Play N Train K9, LLC

06/07/2024

You go to a restaurant and you use your phone: it works the same way it does at home. It works the same way it does in the restaurant as it does when you go to the grocery store. You pass the phone to a friend, it will work the same way it does with you. Alone, at a party, even in another country, same response. If the signal is spotty you may not get as fast of a response, but you don’t wonder if your phone just doesn’t respect you or needs to be shown who is boss.

We’ve become so conditioned to machines and devices that just DO and respond the SAME way in every context they are put in that we often lose sight of the fact that animals, sentient beings, and ourselves, behave differently in different contexts and that’s completely normal and expected and part of life. I know I behave completely differently in a crowded party with strangers than I do alone with my best friend. I know that when I’m in pain or stressed or feel pressured my behaviors will be different than when I’m relaxed and comfortable. How I handle a conflict with a stranger versus my husband, in public versus at home etc etc, This isn’t new information, yet I find myself reminding clients this all the time. Your dog can be wonderful and love playing with other dogs off leash, but on leash in another context behave completely differently. This isn’t weird or bad. This is normal. Context will often change behavior, unless you’re a machine.

Your dog is not programmable, and even when we think they are predictable they can still surprise us. Your dog may love handling and enjoy you rubbing his belly on the couch, but absolutely panic and get defensive when handled and restrained at the vet. Different context, different relationships, different responses. This doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your dog, it means you need to work on coping skills in those particular contexts that elicit that response, even if that means management to prevent further escalation. The problem comes when we just assume because our dog is FINE in one scenario and context, they should be fine in all. They aren’t cell phones or laptops or cars.

I know this is hard sometimes to grapple with because predictable feels safer when it comes to animals. So unfortunately we often resort to training that gives us that predictably simply by suppressing any reaction at all. DONT move, don’t react, don’t do anything unless I say, immediately when I say. But that’s not healthy. That’s not a relationship, that’s a dictatorship.

Real relationships happen and develop and strengthen when you accept someone (this goes for people and dogs and all species) for what they are, who they are in all contexts and allow them the space to be that way and support them. Just as you would want yourself understood. What’s amazing is when you do that, you actually get MORE predictability in different contexts than less, because there’s trust between you now. It’s taken me a long time to learn that, and love the fact that they are animals, and I’ll never fully understand or know them and they will still surprise me. But, I’m here for the lessons and the journey.

05/13/2024

Hi,
My next manners class will start next Tuesday, May 21 at 6pm. This will be the last class until mid- September. I have one, possibly two, openings. Let me know if you are interested

03/06/2024

Congratulations to Sabbath (poodle), Bea (corgi), and Murphy (Bernese) for passing their CGC last night after completing the Adv Manners/Therapy Dog prep class.

01/14/2024

Train a trick challenge:
Find a trick that your dog doesn't already know. Train it. Post video in the comments.

GREAT way to spend a few cold winter days instead of venturing out for a walk.

Do More with Your Dog . Com has lots of ideas and training videos.

In the spirit of keeping things fun for both the dog and the owner, I’d like to suggest you train your dog to do tricks.

01/12/2024

Scent Work Class is cancelled tonight due to weather forecast and perilous driving conditions.

01/09/2024

Manners class and Advanced Manners class is csncelled (Jan 9)

11/01/2023

How cute is Doug in his bear costume?

10/31/2023

Would anyone be interested in the Advanced Manners class. This class builds on the skills started in the basic manners class and is a solid Therapy Dog prep class. You and your dog have the opportunity to earn the Canine Good Citizen certfication on the last night of class. $130 for 8 nights of class on Tues evenings. Let me know ASAP. I need a minimum of 4 students to run the class.

04/28/2023

Really great article on dog to dog play. Well worth the read. Has video examples.

An IAABC Foundation Publication

04/04/2023

PlayNTrain K9 is now an approved AKC Fit-Dog Club. What does this mean? This means we will be having community dog walks. These can be applied to an AKC Fit-Dog title or you can join us, just for fun. More news to follow !

04/02/2023

Huge thanks to the volunteers who cam out yesterday ! The ORT scent work trial was a huge success, in no small part to you guys. Quite a few of the participants, the judges both commented on how much you did, and so cheerfully. You jumped right in without being prompted to fill whatever need you saw. Very much appreciated - Natasha, Allistar, Karen, Emily, and Jordan.

03/11/2023

Volunteers Wanted:
No experience necessary

I am holding a scent work trial on Saturday afternoon, April 1st and am looking for volunteers.
Incentives: your choice 1) $10 off any class or private session for every hour you volunteer OR 2) gas card ($5 for every hour you volunteer)
All volunteers also get NACSW volunteer form for future use with NACSW.
Trial set-up starts at 11AM until 1 PM (need 3-5 people to help with set up, putting containers together, check-in
Trial starts at approximately 1PM until 4PMish (need 3 people to be timer, Judges steward and container wrangler)

Let me know if you can help - bring a friend - it's more fun.
If you are at all interested in Scent work, this is a great way to see Novice dogs in action!

