Success Just Clicks Dog Training

08/25/2024

Dogs of all ages can join in on the fun that is trick training--Puppies through seniors can have fun with tricks! This is specifically a Novice level class--we often do a novice/intermediate, but this time around we are focusing on Novice alone. Your pup will learn fun basic tricks like spin, take a bow, peekaboo, paws up, 4 paws up, leg weaves, figure 8, jump for joy, and/or others!

Each class is custom created based on the dogs in class--not every trick is appropriate for all dogs, so we adjust based on who we have in class. There are tons of tricks to choose from and your pup will be a performer by the time they are done!

Kelly is a CTDI and can sign off on your DMWYD titles and your AKC trick titles

Prerequisites: Dogs/puppies must be comfortable working in a group class environment with dogs and people. Well-managed reactive dog who has been successful in group class behind a barrier can sign up.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67075089

08/24/2024

So you've mastered the intro to flyball class skills and gotten permission from Katherine (game plan is that she has emailed teams that are ready to move on but since this is round one and timing is wonky, she may not have gotten emaisl out yet, but if you are unsure, email her first)

This class is all about the actual sequence of flyball. We'll be covering recalls, dueling recalls, recalls over jumps, jumping/striding skills, mat work, wall work, box work, retrieve work, and putting all the pieces together into a full sequence.

Each week there will be a focus and we'll modify skills as needed for individual teams with where they are in the process of training that skill. There will be solo skills practice so dogs MUST be okay being crated in the room while another dog works OR be crated/contained in their vehicle during solo practice (while the human is helping with the practice, remember, flyball is a team sport).

Teams can expect to be in this class several rounds before they have the full sequence of skills

**If this class is already full by the time you sign up, it's never a bad idea to repeat intro to flyball class!

Prerequisites: Dogs absolutely must have permission from Katherine. Dogs cannot be reactive to other dogs--this is not flexible at all (well-managed dogs who might be aroused with activity with minimal barking MIGHT be okay--if this is your dog you must get permission). We can modify the exercises for younger pups, but all dogs need to have a reasonable basic skills and training foundation.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67136629

08/23/2024

It's my favorite 'closed' post to make each year! The office part of SJC is closed starting today! I'm (Tena) working hard to get caught up on emails this morning and will have office work done today, but anything new will be responded to when I gets back to the office on 9/3.

I'm coming back to a full schedule of classes/private sessions so it could take up to 7 business days AFTER my return to catch up on emails if our volume is high. If you emailed and haven't heard back by 9/12--please reach back out. I'm not perfect and sometimes miss things in my email or accidentally delete an email while clearing out the 'junk' so i can focus on the actual messages.

As always, our website is extensive! It can answer nearly every question you might have, it is how you sign up for all group classes, private sessions, and initial consultations. So if you don't want to wait for a response, do some browsing around on www.successjustclicks.com

Lastly, if you are a student of Kelly, Coleman, or Katherine, my vacation doesn't affect them (though some of them ARE also away for part of my vacation). If you need something, you can reach out to them.

If you follow us on Instagram you can come with us on our journey--and see what it's like taking 5 dogs on a beach vacation hahaha!

08/23/2024

PERFORMANCE PUPPY CLASS for future agility, obedience, working dogs! Some foundation pet skills, but we focus on skills for agility, scent, obedience, or other work! Confidence with obstacles, toy play, focus, body awareness, marker system foundations, position changes, obedience foundations, and more! This class does NOT include puppy play, puppies learn to work off leash around others.

Puppies must be less than 9 months at the start of class and MUST be comfortable around dogs/people (non reactive)

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67109810

08/23/2024

Do you want your puppy to become a dog who can go anywhere and do anything with you--and who is happy and comfortable to do those things? Comfortably hang out at a restaurant patio, check out the farmer's market, watch kids playing softball at the park, travel all over the place with you and be non-bothered by the crazy world, and more.

We'll work on confidence boosting things like--traversing unstable surfaces, climbing safely, strange noises, people who might look weird, wheelchairs and more. We'll work on focusing in a variety of environments, learning to settle on a mat with activity around them, some leash walking work, settling with another puppy walking by, and settling around other puppies. We'll also spend a fair bit of time on greeting (or not) strangers and other dogs.

