Comet's Agility Training

During my agility training and realising how much I love the dog sporting world I have always had a dream of competing in the Agility World Championships!  With Duke being a rescue I was never able to compete in the World Agility Championships because he was not a pure bred Border Collie.  Then I got Blaze and he wasnt really interested in the agility scene.  He would much rather be a therapy dog and recieve plenty of love!  When I got Comet...my agility world changed!!  Comet is possibly one of the most enthusiastic dogs I have ever owned!  He is a truly amazing agility and flyball dog! 

I started the basic agility training with Tracey Lander at her amazing dog school "Puppy Land".  It has been a FUN and hard working 2 years but possibly the best 2 years of my life!

I have taken my time with Comet, I do not push him and I refuse to push him!  He is a fast and willing Border Collie who to be honest, couldnt be bothered if he was thrown into an A3 course. 

I wasnt sure what method of training I wanted to use on the contacts, so I never pushed that issue until I was 100% sure what method of contact training I wanted to use!  I dont believe in trying three or four methods and seeing which you like!  Comet is a dog who any method will work for him!  I opted (after careful thought) to go with the "Two On Two Off" method as I believe that is the best!  I also considered running contacts.

I will not push my two year old Border Collie for anything and because I am not putting preasure on him with regards to the agility world, he is loving agility as am I! 
These are some steps you can follow to a successful agility dog:

* Always have fun,
* Never make a fuss of the mistakes
* Never set your dog up to fail
* Always be positive (remember dogs work in the NOW not the yesterday or later or tomorrow)
* Always reward - you can choose how you want to reward, either food or toy or both. 

Point 1: Always have fun:
Your dog works on energy, when your energy is low, your dogs energy is low.  Remember, you are the "PACK LEADER" and your dog thrives of your emotions.  When you are upset your dog knows and then your dog will not respond well.  So...if you are feeling upset or down about something, instead of training your dog, rather play ball with him.  Do something fun...I garentee you, your spirits will be lifted!

Point 2: Never Make a Fuss of the Mistakes:
Your dog works on reward base, whenever he does something correct, you praise and your dog does that same positive action to get that kind of reward again!  When your dog does do something that is not right or negative, ifnore it, your dog will never re do a negative if he only gets praised or acknowleged for the positive!

Point 3: Never set your dog up to fail:
At the age of 2 years old I know that Comet is not ready for a show because I havent pushed agility.  I will never take an A1 dog and Compete in an A3 course!  As a handler you should know your dogs limits, how far you can push them without your dog crumbling!  NEVER PUSH YOUR DOG PAST HIS LIMIT! It is not fair on your dog or on you!

Point 4: Always be Positive:
Agility is a "team" event, the dog needs you and you need the dog....remember, your dog thrives off your energy!  So always stay positive and PLAY with your dog as much as you can!  Remember your dog lives in the NOW, not the yesterday or tomorrow but the TODAY!

Point 5: Always Reward:
I ask my students are they going to work at a company that expects them to work 7 days a week and then at the end of the month not get a single cent!  The answer everytime: HELL NO! What I am saying is, praise your dog everytime he does something right.  For Comet his reward in the tug toy, on the contact traning (two on two off) I use food.  So....use what ever your dog enjoys and works too!

So to have a successful agility dog you need to learn how to not push your dog!

This is a photo of Comet taking the jump! 

Duke's Academy for Dogs

Duke's Academy for Dogs as you all know was a life long dream that only recently became my "REALITY"!  Today...Duke's Academy for Dogs is growing by the day!!   Rietvlie Zoo have opened many windows for me and I do not know how much more I can say this but here goes:  THANK YOU!!!

Today I have over 20 students and 2 instructors as I cannot handle train them all myself.  Christine, my sister who is actually the reason I started training....has offered to help with all my classes!  THANK YOU Christine!!!!  I truly appreciate it!!

Duke's Academy for Dogs will be HUGE one day soon and I thank everyone for their support!!

Lindsay

Why train your new puppy.

