Use: once you have a moment of your dogs attention on you then you can give the next command with a better success rate
I have been moving more and more towards using a dogs name for this command instead of “watch me”. Using the dog’s name to get their attention is a natural response for most people and it just makes sense to train it to your dog this way.
Once you have your dogs attention on you it’s much easier to redirect them to something else and give them the next command. You will have a higher success rate with your commands when your dog is paying attention.
How To Train “Watch Me”
Training your dog to look at you is actually really easy. Like all training, it requires consistent practice. Start in a low-distraction environment like a quiet room in your house. Decide which command you’re going to use first and stick with it. Make sure it’s a command everyone in the household will use. In this example we’ll be using the dogs name.
Give your command, “Fido” and then hold a treat next to your face at eye level. When your dog looks to your face cue the action as correct using a clicker or a cue word like “YES” and reward your dog with the treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Keep practicing until you feel your dog is looking to your face without the lure of the treat.
Add Distractions
It’s important to always gradually add distractions when training any new command. Once your dog is understanding without a lure in a quiet room move on to a less quiet room. Start throwing in distractions of other people, animals, and different places. You can test your dog out by throwing a small box across the floor, have someone else blow a whistle, push a chair past the dog, throw a toy etc. There are endless ways to test your dog out. Create the distraction and then give the command. If your dog struggles to perform the correct behavior then you need a bit more work in the quiet room or with a less distracting challenge. Slowly build those distractions inside your home and then try outside your home. Try in your yard and then move on to a local park, beach, down town etc. If your dog struggles with the new level of challenge then you need to take a step back and work a bit more at a lower challenge for a while before moving on.
This is a four-week workshop that consists of one hour of class time per-week. There is practice time at the end of each class, but you will be expected to practice what you learn with your dog throughout the week between each class as well. The workshop covers basic obedience that can be taught to all levels and ages of dog.
PLEASE NOTE: intact female dogs in heat will not be allowed to attend this class.
YOU WILL LEARN:
– the 5 basic commands; sit, down, stay, heel and come
– basic leash skills; how to hold your leash & types of appropriate leashes and collars
– building distractions and challenges
– all about cues, markers and lures
– automatic sit paired with commands
– how to use treats as rewards and how to phase them out
– how to hold your leash, types of leashes and appropriate leashes and collars
– how to use cues, markers, lures and commands
– how to train sit
– how to train down
– down vs off
– practice time
– building distractions and challenges
– how to train stay
– the stay circle
– how to use jackpot rewards
– practice time
– introduce the automatic sit
– “watch” command
– how to train recall (come)
– practice time
– phasing out treats
– how to train heel
– practice time
DISCLAIMER/RULES
This is not a dog social group.
This is not doggy play time.
This is an obedience class.
All dogs must remain on leash.
Dogs must not meet face-to-face during class.
You will see progress if you continuously work with your dog outside of class time.
You will not see progress if you don’t work with your dog outside of class time.
All owners must pick up after their dogs. (Poop bags & cleaners provided)
Don’t touch my demo dog Zelda without permission.
Don’t touch any of the other dogs without permission of the owner.
All dogs need training, regardless of what type of home they’re in or what their purpose might be. Not all dogs require the same level of training, but any dog living with or working with humans needs training to help communicate to them what the expectations are.
Dog training is “not for the weak”. It takes time, patience and endless repetitions. My husband gets annoyed with me training the dog around him because it is annoying to listen to if you’re not involved in it. It is repetition, repetition, repetition. People tend to look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them that to have a reliable recall you need to go get your dog EVERY time they’re not listening. Rain or shine. Shoes or no shoes. GO GET THEM. Consistent training requires dedication. If you don’t go get them every time they’re going to think “this time I don’t have to listen right away” or even “I don’t have to come back, they’re not coming to get me”. You let them get away with it before, so why not this time? No, you go get them every time and every time they’re going to think they’d better listen or you’re going to come get them anyway.
BE CONSISTENT
Another great example of how dog training is not for the weak is when you teach your dog a place command during your meal times. It’s very important to be consistent and reinforce the behavior whenever your dog moves from her place. This means that you will have to get up multiple times during your meals until your dog learns to stay in her place. You may end up with some cold meals for a few days, but in the long-run you will have hot meals you can enjoy without your dog begging or surfing for crumbs under the table.
Consistency is the key to dog training. Once you decide what behavior you don’t want (or do want) from you dog then you need to follow through every time to show them what they need to be doing. Every time you let it slide because you’re tired, don’t care, or have had enough then you’re making it harder for yourself next time you do have the energy and desire to follow through. It also makes it confusing for your dog when you’re not consistent. Follow through every time and it will get easier. You won’t need to correct the behavior as often and eventually you’ll find you don’t need to correct it at all. It takes a lot of self discipline to have a well-trained dog.
BE MORE SUBORN THAN YOUR DOG
Just like people, not all dogs are the same. You may have one dog that is so easy to train and another that is more difficult. One of these dogs is not better than the other, they each may require different approaches to training. As the trainer, you need to figure out what it is that will work for you and your dog. This is why I do a consultation before a training session with my clients. I need more information before our session so that I have time to figure out what will most likely work for that dog. Even with that information and planning I still sometimes find myself thinking on the fly trying to figure a dog out. My plan doesn’t always work. They are unique individuals who can’t speak our language to us. Training often takes a little bit of detective work.