Prerequisites: Puppies should be between 3 and 6 months old at the start of class. This class can be a first class with an experienced handler as a trainer, but is likely better if done after Puppy K for most teams. Puppies cannot be reactive to people or dogs.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67136684

08/20/2024

SPICY -- normal Middle School curriculum but with full barriers so dogs can't see each other. Introduce a formal sit/down stay, sit for greetings, leave it and increase distractions for leash walking, settle on mat, etc. Owners learn how to reduce reinforcement successfully and increase criteria to build up the skills. This class DOES NOT work on the spicy issue, just a place for spicy dogs to go beyond Elementary skills

PRE-REQ-- successfully completed Elementary manners, no human aggression.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67075777

08/20/2024

UPDATE: Things are back up and running it appears! crisis resolved!

ATTENTION!! Our entire scheduling program is currently down. This means a few things...

1. You can't sign up for anything right now.. Classes, consults, lessons.. It's all down.

2. You can't go into your account to see appts or change anything

3. We have no access to full client notes. You may need to help us remember what your last homework was because we, at least I (Tena), can't necessarily remember what we worked in 2 or 3 weeks ago without a quick refresh of my notes before your session and well, right now we can't do that.

4. We can't schedule your next appt.

I'll update once it's back up, but for now it's completely down.

08/19/2024

This is basic level class! Dogs will be introduced to foundation skills and learn how to learn through clicker training (or using “yes”). Dogs will learn: focus, sit, down, impulse control, greeting people nicely, settle on a mat, loose leash walking, and more! Humans will learn how to effectively use clicker/marker training to build solid communication and a positive relationship.

Prerequisites: This can be used as a first class or a refresher but dogs MUST be comfortable in a group class environment.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&appointmentType=category:Elementary%20Manners%20Class%20%28adult%20level%201%29

08/18/2024

One tool can do SO much! We can use an Action Mat for highly exciting games like send outs, flyball box turn foundations, running contact foundations, or advanced skills like drop on recall, tricks at a distance, and positions out of motion. We are also going to be working on teaching a Relax Mat where dogs learn to be calm while people approach, be settled as other dogs work, and go to their mat to settle down.

What we are going to do in this particular class is really work in bouncing between doing those exciting, fun, and fast skills and then using our Relax Mat to help dogs practice recovering after getting excited, or settling after getting worked up. This recovery muscle is just as important as being settled in the first place, the ability to come back down is so helpful int he big picture.

Prerequisites--dogs should have basic training skills passing at least Elementary Manners, should be comfortable working in a classroom with other dogs and people without reactivity.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67115392

08/17/2024

American Ninja Warrior Pups edition! Your pup will learn all the novice level parkour skills and squences to be able to later film skills and submit a video to the International Dog Parkour Association to earn the Novice Title! Or use these physical obstacle tricks to spice up your walks and tire out your dogs even more on their daily walks!

Learn all the skills on solid and safe equipment and then take the skills out into nature! Make your walks more exciting by adding paws up, over, under, through, balance beam, around, back up, and hop up to the route! Paws up on that wall, go around that street sign, walk across that low retaining wall, hop over that low fence, crawl under that bench, slither between those posts, etc.

Pre-requisites--Dogs need to have completed Elementary Manners successfully or higher. We can do 1 full barrier for a well-managed spicy pup who works quietly in group class with the barrier. If your dog needs a full barrier, please reach out first to see if we have space.

Sign up here - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&owner=12603659&appointmentType=67075895

08/15/2024

Puppy training and socialization class! Puppies will learn how to offer desirable behaviors like sit, down, attention, foundation leash walking, impulse control, and more! Puppies will have some puppy play opportunities and have good experiences around a variety of people, noises, vet-prep work, and more critical socialization skills.

PRE-REQUISITES: Must be 18 weeks or younger by week 1, be current on their vaccination protocol, & have a clean f***l test or proof of recent worming before class.

Sign up here -https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&appointmentType=category:Puppy%20Classes

08/15/2024

Wowza! Both of our Septemeber Elementary Manners classes filled really quickly with the newsletter! We were able to adjust the schedule a bit to add another Elementary Manners that will start Saturday 9/7 at 2pm! So, if you missed out on class, here's your chance to jump into one that starts sooner rather than later! (If you signed up for an October class because Sept was full, and you'd like to move, let me know, we can make that happen!)