Why to train a new puppy and how to go about it

by Candi Moon

Got a new puppy?

Acquiring a new puppy is a wonderful and exciting experience, but can bring concerns along with it. Right from the outset you may wonder how best to cope with issues like potty training your puppy or how to control biting with needle sharp teeth, playing tug of war with your clothes, chewing, digging, barking, pulling on leash and jumping on guests.

You may also worry about a puppy who cries every time he or she is left alone or be concerned that your pup may grow up to be aggressive towards people or other dogs.

These issues may seem overwhelming, but take heart. Puppies under the age of sixteen weeks learn extremely rapidly and its quick and easy to set them up with all the good habits you want them to have later in life.

Why is it important to train a puppy, why not wait until the dog is older?

Puppies are like sponges, soaking up every new experience eagerly and without fear until they reach four or five months of age. After this it is much harder to instill good habits and your dog may already have become fearful of other people, dogs etc. It is now a much longer and more difficult process to rehabilitate your dog. The time up until 16 weeks or so, it varies a bit from breed to breed and dog to dog, is the primary learning window of your dog's life. Just as early learning is important for a child, so it is for your puppy. Your pup's early experiences will have a fundamental effect on the dog he or she grows up to be.

So, how do I go about training my puppy?

There is a wealth of information available on the internet for training puppies. How do you tell if its any good? Websites and articles which advise you to hit, growl at, forcibly roll over, shake or choke your puppy with a choke collar are to be avoided. These are old fashioned and outdated training methods based on faulty research and will only serve to scare your puppy and teach your puppy to be afraid of you. Websites and articles showing how to use positive reinforcement training, lure and reward training with food and toys, clicker training and TTouch are beneficial and useful. These methods of training are easy to learn and fun to use and will set you up for a training experience which both you and your dog will enjoy. My most recommended web resource for online dog training information is Dog Star Daily at www.dogstardaily.com

However, no matter how good web resources may be, there can be no substitute for a good puppy training class. Having an experienced dog professional on hand to observe both you and your puppy and ensure you get all the information you need is the best and easiest way to set your puppy up for success. Also, puppy class will create a controlled environment for positive interactions with people and other dogs, for a puppy who will interact confidently and appropriately when older.

Your puppy class instructor will be able to tell you how to avoid future problems you may not have thought of yet, as well as help you to quickly and easily fix any problems you have now. He or she will be able to give you hands on direction with obedience training, helping you to position a lure correctly or get your timing right, or show you how to troubleshoot a problem when the usual methods aren't working. Your instructor will know how to interpret your dog's body language and teach you how to interpret it, and tailer-make the training process around the needs of you and your dog.

So how do I recognise a good trainer?

Firstly you should enquire about the methods and training equipment used. Avoid trainers who mention 'scruff shakes', alpha rolls' and 'choke chains'. Good trainers will use positive reinforcement and gentle training methods, usually lure and reward training using food treats. You can often find this kind of information on the trainer's website.

Talk to the trainer about any problems you may be experiencing or what you want to achieve during puppy class. Are they easily able to answer your questions in a manner that satisfies you?

Take a look at what previous clients had to say about the trainer or ask if you can come and view a lesson before enrolling. If the trainer refuses, or you feel uncomfortable with the training methods used, walk away. It is far better to travel a little further to go to a good trainer than to choose a substandard one who can potentially cause great damage to your puppy's personality.

If you do attend a trial class, to see if the trainer is for you, then look for the following: the training area should not be so large that off leash puppies during a play session cannot be reached easily by the trainer and should be securely enclosed. Periods of the class should be devoted to off leash play, training sessions should be kept short and fun and puppies should be exposed to different stimuli such a the sound of an umbrella opening, walking over different surfaces etc. to help them develop confidence and balance. Both owners and dogs should be treated with respect and have fun in the classes.

Ask what is covered in the course. A good course should cover socialisation to people and dogs, teaching bite control and having the puppy come reliably when you call him or her. Basic obedience training e.g. sit, lie down, stay and walk nicely on lead, should be covered but formal obedience is not appropriate for puppy classes. The instructor should address common puppy issues such as house training, biting, chewing etc. and provide a puppy obstacle course in the class for developing body awareness and resilience to new experiences.