Once you find what works, you then have to be incredibly consistent to communicate to your dog exactly what your boundaries and expectations are. Every single time your dog is surfing for crumbs under the table when you’re eating dinner you will put him back to his bed. Every single time she is barking at the fence and won’t come to you then you will go get her and bring her back to the spot you called her from. Every time they jump on a house guest you will correct the behavior with a sit. If your dog thinks you won’t always enforce the rules they will think they’re free to push those boundaries to figure out just how lax you will be. They start making up their own boundaries and expectations. You have to follow through every time to let your dog know you mean it. You will not play any silly games about it.
The only time you shouldn’t follow through on correcting your dogs unwanted behavior is when it is unsafe to do so. For example, when he runs into a busy highway it’s not wise to blindly chase after him. Maybe you have children with you and you can’t leave them or take them with you safely to pursue the dog. Things happen, sticky situations occur. The best way to avoid those is to be preventative. Leash your dog with a well functioning collar and leash. Work on their obedience often and add in distractions as they get better at it. Proof their training when they’re ready for it and add more and more levels of challenge.
BE DEDICATED TO TRAINING YOUR DOG
If you want a well-trained dog you have to dedicate your time and effort into training your dog. You need to prioritize your dogs training. When you schedule a training event with your dog then you need to make sure it is marked on your calendar. You don’t wait to see what you’re doing because this is what you’re doing. You are training your dog.
Having a well-trained dog takes dedication. It takes time, patience, persistence, consistency and time to creating a strong bond with your dog. Every dog should have training. Think about these two truths together: training a dog takes all of this work and dedication and every dog needs to be trained. This means that if you want to own a dog you need to be ready to dedicate the time and energy it takes to train them. If you’re not ready for that you shouldn’t have a dog. This may be a controversial opinion for some, but if you can’t provide the care an animal deserves then you don’t deserve to have the animal. I understand that things happen. People lose their jobs, their homes or illness/injury may happen that prevents them from providing proper care (which includes training). I totally get that life is not black and white and I make room for “shit happens”… but if you are thinking of getting a dog right now and you know you can’t dedicate this level of training then you should reconsider if a dog is the right pet for you. In the very least, make sure you heavily consider the type of dog you get. Some breeds of dog require way more time and energy than others. Some dogs are more difficult to train, some need constant physical and mental stimulation. Do your homework before getting a dog and make sure that the type of dog you choose is suitable to you and your lifestyle.
BOARD AND TRAIN
Some trainers offer “board and train” which is where the dog is boarded with the trainer for an amount of time and the trainer works with the dog every day in a home environment. This may be a great arrangement for some dogs with certain problem behaviors, but when it comes to the average dog I strongly believe the best person to put the work in is the dogs owner.
Training is a way to communicate to your dog what you want from them. It’s also a good way to teach your dog to communicate with you so that their needs are met. Teaching a dog to ring a bell or bark to be let outside is way to train them to communicate with you. Some people go as far as to train their dogs to push buttons to actually talk to their humans (seriously, check it out; it is cool to watch). You don’t have to go that far with training your dog, but you should at least train the 5 basic commands: sit, down, stay, heel and recall (come). With those basic commands you can help your dog navigate your world in a way that is safe and acceptable.
The good news is that you won’t have to dedicate this level of training into your dog for their entire life. Once they understand the rules you set and once they learn that you will always follow through, they will test those boundaries less and less and respond desirable, more often. You will have a well responding dog eventually. You will still need to follow through should they forget the rules or decide one day to test you, but it won’t be as often as when you first started training. You won’t be running bare foot through the snow for the rest of your dogs life (and hey, throw some shoes by the back door if you’re really worried about that one). Training is a commitment for your dogs entire life, but the most important is the foundation you will set early in your training.
You should want to train your dog yourself. Training your dog builds a deep bond with your dog. Dogs are “mans best friend” because of their devotion to us. You will never find a human who loves as unconditionally and as forgiving as a dog. You owe it to them to teach them how to live in our world in a way that is respectful and kind. You owe it to them to socialize, raise, and train them in a way that they will understand.
ARM YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE
You also owe it to your dog to take the time to learn their language too. You are different species living in cohabitation. If you expect your dog to learn the rules of the house then you’d better also learn your dog’s basic language. It is an art in subtlety; the way dogs communicate; and it will take time to learn and time to submit it to practice.
Hiring a dog trainer to help you is a great place to start. You can also start looking online, as there is a wealth of information there (although I do have a word of caution: you have to learn to tell what is right from wrong). You can start with my blog post about teaching kids warning signs from dogs.
I always try to be open to different training methods because I never know when that knowledge will come in handy. Dogs are individuals with individual personalities, breed traits, and thoughts. Dogs are emotional beings which will often shape their perception of the world. Understanding all of this, it’s no surprise that there are so many different training methods. As long as the method is not harmful, it should be considered as part of the “training tool inventory”.
Hiring a dog trainer can help you navigate this big world and find what will work best for your dog. Once your trainer has helped you get started it’s up to you to maintain that training and apply it to your every day life.
