Goodogz Training Centre

10/03/2025

IF your dog often does NOT run to you then please get in touch because we can help.

03/03/2025

Proof that walking your dog isn't just good for your dog, it's good for you too.

A new study from Trinity College Dublin suggests that older adults who regularly walk their dogs show improved balance and fewer falls compared to their peers. The research, published in the Journa…

02/03/2025

A really good idea...a short meeting is often the best form of greeting!!

09/02/2025

Finn, Sequel and Zinc all got Versatility awards this month for RallyO. Each month we compete in Rallyo over two levels of courses. Once you gain enough high scores you qualify for awards. They come with lovely rosettes.

30/01/2025

This week I have...
Assisted with the training of greyhounds at the rehoming centre....
Trained a group of puppy owners who graduated from their last class. Looking forward to seeing more of some of them.....
Did individual training with one person....
Ran a Hoopers session at the ROC group....
I also worked with Zinc on movement puzzles, cavalettis, some Hoopers and RallyO and Finn, even at nearly 15 years old, loves training so he did some balance work for a number of treats.

If you want any help to do with your contact just send me message. My website also has contact details. www.goodogz.co.nz

Photo of Zinc after beach walk, wanting to do something else.

29/01/2025

Level 2 puppy class...4 weeks completed. Well done Skye and Willow. They got to play with the ladder and loved it.

29/01/2025

Lucca, Storm, Duncan and Holly completed puppy preschool this week. Such a lovely group of puppies and owners

27/01/2025

Reactivity??
Those dogs who have big feelings - either they let them out and everyone notices, or they keep them in and its a lot harder to notice them.... quiet, slow, head down, low enthusiasm are just a few and depend on the dog.

It makes it hard to do your chosen dog sport if this is the case.

get in touch and I can help you.

23/01/2025

Still a goodie, not always appreciated.
Share your dogs favourite mental exercise. My dogs love their food scatters in the grass, and the toilet roll hide game.

22/01/2025

The value of the clicker over saying "Good dog!!"

from an article by Curtis' Dog Obedience Training

There are several reasons why using a clicker is more effective than saying "Good Dog".

1. "Good boy" is human-talk, not dog-talk. It takes a long time for a dog to figure out what a particular phrase means and that in this case you mean it to be praise. By pairing the click with a treat in your dog's mind, hearing the click generates almost a momentary brain seizure that says "pleasure!". (Think: how do you react when you hear the ice-cream truck song. Do you think of the truck, or of the ice-cream it carries?)

2. We humans talk a lot. I mean a LOT. It's easy for the "Good boy" to get lost among all the other babble. A click is a unique sound/signal.

3. It takes too long. By the time you've said "Good boy", the dog may very well have gone on to some other, less-desireable behaviour. A click is generated by a fast, brief, muscle-spasm and marks a specific moment in time.

4. Some ...trainers ... have experimented with using "Good" or other spoken word as the marker instead of a click, and say the results are better than some other methods they've used, but not as good as a clicker or whistle.

5. It doesn't have to be a click -- just a fast, noticeable signal. Folk
training deaf dogs (and goldfish) often use a flashlight.

22/01/2025

"Dominance" is a dirty word. and when it comes to dog training it is definitely a word that I dont want to hear.

Yes, I believe that humans have to be in charge in relation to the dogs in the household and this is especially true when you have multiple dogs in your house, which I have had for many years.

Dogs definitely need to learn the rules of human society and coexist with humans within those rules. If they cant do that issues can occur and things happen that can end up on the news bulletins. We dont want that.

We want to hear positive stories, of dogs helping people and doing fun things.

We should provide the things that dogs value: resources, shelter, and a safe environment. And I believe that the best way to establish those things is through creating partnerships not through power and "dominance".

Picture: Moss, Tana, Cee and Ascki at Taupo

22/01/2025

This is Dee showing us how to do the NZARO RallyO sign #10, turn in change sides. In this example Dee is already on my right side. I am engaging her head, getting her to turn in towards me, the body follows and she is now on the opposite side, my left. If you repeat the same thing the dog will be back on your right.
NZARO RallyO has a number of exercises requiring a change of side, all working towards balancing the dog's body. If you want to know more about RallyO and NZARO in particular just pm me.
A sequence of pictures showing the NZARO sign #10 Turn in change sides.