Congratulations on your new puppy, I wish you many happy and enjoyable years with him or her.


This article may be freely distributed provided it is left intact and the source is credited.

What is Dog Agility?

I get asked all the time "WHAT IS DOG AGILITY"?

Here is the answer:

Dog agility is a spectator sport that involves dogs racing through an obstacle course while being guided by a handler. The race is judged on the agility, dog's speed and accuracy. Different courses and obstacles are used for each race, or trial, to keep the race challenging for both the handlers and the dogs.

Tunnels in dog agility courses include open-topped and long, closed cloth tunnels. Contact obstacles are featured in dog agility and they are angled and/or suspended boards that dogs must either walk or run on. These contact obstacles have painted yellow ends that the dog must either enter or exit on.

All breeds and sizes of dogs, from chihuahuas to Doberman Pinschers, may participate in dog agility. Border collies are especially known to be superb in the weaving poles. Vertical poles are spaced a certain distance apart and the dog must move through the poles quickly and accurately. Mixed breeds as approved by the American Kennel Club (AKC) may also participate in dog agility.

Most dog agility regulations state that an agility dog must be at least six months of age to compete. Dogs should be examined by a veterinarian before becoming involved in dog agility to be sure that the individual animal is healthy enough to participate in the sport without being likely to become injured due to a muscle, joint or other problem. Agility training is done gradually to get the dog used to the sport and to increase the height of the jumps at a rate that is safe and comfortable for the dog.



You dont start your dog off with high jumps, you start with the bar on the ground and gradually (at the dogs pace) move the bar up! Dont rush it, a rushed dog is never a happy dog! Work to your dogs pace and you will suceed!!! :)



All breeds of dogs can do Dog Agility and all breeds of dog LOVE AGILITY!! :)



Some of the different types of common obstacles used in dog agility are jumps, tunnels and contact obstacles. Singe bar jumps in which the dog jumps over one bar are common as are triple jumps that the dog jumps over in a row. These are similar to the jumps in horse events, but also may include tire jumps in which the dog jumps through the center of a rubber tire.



IT'S LOADS OF FUN TOO!! :)

Difference between Obedience problems and Behaviour problems.

People can confuse behaviour problems for obedience training problems. Below you will find a list of each, so you can easily identify what you need help with. Once you've done that, please feel free to contact us for assistance.

Obedience problems:

Not coming when you call him.
Pulling on lead.
Not sitting, lying down, waiting or staying on command.
Jumping up.
Leaving objects on command.
Not settling on command.

Behaviour problems:

Aggression to people/dogs.
Fighting with other resident dogs.
Excessive chewing/digging/destruction.
Biting/mouthing.
Separation Distress.
Hyper active behaviour.
Resource guarding.

Dog toys and treats

Dogs of all ages need toys, not just when they're puppies. The best form of stimulation for your dog when he's alone is chew toys. Chew toys are objects that the dog can chew, swallow and digest. Examples are:

Cow hooves
Rawhide bones
Ostrich larynxes
Pigs ears
Rawhide strips
Ostrich bones

These toys should all be removed when they get small enough to fit down your dog's throat, as you don't want him to swallow the last end of the hoof and get it stuck!

The second category of toys is Brain toys. These toys are aimed at stimulating your dog's brain:

Kongs (www.kongcompany.com)
Busta Cubes
Treat balls

You can also have multiple bowls in your garden/house that you put his daily meal in - that way, he needs to scavenge to find it. Alternatively, try scatter feeding him. Scatter his kibble around so he has to sniff it out.

Remember, its all about mental stimulation. You have to provide your dog with lots of things to do during the day while you are at work or out with friends. If he is sitting at home alone (even if there is another dog in the home) and he's bored, he's going to spend all his time barking at the gate, digging up your garden or destroying everything he can.

Getting the most out of your dog's walk.