The rest of March and this first half of April have been a bit slow for me, when it comes to dog training. I haven’t been advertising a lot or taking on very many clients. With spring break for my eldest and break up for my husband I just focused on spending time with my family.
But I’ve also been brewing up some ideas for workshops this summer. I am working on a big workshop that will be 4 weeks long with an optional open day for practice as well. This workshop is titled “Building Your Dog’s Confidence” and I’ll be sharing more details about it once I feel confident it will be happening. Currently I’m working out how I can do it from my back yard. This workshop will also involve dog agility equipment, which I only have a few select pieces left from my agility days in my teens/early twenties. Building and obtaining more equipment is my first goal and once I do that I’ll have a better idea of how much space I need and when the workshop will happen. I don’t want to do it in the dead of summer during peak fire season either, so I am trying to get it done as quickly as I can, but there’s been a few set backs.
The second workshop I’ve been working on will be a smaller one that will just be a one day thing (probably 1-2 hours long). This one will be in a public space, but I have yet to secure one (though have a few options). It will be a larger group than the confidence building workshop. I haven’t landed on a title yet and I haven’t outlined it as well as I have the other workshop, but I have an idea of what I want it to include. It will be all about leash work. Sizing a leash, good leashes vs bad leashes, about leash laws an why leashes are important, how to achieve loose-leash walking, the difference between loose-leash walking and heel (and how to teach heel). Basically, it’s a 101 on leashes. So these are some things I’ve been working on a bit, and will hopefully be happening this summer (fingers crossed we don’t have an insane fire season that limits me to needing to train indoors).
I find it awkward that my monthly updates cover half of this month and half of last month… so I’m going to come up with some sort of schedule for how I post on the Dog Blog and these monthly updates will fall on the last Wednesday of the month instead of the second. It just makes more sense. This means a longer wait for the next monthly update, but the next one will cover half of April and all of May.
FAVORITE MARCH NAME: WALTER
I love that all the dogs from this litter were named starting with “w” and they all got these totally normal people names. I first met Winston when I was dog walking and last month I had the honor of meeting Walter, Winston’s brother. Such a sweet, calm dog who’s personality is nearly opposite to his brother. I really enjoyed working with him and his owner has clearly put so much time into him already.
Runner up was an adorable little frenchie named Meki.
FORT ST JAMES ANIMAL CARE TEAM
We’ve settled on a temporary name, although I have a feeling this is going to end up sticking. It just works really well. At first, I was a bit bummed because I have a sentimental attachment to the Fort St. James Humane Society, but now that we have landed on a name we’re using I have done some thinking and I realize that a new name is probably for the best. We aren’t the same society that was established back in 2008. It’s a new group of people (a few are the same, but mostly new people) and we are moving forward. We are going to take what we’ve learned from the last society and move forward with it.
We currently really need volunteers and donations. Pretty much all types of donations are being accepted. We have a bunch of raffles and concessions coming up for fundraisers and we could use donations of baked goods and warm food. We also need more people to help with these types of fundraisers and events.
If you’d like to volunteer please send a message on Facebook or come to the next meeting. Our next scheduled meeting is Sunday, April 14th at 1PM at The View Hotel (come straight through into the dining area and to the right).
There are two upcoming vaccine clinics for residents of Fort St. James, Nak’azdli and surrounding communities. $100 exam fee, and each vaccine is $26. There will be dewormer available as well, the price varying quite a bit based on animal size and species. These clinics are booking up fast so don’t hesitate to contact Katie if you want to get your pet in!
Our little animal rescue group is also looking for any type of dog and cat food donations. ANY kind of food is accepted regardless of brand, size, canned, kibble, raw etc you name it we will take it. I will always preach about good nutrition to dog owners and how important it is to select quality food for your pets, but when it comes to starving animals fed is better than dead. Quality isn’t a concern when it comes to just feeding starving animals.
Food donations can be dropped off at The View Hotel. If you require it picked up please contact the Fort St. James Animal Care Team to make arrangements.
TRICK OF THE MONTH: SPIN
Definition: from a standing position, the dog spins their body in a tight circle (from head to tail)
Command Variations: “spin”, “twist”, “circles”
Use: fun trick
Caution: spin is not advised for dogs with spinal problems, hip problems, or any sort of mobility issues that may cause pain or exacerbate their condition
How to Train “Spin”
Begin with your dog in front of you, in a standing position. Hold a yummy treat in your closed hand and lure it in front of the dogs nose. When you have your dogs attention move your hand in an arc toward the dog’s back end, and follow through around in a full circle. The dog should follow the treat with their nose and spin in a circle as they follow. If this doesn’t happen, your hand may be too close or too far away, or you may not be giving enough room for your dog to comfortably spin around. When your dog completes a full circle praise and reward with the treat.
Once your dog seems to be catching on, start using verbal and hand commands and try it without luring. If your dog struggles, go back a step and continue to lure while giving the command and then try again without the lure.
VARIATIONS: You can teach your dog to spin clockwise, counter-clockwise or both! Simply teach your dog to spin one way and then teach it the same but in the opposite direction.