Elementary manners is our introductory class for dogs over 18wks old. Get started working on all those basic manners, nice leash walking, focus and attention, settle on mat, sit or down until released, etc!

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&appointmentType=67367847

08/14/2024

I cannot believe the classes for the rest of 2024 are all listed! This year has gone by so fast! The course catalog is a big one, some classes are already full, but there are a ton of fun classes available! Everything is listed online and you can sign up directly here https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

We can't wait to see you in school!

08/12/2024

Drop-in Rally O courses class starting NEXT week 8/21 (8/14's class is just humans only orientation and going over signs for folks who might need a refresher) --Weds at 8:30pm! I swapped this class to be drop in, so if you can't commit to all 6 weeks, you can come when it works for you! This is the LAST rally courses class for the year as we'll have C-WAGS league in Nov/Dec (so dropping in to practice in a place where there's a trial can be very helpful).

Each week we will have an on-leash (level 1/Starter) CWAGS or WCRL rally course and an off-leash (2, 3, Adv, Pro, or ARF) course set up in the room. You'll get three run-thrus and can choose which course to do each turn (if we play a week of Blackjack, that week may only get 2 run thrus because the walk through/course planning takes up more time).

Each week there is a theme or a challenge for teams to work on and Tena will provide feedback to clean up your run, things to adjust to solve problems you are encountering, or constructive feedback to improve performance.

Weather depending, we are going to treat this like our C-WAGS trial set up and have teams "crating" from the car (dogs wait their turn in their car and then come in). You can either hang out inside watching all the other teams (again to mimic the trial experience) or if your dog isn't comfortable alone in the car, you can hang out w/ them and we'll let you know when it's your turn.

Sign up for any weeks you want here (or find it on our website under register for class and then sports classes)

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12603659&appointmentType=64100468

08/12/2024

There are still spots in many classes, but some are full already and if you click the link it will show that no classes are available.

We have intro levels for Flyball, Scentwork, Rally-o. We have Puppy Einsteins (performance puppy class for future sport doggos) and Adventure Puppy (for pups who you hope will go anywhere and do everything with you confidently through their life). We have some upper level classes for Flyball, Scentwork, and Rally-O. We've got fun classes like Magic Mats, tricks, and much more!

(Performance/sport Puppy class for puppies under 9months old) This class is geared toward future sport puppies and working puppies!  This class is geared off of the skills that Tena focuses on while raising her sport puppies.  Big picture things like engagement, confidence on unstable surfaces, of...

08/12/2024

Puppy training and socialization class! Puppies will learn how to offer desirable behaviors like sit, down, attention, foundation leash walking, impulse control, and more! Puppies will have some puppy play opportunities and have good experiences around a variety of people, noises, vet-prep work, and more critical socialization skills.

PRE-REQUISITES: Must be 18 weeks or younger by week 1, be current on their vaccination protocol, & have a clean f***l test or proof of recent worming before class.

Sign up here -https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

08/09/2024

This is an intermediate/advanced level class--All those great life skills that make living with dogs easier! Dogs will learn to wait at the door, wait in the car until told to jump out, go to your spot and stay there, lay down calmly while I eat a snack, working closer around other dogs, leash walking, and leave it.

Prerequisites--Dogs must NOT be reactive to dogs or people and should be comfortable enough to work outside. They should have mastered all the skills in at least Elementary Manners.

Sign up here - https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

08/08/2024

Wait what? My dog isn't necessarily being protective of me if they are barking/growling if people approach us?

This is one of the most common misconceptions that we bust for people. Maybe 5%-10% of the dogs we see who owners describe as being "protective of the family/home" are actually being protective of the people/territory. The vast majority fall into one of 2 categories--fearfully reactive and trying to protect themselves or alarm barking and trying to alert the humans to take action.

Sometimes the owners say "but it doesn't happen if i'm not there/the dog isn't at home". Yes, this could be a sign of being protective, but what we see far more often (among other factors) is that the dog is simply less confident without their owner there as back up or being less confident in less familiar territory. Most humans wouldn't go into potentially hostile territory and pick a fight or get sucked into a fight if they're alone, right? But that same person is more likely to get coaxed into a fight or start one if they have buddies as back up or they have home field advantage.

