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The Many Benefits Of Agility

Think agility is only for serious dog sports enthusiasts willing to spend every weekend on the obstacle course? Think again. Agility can be enjoyed at any level—all the way from the World Championships to low-key backyard training—and you and your dog still reap the many benefits of this fun, bond-building dog sport. For example: Dogs of all sizes and breeds can participate in and enjoy agility. Yes, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds excel at it, but titleholders also include Yorkies, Papillons, Spaniels, and Boxers. You can work the obstacle course at the pace that’s right for you, meaning agility can provide gentle, moderate, or strenuous exercise. Training your dog to navigate agility obstacles using only hand signals and voice cues is a terrific way to improve communication—and further strengthen the bond—between you. Best of all? The fun you’ll have together and the confidence boost you’ll likely see in your dog.

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Jen Chapman March 3, 2015 No Comments

Getting Real With Your Dog

One of the most frequent sources of frustration in dog training? Unrealistic expectations. Dogs’ intelligence shines through in so many ways that we tend to ascribe them decidedly human cognitive skills, such as the ability to understand complex sentences. It’s what some dog trainers refer to as “the Lassie syndrome.” If you often find yourself frustrated with your dog, here’s a primer on what it takes to create a Lassie: Patience. One basic training class won’t do it. The calm, attentive pooches you see on TV picking up slippers and opening doors? They have spent years in training. You wouldn’t expect a child to become a piano virtuoso after one semester of classes, right? Repetition. Dogs don’t generalize well. This means they need to learn the same lesson—don’t jump on people, for example—in many different settings before they grasp that we’d always prefer them to greet visitors politely, not just

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Jen Chapman November 28, 2014 No Comments

Treibball

Pronounced “try ball,” this fun new dog sport was born in Germany in the mid-2000s when a Dutch hunting and herding dog trainer, Jan Nijboer, wondered if he could teach high-energy dogs to play soccer. The game boils down to getting your dog (or a team of dogs) to push large exercise balls across a field into a goal. While herding-type dogs and dogs who love chase games are natural Treibball contenders, dogs of any age and breed can take part. As with all dog sports, some foundational skills are important. For Treibball, it’s an advantage if your dog knows sit, down, left, right, and object targeting. Playing the game is simple. Arrange eight exercise balls (some play with fewer) in a triangle in the center of your field and set up kid-sized soccer goals or mark the goal zone with orange traffic cones. The dogs—with handlers using commands like

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Jen Chapman November 28, 2014 No Comments

The English Cocker Spaniel

This dapper little gun dog was originally bred for flushing and retrieving small game. Don’t be fooled by her melting spaniel eyes and soft, feathery coat: the Cocker is an all-terrain dog and can be a handful to live with. Exuberant, strong-willed, and energetic, she needs lots of exercise and careful training. Cockers love having a job—something scent-related, preferably, otherwise anything demanding will do: agility, obedience, flyball, canine disc, etc. The well-socialized Cocker is affectionate and wants to be part of all family activities. Beware the noise, though, she’s quick to alert to doorbells. (A Cocker Spaniel holds the world record for the most persistent barking: 907 times in ten minutes.) With her soulful expression, the Cocker is popular in arts and entertainment too, most famously in Disney’s enduring 1955 animated classic, Lady and the Tramp.   To give an English Cocker Spaniel a home, search online for nearby rescues.

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Jen Chapman September 26, 2014 No Comments

Arson Dogs

  For more than 12,000 years, dogs have worked alongside humans. They have herded our livestock, hunted with us, and pulled us across otherwise impassable frozen expanses. Most modern dogs are companions, of course, but those who do work have ever more extraordinary job descriptions. Accelerant-detection is one example. Arson dogs work with fire investigative units to sniff out minuscule amounts of anything from lamp oil to lighter fluid (they can detect more than 60 different ignitable petroleum-based hydrocarbons) in scenes flooded with water or covered in snow or mud. They use their 200 million scent receptors (compared to our 5 million) to help investigators accurately assess the flammable products present at a fire scene and increase the chances of collecting a positive sample. This can help rule arson in—or out. With billions of dollars in property and hundreds of lives lost every year as a result of intentionally set

