Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays from Jenn, Jet, Bernie, me, and Eric!! Jenn was especially happy this year to have taken our annual Santa Paws picture early, before her accident. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a picture this year. We wish everyone a most happy and (especially) most healthy 2012!!

Jenn's Nominated for the DWAA Maxwell Award!

Talk about a bit of good news! Jenn just found out that the series of articles she wrote for the APDT Chronicle of the Dog about the Tellington TTouch Method have been nominated by the Dog Writers' Association of America for their 2011 writing awards. Jenn is a finalist for the Maxwell Medallion for Excellence, in the Subject-Related Series category. Winners will be announced at a banquet in New York City on February 12th. Jenn hopes she will be able to attend.

You can see the entire list of 2011 nominees here: DWAA Nominees List

You can read Jenn's nominated article series on her website, scroll down to "articles by Jenn Merritt": Tellington TTouch Series from APDT Chronicle of the Dog

Dog Owner Injuries-What Happens to the Dogs??

This has been the most boring month ever! Jenn was in an accident, she hit her head and fractured her ribs and has spent most of the past few weeks recovering and resting. Resting??!! Bor-ing! Resting is just not in a herding dog's vocabulary. And it was kind of freaky to watch Jenn walk slow and weird. We had to be really careful not to bump her or jump up. So, Jet and I have been spending lots of time looking really bored.
Eric's been taking care of us, and no offense, but Jet, Bernie and I cannot wait for Jenn to get back to her normal self. She keeps us all very active with play and training, and fun stuff. So, we've had to adjust to new routines and less activity, at least for a while. So what happens with your dogs if you can't care for them? It's really smart to think ahead and have a plan in place for what you would need to do in the event that you can't care for your dogs.

Here are a couple of tips that can help prepare your dog if you get hurt:

Staying with Friends-Your dog may need to stay with other humans for a while. Eric had to be with Jenn at the hospital and then care for her when she came home. This didn't leave him much time to care for three dogs. So, Bernie stayed with their friend Laura for the first week after the accident. This made things much easier for Eric to manage (taking care of two dogs instead of three). You should have a plan in place for where your dogs would go if you got hurt (with trusted friends, a local kennel, etc.)

Separation from You is OK-It is really important that your dog can function independently from you. If your dog can't function without you, that leaves them completely lost if you get hurt. It becomes very important that other humans can walk us, feed us, care for us. So, it's a good idea to teach your dog to listen and respond to other humans, not just you. Even just establishing a nice relationship between your dog and your neighbors, so if they ever have to come in a let the dogs out in an emergency, the dogs won't freak out. And your dog should learn from puppyhood that being alone is OK.

Leash Manners-I cannot overemphasize the importance of teaching your dog to walk politely on leash. Since leash walking is pretty much the only exercise we are able to get while Jenn is out of commission (no dog park, no play times), it is really vital that someone other than Jenn could take us for a walk, including family members and friends. Please see my previous posts on polite leash walking for more info.
Mental Games, Toys, and Bones-Thank goodness for mental activity! If your usually high drive, high energy dog has to adjust to a new, low key routine, you really need to give them stuff to do. We have lots of mental toys to work on and Jenn had lots of raw marrow bones in the freezer for us to chew on when we needed something to do. Here are more of Jenn's suggestions for good quality mental toys: Recommended Mental Toys

So, there are a few tips for preparing you and your dog for what happens if you get hurt. You may not want to think about it, but it is such a good idea to have some plans in place ahead of time.

Body Harnesses for Better Leash Walking

So we've talked about the importance of teaching your dog how to walk on a loose leash and why prong/pinch collars are a complete "pain in the neck", so what are other options for dogs that need a little more help on leash? The good news is that there are lots of options that don't put pressure on the dog's neck, so their airway/breathing aren't constricted.

Get a Real Leash-OK, before we get started talking about harnesses, the first thing y'all need is a real leash, not a retractable leash, which is downright dangerous.
These things get tangled, make your dog difficult to control, and dogs and humans can get awful rope burns. If you ever want to teach your dog to walk mannerly on a leash, get rid of the retractable leash a get a simple six foot leather or canvas leash.

Body Harnesses-there are lots of different types of body harnesses, but they are not created equal.

This is an H Harness which has a connection on the dog's back. Dogs have an opposition reflex, so when we feel that tension in the leash, we pull forward against it. So an H Harness is basically a sled dog harness. It actually makes it easier for the dog to pull forward and when they pull it elevates them into really bad posture and horrible body language to other dogs. Not a good choice for most dogs. Let's look at some better options.

