Big news! Venus and Mars K9 is officially reopening in Chicago.
Check out our website: venusandmarsk9.com 🐾
I guess I have officially decided to fix Mars's heel. Her issue was going flat in the ring, only during heeling. I learned about heeling from the trainers that worked in my first daycare in brief snippets, before I was a trainer, and Mars had to soldier through a LOT of mistakes. I learned about engagement ring prep probably at the END of all that, and that fact combined with her inconsistent understanding of focus/head position criteria lead to a dog that checked out in the middle of our CDX attempts - where heeling comes before all the "fun stuff." Anyway I'm training her to be crazy and pushy now. This is like session 10.
I introduced handler discrimination over the last couple of weeks. One card in the pile of cards is heavily scented like me (from rubbing it against my skin). I am just starting to wait for a little bit more of a pause before I reward him.
Rally is a competition obedience dog sport that is fun for newbies and seasoned trainers alike. You can even now play the sport from home by submitting videos to the AKC. Learn everything you need to know about Rally, from basic foundations to finishing touches, in my comprehensive self-paced course, Rockin' Rally-O. 🐶🥇
venusandmarsk9.com/online-rally-obedience
Have questions? Ask away!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ❤️🐾🏆🐾❤️
Bessie is my favorite 💫 gorgeous super model of a dog 💫 and let’s be real, I know a lot of you feel the same way. But did you know that she’s got the BRAINS as well as the BEAUTY? Her and her mom Candice @ordinaryficus have been putting in the w o r k! The focus, the thoughtfulness, the steadiness, the distance skills, the timing and mechanics, the fading out the lures - I am so proud of this team. 💕 It’s not always easy training a fast, smart, drivey dog, but Candice steps up to the plate again and again. 💪🏼 I share this with the hope of inspiring more pet owners to do as much as Candice has done, turning her backyard into an agility course for her lucky dogs during quarantine, and regularly attending training classes to keep everyone sharp and happy. Bessie & Candice are absolutely rocking it. 🎉 Let them know how awesome they are! 🎉
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ❤️🐾🏆🐾❤️
Luna & Lauren come to me by way of my beloved former workplace See Spot Run - Chicago! Lauren & Luna have dropped into some virtual tricks classes, and now they are having a blast in the Rockin’ Rally-O Group! 1,800 miles does not get in the way of me helping this spectacular team soar. 💫🌟 They’re working diligently through the Rally curriculum, and I’m excited to watch them progress even more. 🎉 Let these guys know how awesome they are! 🎉
It’s officially the phase of quarantine where I am FULL ON VLOGGING. I wanted my first vlog to be spicy because I’m just that kind of dog trainer. 💁🏼♀️ So, behold, the semi-controversial: Why I Don’t Let My Puppy Interact with Random Dogs - and What I Do Instead. 🐾 Let me know if you have questions, agree, hate it... This is a pretty big topic that I could go on about for much longer than I did - and the video’s pretty long! Also, I’m aware that people feel differently about this, and I am not offended by people disagreeing on this particular subject. 🙈🥳
Vlogs & blogs: https://www.venusandmarsk9.com/blog
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#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogobedience #dogobediencetraining #dogtricks #gooddog #portlanddogtraining #pdxdog #pdxdogtraining
I’M SO EXCITED to officially announce my brand new program! The Rockin’ Rally-O Group was designed for curious pet owners with a basic training foundation, as well as those who have been training for Rally but need some additional help. Work through a comprehensive curriculum at your own pace, post videos of your training for feedback from the instructor, join discussion groups of other students, and more. Take a deeper dive into motivating your dog for the high-level work that is required to enthusiastically perform for minutes straight at a trial. This new program will be capped at 20 students. These first 20 students will receive the limited-time price of 95/month (less than one private lesson) and will be grandfathered into that price forever. Sign up or read more at venusandmarsk9.com!
#akcrally #akcrallynovice #akcrallyo #akcrallyobedience #rallyobedienceexercises #rallyobedience #rallyobediencetraining #virtualdog #virtualdogclass #virtualdogtraining #virtualdogtrainer #onlinedogtraining #dogclass #obedienceclass
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogobedience #dogobediencetraining #dogtricks #gooddog #portlanddogtraining #pdxdog #pdxdogtraining
Don’t skip leg day! These exercises are mostly inspired by working Mars’ thighs & booty etc., plus some random tricks! 🍑🐾🐾🐾 #virtualdog #virtualdogclass #virtualdogtraining #virtualdogtrainer #onlinedogtraining #dogclass #obedienceclass
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogobedience #dogobediencetraining #dogtricks #gooddog #portlanddogtraining #pdxdog #pdxdogtraining #australiancattledog #blueheeler #blueheelersofinstagram #heelergram #australiancattledogsofinstagram #acd #queenslandheeler #heelersofinstagram
Training for leash reactivity and stress/over-arousal during dog-dog interactions
Exercise #1: Automatic attention around other dogs. 🐾🐾🐾
I do 2 things in these sessions. I prompt the dog for attention when they look at a dog, and then reward them for looking back to me. When I can tell things are going in our favor (utilizing distance and good distraction dogs), I let the training dog look at the distraction dog, and I wait for them to “give up looking,” or look at me, and I click & treat for that. If I stand still and wait for good behavior, and the dog’s looking turns into staring (or pulling, or lunging...), I absolutely interrupt that with prompting and (if necessary) physical guidance. A foundation of eye contact, loose leash walking/heeling, sit-stays, or “place” are not necessary to begin this training, but foundation skills are IMMENSELY helpful with this stuff. 🐾🐾🐾 In this exercise, the dogs never meet. Eliminating anticipation of interaction helps reduce arousal. For reactive dogs, I recommend stopping ALL greetings on leash. Greetings should only be introduced in a formal, structured system - and the utility of such an exercise should be critically assessed. 🐾🐾🐾
Exercise #1.5: The perfect sit-stay. 🐾🐾🐾
This maneuver can be very helpful with keeping your dog calm and collected under distraction. As long as they have some familiarity with sit-stays and are not overly stressed, giving your dog a specific task to perform can put a dog’s mind at ease. Standing directly in front of them keeps you present in their mind - it is physically most comfortable to look at you instead of around them. Setting yourself up at a 90 degree angle allows them to still assess the distraction. The idea is not for you to be body-blocking the dog (eliciting a game of peekaboo), and you do not want them twisting around and popping out of their sit because the distraction is behind them. Ideally, the dog should be set up so that they can glance at the distraction, and then check back in with you. This is another
Practical dog training with positive results. Pet behavior, tricks, canine freestyle, rally-obedience, AKC obedience, and more.