Add Distractions
It’s important to always gradually add distractions when training any new command. Once your dog is understanding without a lure in a quiet room move on to a less quiet room. Start throwing in distractions of other people, animals, and different places. You can test your dog by throwing a small box across the floor, have someone else blow a whistle, roll a ball past the dog, throw a treat etc. There are endless ways to test your dog out. Create the distraction and give the command, “center” and if your dog struggles to look at you despite the distraction then you need a bit more work in the quiet room or with a less challenging distraction. Slowly build those distractions inside your home and then try outside your home. Try in your yard and then move on to a local park, beach, down town etc. If your dog struggles with the new level of challenge then you need to take a step back and work a bit more at a lower challenge.
ZELDA WITH BOOKS: A BOOK REVIEW
This is a new section to my monthly update, but not a new practice for myself. I have always been an avid book reader, but unfortunately since having kids and the responsible adult life it’s been harder to find time to read. I’m also a super slow reader, I just always have been. Because of this, I’m not sure exactly how I’ll do this section. I have feeling it may not stick as a monthly feature because I may not have enough new content for it every month (I tend to read books for months on-end). I’m also not sure if it’s appropriate to write my reviews for anything I’m reading here or if I should stick to dog-related books? I certainly do have a lot of those that would provide content for some time, but I’d much rather tie this post into my Instagram account which is where these reviews will be most likely coming from. I’ve been partaking in “bookstagram” since 2020 and it’s been a fun little side hobby. I enjoy photography and the added challenge of photography with books and my dog have been a fun way to bond with her and teach her new tricks and behaviors. I think, to start, I am going to write about the last book I finished and reviewed, and you guys can give me some feedback on whether you want to see more like that or if you want me to only review dog-related books. Another option is to focus mostly on dog-related books and throw in other genres here and there. I mostly read horror, and I feel that’s a bit niche. Let me know your thoughts on this!
Humane Sacrifice by Felix I.D. Dimaro
5/5 stars
What a super fun read! Melvin Cockburn was failed by everyone in his life, except his dear little cat Lucy. But Lucy has a terminal tumor, and Melvin can’t stand the thought of losing his only friend, so when he’s offered a chance to save her, he takes it; no matter the costs.
This book is a wild ride. Horrifying in the ways you expect from Dimaro but surpsingly also filled with a lot of heart. I just felt bad for Melvin, despite the horrific things he does.
This was a 5 star read for me. It may even be my new favorite Dimaro book. It was delightfully twisted, surprised me at several points along the way, and of course, I’m a sucker for books featuring animals. It was also super fun going back to Saturn City, seeing the Pitchman again, and the little nods to other Dimaro stories I’ve read.
You’ll like this book if you like gory, violent, shocking horror, if you’ve liked previous Dimaro books, and if you like stories involving animals.
If you are a bookworm but struggle to commit to any sort of reading schedule then perhaps the Fort St. James Public Library book club is for you! The following is from their post:
The 4R club is a “silent book club” for reluctant, returning and reclusive readers!
The first 30 minutes are an open discussion about books – you can share (or not) about a book you have read in the past or are reading now. The following hour is a time to pick a cozy spot and read in silence. The last 30 minutes are an opportunity to socialize.
Feel free to attend some or all of the session. This is an opportunity to set aside time to read without distractions.
The 4R Club meets the last Thursday of each month from 6:00-8:00pm.
Dogs are smart beings that have several needs, and one that is often overlooked is their need for mental stimulation. The more you train your dog the more they will use their brain. A dog who is often challenged and taught new behaviors will actually learn to use those behaviors and problem solve on their own (at least, to the degree a dog is capable to). If not given enough mental stimulation (and physical exercise) a dog will often become bored and restless. This is when destructive behaviors start to occur. This is especially true for dogs who are naturally smart (some breeds that are naturally more intelligent would be border collies, Australian cattle dogs, standard poodles… basically any dog that was originally bred to do a job that requires some independent thinking and problem solving) if you don’t give a smart dog something to do they will find something to do for themselves. This will often be behaviors such as excessive barking, digging, fence jumping, or destructive chewing. There are several ways to fulfill your dogs needs for mental stimulation.
TRICK TRAINING
Training is a big one. Basic obedience, of course, but if you feel like your dog needs a challenge try training tricks. Tricks are a fun way to engage your dog, bond with your dog, and they’re super fun to show off to others.
Start with some simply tricks that are easy for most dogs to pick up. Shake a Paw is a pretty common trick that most dogs catch onto quickly. However, some dogs paw a lot to begin with, and so you may want to first consider whether your dog is like this. Boxers commonly like to use their paws a lot. When you train a dog like this to shake a paw it suddenly becomes their whole personality. They are the dog who shakes and shakes and shakes even when it’s not asked for. If you think this could happen to your dog, then I discourage training shake a paw.
There are lots of basic tricks to teach your dog such as roll over, sit pretty, spin, etc. and you can also build behaviors onto each other to create more complex tricks. Targeting (touching) your hand with their nose can then turn into closing a door or rolling a ball. There are literally hundreds of tricks you can teach your dog.
For more trick training ideas and tips check out Do More With Your Dog, where you can even get your dog titled for Trick Dog!
A good, deep chew is highly beneficial for a dog. It works their muscles, brain and promotes good oral hygiene (which helps fight bad breath). Chewing is also very instinctual; dogs will often find something to chew on if they’re not provided with it. Chewing releases endorphins which heightens the sense of pleasure and well-being for the dog.