Sensation Body Harness-The Sensation has the connection on the dog's chest, which gives you humans more control and reduces pulling by eliminating opposition reflex. We don't feel the same instinct to pull against the front connection and we do with the leash connected on our backs. The Sensation is easy to fit, easy to put on us, and easy to use. This is one of Jenn's favorites and is available online and in pet stores for about $35.
Walk In Sync Body Harness System-The Walk In Sync is also a front clip body harness, but also uses a special leash with accupoints, that provide a boundary for the dog and handler. This harness is a little more challenging to put on, but the fit is outstanding. It does not cut the dog across the shoulders like the Sensation and provides great control. A very well made harness and effective system that retails online for a about $50 which includes the harness and leash.
Freedom Body Harness-the Freedom harness by Wags, Wiggles and Whiskers (a North Carolina company) is a unique front clip harness that uses a double ended leash and an additional connection on the dog's back. The double ended leash is much like what Jenn uses in TTouch. It's a little more challenging to fit, but does work very well for some dogs, especially large dogs that are ingrained pullers. It retails for about $40 and is available online and at pet stores.
So that's a quick run down of my favorite body harnesses. Remember that there is no substitute for also using consistent, reward based techniques in addition to choosing humane equipment. Need more help? Contact Jenn about enrolling in a training class to get you and your dog on the right track. Check out www.bluedogk9.com for details.

How to Teach Your Dog Polite Leash Walking

Teaching your dog to walk politely on the leash takes some time, energy and consistency, but the results last a lifetime. I'm going to talk about simple, easy techniques and gentle equipment to help your walks with your dog be more enjoyable for everyone, human and dog alike.

A Rewarding Approach to Leash Learning
Dogs learn by association. They do what works. And if pulling gets them where they want to go, they pull. We have to make the right choice (not pulling) the easiest (and more rewarding) choice to make. This starts with the human changing their behavior-not letting the dog pull them down the street.

We want forward movement with us to be the most rewarding thing, but with the leash loose. In reward based training, there are many variations on how to do this. Here's just one method used with clickers marking the dog's correct body position:



Balance Leash
Another method to help the dog understand that we want them moving with us instead if pulling us down the street is the Balance Leash technique. This is simply using the leash draped around the dog's chest to give a light signal to balance on all four feet. A balanced dog is not a pulling dog. Here's balance leash at work:



For more techniques on polite leash walking check out:

Dog Star Daily's article and resources for Pulling on Leash

Prongs are a pain in Germany too!

K9 Kindness is working hard to raise money for their "No Choke Challenge", which promotes training your dog without force or fear and provides free front clip body harnesses in exchange for shock, prong, and choke chains. Local reward based trainers working with K9 Kindness are leading the charge in providing fast, fun and effective methods for improving your dog's polite leash walking without equipment that hurts. Please help support the efforts of K9 Kindness by friending them on Facebook and making a donation to the "No Choke Challenge".

Here's a great video from a similar organization in Germany showing two very cute Aussies with tails. You don't need to speak German to get the point of the video.

Prong collars are a pain in the neck!!

This is a prong collar. Prong collars are a correction based metal collar that applies pressure to the dog's neck when it tightens.  Like any piece of training equipment, it must be used properly with knowledge of the intended use and the physical and behavioral side effects.  The problem is there are many folks are out there using prong collars on their dogs without any thought of using it safely, properly or what the experience is like for their dog.

The prong is designed to give a correction for an unwanted behavior (for example, pulling on the leash).  As with other types of punishment based training techniques, the correction must be timed perfectly and applied with the right amount of force.  But what a lot of average dog owners do (who have pretty crappy timing even on the best of days) is just put the prong on without fitting it or using corrections and let the dog pull.  We pull less, cause it hurts, but you continue to use the prong for months if not years, so the dog learns to walk with constant pressure on their neck.   This is not what the prong was designed for.   If the prong is such an all around effective training tool, why do people continue to use it for that length of time?

It Works Because It Hurts!!  It doesn't take a genius to figure out the seemingly quick fix provided by a prong collar-the dog stops pulling because it hurts!!! You'd stop whatever you were doing too if you wore this thing around one of the most sensitive parts of your body. Here's what a prong collar leaves behind on human skin after only a minute of contact. Now imagine that on your neck where you get oxygen and blood flow.  What happens when you feel reduced oxygen and blood flow?  Nuff said.

