Canine Good Citizen Requirements
August 12, 2010
Article in: Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
These are the 10 Canine Good Citizen requirements for a dog to obtain their certificate. (Info from American Kennel Club.)
Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
Test 3: Appearance and grooming
Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
Test 5: Walking through a crowd
Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
Test 7: Coming when called
Test 8: Reaction to another dog
Test 9: Reaction to distraction
Test 10: Supervised separation
I will be expanding on these requirements as Bella and I learn them. Plus, I’ll try to add video and hopefully by September 1st, 2011 Bella will have earned her CGC.
Training Class #11 Recap
August 10, 2010
Article in: Dog Training
Bella and I had our 11th class (3rd advanced class) and it was difficult. We took a week off but had still been practicing nearly every day (although not as much because of the heat and insects).
Bella has a tendency to be a Jekyll and Hyde type of dog. On the streets with no distractions (other than insects) she is really good at heeling and pays attention (mostly). At class with 7-11 other dogs, that’s a whole ‘nother story.
I was impressed this class, though, because Bella seemed not as bothered by the other dogs as previous classes. However, she was a bit daydreamy and did not do too well with recalls or the sit-stay. But, she was super good at the stand-for-exam, which oddly enough, we hadn’t worked on AT ALL.
My homework is to work on recalls BIG TIME. These are to be done on leash and I need more enthusiasm with calling her name and praising when she reacts well. Her lack of good recalls is mostly my fault because I believe I confused her with having her wait to enter the house (which is tricky because the way the door closes on us).
Thus, I am going to work on these outside and inside, about 10 times each, every day. I need to get more intense with her training which is hard when she puts on the cute eyes and tail-wagging routine.
But Bella is a great dog and loves people so much that she doesn’t ever have to be perfect. Just so she can be well-balanced and kept safe.
How to Teach Your Dog to Play Dead With “Bang! Bang!”
August 3, 2010
Article in: Dog Tricks
The following is a recap of how I taught Bella to perform PLAY DEAD with the simple command BANG! (Sometimes repeated as BANG! BANG!) See video at the end of the post.
After seeing Stacia’s dog Macey perform this trick, I wanted to see if Bella could do it. I hadn’t really tried for many months and then finally decided to give it a go. Here are the steps:
- First, make sure your dog knows how to lie down on command. Bella had already mastered this.
- Second, gently push her over on her side while saying “Bang!” and motioning with a finger gun at the same time.
- Reward and repeat!
After several times of rewarding (I use toys and lots of praise) have her in the down position and bang until she goes over on her own. Once this is mastered start from a sitting or standing position. This may require a few “bangs!” but that is fine. Maybe you missed the first time!
This is just a fun trick to show off to your friends. It isn’t meant to scare with a loud noise or replicate any sort of gun violence towards the dog. This trick shows how dogs can learn many commands and hand motions in a relatively short time so long as positive reinforcement is used and you make a game out of it.
Here’s the finished result! Bella is such a happy dog she’ll end up wagging even while “playing dead” but we are trying ways to get her to freeze completely.
Training Class #10 Recap
July 27, 2010
Article in: Dog Training
We had our second advanced training class and tenth session overall. This week was pretty intense like the previous session. Last week we had 10 dogs in class and this week there were TWELVE! This is good for Bella to see new dogs but a bit too much all at once (more than 1/2 were new dogs she hadn’t seen before).
The worst part of the high number of dogs was that a few came in really late while we were already working. What a distraction!!
But we worked through it and Bella was pretty good. We tried the pinch collar on her to help her pay attention to me and my movements. What a difference! I was tentative at first because I personally don’t like the pinch, but whatever works is fine with me at this point.
I am switching gears a bit. Each morning and evening (if time and weather permits) I am going to walk Bella on “fun walks” where we don’t train (or train loosely but without choker). Then, I am going to have 2-3 10-minute sessions daily to focus only on training and not SEEKING. This intense focus should help her and that way the walks become her reward. (She loves walks!!)
Regardless, Bella has improved so much and is just a bit stubborn at times. She needs to work through the distractions and I need to do a better job allowing her to think on her own and then pay attention to me. Thankfully, even with a lot of barking and pulling in class, I kept my composure and the frustrated feeling left quickly.