Your dog’s walks are a really great time to work on her training.


One reason for this is that dogs don’t generalise as well as we do. For example, if you always ask your dog to sit in the kitchen to receive his dinner, that forms his picture for the ‘sit’ command. ‘Sit’ happens in the kitchen with you standing in front of him holding his dish. If you ask this same dog to sit in the garden and he looks at you blankly, he is not being naughty; he just has not learnt to sit in any other place than the kitchen where his food bowl is one of the cues and you standing in front of him another.


To generalise a ‘sit’ your dog should be taught to sit in every room of the house and with you in different positions, sitting, standing, and even lying down, so that the dog learns the only important variable is the command and/or hand signal to sit, and that your position and the room she is in are not part of the equation.


Walks are a great time to generalise commands, as every few steps is a new place as far as your dog is concerned. Practicing several sits over the course of the walk will help the dog to generalise this command very quickly.


Another reason why training on walks is great is that it teaches your dog to focus on you to find out what you would like her to do next. This results in a much calmer and more controllable dog.


It also lets your dog know that you will let her know what to do in any situation and that she doesn’t need to take matters into her own paws. For example, if you are walking past a gate with a barking dog on the other side you can ask your dog to focus on you and to heel past the gate. This teaches her that you will take care of this stressful situation and that she does not need to retaliate by barking and lunging defensively.


As there will be lots of distractions on walks, like other dogs, people, cars etc. you will start to ‘proof’ your training against distractions. A dog who can do their obedience exercises perfectly at home but goes ballistic as soon as he walks out of the gate is really unpleasant to walk. With patience and consistent training on walks this problem can be solved.


Training with treats on walks is especially useful for nervous dogs as they begin to associate their walks with the yummy treats and fearful feelings change over time into ones of happiness and anticipation.


Some suggestions on using training on walks:


If you have a lively dog, ask them to sit often, this will help the dog to calm down and increase their focus.
Again, if you have a lively dog, who may bark and pull on leash, a couple of down stays at the beginning of the walk will result in a much calmer dog.
When walking down busy roads, and past other dogs on leash or barking at gates, ask you dog to make eye contact with you and heel, then let them resume walking normally once you are past the distraction.
If your dog reacts to other people, dogs, bicycles etc. ask you dog to make eye contact with you to break their focus on the distraction. This works best if you ask for eye contact as soon as your dog spots and distraction, but before they start reacting to it.
When crossing roads ask your dog to sit at the kerb and then heel across the road with you, this will eventually train your dog to sit at any kerb and wait, a great one for safety if your dog ever gets out by accident.
Ask your dog to sit to have his leash put on, sit for you to open the gate and sit nicely while you close it, then begin your walk. This rewards your dog for their calm behaviour rather than taking out a dog who goes crazy with excitement on seeing the leash and is then rewarded for acting like a lunatic by being taken on a walk, which will result in the behaviour getting worse over time.

This article may be freely distributed provided it is left intact and the source is credited.

Playing Tug with your Dog...the positives of playing Tug.

Playing Tug with your Dog

Candi Moon

In the past, and even today, playing tug with your dog can get a bad rap. According to some, this will make your dog ‘dominant’. As the latest research shows, wolf pack theory is not applicable to dogs, and was based on faulty research to begin with. ‘Dominance’ and ‘being alpha’ are redundant in dog training. Dogs are domesticated animals, not wild wolves, they are not hierarchical, nor do they think that human beings are also dogs.


So with the old wives tales out of the way, there’s no reason not to enjoy a game of tug with your dog, and there are lots reasons to play this game with him. Firstly tug uses up a lot of energy so is a good supplement to your walks to give your dog exercise, and can also be used on days when you don't have time to take your dog for a walk or if the weather is bad.


Done properly, tug is an excellent way to teach your dog to be polite with his teeth around human hands. Its also a wonderful way to work on your dog’s self-control and to teach him to give up items willingly.


Firstly, select a toy to play tug with, it should be sturdy enough to stand up to your dog's pulling and also large enough for both of you to hold on to it comfortably.