What's It Like for Us-I can't imagine that thing being on my neck and those pieces of metal pressing against windpipe. It would make me really uneasy and anxious all the time.  This dog sure doesn't look comfortable. But what else can happen when you use a prong collar??
Break Away Prongs-Your prong collar can break apart unexpendedly.  About 10 years ago, Jenn was walking with her friend in Duke Forest one day and they saw a dog run past them and into the road.  The owner came running saying that the dog's prong broke apart.  Luckily, she got her dog back, but the owner learned an important lesson about prongs.   They are not as safe as they seem.  Jenn remembers this and has heard many other stories of prongs breaking apart and failing.  One of the top promoters of prong collars suggests using a choke collar with the prong just in chase the prong breaks.  Most people can't even manage using the prong correctly.  Just sayin'.

Not Meant To Be Worn During Activities-Prongs are not designed to be used during any dog activities, like running, playing, going to the park.  And never let your dog play with other dogs while in a prong.  That may seem like common sense, but there are people that take their dogs to the park and leave the prong collar on while they play setting their dog or someone else's dog up for a soft tissue injury or worse.  Not a good idea. 

Soft Tissue Injuries-Tissues injuries can occur if the there is too much force or pressure put onto the prong.  That could be leaving the prong on all the time.  Here's a dog that had his prong collar left on all the time creating pressure necrosis (decaying skin).  Uggh!  Your dog should never be tethered in a prong collar or wear it all the time.  And that goes for any collar that creates pressure.
Retractable Dangers/Neck-Spinal Injury-Prongs are especially dangerous when they are used with retractable leashes.   Exactly what happens if your dog runs like a shot out to the end of the 15 foot retractable leash while on a prong collar?  Ouch!!   When we are out on walks, we routinely see people using prongs and retractable leashes improperly.   If you are using a prong, please don't use a retractable leash with it.

 

Psychological Effects-Aside from obvious physical injuries and physical issues, behavioral side effects from using prong collars can be even worse and take much longer to heal or resolve. Because dogs are associative learners, many dogs react not just with avoiding the pain from the prong collar, but can also develop a negative association to whatever is around that predicts the pain sensations.  Most people don't even realize that their dog is developing a problem, because the dog learns to become unresponsive to avoid corrections.

So, you are out walking your dog, they see another dog down the street, they pull forward the handlers applies a corrective jerk on the prong collar, the dog associates bad things (pain on their neck) with the presence of another dog. With repeated experiences, other dogs = bad things and dog responds with increase arousal and reactions, and with even more intensity when the prong collar comes off. Jenn says that she sees this time and time again: behaviorally healthy dogs developing behavioral problems and reactivity after being put on prong collars.
Once the prongs come off, the dog is less inhibited and the pent up frustrations come out in force. So now you have a dog that doesn't pull as much when the prong is used, but hates other dogs or cars or people or children.   Eeshh!!

But hold on a second, because I think it is important for you to know that Jenn used to train with equipment like prong and choke collars until someone showed her that she could get the same (if not better results without causing pain or discomfort to the dog).  When she started using dog training methods based on positive reinforcement (rewarding what you like vs. punishing what you don't like), Jenn found that her training became more effective, more efficient, and it was a ton of fun for her and the dogs she was working with.   Jenn really liked that she could teach children the methods, and that you could start training puppies with reward based methods as early as 5 weeks of age. 

Most importantly, with reward based training there are none of the possible physical or behavioral side effects of using punishment based methods.   The same reward based methods are being used by K9 police trainers, guide dog programs, and with marine mammal and zoo trainers. 

Check out this poster with video links to learn about how reward based training techniques are being used in zoos all over the world to teach animals of every size and shape. 

If we can teach a killer whale to pee in a cup, can't we teach a dog to walk on leash without a prong collar??  Indeed friends. And that's the topic of my next blog. In the meatime, look at me rocking in my body harness and Jenn's use of two points of connection! Relaxed and balanced on all four feet without any pressure on my neck.   Want to learn more about the use of reward based training?  Check out the resources page at K9 Kindness.

My 4th Birthday Party!

