Our Gang Dog Training and Behavior

04/20/2022

Rest In Peace, Ace. You were loved very much by your person, and became an endearing member of our Nosework community. ❤️ Our hearts go out to Tom at this difficult time..
Few owners are as dedicated to their dogs as Tom was to Ace. Ace certainly had his challenges and fears, and Tom diligently worked with him for years through all of that and then began Nosework training with his dog which became an excellent outlet for Ace. Tom and Ace have been students with us since 2014 when we began working through behavior challenges. Later on they began training in Nosework, and attended just about every single Nosework seminar we have hosted. I happened to be competing at the same NW1 they were competing at and was delighted to see them achieve this back in October where this photo is taken.

04/20/2022

I have the best students!!!

04/15/2022

Registration is online through the website. What are you waiting for?

Charlie Peacock • Starlight (feat. Sam Ashworth)

04/13/2022

Take your pup’s skills to the next level! It’s important to keep training with those pups and dogs through the first year of your relationship together. Training is preventative “medicine” - head off behavior problems before they start! Level 2 is where we build on those foundation skills and add more complexity. We also teach lots of new skills that focus on impulse control such as leave it, wait, settle, go to place.

Otis McDonald • Heatwave

04/12/2022

GREAT graphic from Good As Gold Training. Basically sums up what we tell our students with new pups!
We do believe in structured play dates that are monitored, and we run puppy socials for this reason. They are a safe alternative to dog parks and daycares.

This is a good illustration of puppy socialization needs, shared from Good as Gold Training, but I would also add that all of the listed exposure and experience needs to feel *safe* for the puppy. If s/he is nervous, tentative, or fearful the fear should be handled by backing off a little and reintroducing very slowly and with lots of praise, food and patience. Sometimes, for the sake of "socialization", owners push their puppies too far and too fast, and it can backfire. Good socialization requires that we "read" our puppies and help them feel safe as they navigate the sounds, textures, people and animals in their new world.

04/01/2022

Patio n Pub pups canceled for tonight. Students please check your email.

04/01/2022

We have openings in our Day Training program for APRIL, for Monday afternoon sessions only. Afternoon session is 12:30-5:00 PM.
All Wednesday sessions are FULL for April.
This program is open to our student dogs who are currently taking classes or lessons with us or recently taken class or lessons with us (within the last 3 months). Dogs must be dog social and comfortable around other dogs and social with people. Dogs must also be crate trained.
What happens during day training?
-You drop off your dog. Our certified instructors do the rest.
-Your dog will get training sessions with our instructor, reinforcing good manners and obedience skills during individual training sessions.
-Your dog will get leash manners practice on short skill building walks.
-Your dog will have play time with peers in supervised play groups that are matched to your dog's play style.
-Your dog will have short crate breaks with enrichment (chew item, stuffed Kong) to rest between training, walks, play time.

04/01/2022

Don’t say you don’t have time to train. You do. You can always find a few minutes to practice some things. This is a few minutes of fitness exercises with Maceo using the balance pad.
Due to my recent knee issue I can’t walk my dogs currently. But I can still exercise them mentally and physically by doing other things. Stop making excuses as to why you can’t train your dog. Nobody else trains my dogs. I have never handed off my dogs to anybody else to train. I find the time, even if it’s just a little time.
Even if it’s just a few minutes, you can find something to practice with them.
Sometimes people think that training has to be long and involved. It doesn’t.
You can get a lot done in just a few minutes of skill building.
.

03/31/2022

Our friend, Mike Bizelli, is offering a special pricing promotion for his book. This is an eye-opening look at victims and survivors of animal cruelty cases. Mike is a professional photographer and has documented many of the ASPCA investigations that involved dog fighting. I was lucky enough to meet Mike, and see a preview of the book, a few years ago when it was still in the works. I remember Mike telling us that a friend of his previewed the book and said he was surprised at how beautiful the dogs were and was, "expecting to see monsters."
The victims of cruelty are not monsters - they are victims. Some are fortunate to survive the horrors that some humans put them through, such as our dog The Mighty Finn, who is in this book. Finn was rescued in 2013 during the #367 case which was the 2nd largest dog fighting case in the U.S. We are blessed to have Finn in our lives, and we are honored to have a place in this book.
Please check it out.

In arresting images and touching tales, Last Day on a Chain, Stories of Compassion, Salvation and Misperceptions, follows the uplifting and unlikely journey of rescued victims of dog fighting. This photo-documentary pays tribute to the legions of professional responders and volunteers dedicated to a...

03/29/2022

Our March Madness private lesson package has been extended through April. This is a 3 lesson package available only to current students or who have taken class or lessons in the last 3 months. Email me if you would like to sign up to train in April.

03/29/2022

Classes that are coming up! A reminder that registration for any/all class events is on the website. Responding to an FB post or emailing interest does NOT guarantee you a spot. You need to register online to reserve your spot. If you have questions, please e-mail me.
START DATES ARE LISTED BELOW. Full course descriptions including cost and meeting dates can be found by going to CALENDAR on the website, and clicking on a specific class via the CALENDAR.

Puppy Kindergarten - Wed, March 30th at 6:00 PM
Intermediate/Adv Rally Obedience - Wed, March 30th 7:15 PM
Reboot and Refresh - Thursday, March 31st 11:00 AM
Patio n Pub Pups - Friday, April 1st 7:00 PM
Crate Training Workshop - Saturday, April 2nd at 1:30 PM
Basic II - Sunday, April 3rd at 7:00 PM
Flyball - Monday, April 4th at 8:00 PM
Intro to K9 Nosework PT 2 - Tuesday, April 12th at 8:00 PM
Intro to Exteriors (K9Nosework) - Tuesday, April 12th at 5:00 PM
Puppy Kindergarten - Saturdays, April 16th at 9:00 AM
Puppy II - Saturday, April 16th at 10:00 AM
Intro to Odor (K9Nosework) - Tuesday, April 19th at 7:00 PM
Intro to Rally Obedience - Wednesday, April 20th at 8:15 PM
Puppy Kindergarten - Sunday, April 24th at 5:00 PM
Puppy II - Sunday, April 24th at 5:00 PM
Beginner Novice/Nov. Obedience -Monday, April 25th at 7:00 PM

We will be adding the following soon:
Socials
Intro to K9 Nosework - What's the Sniffing About? - WORKSHOP
Beginner Frisbee Workshop
Tricks class
Stay tuned!