Peninsula Dog Obedience Group

03/01/2023

I have a growler. Yes indeed.

There can be many different reasons a dog might growl.

It can also be quite scary for us as owners if it happens and we may knee jerk into telling our dog off to make sure that growling doesn’t ‘get worse’.

But if we do that and it works (i.e. the growling stops or reduces in frequency) all we’ve done is removed the outward behaviour (that for whatever reason) was your dog telling you they’re uncomfortable. We haven’t actually addressed what’s going on under the hood.

So if we have punished the growl, next time our dog is in that situation (or one similar) but is still having all of the same feelings…where do they go to communicate that they are not comfortable?

It may not mean they choose to bite but you’re certainly running the risk of getting closer to that happening.

By successfully punishing the growl you are essentially removing what is a very important warning signal that something isn’t okay and needs addressing.

A growl is very rarely the first bit of a dog trying to communicate something to us. It’s easy to miss a lot of the earlier warnings. If they’ve learnt that earlier warning signals don’t work they’re learning to escalate their behaviour to communicate.

Don’t remove this behaviour from their repertoire or you are essentially removing the batteries from their smoke alarm.

Here are some excellent owner resource articles by Aggressive Dog if you have any concerns around your dog’s behaviour and want to learn more: https://aggressivedog.com/articles/

12/31/2022

Branch manager and assistant branch manager 😂

01/03/2022

New classes starting up at PenDOG.
Conformation: Tuesday, January 11th at 5:30.
Manners for the Family Dog: Tuesday, January 11th at 6:45.
Competition Foundations Session 3: Sunday, January 16th at 1:30pm
Beginning Agility: Sunday, January 16th at 2:45pm

Each class is 8 weeks and the cost is $120.

You must contact the instructor at [email protected] to reserve your spot.

https://www.pendog.net/conformation-handling-skills
https://www.pendog.net/manners-for-the-family-dog
https://www.pendog.net/beginning-agility

CLASS REQUIREMENTS Dog's must have attended a basic obedience class prior to the owner signing up for the class or have instructor's permission.  The dog must be mannerly around other dogs and people and be quiet in a kennel. DESCRIPTION

11/15/2021

👋🏼 Please take a minute to answer our poll 🤗 Thank you!

10/30/2021

Just a reminder about our Year End meeting/Potluck tomorrow. 5-6pm for the potluck and 6-7 for the meeting.

10/16/2021

Rally run throughs start back up this Saturday 10/16 through 12/11 - $10 per handler/dog team

This is not a class - Rally courses at the novice, intermediate and, if requested, advanced levels will be set up for handlers to practice and hone their skills. Participants can critique each other and offer peer support. A general understanding of rally is recommended.

Email [email protected] for more info

10/11/2021

Don’t worry, there’s still time!

If you need into the Tuesday class that starts tomorrow though, you better hurry 😉 💨 💻
Email right away and then comment that you sent the email here so we know to do go look for for it. We’ll get the info out to you lickity-split 👅
There are still opening for the Saturday Manners and CGC classes that start 10/16 as well. Don’t wait until it’s too late!!

[email protected]

10/08/2021

New classes enrolling now:

Manners for the Family Dog (Basic Obedience)- total cost is $120
🐶 Tuesdays starting October 12 for 8 weeks
🐶 Saturdays starting October 16 for 8 weeks

AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizenship)- total cost is $150 (includes price of testing)
🐶 Saturdays starting October 16 @10:15 for 8 weeks

Please email [email protected] for more information or to register.