Can you believe it? I am four years old. Amazing as it just seems like yesterday I was a tiny pup. Well, maybe not tiny.Anyway, Jenn and Eric once again invited some of my special friends over to celebrate.Jet, Bernie and I welcomed Jet's Aussie boyfriend Joey. My special girlfriend Mona the German Shepherd came too, and Jenn's friend Gloria with her foster puppy. Lots of special human friends came too including Jenn's mom and dad. All the pups got to run around, then we got special bandanas courtesy of Jenn's mom, who makes Jing-A-Ling Dog Bandanas. And then what everyone was waiting for....my cake!! Wow, Jenn made my most special 4th birthday party cake out of carrots and apples, peanut butter, eggs, flour and honey. And it was square too, decorated with cream cheese and biscuits.

It didn't take long for all the dogs to eat their pieces of cake!

We also did a gift exchange, so everyone could go home with something new and fun. I got a stuffed fox which is especially cool because it is flat and still has squeakers. Jenn says this is a great option for dogs like Jet, who like to pull the stuffing out of toys.

Thanks to everyone for coming to my party!!

CLASS Exercise #1-Wait at the Door

Jenn and I are training for my CLASS Evaluation. CLASS stands for Canine Life and Social Skills and is a new program by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The program teaches dogs real life skills through reward based training and is a three level evaluation that also tests the handler's knowledge of training and canine behavior. The first level is the Bachelor's or BA and there are nine test items and two bonuses that dog/handler teams complete. I'm going to talk about each of the test items and how Jenn and I are training and preparing for the test.

Test item number one is Wait at the Door:

Here's the deal, the handler cues the dog to wait at a doorway. The dog can be in a sit, down or standing. The dog holds the wait for about three seconds and then the handler releases the dog to go through the doorway.

How to train Wait at the Door with a sit using minimal cues and minimal effort:

First, make sure your dog's leash is on, so that just in case they break their wait, they don't reward themselves by dashing through the door. You don't necessarily have to use any other rewards in this exercise, as the freedom of going through the doorway is a great reward in itself.

Step 1: Keep the door closed and calmly wait for your dog to sit. Cue them to sit if absolutely necessary, but it's really important that dogs learn the door doesn't open until we sit. If at any point your dog gets up from their sit during the following steps, return to this Step 1.
Step 2: When your dog sits, reach over and touch the doorknob. If they hold their sit, continue to turn the doorknob and slowly open the door. If they stand up or move forward, go back to Step 1.
Step 3: If they hold their sit with the door open, step through the door ahead of them and release them to come through with an "OK".Once your dog is doing all three steps easily, you can begin giving a "Wait" cue as you open the door.

Why is this skill challenging for dogs? Cause it is exciting to go through doors! Controlling the impulse to run through the door is a challenge for many dogs, especially if getting out the door means going on a walk or going for a ride in the car.

Why is it important to teach this skill? Wait at the door can come in handy every time you go through a doorway with your dog. And it keeps your dog safe from dashing out the door. If you have multiple dogs, it is important to teach each dog individually how to wait at doors before you can get them to perform the skill together.

Here are 20 additional uses of teaching your dog to wait. Need I say more?

Jet and Bernie Pass CLASS BA Evaluations

Well, this is certainly embarrassing! Would you believe that both Jet and Bernie have passed the CLASS (Canine Life and Social Skills) BA Level evaluations and I have not. Inconceivable! I mean, I can understand Bernie passing, cause everything is so easy for him. But Jet??!! She's so much younger than me and frankly, she can be a little high strung (do I need to remind anyone of the toilet paper incident?).
But back to me. I just don't understand. I did everything in stellar fashion, scoring an "excellent" on every item on the BA evaluation but one, the boring "STAY". I was so excited to be doing well, I just didn't want to sit on my mat for a whole minute. So I got up twice and apparently, that is an automatic incomplete for the whole test. Darn it! I was so close.

Jenn did say that it is totally OK and that she was really proud that I did really well on all the other items on the evaluation. We have some work to do, but I can take the evaluation again in a few weeks. So, in the meantime, I can fill you in on all the ins and outs of training for the CLASS program.

Does Your Dog Have C.L.A.S.S.?

It's very exciting that the Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a new program called C.L.A.S.S., which is short for Canine Life and Social Skills. Jenn became an official CLASS evaluator and is now teaching CLASS at Extraordinary Ventures in Chapel Hill.

So what's CLASS all about anyway? CLASS is a three-level evaluation for dogs and their person to demonstrate real-life skills, along with assessing your person's knowledge basic dog handling and care. The program also promotes the use of reward based training with all dogs. That sounds terrific! But can I actually use these skills?