Being fear-based doesn't change the concerning nature of the behavior, but when we see it for what it really is--a dog who is trying to keep someone away because they are afraid of them, we can then move forward with empathy and a more effective behavioral plan.

For thousands of years dogs have been used as alarms for human settlements and that behavior is one that has stayed through time across many breeds (though more common in some breeds based on historical jobs). Just because a dog is alarm barking at things from inside the home isn't the same as truly being protective of the home. Lots of alarm barkers come from a place of fear and worry, "OMG OMG, THERE'S A THING OUTSIDE SOMEONEEEE HELLPPP!!" and not from a place of confidence, "YO! Passerby, there is sentinel on duty, you just keep on walking pal!". Again, knowing this generally isn't about protecting territory we can create a more effective training plan and approach it with understanding of where it's coming from.

Being truly protective of their people/home most typically comes from a place of confidence and when dogs are confident, they are less likely to be alarmists towards things that aren't truly threats.

08/06/2024

Just a heads up! Spring Garden Ave will be closed for about a month from Beech St to Williams St for MUCH needed drainage improvement and repaving. This section of spring garden is further away from the city on the edge of Reserve Township. If you come from the city direction you should be unaffected, if you come from the North hills area and take beech Street you might be affected.

If you typically come down 279 and take the East Street exit, just skip that exit and take exit 2B for East Ohio street. Turn left at the first light with East North avenue, that turns into spring garden avenue and you'll be all set.

If you normally get on Spring Garden avenue at Mount Troy road, you will definitely be affected by this closure and depending on which direction you come from there are multiple ways to get to SJC. I would highly suggest doing a little bit of a search now to find your route for next week!

08/06/2024

Spice up your basic manners practice with this super fun class! Each week we will play games like legends of the hidden temple, not-beer pong, connect four, card games, jeopardy, dice games, and more.

The games are for dogs at an intermediate (passed middled school) level and above. We'll be playing games where you pup can practice skills like leash walking, sit stay, down stay, recall, greeting people nicely, impulse control/leave it. This class works on your pup's ability to work in close proximity to other dogs, work with distractions, your ability to handle your pup while also thinking about other things, and much more.

This class doesn't come around often, but it is so much fun when it does come around!

PREREQUISITES--Dogs must not be reactive--dogs will be working in close proximity in some games. Dogs must have passed middle school manners or higher.

Sign up here - https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

08/06/2024

Build off of your Novice Trick title and learn some intermediate and advance tricks! We'll teach a variety of skills like leg weaves, figure 8s, back up, roll over, close the door, peekaboo footsies, head down, heart boop, go around, barrel racing, and more!

This is a great way to have fun and build a bond doing fun things that don't have a lot of pressure!

Prerequisites--dogs MUST already have their Novice level AKC or DMWYD title. Dogs must be comfortable working with other dogs having fun. Some skills are easier to work on when off-leash and your pup's ability to work off leash or on a grab tab is very helpful.

Sign up here - https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

08/04/2024

Join us for Rally-O courses! Each week there will be two courses laid out on the same footprint--one that is an on leash level and one an off-leash level--Students will pick which level(s) they want to do for their 3 turns. We are going to try and run this like a mock trial, so dogs will 'crate' from their car (hang out in the car until it's their turn). If a dog cannot crate from the car, we will come up with a solution.

Each week the courses will have a specific challenge or theme and you'll get direct feedback on things you can do to improve or training things to practice for your pup.

This class is NOT a class where you learn the signs. This class both dog and handler should already know the signs. We will be using both CWAGS and WCRL signs, so familiarizing yourself with both is useful!

**Most teams are working on Trial Prep and as such we will run this class a bit like a trial environment with people coming in/out of doors, spectators, chatting, and noise. Dogs will crate from cars waiting their turn (if weather doesn't cooperate, we'll crate from the small room. So only 1 dog will be in the room at a time, so spicy dogs who know the signs are permitted in school!

Prerequisites--teams should know how to preform the appropriate level rally signs and navigate a course.

Sign up here - https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

07/31/2024

Did you know that we have online webinars available for purchase?

Last year we presented 4 fun seminars that we turned into watch any time webinars! You can find our "Off-Leash Reliability", "Do All The Dog Sports", and "All Things Therapy Dog" webinars available on our website. Our Reactivity seminar is being uploaded soon (truth, I recorded it last year and just forgot to upload it--whoops).

