       HEEL ON LEAD: Heel is a moving command and an exact position. The dog turns with the handler, and exhibits that their job is to move with and pay attention to the handler. Uses for this include, but are not limited to walking safely down city streets (teaches your dog to not be concerned with distractions), bringing groceries and dog from car to house, walking through unexpected distractions, taking a dog out of a si...

  A common question that I get asked, as a dog trainer is "How long will it take to get my dog trained to do XYZ?"  That question does not have any concrete answer, and of course it depends on a variety of factors.  Age, temperament, owner commitment, behavioral challenges, and increasing distractions all change this answer.   When I am training a dog here, I feel that I need at least 21 days of consistently working the dog on training commands and behavioral exercises to get a dog owner on their way to picking up where I left off easily (or easier).  Training does not just happen in one day or in one environment.   Dog training, as dog trainers understand it, is when you have reliability of a command (and very dependent on whether you are talking about an adult dog or a puppy) without the need of going through much effort other than the verbal command at least four out of five times in various environments and distractions.  That actually ta...