To pick a good chew for your dog you will need to consider their size, breed, and personality. If your dog is a big, strong dog that loves to chew you’re going to need a big, strong chew. Something too hard can cause injury and break teeth. Something too soft can get stuck on teeth or tear to tiny pieces too easily. Something too big can be difficult to get a grip onto, which can also cause injury and may just build frustration in your dog. Something too small can get lodged in their throat or swallowed.
DON’T use hard, round balls or tennis balls. They are quite dangerous. Look for toys that are attached to a rope/handle or are hollow in the middle.
Raw meaty bones (RMB’s) an excellent source of protein and a good chew. Note; you should never give your dog cooked bones. Cooking makes the bones brittle and more likely to snap and splinter in sharp points that cane puncture and hurt your dog. RMB’s need to be selected based on size for the size of your dog. There is lots of information out there about raw feeding and using raw bones for recreational chewing. A great place to start is the Perfectly Rawsome website.
If you head to a pet store for a good chew product, it’s important to keep in mind that not all products sold as chews for dogs are actually safe for the dog. Rawhide is a great chew for a dog; as long as it’s been processed and prepared properly. Which unfortunately, cheap, bleached rawhide chews are often complete garbage and downright dangerous for your dog. A great alternative is to look for “pizzles” that are prepared naturally.
My personal favorite is a black Kong stuffed with peanut butter and treats. This will keep a dog busy and a Kong is a great toy for a heavy chewer. They vary in quality based on colour. Black Kongs are the strongest and least likely to be destroyed. Last I checked, they are also covered in Kong’s guarantee and if your dog does destroy a black Kong then the company will replace it.
PUZZLE TOYS
There are so many different kinds of really cool dog puzzle toys now. You can buy endless different kinds and you can also construct your own with objects found around your home. For example, you can lay out an old towel and sprinkle dog food or treats on it and then roll the towel up. Or place food in a muffin tin and cover each with a tennis ball. There are lots of ideas, The American Kennel Club has some good DIY ideas.
Here’s the catch on puzzle toys, and this is how I see them often fail for people; you have to train your dog how to use them. Some dogs may figure it out on their own, but I’d say most need to be taught what to do (or at least shown that there is food involved). For example, for the type of puzzle toys that has little sliding windows will need to be started with food in the compartments but with the doors open. The dog needs to first learn there is a reward in the compartments to have a desire to try to solve the puzzle. Next you would partly close the doors, and finally close them completely. You may add a level of difficulty with food in some compartments, but not others.
OBSTACLE COURSE
A great way to stimulate your dog both mentally and physically is obstacle course training. If you’re lucky enough to have a local dog agility club, then I highly recommend checking them out. If you have the ability and room then you can create some backyard agility equipment. Your obstacles don’t need to be dog agility regulation, unless you plan to compete in agility trials with your dog.
You don’t even need equipment, you can use your surroundings, so long as you take the time to train your dog properly. You need to be their spotter and you need to be aware of your dogs body language and what they’re telling you. You are there to guide them and teach them the behavior broken down in easy to understand steps. Using your surroundings as an obstacle course is called “parkour”, and when dogs do it it’s called “barkour”; which I think is adorable. You can use a wall, a tree, a playground, whatever you have access to with your dog. If you’re interested in this I recommend checking out the Instagram accounts @parkour.ninja and @parkour.dogs.
A note on “corrections”: A “correction” is a way to teach a dog that what they’ve done is wrong and not the behavior your requested. A correction may mean different things to different people, based on your training methods. It may involve a training collar (e-collar, prong collar, check chain, etc) or it may involve a firm “NO” followed by showing the dog the correct behavior and giving them an opportunity to try again.
I often tell my clients to make sure they are practicing their training around the house in “real life” scenarios. When you’re eating breakfast, have your dog down/stay in their bed. When your brewing your coffee or tea take a couple of minutes to practice a few commands in the kitchen. When you are leaving the house have your dog sit and wait before going through the front door. When you head out to water your flowers or take your garbage out bring your dog with you and work with their boundary training and recall (make sure you work at their level of training; use a long line if you need to).
If you get creative, there are lots of ways to incorporate training into your day-to-day life with your dog. It doesn’t have to be an hour dedicated to training every day or even every week. 5-minute training sessions once or twice a day will have a huge impact on your dog.
How else is the dog supposed to learn how to act under these conditions? In order to perform how I want her to under regular every-day conditions I need her to learn it in those conditions.
Here are a few examples of every day life training situations. This is not a step-by-step how-to post, but rather a detailed explanation of the type of training I’m talking about. If you’re looking for step-by-step instructions please feel free to send me a message and set up a consultation for a training session.
Condition Them to Touch
All dogs should be conditioned to touch so that they are not overwhelmed by it for basic care such as grooming and vet care. You can do this when you’re sitting at home watching TV. Put your dog in front of you and condition them to hands touching all over their body. Focus on touching their ears, mouth, paws, legs and tail. You can make a positive association by making a relaxing time of it and rewarding with treats.
If your dog will need to be on a grooming table, prop them up on a table at home and make positive associations for your dog in this scary situation. Some dogs feel really uneasy their first time up on a table. Make them feel more comfortable by getting them used to it through multiple exposures and associating something positive (like treats) with being on the table. For more about grooming your dog, check out my post Grooming and Care.