Jenn says most definitely and that training me for the CLASS evaluations will be a great way to brush up on my overall skills. I love to work in training classes, but CLASS skills extend into real life, that's the point.

It's not just about learning stuff for training classes. It's about you and your dog learning real life skills that you'll actually use everyday. Stuff like learning to walk on a loose leash, settling down on a mat at home and in public, calmly and politely meeting strangers for petting and treats, laying next to your person quietly as they are eating a meal, and coming when called, just to name a few.

So your person can take you out in public, your world can be expanded, and CLASS dogs can be ambassadors of good social behaviors and go places that other dogs can't. Check out the skills that I'm working on for the first level of CLASS called the B.A.:

1.	WAIT AT THE DOOR
Real-life Relevance	The ability to maintain position until invited to advance through a door is a convenience to the student and can save a dog’s life.
	WARM-UP TIME
Real-life Relevance	A dog is better able to focus and relax when he has a chance to assess his immediate environment.
2.	COME AND LEADING UP MANNERS
Real-life Relevance	Coming when called could save your dog’s life if he gets loose. Training a dog to want to come to you also helps strengthen the bond between dog and student.
3.	LOOSE LEASH WALKING AND ATTENTION
Real-life Relevance	Teaching and practicing loose leash walking and checking in with one another builds comfort, ease, and connectedness between the dog and student.
4.	MEET AND GREET
Real-life Relevance	The importance of a dog remaining politely at the student’s side shows the dog’s self-control when meeting someone. This also allows the opportunity for the student to understand if it is appropriate or not for someone to greet or handle their dog.
	BONUS 1: ROLLOVER, SPIN, FETCH, SPEAK, OR PAW
Real-life Relevance	Teaching simple tricks is a fun way to practice training with your dog. See
5.	LEAVE IT
Real-life Relevance	Leave It is useful when you do not want your dog to go near something, and can be a life-saving skill.
6.	WAIT FOR THE FOOD BOWL
Real-life Relevance	Rather than grabbing or rushing for the food, waiting for the food bowl is good manners and strengthens a dog’s self-control.
7.	STAY
Real-life Relevance	Stay is useful when you need your dog to remain in place.
8.	SETTLE
Real-life Relevance	A dog who can calm down on cue is more manageable in the home and may be more welcome in other social settings
9.	GIVE AND TAKE
Real-life Relevance	Living with a dog who does not guard food or objects, willingly drops items on cue, and takes items gently from the student is safer for the student and less stressful for the dog.
	BONUS 2: TRICK OF STUDENT’S CHOICE
Real-life Relevance	Tricks are fun, can be useful, and exercise a dog’s mind.

So when your dog gets all that down pat and passes the BA Level, there are two higher levels of CLASS (Masters and PhD). Talk about higher education! So, I have my work cut out for me. I really need to work on those stays. If you want to learn more about CLASS, you can visit the official CLASS website and watch a demonstration of all the skills of the BA Level by clicking here.

How Kids Should Act Around Dogs

Suffice it to say that I think children are like little aliens! They move differently and they talk differently than most humans. They sometimes really freak me out. Although Jenn and Eric did a good job socializing me as a puppy to children, it is just as important for parents to guide their children on how to act around dogs not only with their family dog, but with other dogs as well. Here's my friend Will feeding me out of my Squirrel Dude. Will's parents have taught him really good things about how to behave around other people's dogs. But some children can get away with lots of inappropriate behavior even with the family dog.

Dr. Sophia Yin has put together some terrific posters to show what kids should do around dogs like being polite and kind, playing appropriate games like fetch, and using reward based training:And what kids should not do around dogs like bothering the dog while eating or sleeping, taking objects away, climbing on the dog, hugging the dog, or putting your face in the dog's face:You can learn more by reading Dr. Sophia Yin's blog. The more we can all learn about helping both dogs and children get along, the safer we can all live together.

There's also a great book to guide parents by local trainer Barbara Shummenfang called "Happy Kids, Happy Dogs".

