Lots of Changes

Jami Agility, Puppies, Training

Puppies are growing up and leaving for there new homes. There is still one puppy available if you know of someone looking for a new addition to there home. Would make a great obedience or agility candidate.  Dharma is still working on getting her CD title in obedience while the long recovery from her agility injury is still happening. Dharma was recently released to increase some activity so she has started her flyball training. We are going to do a agility trial in the first part of Dec to evaluate her muscle tone and the will hopefully be able to start working at getting those Double Qs and Mach Points soon. Kizzie is healed and starting to learn agility and a little flyball. Trying to sit down and figure out next years goals and plans for the TTs so hopefully more updates soon to come.

Once I graduate (in about 3 weeks) I will be hoping to start back up the 5 minute training challenge blog.

 

Pups

Jami Puppies

Pups are going to be off camera later tonight till probably Saturday. Life is taking me on a trip to Northern CA for a little while and Momma, Babies, and Dharma will be on a road trip. It will be interesting change but family needs my help.

All the pups are doing great and will soon be eating gruel. They are becoming active, at moments but soon will be running circles around us.

Jami

8/23/10 5 minute Training Challenge

Jami Challenge, Dog Training, Training

Couch Potato Monday.

Today’s training challenge was created to help out a grooming client that hated to be groomed. Today while hanging out on the couch spread out your grooming tools around  where you are sitting and see if you can get your dog to do something fun with them or near them.

Kizzie, who is not fond of grooming time was really thinking I was going to trick her so nothing occurred during her first 5 minute but during Dharma’s 5 minutes she decided the clicker game of nose touching the tools was great. By the end of Dharma’s 5 minutes both girls were nose flinging tools around the floor.

Good Luck and Have Fun

Jami

8/21/10 5 Min Training Challenge

Jami Uncategorized

Today’s challenge is more you then the dog, motivation. Today’s your 5 minute challenge is to put your usual motivators away and try to find something new and different to get your dog to do any of its normal tricks.

For Dharma this was hard because I frequently use toys, treats, verbal praise, and just interaction (high fives and scratches) but I ended up using the other dogs.  I was practicing stays with Dharma and after the desired time limit I would release her and get all the dogs incited in to a game of tag, then would have Dharma stay and then repeated the reward.

Kizzie really like the cookies but since I was trying to do something different I practiced sitting with Kizzie and then would reward her by sending her through the agility tunnel.  It seemed to work pretty well.

Now it is your turn to find something new to motivate your dog in training.

Good Luck and Have Fun.

Jami

8/20/10 5 Minute Training Challenge

Jami Challenge, Dog Training, Training

Today’s 5 minute challenge comes from Maria and Champ in Norway. The Speed Sit.

For all levels see how many sits you can in 10 30-second periods. The goal is to get your dog in and out of a sit as fast as possible.

I broke the 30 second periods up by doing 2 sessions each in between morning chores.

Dharma had a lot of fun with this, getting an average of 19 sits per session.

Kizzie is still very slow at sitting and started with 2 sits per session but did increase to about 7 sits per session by the end.

Good Luck, Have fun, and thanks Maria and Champ for this fun training challenge.

Jami

8/19/10 5 Minute Training Challenge

Jami Challenge, Dog Training

Today’s challenge is target work. You can use a target plate or if you have a Manners Minder you can use that.

Beginners your goal is to get your furry friend to realize that when you say target there is a reward on the target.

Advanced you goal is to see how far you can get away from the target and still have them consistently go to the target when told to.

Dharma- Distance work is something Dharma and I have struggled with, even in my own yard, she was able to consistently go to the Manners Minder from about 10 feet.Her daddy, Pippin, will run from one end of the yard to steal her cookie from the target so hopefully one day Dharma will get there.

Kizzie- While she did make progress in learning the target she is still pretty distracted by the world so we only got about 2 minutes in before she lost interest and went back to bouncing around the yard.

8/18/10 5 Minute Training Challenge

Jami Challenge, Training

Heeling. You need to decide first if you want your dog in a formal heel or is walking a foot or two away okay for you. After this decision is made pick your level and enjoy the challenge.

Beginner-in a secured area try to get your dog to be in the desired position without using a leash to pull your dog into position.  Tip holding cookies or a toy and after a couple of steps rewarding them for being in position will help teach them that close/ heel is a desired position.

Advanced- Try to get your dog to Heel over or near a favorite item without them leaving position.

Dharma- Worked very well today. She was heeling nicely with frequent turns right past the entrance to the agility tunnel.

Kizzie-The back yard is still very distracting for her, so I had her dragging her leash while we did one step cookie, one step cookie. She made it all 5 minutes without bounding off with the distractions of life.

Good Luck and have fun.

Jami