While conditioning your dog to touch, keep in mind the kind of touch that may be required for their basic grooming and vet care. This may involve picking the feet right up, holding it firmly and maybe even splaying the toes apart to be able to trim each nail. This will be uncomfortable and weird for your dog, so approach each type of touch separately. You will need a lot of patience and to condition your dog slowly in baby steps over the course of time. If you’re worried about giving your dog too many treats, you can hand-feed them using their kibble as a reward for accepting your touch. As long as you remember to use a meal rather than adding extra food, and as long as your dog actually likes their food, they will still make a positive association.
Boundary Train
Boundary training is by far one of the most important real life training. Teach your dog what spaces they’re allowed to be in and under what circumstances. Use cue words to let your dog know whether they can exit the property and establish a boundary that is easy for your dog to understand (such as the edge of the lawn). Take your dog out on a long line any time you are outside. You can practice it when you’re out gardening, enjoying the sunshine, shoveling snow etc. Let the long line drag behind your dog but keep an eye on them. As soon as they cross the boundary you’d like to establish correct your dog and put them back within the boundary. Work on this every time they’re outside with you and work on it often. Eventually your dog will learn where the boundary is and not to cross it.
You can also use this as an opportunity to work on your dogs recall. When your dog is away from you and distracted with just being a dog then use this as a chance to call them. Call your dog to you sporadically at random times when they’re in different places within the boundary. If they don’t come when called, you can use the long line to correct and/or guide your dog back to you.
Door Dashing
Teach your dog not to dash out of an open door. This should be a rule applied to when you’re leaving the house and in the case of a door left open. Teach your dog these techniques for the doors to your house and any gates that could be potentially left open and your dog escape. For example, one day when I was sick in bed, my husband was mowing the lawn and he left the gate open. My dog Zelda was inside, but the door was open with the screen closed and the cats like to open the screen door to let themselves out. If the screen is open enough for her to get her muzzle through then Zelda will push the screen door open too. Within 15 minutes she escaped and was long gone. We were able to track her down through posting on the community Facebook page and tracking sightings of her. After that I decided to teach her she was not allowed out of the gate unless one of us gave her the go ahead.
Likewise, your dog should learn not to dash out of any open doors. We have a split-level entry which makes getting in and out of our house crowded and annoying to begin with. Add an excited, uncontrolled dog into the mix and it’s a recipe for someone falling down the stairs. For this reason, I’ve taught Zelda not to dash down the stairs or out the front door.
Every time you open the door, have your dog sit and wait (on leash). If the dog dashes out the door correct them and put them back in the same spot or further back from the door. Every time you leave with your dog make them wait until you give a cue (‘lets go’, etc). The dog should not be allowed to leave the house through that door without the cue word.
Go To Place
Teach your dog to have a place that is just his to go lay down on. Teach a command to send your dog to his bed to keep him out from under foot, while you’re eating or when you have company over. “Go to bed” is a good cue to use. Teaching your dog to go to place will be a lot easier if they already know how to lay down and stay on command.
Going to place is a very handy “real world” command for your dog to know. Tell your dog to go to place when you’re eating meals, when you have guests over or whenever you just don’t want your dog under foot.
It’s very important that your dogs place (whether it’s a bed, blanket, crate or rug) is used by only the dog. Don’t allow children to play on it or other pets to lay on it. This is your dog’s safe space to relax.
If you’d like more information or help training any of the above “real world commands” please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule a consultation and training session.
I get a lot of confusion on how my dog training is set up. I don’t have group classes (at this time), you don’t get a certificate of completion when your dog is done training with me, there is no structured repeated sessions unless you want them. What I do is customize your training session so that you get the most success out of it. I do not stick to one type of training method, I use many methods and many training tools to help support the owners training goals, their dog’s individual personality as well as the personal morals of the owner. If you don’t want to use a training collar we will find another way. If you don’t like using treats we will work on phasing them out and relying on other forms of praise. I’m here to help you and support you during your training journey with your dog.
My name is Shara and I run Fort St. James Dog Training. I got my certification for Advanced Obedience & Kennel Management and Master Dog Trainer in 2007, and my certificate for Behavior Evaluator in 2008. I stopped training for a long time and focused on starting my family and my artwork until 2023 when I jumped back into dog training. I was certified for Canine CPR and Emergency First Aid in the summer of 2023.
There are several steps to getting a training session set up with me, and I will walk you through the process below.
Step One: First Contact
It is up to you, the owner, to contact me. There are many ways people do this, but my preferred method of contact is via email (slsartistryinfo@gmail.com) or Facebook Messenger on my Fort St. James Dog Training page.
When you first contact me, there really isn’t a lot of need to go into too much detail about your dog and any problem behaviors you’re experiencing. We will cover all of that very soon. All I need to know is that you’re interested, you’d like to get some training on your dog, and whether you live in Fort St. James or one of the surrounding towns and communities.
I will give you the same speech I give everyone who contacts me, I want to be upfront and transparent about my style of training, the cost, and what my training sessions feature. For the sake of this post, I will get into more detail on these features below.
Step Two: Consultation
Before your session can be booked you will first need to do a consultation. The consultation helps me understand what your goals are for your dog, your morals around different training methods, and information about your dog so that I know what kind of training methods they may respond to best and where any problem behaviors may be stemming from. All of the information I gather during the consultation helps me to put together a training session for you that is custom-designed to meet your needs.
