Canine Sports Dog Training

23/10/2024

Chocolate lab fall!

21/10/2024

Taco and Nacho came ready for their close up! Fall photos of our day school students are our favorite fall activity!

18/10/2024

Roxy enjoying her field trip today, and practicing stays in a new environment

07/10/2024

Nori working on some sit stays during day school.
Do you need help with your dogs stays?

23/09/2024

Squad goals

18/09/2024

The last thing your new puppy needs is puppy play time with other dogs. It's last on the the list and honestly I can care less if my dogs play with other dogs as they don't need it to thrive, they need to learn to co-exist

Early, PROPER socialization is one of the biggest things that I see that holds older dogs back. I see too many puppy classes that just focus on play with other dogs and on the other side I see puppy classes that only focus on obedience commands. Both are really the last thing I worry about with my puppies. Playing with other dogs is never my goal for my dogs and is totally unnecessary in life. (dogs need YOU NOT other dogs) Obedience commands I will shape them, then name them early in life but that is not my primary goal in starting a puppy in our human world.

13/09/2024

Truth right here!!

How do you feel about exposing your dog to stress?

This young Weimaraner started a board and train recently. During the drop off, I informed his owner, he'd be living under some different rules at my house than what he'd been used to for the past few months of his life.

He would be subjected to some "healthy stress.”

Among other things, he would be sleeping in a crate at night, learning to walk nicely on a leash, and participate in proprioceptive exercises to build body awareness.

Essentially, he would be learning some problem solving skills and because of it, develop greater resilience.

The first day here he found himself stuck on the opposite side of a pole than the side I was on.

Can you guess what I did?

I did nothing. I stood there, not moving, not applying more pressure to the leash, not coochie-cooing him...I just waited.

It took him about 90 seconds of wiggling, and whining to figure out what to do to get himself free.

Once he did, he was darn proud of himself, prancing about for a few seconds and then we moved on and enjoyed a short game of fetch.

The stress was short lived. He learned how to relieve it and was proud of himself as he discovered his power to problem solve.

We do our dogs no favor by immediately bailing them out of every little problem or struggle they encounter.

So often I hear, "My dog doesn't like the crate,” or "My dog doesn't like to be brushed,” or "My dog won't potty while on leash.”

As a woman who has raised two (now grown) children, I could not have imagined saying to my kids dentist..."well, they don't like having their teeth brushed so we just gave up." 🤣

I have news for you, there are very few dogs that immediately enjoy their crate, or being brushed and bathed, or being restrained on a leash.

It's our job to teach them to tolerate the realities of life in the human world.

For most things the teaching recipe is simple:

A bit of skill, applied over time, mixed by a healthy dose of patient persistence.

If you don't have the skill, the time or the patience, you can pay people like me to do the foundation work for you. It is like having the dentist clean the kids teeth...but if you don't maintain what the professional did, it's not going to become good habits that serve for a lifetime.

The main thing to understand is that stress and learning will be part of life. There is no avoiding it. It is how we learn to work through it that makes the difference.

By taking time to teach your dog how to tolerate some stress and learn to problem solve, you set them up for increased confidence, improved manners and an overall healthier mindset.

11/09/2024

Taco and Nacho are here for the 🍁fall vibes 🍁

10/09/2024

Upcoming Polishing Classes, holiday boarding and more - https://mailchi.mp/mycaninesports/aprilupdates-8327199

03/09/2024

Flor and sweep enjoying the perfect walking weather

19/08/2024

14/08/2024

Puppy love 😍

09/08/2024

Lacy making new friends

09/08/2024

Lacy making new friends

30/07/2024

.the.chow wants to know what you’re doing on this amazing summer day!

Tag us in your summer adventures!

14/07/2024

Group class is cancelled today due to excessive heat and storms.

Stay safe!!