This year has been a little too busy with baby Meep to add Seminars on top of normal work BUT, we'll likely have one the end of the year about Puppies and Sport Puppies and we may even re-run our reactivity seminar or off-leash seminars before the end of the year because they both sold out last time.

https://www.successjustclicks.com/recorded-webinars/

07/28/2024

We hear all the time from new students that training with SJC is just different than other places around. What are things you think set us apart?

These are some of the things we hear most often (besides the cleanliness of our center)!

We're flexible--We change plans and we modify based on results. If something isn't working the way we want, we create a new solution because our first draft isn't always perfect (and we're confident enough to say that).

We have fun-- Even if working with serious issues, we know that when learning is fun, it's more effective (science backs this one up). We laugh, we play, we keep it light.

We differentiate instruction--even in a group class we make modifications for students. It's not one size fits all instruction, we make adjustments when needed for students to be successful.

We find the middle ground--We compromise to find the space between what's BEST for the dog and what's possible for the human and what's BEST for the human and fair for the dog. We prioritize both the dog's and the human's needs.

We focus on lasting change. We have a lot of students who got quick fixes from other trainers, and they just didn't last. When we focus on lasting change and emotional change, we truly resolve issues.

We don't want robots--we want well-mannered and personable companions. We train for real life situations and sports, but we don't aim for robotic compliance. We want dogs who are silly, thinkers, and have personality.

We have amazing staff--our lead trainers are all Certified Professional Dog Trainers (even some assistants) and have the depth of knowledge to do the aforementioned stuff. They know enough to differentiate, create, problem solve, and innovate. They can think on their feet and identify WHY something is/isn't working and move forward with things that align with that info. BUT they are also confident to say they need to think on something or ask a colleague for ideas.

07/27/2024

Edit! Start date is 8\14 due to a power outage this session!

Join us for Rally-O courses! Each week there will be two courses laid out on the same footprint--one that is an on leash level and one an off-leash level--Students will pick which level(s) they want to do for their 3 turns. We are going to try and run this like a mock trial, so dogs will 'crate' from their car (hang out in the car until it's their turn). If a dog cannot crate from the car, we will come up with a solution.

Each week the courses will have a specific challenge or theme and you'll get direct feedback on things you can do to improve or training things to practice for your pup.

This class is NOT a class where you learn the signs. This class both dog and handler should already know the signs. We will be using both CWAGS and WCRL signs, so familiarizing yourself with both is useful!

**Most teams are working on Trial Prep and as such we will run this class a bit like a trial environment with people coming in/out of doors, spectators, chatting, and noise. Dogs will crate from cars waiting their turn (if weather doesn't cooperate, we'll crate from the small room. So only 1 dog will be in the room at a time, so spicy dogs who know the signs are permitted in school!

Prerequisites--teams should know how to preform the appropriate level rally signs and navigate a course.

Sign up here - https://www.successjustclicks.com/upcoming-classes/

07/25/2024

Wait, what!? My dog who is fearful of men wasn't necessarily abused by a man?

We encounter stories like this from our students all the time (honestly, they are most often just relaying the story they were told by the rescue/shelter to explain the dog's fearfulness). There are absolutely situations where there has been documented abuse, but the vast majority of time, that is just not the case.

Many dogs will flinch or duck their head if you reach to pet them or grab them unexpectedly--I flinch too if something I don't expect reaches towards me.

Some dogs do not get enough socialization as puppies--they don't leave the house when they are more biologically open to learning new things are safe. By the time they are getting out into the world, the world seems very new, unpredictable, and scary. Sometimes that pup just hasn't had good experience with strange looking creatures like a bearded man, in a cowboy hat, wearing sunglasses.

Some dogs have improper socialization that results in traumatic experiences while their human is trying to do the right thing. Putting the puppy in too difficult or overwhelming situations or forcing a dog to get closer to things that scare them. Owners may not realize that the situation was so traumatic for their puppy because the puppy wasn't overly 'dramatic' about the fear.

Like we talked about a few weeks ago, genetics play a big role in a dog's temperament. Some dogs are just naturally more nervous, shy, fearful, or lack resiliency.