Stars Of Draco Dog Training

11/11/2024

Give your dogs a choice 💚

10/30/2024

Rainy days are for playing indoors with friends! 🌧️

10/29/2024

"Did you say puppy play days?!" - Molly

Yes we did! Don't let the soon-to-be winter blues bring you down ❄️ Reach out today to learn more.

10/26/2024

10/23/2024

We're enjoying the weather while we can, are you?! Here's what we've been doing...

🎃 Late night walks through our neighborhood. This has been a great way to enjoy our neighbors' Halloween decor and work through new, novel distractions while building confidence in my dog... And myself! 👻

🍂 Playing scent work games outdoors. The pumpkins we carved, wind and leaves add a whole new challenge to finding the scent.

🎖️Mastering new tricks while the human-baby naps. Cascade and I hope to earn our next Trick Dog title before the end of the year!

Comment below with something you've been working on! 👇🏼

(See that motto on Cascade's harness? Draco's memory lives on!)

It's a beautiful day to dabble in scent work! 🍂

10/20/2024

Ivy came by for her monthly trim but she had to show off her Halloween costume first. Ain't she the cutest, rootin' tootin' cowgirl corgi you've ever seen? 🤠 13 years young and rockin' it!

Does your dog need their nails trimmed? Message me today to set up a time!

10/15/2024

Are you your dog's advocate?

Would you like us to email you occasionally with Madcap University news?

10/11/2024

Clover is on her way to being a star! ⭐

10/08/2024

The truth hurts 😔

Dog industry is broken ...

It's the only industry where clients are happy to pay for BIG EGOS, but not for extensive qualifications, accredited knowledge or verified expertise. We expect so little from those who provide services to our pets... Often no checks are done on those who we entrust with our (best) furry friends....

Why is that?

You won't pay a lot of money to have a manicure done by someone who has never done it before.

You won't have your teeth fixed by someone who is not a qualified dentist.

You won't go to physio who isn't qualified.

You would not have surgery done by someone who may have watched all episodes of Grey's Anatomy, but isn't a board certified surgeon.

You wouldn't have even have a facial from an unqualified beautician ....

Then why are we happy to pay a LOT of money for people who are claiming to be dog professionals, yet who hold zero qualifications in dog training / behaviour ?

The industry is unregulated, which is a big problem. I don't know whether that will ever change, but I remain hopeful. But perhaps that would change sooner if we all started to expect more from dog professionals?

10/07/2024

I'm stepping back into a routine of training my dogs after having a baby and balancing what to train before the baby begins to fuss is a challenge! It's a reminder for me of some basic fundamentals when training:

1) Time your sessions - Time flies when you're having fun with your dog! I like to set a stopwatch so I can monitor how long I'm spending on each behavior. Depending on what I'm working on or my projected goal, I may set an actual timer or count out a specific number of treats. Dogs learn best with short sessions throughout the day; 5-10 minutes is more than enough and to be honest, 2-3 minutes is all you spend on one specific behavior.

2) Take a play break - This one piggy backs off of the first fundamental; paying attention to time. As trainers we can get a little zealous as our dogs are succeeding... "Just one more! - That was amazing! - One more! - Fantastic!! - One more!" 🤦🏼‍♀️ I'm just as guilty as the next trainer for falling into that trap of excitement when our dogs are doing great. Instead of showing your excitement by making your dog repeat the behavior over and over, take a play break! Party with your dog! Tug, body play, little zooms back and forth, whatever your dog finds fun to do with you, do it!

3) Have a plan - Last but not least, have a training plan to follow! It doesn't have to be elaborate (or even written down). Know what behaviors you want to work on, how long you want to spend on each behavior, what treats you'll use, what behaviors you'll use to bounce in-between, what kind of play you'll break off into and what you'll do when your dog struggles or blows you out of the water with great success! Those are my go-to thoughts when creating a training plan. What are yours?

🐾 Here's an article I found helpful to get your mind thinking about entering a training session with a plan rather than on a whim.