20/01/2025

For those days when we are nervous about what we are about to do with our dogs.

Lila Zachwatowicz
Sponderos15

As requested the text about a mindset shift for being nervous 😘
Feeling nervous before a run? Surprisingly for some of you - That’s perfectly okay! 😁 Those butterflies are just your body’s way of telling you it’s getting ready to tackle something important. It’s a sign that you care - and that’s a good thing, isn't it? ☺️
Here’s a helpful mindset shift: you can be nervous and confident at the same time. Nervousness doesn’t mean you’re unprepared; it means you’re invested. Try reframing those feelings- what you’re experiencing isn’t fear, it’s EXCITEMENT for what’s about to happen ❤️
Think about how many hours of training you’ve put in, how much work you and your dog have done as a team. Your emotions are simply your body’s way of saying, 'This matters' - Harness that energy, and use it to focus on your connection with your dog 🔥
When you feel those nerves, remind yourself: this is your opportunity to show off what you’ve worked so hard on. Trust your preparation, breathe, and go for it. No matter what happens, you and your dog are in this together, and that’s what counts most ❤️💪
Happy competing

20/01/2025

Recalls.

1. Your dog might ignore you when you call them but its not because they are being ignorant or spiteful, its because whatever is taking their interest is more irresistible than you.

2. Taking treats with you as a reward for coming back is a great start to recall training. But its about more than just giving them some food. For those dogs not motivated by food, a toy may be useful, and even your actions/motion can be rewarding for your dog.

3. Its not fair to try recalling your dog in a stimulating environment like dog parks, where lots of birds live, new places etc. You need to start easy and build up their competency so that they dont think there is any other way than coming when you call them.

4. Calling their name over and over again doesnt help. You can make them think their name is meaningless. Instead what we want is for them to whip their head around when they hear their name and come running. If you keep yelling out their name, and they dont come, you are weakening this response to their name. It simply becomes "blah, blah, blah!"
So work on the name game, initially close to your dog with few distractions, and then you can start to increase distance (eg. call them from the bedroom so they have to run down the hall) and then add some distractions (let them run past the vacuum cleaner, a laundry basket etc you get the idea!)

5. Dont just call them back at the end of a walk/run. They are not stupid, and they want the walk/fun to continue forever. So dont be surprised if they say yeah nah!! Instead practice calling them back during the walk and release them to play again. Of course the walks do always end, but by then you have a nice habit developing and you've put their lead on :-)

6. Punishment when do they do finally come back isnt a great idea either. This confuses them - did you want me to come back or not? They will actually be less likely to come back. So keep your feelings of frustration to yourself, learn from what just happened and make it easier for them to return next time.

7. Recalls dont happen over night. All good things take time. It takes lots of repetition before a solid habit is formed.

8. Yelling and threats dont work either. Just like punishment above they will create a dog who is more likely to avoid you.

9. The recall is an important aspect to having a dog, not only a pet dog but also a dog that you want to do dog sports with, so its essential you get it right.

Contact me if you want to work on recalls or any other aspect of dog training.

Call now to connect with business.

10/01/2025

This is a video that I made when teaching the dogs to "tidy up". Its about 2 minutes long and by the end Finn can pick up a ball and drop it in the bucket.
It seems like I was having a helpful day as there is a lot more prompting than I would recommend. But Finn looks pretty happy with the game ;-) which is the main point. A Happy dog!!

This is a two minute video showing progression in the teaching of Finn to pick up a ball and drop it into a bucket.There is quite a bit of prompting, I was h...

17/12/2024

Is your doggie jumping up?

I can provide expert coaching on how to discourage this behaviour in your dog. Contact me today.

17/12/2024

Teenage dog? If your puppy is nearing the teenage stage you might need some help with a few things. Get in touch and we can organize a meetup!