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Jen Chapman September 26, 2014 No Comments

The Expectation Game

In our ongoing adventure of companionship with dogs nothing trips us up quite as much as our own unrealistic expectations. Dogs who don’t do as they are told? We think them willfully disobedient, stubborn, or, worst of all, slow on the uptake. We overestimate their attention span and level of emotional control. We think they should know instinctively how to navigate big groups of dogs playing together. We expect them to quickly grasp concepts we deem important and logical for dogs, such as going to the bathroom outside (except when it’s OK not to, like at daycare). Unless a good dog trainer sets us straight, we may even expect angelic behavior after completing a single 6-week training class. Our high and often naive expectations cause us grief and worry, so why are they so hard to shake? Blame culture, for one thing. Books and movies that portray dogs as highly

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Jen Chapman September 26, 2014 No Comments

Canine Evolution, How It Effects Your Dogs Behavior – Part 2

I feel many times we take for granted that our 4 legged friends are animals that have been domesticated and integrated into our lives over the past 130,000 years.  (Evolution of the Dog, 2001)  We take for granted that these once wild animals are now cuddling in our laps or assisting us in our daily lives.  We at times, get upset when our cuddly friend exhibits behaviors such as nipping or barking even though that is what they are hardwired to do, it’s instinct. When taking a look at the evolution of dogs Darwin speculated that the reason we have such diversity among dogs was due to breeding amongst a variety of wild dogs.  Through DNA testing it was found that Darwinwas wrong.  Dogs, are direct descendants of the gray wolf.   The reason we have such a diverse population of dogs, is due to intense and purposeful interbreeding. The key

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Jen Chapman November 7, 2013 No Comments

Going Leash Crazy

Going Leash Crazy Have you ever wondered why your friendly playful pooch off leash turns into a monster on leash, or in your home or yard?  Why is it that your dog loves to play with others and gets along with everyone when they are off leash but the moment you attach the leash they turn into a beast? If your dog is not aggressive with other dogs when they are off leash but show aggressive behaviors towards other dogs on leash or behind a barrier, your dog maybe exhibiting leash or barrier frustration.   Your dog is frustrated that they cannot get to the other dog to say hello and do their normal doggie greetings such as smell butts, ears, and mouths.  How they express this frustration to the owner is by vigorously barking and lunging on their leash or through a fence or window. I often use the following

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Jen Chapman July 6, 2013 No Comments

‘Look’

Attention  Purpose– teaching this exercise will train your dog that it is more reinforcing to pay attention to you than the distractions around him. Criteria– your dog should look at you. Visual Que– Point to your eyes.  Verbal Que– ‘Look’ Important to remember Your dog is familiar with his own environment.  There are fewer distractions at home as compared to a park.  Begin all training where there are minimum distractions.  As your dog becomes more reliable with certain behaviors, gradually work your way to a more distracting environment.  DO NOT expect your dog to respond to you as well as they would at home in this new environment. Behavior Pyramid Start in an area with no distractions Take a treat slowly wave it in front of your dogs nose and with your dog watching bring it to your eyes. Say ‘Look’ then ‘ok’ then give your dog the treat. The

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Jen Chapman July 6, 2013 No Comments

A Day Of Fun With Your Dog

Obedience and Agility Fun Match Sunday, May 29th Location:  Lucky Dog Adventure Camp in Waimanalo Canine Good Citizen Evaluation Set your dog apart from the rest!  See if they can pass all 10 Canine Good Citizen test items to earn the title of a ‘Good Citizen’. Evaluation begins at 8:00 am and is $50.00 Obedience Fun Match Obedience is a fun opportunity to practice obedience behaviors such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘loose leash walking’, and more. Each owner handler team can participate in: Novice = 10 – 15 behaviors on leash Advanced = 15 – 20 behaviors off leash Praise & rewards are encouraged! Event is judged & timed. Everyone is a winner! Runs begin after the CGC evaluation and is $30.00 per entry. Agility Fun  Match Agility- run through an obstacle course timed.  Challenge your dog over jumps, through tunnels, up and over an A Frame and more. Each

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Jen Chapman April 30, 2011 No Comments
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