"I don’t even know where to start. It just seems so huge and daunting. I don’t know how to define a plan, what steps to include, or when to raise criteria. It’s just easier to go out and do something, muddle around. I know that’s not efficient, but at least it’s something."

09/26/2024

Are you stuck at a watering hole?
Send me a message and let's get you and your pup onto your next adventure!

Thoughtful Thursday: Dog training and cattle drives

Did you know that cattle can only walk about 15 miles (24km) per day and maintain good body condition?

This means; to get to market via the Chisholm Trail (1,000 miles), it takes 67 days and the cattle would still be in good enough condition to sell well at market.

I didn’t know this until Doug Dodge, one of my training mentors, mentioned it to me. And promptly gave me a kick in the pants for getting stuck at watering holes in my training. Languishing there, training sporadically due to life getting in the way or training the same things over and over, thinking my dogs look fantastic, and not getting any closer to my end goal.

We all do it. We work hard on something with our dogs and then slack off. Or, we work at it half-heartedly and never really get anywhere. We circle a level of competence or proficiency with our dog that will never allow us to be fluent.

We get stuck at a watering hole.
Lounging about.
Hanging out.
Repeating the same old training set ups.

Why? There are reasons and there are excuses.

My reason for languishing at a watering hole? I’m traveling to teach or was deployed for an extended time.

My excuses for languishing? The weather isn’t perfect, I was traveling and I need a week to recover, it’s too muddy (I live on a farm, this is a thing), or I don’t feel like it. One of my all-time champions, “I have too much computer work to do.”

Here's the thing, dog training is a journey. If you stay to long at a watering hole, enjoying the view or not making those incremental steps to the next watering hole, it delays you. Every time you don’t train, you delay the day where you can step to the line with confidence. It lengthens the time to when you can attempt that certification and become deployable.

I’m coming up on a busy teaching/travel schedule and rolling out a new initiative. This requires me to balance my computer time, travel time, and continuing to train my dogs.

I vow to not get stuck at a watering hole.

____________________________________________
Next week is a big week!

09/23/2024

"The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) opposes training methods that cause short- or long-term pain, discomfort, or fear. Aversive methods can endanger both people and animals, threaten animal welfare by hindering learning, increasing fear-based behaviors, and causing direct injury."

Balanced dog training using positive reinforcement (rewards-based) methods and aversives (physical punishment) is no better than simply using force-free positive methods and love.

09/22/2024

👋🏼 Long time, no see! 🐾

It's been FOUR years since I've posted to this page besides a single post sharing my very first litter of Labrador pups known as Cory Code Retrievers. Yes, you read that right, Labradors. Some of you may remember Draco, my first Rhodesian Ridgeback, and how he had passed away at 5 years old. I was later gifted Bowen, another Rhodesian Ridgeback but he unfortunately passed away at the young age of 7 years old. We will never have as much time as we hope with our dogs so learning to enjoy what we do have in the time given to us is imperative... And that's why I am reviving this page. Even though I don't have my hounds, it's time to go back to what lies in my heart; sharing my love and ability to connect and understand dogs with YOU.

Without further ado, I am now offering:

🏠 In-home private training lessons

🐕 Dog sitting in my own home

🐈 House sitting so all your pets are cared for

🐾 Dog walking and other exercise outlets

💅🏼 Traveling nail trims

~ Reach out today to get something scheduled! ~

Although you won't be seeing posts regarding my beloved hounds and I, you will start to see more posts regarding my Labradors, my rescued motley-mutts and of course training tips and tricks. I am looking forward to sharing my continued adventures with you!

P.S. Help rejuvenate my page by liking this post and even better, comment below a picture of your pup! 😁 Thank you!!

03/19/2024

Check out these little "stars!" ⭐ Crate games for the win! I hear two of these puppies are still looking for their forever home 😉 Go give our sister page, our official breeder page, some love and likes!!!

Crate games after dinner? Don't mind if we do!
From left to right: Jefferson, Clark, Jay and Ray



Don't know what crate games are? Check out:
https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2009/02/crate-games-it-is-not-just-for-breakfast-anymore/