There are two ways to complete the consultation.
The Online Consultation is $20 CAD and most convenient for you and myself because you can fill it out whenever and I will take the time to go over it when it’s best for me (I usually go over it within 24 hours of you submitting your online consultation).
The Over-the-Phone Consultation is $40 CAD and because we get to talk over the phone there is more back-and-forth, allowing follow up and extra questions that I may come up with as we go over the consultation questions. You also get a chance to ask me any questions you may have and I am able to get a little more in-depth information to best create your training session. The over-the-phone consultation sometimes takes longer to take place due to scheduling conflicts.
The same questionnaire is used for both consultations, but the over-the-phone consultation allows for back-and-forth conversation.
Step Three: Book The Training Session
The training session can be booked at any time, but if you do not pay for and complete the consultation by 2 days before your scheduled session, then it will be canceled.
My current available times are Tuesdays and Thursday 11AM or 1PM. If these times don’t work for you I can make arrangements to book on the weekend or a different day, but it may take me time to arrange childcare (whereas I already have it lined up for Tues and Thurs).
Step Four: Your Training Session
The type of training session you receive will be decided by me after reviewing your consultation. Most owners have an idea of what type of session they will need before I tell them, though. Each training session is 1-hour long. This is a very long time to train a dog for (you usually want to spend 5-10 minutes on it at a time) but we spend a lot of time discussing a lot of things and we will spend 1/4 to 1/2 the session actually working hands-on with your dog.
Puppy Training Session is for puppies between 10 weeks and 11 months. It covers all the common puppy topics such as crate training, house training, nipping/chewing, jumping, barking, and introduction to training. We usually cover recall because it’s the most important to start building towards right away. A puppy training session is $40 CAD.
Obedience Training Session covers the 5 basic commands and is for any puppy that has already completed my puppy training session and is ready to move on to more advanced lessons, or any adult do that needs a refresher or is just learning basic obedience commands. The five basic commands are sit, down, stay, heel and recall (come). We will try to cover all five in the one hour, but this is entirely dependent on the dog. Some dogs may already have a good understanding of most of the commands, some may be learning all from scratch, some may need to just start over due to bad habits already developed. Depending on the methods used in training, we may discuss ways to safely use training collars and how to eventually phase treats out of training. The obedience training session is $50 CAD.
Problem Behaviors Session is for any behaviors that are causing problems, undesired, or concerning. This may be something like jumping, digging, barking or dog reactivity, separation anxiety etc. A problem behaviors session is $60 CAD. Puppies tend to display problem behaviors because they’re simply untrained and don’t know any better. It is a lot easier to teach a puppy what not to do vs trying to train that undesired behavior out of a dog who has already been doing it a long time and developed bad habits. Puppies with problem behaviors will not fall under this session and will receive a puppy session.
A Note on Articles
I write a lot of articles to go with many common topics. I will give you either a paper copy or PDF digital copy of these articles based on your consultation and your training session. It will be on topics that relate to what we discuss and what you and your dog are learning.
Most of these articles are still heavily in the editing phase, so I ask all my clients to ignore basic typos and grammar errors, but to let me know if the wording doesn’t make sense or something isn’t explained very clearly.
Step Five: Follow Up
I am here to help you with your dog. I want to know if you run into any problems or the advice I give you doesn’t work. I also want to know if it does! I have no way of knowing if you’re successful in reaching your training goals with my aid unless you keep in touch and tell me. I always love hearing updates from my clients.
If something isn’t helpful or your struggling with it then I want to know so that I can further help you. Once you are signed up for dog training with me I am committed to helping you for the rest of your dogs life! You can contact me any time with any problem or success. If I feel like you have a lot of problems or particular things to work on, or that it might be more helpful for me to be able to demonstrate with your dog in-person then I might suggest another training session.
If you need additional sessions, the type of session will be decided on after a brief conversation with you during booking. A consultation is not required for additional sessions that are within 6 months of each other. If it’s been 6 months or longer you will need to purchase a consultation again.
I was going to post something different this week; I wanted to post a blog I have written about what to expect from Fort St. James Dog Training. It covers everything from first contact to the consultation, session and follow up. However, since I missed posting the last two weeks that bumped us into the middle of the month faster than I expected and it’s time for another monthly update! The post I had planned for today will instead be bumped to next week.
So far, the month of March has been pretty quiet. My family have just been battling one cold after another. I think I spoke too soon when I said we got away with less sickness this winter than last and the germs are trying to show me to put my foot where my mouth is. It’s like we suddenly got hit with all of it in one month. Which is why I missed posting the last two weeks.
In February I had set the goal of doubling the amount of dogs I trained vs the month before, and I not only met that goal but surpassed it. I knew that setting a similar goal for March would be unrealistic as I just don’t have enough available hours for training to work with 20 dogs in one month. I’m fine with that, sometimes we need our goals to be realistic so that we don’t become overwhelmed in reaching them. I’ve trained a handful of dogs so far this month and each one is always so special to me. Even if I only trained one dog in the month I’d still consider it a success because I was able to help someone with their dog. After all, that is what I’m here for.