Your tug toy should be special, it belongs to you, not your dog, and she only sees it when you play a game of tug together, after that it should be put away. This helps you to build drive for this particular toy; over time it becomes a highly desirable reward for your dog and you can begin giving access to this toy, and to tug games, as a reward for other behaviours you want to encourage. Games of tug can also be a great way to reward dogs who are not that interested in food treats in training.


What if your dog shows no interest in the tug toy? Some dogs just don't seem to have a play drive, but teaching your dog to lighten up and play can be of great psychological benefit to him. You can go about building drive for your tug toy by interacting with it yourself and not giving him access to it. Examples would be to toss the tug toy up into the air and then catch it, all the while making happy noises and letting your dog know playing with this toy is the greatest fun ever. You and your partner or child could throw the toy between you and make a great game of it. Do not, at this stage let your dog touch the toy. After doing this for a bit, put the toy away in a spot where your dog cannot reach it, but can see it, like on top of the fridge. If you keep this up for a week or two your dog will begin thinking, 'What is it about this thing? I want it!'


Once you've reached the stage where your dog is jumping up, showing excitement and just begging to get at that toy when you take it out, you are ready to begin playing tug with her.


First hold the toy behind your back or out of your dog's reach and ask him to sit politely for you to initiate the game. Once he has done this, let him grab the toy and begin tugging.


Every so often, stop the game and ask your dog to release the toy and sit, then resume play. This teaches your dog to remain under control even when excited and develops your dog's self-control. At first you can train this by producing a food treat, dangling the treat under the dog's nose, and saying 'give' when the dog releases the toy to take the treat. After you have practised this five or six times ask the dog to give, without first producing the treat. If the dog releases the toy, reward with a food treat and resume the game. If the dog does not release the toy, dangle a treat under her nose again and repeat your 'give' command. Try this a few times and then ask the dog to 'give' again without first offering the treat.


Over time you will train a dog who will give up items on command. Getting a treat and then getting to resume the tugging game is a pretty good deal from your dog's perspective, so he learns that giving you things is good. You can then also use your 'give' command when your dog has picked up something you would rather he didn't have, like your shoe.


During your tug game, its very important that the dog takes care not to bite down on your delicate hands, and learns to respect this rule. If your dog accidentally bites a finger during the game, even if it didn't hurt, say 'ow' as if it was really painful, take the tug toy away and end the game for that day. Your dog will very quickly learn to avoid your hands with his teeth.

This article may be freely distributed provided it is left intact and the source is credited.

Teaching your dog Heal.

In a previous article I discussed teaching loose leash walking, if you would like to read this, you can find it on this website by clicking here: 'loose leash walking'


With loose leash walking, no command is given to the dog, she is allowed to walk at her own pace, sniff, move around etc., the only rule is that she shouldn't pull on you, the leash needs to remain loose.


With heeling a specific cue, 'heel' or whichever other word you choose to use, is given. Your dog needs to walk sticking close to your left or right hand side and focusing on you. In the picture below you can see what great heelwork should look like; Paddington is right by his mom's side and keeping his eyes on her.


While your dog shouldn't be expected to heel for his entire walk, heeling is useful in a number of situations, such as when crossing roads, walking down a busy pavement or through a busy area, squeezing in the door at the vet's office or when walking past something you know your dog will react to, like a jogger or a barky dog behind a gate. As heeling focuses the dog on you, this helps to break concentration on whatever he might react to.


Which side should your dog heel on? Unless you plan to compete in formal obedience, where heeling on the left hand side is mandatory, its completely up to you. You can even teach your dog to heel on either side by picking one cue word for heeling on the left and another for heeling on the right. If you choose to do this, first teach your dog to heel confidently on one side before adding the other. Having a dog who is able to heel on both sides is useful preparation for agility training and also keeps your dog from becoming 'one sided'.


