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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

Assistant Dog Trainer Position Available

A to Z Dog Training is searching for an Assistant Trainer to conduct Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Obedience classes as well as In Home Training sessions. A to Z Dog Training is a well established and expanding company that dedicates themselves in making good dogs better through training dogs and educating owners. Our training philosophy is ‘have fun and be consistant.’ For our trainers, we offer continuing education, as well as on the job training and opportunities for advancement. Duties: Conduct Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Obedience classes as well as In Home Training sessions and train Boarding School Dogs. Office work such as emailing students, answer the phone, social media, and dog training software. Organizing various paperwork Requirements: Available to work Saturdays and some evenings General knowledge of animal training Willingness to drive to In Home Training sessions Friendly personality with good communication skills Pay: Pay is dependant upon experience

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Jen Chapman December 30, 2014 No Comments

Pilates For Dogs

Is your dog a sports lover who relishes agility, flyball, freestyle, or disc dog competition? Or is she more of a couch potato? Perhaps she’s getting on a bit in years? Then your dog could benefit from a proactive approach to injury prevention. That’s where core conditioning—or Pilates—for dogs comes into the picture. In humans, Pilates exercises improve posture, balance, coordination, and range of motion, reduce back pain, alleviate tension, and reduce injuries. Similar exercises can do much the same for dogs. In addition to roll over, down dog (bow), and spin, one of the best exercises for canine core conditioning is the classic sit up and beg position (not advisable for Dachshunds or dogs with back problems). With all these, the trick is to start slowly and gradually build duration and flexibility. To learn more, search YouTube for “pilates for dogs” or buy a book or DVD with instructions.

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Jen Chapman November 28, 2014 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

Maternal Altruism In Dogs

Human beings are capable of and often display maternal altruism well beyond our own species. We adopt other people’s children, yes, but we also adopt dogs and cats, even trees and roadways. Viewed through an evolutionary lens, this is interesting. Why aren’t we focusing on the survival of our own species—even our own tribe—instead of wasting precious energy and resources on stray cats or endangered fungi? Scientists explain this peculiarity by pointing to our sophisticated cognitive equipment. Because we can project thoughts into the future, we’re able to see the long-term view. The bigger perspective. We understand the principle of goodness and know that caring for others not only makes us feel good, but also sets a standard for kindness that strengthens our community and the potential for reciprocal help. In other words, what goes around comes around. But if that explains why humans show maternal altruism, what about dogs

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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

Dogs In The Spotlight: The Vizsla

 This Hungarian hunter can be found in smooth or wire-haired varieties. Standout characteristics     are grace, intelligence, friendliness, exercise addiction, a penchant for chewing things, and a strong dislike of alone time. The well-socialized Vizsla takes worship of his human family to a new level, something that has earned the breed the nickname “the Velcro dog.” Famous for the hunting skills he was originally bred for, the Vizsla embodies versatility. Rally, agility, flyball, obedience, tracking, and search & rescue, this dog can do it all and is at his happiest after a strenuous workout. Vizlas live by the dictum “run, don’t walk” so the breed is not for everyone. But if you’re an avid hiker or dog sport fan and have time to devote to training and companionship, the Vizsla is a stellar choice. And so pretty, too. To give a Vizsla a forever home, search online for the

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Jen Chapman November 28, 2014 No Comments

4 Ways To Keep Your Senior Dog Healthy

Regular vet check-ins. This is the gospel throughout your dog’s life, but extra important in those golden years. Twice-annual exams is a good rule of thumb; more for dogs with known health issues. Between visits, look out for changes in your dog’s appetite, irritability level, or trouble hearing or seeing. Injury prevention. Provide ramps and stairs to give your dog easy access to furniture and beds. Consider carpeting slippery floors to give old paws solid footing. Age-appropriate diet. Dietary needs change with age. Some dogs gain weight; others can’t hold on to theirs. Consult your vet about adjusting your dog’s diet for optimal health. Sleep therapy. Consider investing in an orthopedic dog bed especially for seniors. Memory foam helps cushion aging joints—some beds even have heat and vibration functions.

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Jen Chapman September 26, 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
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