02/21/2023

Due to impending storm, Manners class is cancelled tonight (Feb 21).

02/05/2023

One of the most common questions I get from clients....

Dogs jump on people because they are excited, and want attention. Removing the attention removes the reward for jumping. Remember, even negative attention, like kneeing them when they jump, is attention. So if the dog jumps, it’s best to ignore them in that moment and then devise a training plan t...

01/29/2023

Newest blog post

Training new skills often follow the same path. Once you understand the steps, you can often devise a new game plan for training new things with your dog. Step 1: Get the behavior Often times, we lure the dog with a treat to get the behavior we want. For example, if I want to train my dog to circle,...

01/25/2023

Congratulations to our AKC STAR Puppies, Ziggy, Leo and Ruby

01/25/2023

Congratulations to our newest Canine Good Citizens, Chase and Pippa!

01/22/2023

Another Blog Post -

Using a specific protocol, you’ll be able to teach your dog to calmly stay sitting or lying down on a mat through increasingly difficult and distracting environments. Dogs learn to develop a pattern of calm behavior that can be used moving forward under a variety of circumstances. Karen Overall’...

01/19/2023

Why use reward-based training? The short answer is it works. But there's more. Using a training method that is rooted in rewarding what you like fosters a relationship built on trust.

01/17/2023

Very good information

  A cosmetic surgeon once told me that he dreads Sunday night phone calls. They are, almost always, about kids who need their faces put back together after being bitten by a dog. He said it breaks his heart. It breaks my heart too, thinking of the hundreds of cases I saw where the owner […]

01/14/2023

Try some training fun !

Here’s a fun challenge for these long winter days to keep you and your dog occupied. It’s also a tool for uncovering potential training opportunities. Ask your dog to sit while in a weird position or while moving. You can use either a hand signal or a verbal cue. And don’t forget to reward the...

01/06/2023

Such a classic.

01/05/2023

Many of the games we play in my manners class are patterns. Here's why-

PREDICTABLE PATTERNS AND WHY THEY MATTER
We can help our dogs to cope in our world by providing predictable patterns that they can follow, even when the unpredictable happens. This requires consistency, repetition and patience, but dogs quickly learn what to do when that behaviour creates a predictable, positive result.
Predictability lowers anxiety, allows the brain to conserve energy and creates a sense of trust and security. Like other animals, dogs are experts at finding patterns. They look for patterns in their world and in the behaviour of others and just like we do, feel so much better when they can make sense of a situation rather than feeling confused or anxious when they can’t find a pattern.
When we create predictable patterns, dogs begin to understand what happens and how they should respond when a specific situation occurs. The situation becomes the cue for the behaviour rather than the cue itself. We often get caught up in using cues instead of just showing our dogs that this is what they should do in this situation. Being consistent and following a pattern with our dogs, creates trust, stability and security in helping them to know what to expect.

01/04/2023

Let's see how many cookies you can put in your jar this week. One cookie in for every actual treat/reward you give. One cookie out of the jar for every time you ask for something, but don't pay.

01/02/2023

New Blog Post:

The focus of cooperative care is to help dogs tolerate physical manipulations and procedures more comfortably. It takes a holistic approach that is becoming more common in grooming and veterinary care. Methods and techniques are based on positive reinforcement and the underlying philosophy that coop...

12/28/2022

Meet Ace, Betty and Betsy - our newest graduates of our Manners Class and proud recipients of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certificate (complete with their first ribbon)

12/23/2022

In honor of the Polar Vortex Cyclone Bomb of 2022, I have a new blog entry on my website.

If you’re like me, I don’t relish going out on cold, windy, snowy days. Coupled with the shorter days, I find myself becoming a couch potato – and easily bored. Well, our dogs feel the same way ! Our dogs still need exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom and the resultant overexcit...

12/21/2022

Here's a blog I wrote at the start of the pandemic on how to keep your dog occupied. This may give you some ideas on how to keep your dog engaged and happy through this next week of cold and snow.

Just like us, our dogs get bored too! Here are some ideas on how you can both slow down, and take advantage of this new routine.

11/29/2022

Class is cancelled (Tues Nov 29th)

The weather looks iffy for tonight – freezing rain, followed by snow and quickly dropping temperatures may make for slippery driving.

It may turn out that traveling is fine for tonight. But I’d hate to have class, and then have someone get into an accident because I made the wrong call.

Stay safe.

Karen

11/10/2022

One spot open in my next Manners CLass, starting Tuesday Nov 15th at 5PM.
One spot open in Advanced Manners (Therapy dog prep), Starting Tuesday Nov 29th 7PM.

Let me know if you are interested.