The traditional method of teaching heeling involves placing a treat on your dog's nose and then luring her along next to you as you walk. Every few steps the dog is given the treat. Once she is getting the idea, which should be after two to three short practice sessions, she should understand that you have the treats and follow you. You now progress off of luring and start holding your hands up, against your belly, while still rewarding your dog often for maintaining the heel position. As your dog's skill increases the number of steps taken in between rewards is lengthened. This method still works well for training puppies, who, at their young age, tend to be very focused on their owners.


When teaching adolescent and older dogs you can run into trouble, as they can often be more interested in pulling on the leash to meet other dogs and sniffing the ground. Due to this, luring often becomes a crutch that is difficult to get rid of.


With these dogs you can begin by teaching your dog to follow you as you walk backwards, and then progress this into heelwork. This method is useful because firstly, it teaches your dog to focus on you, and secondly it takes away the possibility of pulling on the leash as he is walking towards you and your body blocks his path. As your dog learns to focus on you while walking, and experiences walking on leash without pulling, practising this exercise can lead to improved loose leash walking as well.

If you find your dog is a little 'focus challenged' you may want to begin by working on some focus exercises with her. You can find an article on how to do this here: 'getting your dog to pay attention'


Begin by training in an area where there are not many distractions, like your garden. Get together some treats, and your clicker if you will be using this. If you have several dogs, work with one dog at a time.


Hold your dog's leash and your clicker in one hand and a number of small treats in the other, so that you can hand them out quickly and easily while you are on the move. Small, soft treats like pieces of vienna or chicken breast are ideal as they can be eaten quickly and your dog won't stop moving and lose focus while he is laboriously munching his way through a hard biscuit.

Stand in front of your dog, with your dog facing you, and begin walking backwards. Your dog should follow you and also look at you as you walk. Every few steps click or praise your dog for doing the right thing and offer a reward. Don't stop walking while rewarding your dog, keep moving, you want to keep the exercise flowing. You can reward as often as every three to five steps at first. If your dog is constantly losing focus, you may not be rewarding often enough, so start rewarding more frequently, you don't want to be stingy with treats in this early learning phase as the more your dog enjoys it the better he will learn the lesson.


If your dog tries to dodge around you, to one side or the other, then, still walking backwards, curve towards where she is going and place yourself in front of her again. This may mean you are walking in circles or squiggles at first, don't worry about this, your dog will soon get the idea.


Spend at least a week of daily short practice sessions teaching your dog to follow before moving onto the next step. By then he should be pretty good at it. If not, spend another week teaching following before moving on.


Begin by having your dog follow you as you have been practising. Hold your treats in one hand and the clicker and leash in the other. Your treat hand should be the same one as the side you want your dog to walk on i.e. if she will heel on the left then hold the treats in your left hand, if on the right then put the treats in your right hand. This will make rewarding your dog easier when you switch to the heel position.


When your dog is following nicely, turn yourself around so that you are now next to your dog and continue walking. You will want to click or praise and reward very often at this stage to keep your dog interested in the game. If you are seeing the same picture with your dog as the one shown below; your dog is next to you, with his eyes on you, click or praise and reward every time to encourage him to do this more often.


If you lose your dog, switch back to following until you have recaptured her attention and then move around and start walking next her again. If you're constantly losing your dog try rewarding more often, and if this fails, have a look at your treats. Whatever you are giving might not be that appealing to your dog, so you can try experimenting with some other goodies, every dog is different in terms of what they like best.


As you walk next to your dog, you should not be luring him with a treat to his nose. Hold your hands up against your belly and just move your treat hand down to pass your dog a treat every few steps.




Once your dog is getting the idea you can start adding in your cue word, 'heel' or whatever you choose, and start decreasing the number of treats you are giving in your quiet home environment. You are now ready to take your heeling 'on the road' and start using it on walks. Remember that there are a lot more distractions now so go back to rewarding your dog like mad at first and then slowly decrease the rate of the rewards as she gets better at heeling around distractions.

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Teaching your dog new tricks....why should you?