Hot Summer Safety Tips

Oh my! It reached 100 degrees today. Makes me want to slow way down and try to stay cool. It's really a good idea to keep some tips in mind when it gets this hot. First of all, give your puppy access to lots of clean, cool water. I prefer my water in a baby pool of course.It should go without saying, that you need to be especially careful about leaving your puppy in a hot car in the summer. Here's a study by the Animal Protection Institute that showed just how hot the inside of a car can get even in the shade with the windows cracked. For example, on a 100 degree day like today, the inside car temperature rose to 124 degrees. Just don't take your puppy with you if you have to leave them in the car, even for a couple of minutes. It's just not safe and it's totally against the law in North Carolina and other states. It is especially dangerous for older dog, small dogs, or dogs that have breathing issues to be locked in a hot car, even for just a few minutes. OK, let's talk a little about feet, cause your puppy's feet can really get burned by hot concrete in the middle of the day.
It's a good idea to walk your puppy either early in the morning or in the evening on really hot days. It will keep their feet from getting burned and it will lessen the chances of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a great article on Dog Safety Tips for Summer. You can learn all about the signs of heatstroke and more. Take special care to keep your puppy safe this summer!

K9 Kindness promotes reward based training!

Jenn's been super busy with a new project called "K9 Kindness". She and a bunch of other local reward based dog trainers are working together to promote training your dog with kindness right here in the Triangle. Check out their super groovy logo by Top Notch Dog trainer Barbara Shummenfang. K9Kindness has a super new website with resources, articles, and videos all about how you can train your dog without pain, fear or intimidation. There's even a section where your human can submit your reward based training success stories. Most importantly, they are doing a "No Choke Challenge". They're going to give away 100 harnesses in exchange for choke, prong, or shock collars.

So dogs don't have to walk around like this:
Or like this:
Or this this! Yikes!:

They can walk around with their human like this:

That's much, much better. Amazing what the gentle training equipment can do. So stay tuned for all the K9Kindness events promoting rewarding training with your dog. And when you make a donation to K9 Kindness, it is tax deductible. Even better. Go to www.k9kindness.org for details. (Illustrations by artist Cathy Lester and courtesy of www.nevershockapuppy.com).

Dog Bite Prevention Week

Dog Bite Prevention Week is coming up May 15-21st, so here are some resources for understanding why dogs bite, the warning signs, and how to keep yourself safe. Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year, and there are lots of things you people can learn to avoid those bites. Children are especially vulnerable to dog bites, so it is so important that we teach them how to behave around dogs and supervise all interactions between children and dogs. Here's a video created by veterinarian and behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin showing some of the warning signs of fear when a child approaches a dog.



Scary! That dog gave many warning signs, but the child didn't understand them, and there was no parent around to intercede. What can we do??!!

Dr. Sophia Yin has written a terrific blog explaining how to read fearful body language and why dogs bite when you humans greet us inappropriately.

Here's another poster by artist Lili Chin which shows how to greet and how not to greet a dog. Click on the picture to get a bigger version:

Here's a great resource called Dog Gone Safe. Their website is devoted to preventing dog bites through awareness and education.

And, please read this article by Dr. Sophia Yin called "Seven Tips for Preventing Dog Bites in Animal Care Professionals and Pet Lovers". And watch her video "How To Avoid Dog Bites".

Educating yourself about how to greet dogs properly and learning to read dog body language can go a long way in keeping you and your family safe from dog bites. Be safe!

Jet is 16 months old and still a puppy!

Time has really flown by because our puppy Jet is now 16 months old! She's about 50 lbs and has grown a big puffy tail. She is still a puppy in many ways, even if she looks like a grown up dog. She still has to sleep in her crate at night and be crated while Jenn and Eric aren't home, just to keep her safe and out of trouble. And I keep waiting for her to not have sooo much energy all the time. Jenn says that Jet is in her energy peak which is when 9 month-18 month old teenage puppies really require lots of activity, physical exercise, and benefit from continued reward based training. So Jenn and Eric are keeping Jet busy. Eric took Jet to Family Dog 2 at Paws4Ever that Jenn instructed. Jet learned to hold her stays, improved her loose leash walking manners, and learned how to do a little bit of Rally.
Rally is super cool for young dogs to continue their basic training skills in a fun way. You and your person practice heeling on a course set up with obedience skills. Here's Jet giving Eric great attention.
Now, Eric's taking Jet to Jenn's class called K9 Cross Training. It's for dogs that have already taken some basic classes and want to learn more skills in a creative setting. Jet's currently working on learning to ride a skateboard. That sounds so cool!
Boy, after all this training and keeping Jet active, this is the best part! A tired Jet!
Keeping your teenage puppy in fun, reward based training classes, providing lots of exercise, and containing them when you can't watch them are things you can do to get you through those most challenging months of your dog's adolescence.