I found this video the other day on Youtube, and just had to share – they’re having so much fun, and I always love to see the big breeds (and the little guys!) enjoying themselves as well as the more popular middle-breeds.
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10Jun
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08Jun
As we head into summer, remember our furry friends! A frozen dog treat, and a nice cooling mister can go a long way to cooling your pup down, as can a kiddie pool with water. Hershey, the office dog, has a kiddie pool she plays in every hot day! Sometimes we set up her doggie drencher too, for more wet fun.I like to make my own frozen dog treats – plain yogurt with peanut butter! They also love ice cubes (and I put some in their water, too). Do you make frozen treats for summer? What’s your cool trick?
Tags: dog safety & health, dog training
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25May
Summer is coming! It got into the eighties here week before last! why not turn on the water works for your dog this summer, to keep agility cool?
A great cool summer treat is cubed watermelon- hydrating and cooling for you and your dog.
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23May
Nova's stay - as Quick walks away! More work needed.
Stays can be a problem area for agility (or any!) dogs. Agility means running as fast as you can, which dogs love! That little bit of staying required at the start line (if you do a lead out) and on the pause table dampens many dogs enthusiasm. It feels like an end to fun!
How can you take the stink out of staying? If your dog absolutely loathes staying, start all over again, with a whole new word and a whole new approach!
- Start slow Stay for one second… two seconds… threeeeee…. Slowly build up the length of time your dog has to stay still. Start close to your dog, and slowly build up distance as well as time.
- Reward Make certain you reward the stay. Make it awesome. Make it amazing. I have found three chunks, one after the other, of freeze dried liver makes Quick consider staying to not be torture. Or, at least, worth trying to stay.
- Repeat Practice in varying lengths of time, various distances, but never exhaust your dog. This is something I would be careful not to ‘drill’ too much.
- Release This is something that you can work on at the same time as the stay! Release words should be powerful and evoke a response from your dog – they don’t have to do what they were doing, they should do what you say to do next, or just be free! I use ‘okay!’.
Stays are an important part of dog training, and useful beyond just the agility field. Working with your dog to make them fun is a big challenge, but the end result is totally worth it. Do you have any tips to share? or just funny times your dog broke (or held!) their stay?
Tags: agility training, dog training
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22Apr
Have a great Easter, everybody! Remember to keep chocolate well away from your pups, and enjoy it yourself! Here’s a few ideas to Easter-ize your course!- Invite some friends (with dogs) over and set up a course. Randomly assign points to each obstacle, and everyone makes up their own course – skipping any piece they want, and reusing up obstacles they like. Agree on a time limit, and see who got the most points! (You will need someone to set up the points for you, too!)
- Hide treats around the house for your dog. I would not suggest doing this on the agility course, because, well, my dog STILL checks places I’ve hidden treats! Fast learner when the reward is right!
- What to do with leftover dyed eggs? Eggs are very healthy for dogs – one a day ’til they’re gone (but please do follow USDA guidelines for spoilage).
Enjoy your Easter!
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