Teaching your dog tricks, why you should

Candi Moon

Teaching your dog to do tricks has many advantages; its a great way to stretch your dog's mind and keep her occupied during bad weather or when you're too busy to go for a walk. Different tricks can also make sure your dog's body remains flexible and strong. A lot of tricks teach your dog behaviours that will improve performance in obedience training.




Lastly, and mostly importantly, its a fabulous way to bond with your dog and teach them that hanging out with you is great fun, which makes them more responsive and biddable overall. When teaching our dogs obedience we tend to be quite serious, so trick training is a great way for us to lighten up and remind ourselves (and our dogs) that training should be enjoyable. My obedience training clients are often amazed to see the improvement in e.g. their dog's heeling, after breaking off do do something seemingly silly.




If you're a fan of clicker you can use your clicker to capture all kinds of behaviours your dog does normally that you'd like them to repeat. Perhaps your dog has a way of lying down with his paws crossed and head on one side that you find cute? Click it and reward it every time your dog does this. Once he's offering you this pose, add a command word, e.g. 'look cute', and voila, your dog has learnt a new trick. If you don't have a clicker you can mark the behaviour you want with the word 'yes' and reward. Using 'yes' is better than saying 'good dog' as your can say it much faster, that way there's less chance of your dog being confused about exactly which behaviour he got the reward for.




Tricks you can teach your dog are limited only by your imagination. Googling phrases like 'dog tricks' and 'teach your dog tricks' can yield loads of good ideas and tips about how to teach different tricks.




To get you started, one easy trick to teach your dog is to sit up and beg. This one is useful as it teaches your dog to sit up straight and also helps to strengthen the hind legs and make your dog more aware of them. Many of our dogs tend to be very 'front wheel drive' and we often emphasise this by petting our dog from the head or neck down to the mid back area. In TTouch we often use touches in the hindquarters to improve a dog's body awareness, which also improves his balance and gait. Similarly, teaching this trick can help with this.




Get together several food treats that your dog likes and begin by asking your dog to sit. Once your dog is sitting, place a treat right against her nose and then raise it slightly up and slightly back. The aim is to have your dog balancing on her hindquarters, not leaping up onto her hind feet. If your dog does jump up in this way, try holding the treat a bit lower. If your dog is toppling back a bit then hold the treat slightly further forward.




If your dog doesn't seem keen to follow the treat you will probably notice that as he sits he is leaning to one side, resting his weight on either the left of right hip instead of sitting up straight. This makes it difficult for him to balance on his hindquarters. Reward your dog the first few times for straightening up and leaning towards the treat, usually with slight movements of the front paws as if he's about to start going up. Once you've done this a few times hold back on giving the treat and see if your dog will try a bit more. Most dogs will figure out they need to sit straight to get this right pretty quickly.

This article may be freely distributed provided it is left intact and the source is credited

Special Thanks.

Duke's Academy for Dogs started in May 2010 and I started it with second hand agility equipment.  The D.A.D. grew each month and classes started to fill.  August 28 (on my birthday) I got a phone call from a man named Pieter who owns a company called "VETVALUE PTY LTD" in Pretoria.  Pieter wanted to give me my birthday present over the phone....he told me that him and two of my students (Natalie Mcmanus and Garnet Edwards)  had been corrisponding for a while now about my agility equipment.  He had placed an order with Richard Wright for new Agility Equipment for the amount of R10000.00!  The agility equipment was delivered to D.A.D and we havnt looked back since! 

I would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Pieter and the Team at VETVALUE PTY LTD for this HUGE opportunity that you have given myself and my "dream" school!  If it were not for you and your team Pieter, I wouldnt have an Agility Dog School....THANK YOU!!!! 

VETVALUE PTY LTD is based in Pretoria.  If you wish to contact Pieter and his team at VETVALUE.  Please see his information below:

VETVALUE PTY LTD
pieter@vetvalue.co.za
http://www.vetvalueshop.co.za/
Contact Number:  082 852 0468

Welcome to "Its a dogs life"

This blog has been created to discuss the pro's and con's of the "Agility World" and "Flyball World" and my very own dream that came true.....Duke's Academy for Dogs....