Favorite February Name: Tyrion
One of the many little delights I’ve found in dog training is learning what people name their dogs. My favorite dog name from February was a sweet little dog named Tyrion. As a Game of Thrones fan, this name is an absolute hoot (especially on a small dog).
Tyrion’s owners were also very enthusiastic about training; they are working hard to reach their training goals and I loved seeing them attend Pack in the Park and really put in the work. Way to go guys!
A close second was a corgi named Kevin.
Business License
Fort St. James Dog Training was supposed to start as an official licensed business March 1st. I was sick leading up to March so I didn’t get a chance to get to the District Office before March 1st but went in on the day of. It was my experience (from eons ago) that you could get a business license the same day. I even downloaded their form from the District website and filled it out beforehand to save time. When I brought it to the office I was met with a lot of confusion. I was told they couldn’t do it that day. When I expressed my surprise, I was told ” yeah, we have to do it the right way now.” I was a bit shocked at that answer. “You weren’t doing it the right way?” I asked and the answer I got back was “no” and then a mumble about high turnover. So I think maybe the people at the office just didn’t know how to do it? I was told they’d be in contact with me after looking it over. It’s been almost 2 weeks since I dropped it off, how long does it take to look over one sheet of paper? I phoned this morning and was told they e-mailed me, but I never got it. I don’t understand why they didn’t phone. I feel like people have lost the art of the phone call these days (does complaining about that make me old?). They needed my registration number and I don’t understand why that wasn’t an option to fill out on the application. At any rate, I am annoyed and I have to say, after that experience I’m really not left with a lot of confidence in our District workers.
animal welfare updates
Our little group has been working really hard to re-establish the Fort St. James Humane Society. We’ve dotted most of our i‘s and crossed most of our t‘s but there’s still a few little things to work out so we’re keeping our rescue missions on the down low until they are finished so that we don’t become overwhelmed. There are a LOT of animals needing help in our community and a lot of owners who need help with their animals. It’s going to take time to really start making an impactful difference.
Last week we executed our first big rescue mission since re-assembling an Animal Care Team. It was a drop in the bucket of a larger issue, but we changed the world of 17 puppies and that’s amazing. People from difference communities all came together to make this mission a success. In honor of an Animal Care Team member who passed away recently, we named this first rescue Mission Chantel. Chantel loved animals and really wanted to see our efforts in animal rescue be successful.
One Saturday, March 9th, 16 puppies (one ended up being adopted by one of our members) were loaded up and transported to Quesnel, where the Victoria Humane Society transport driver met our driver with their beautiful van and the 16 puppies were transferred from one vehicle to the other. VHS drove them back to Victoria where they were all quickly bathed, vetted and placed in foster homes.
As I said, a lot of people were involved in this rescue mission and it went quite smoothly and I would say was a total success! A huge thank you to the people who worked hard to orchestrate the whole thing and cared for these sweet little babies while they waited for transfer. This mission would not have been successful without everyone who played a part.
You can learn more about Mission Chantel on Facebook here and here.
If you would like to be a part of the solution get in touch with the Fort St. James Humane Support Group and see what you can help with! One thing we never seem to have enough of is foster homes. Since we don’t have a physical building to house animals, we need people to open their hearts and homes to house any animals we take in. If we don’t have a place for them to go, we can’t help them.
Novice Trick dog
One of my goals with Zelda is to get her a Novice Trick Dog (NTD) title. I love training tricks to dogs. I love the way they need to be broken down into different behaviors that you then shape together.
Trick dog titles can be obtained through Do More With Your Dog. For a NTD you need 15 tricks to be evaluated by an evaluator either online via video or in-person. Some basic obedience counts and advanced and expert tricks count as two towards the NTD. For more information, check out their website.
Zelda’s trick list currently consists of:
(1) sit
novice
(2) down
novice
(3) shake hands
intermediate
(4) sit pretty/beg
intermediate
(5) spin circles
novice
(6) roll over
intermediate
(7) leg weave
intermediate
(8) center
novice
(9) stay
novice
(10) touch hand (nose touch)
novice
(11) focus (watch me)
novice
(12) drop on recall
advanced
Trick of the Month: Center
Definition: Come from behind and stand between the handler’s legs (shoulder to knee)
Command Variations: “center”, “peekaboo”
Behavior: Break down into two parts: dog stands between your legs and dog moves from in front to behind you
Use: To position a dog where you want them
This trick doesn’t have a lot of practical use, but is a fun extra to train your dog. It can act as a party trick or can come in handy when participating in dog sports, such as dog agility, where you want to get your dog set up in a specific spot to start.
How To Train “Center”
Stand in front of your dog but facing away. Bend down and hold a treat in one hand and motion with your hands for your dog to come through your legs. As soon as the dog is in position reward them. Keep practicing until you feel like your dog understands to stand between your legs. Start connecting your command with the behavior.
Next you will need to teach them to go to that position from anywhere and facing you from any direction to start. Since you started teaching this trick with your dog behind you, gradually start to turn your body so that they’re approaching from the side. Practice many times until your dog is doing it smoothly. Try again after turning your body a bit more and continue to train this way until you have turned enough to be facing your dog when the command is given. The dog must go around and then get into position from behind you.
Add Distractions
It’s important to always gradually add distractions when training any new command. Once your dog is understanding without a lure in a quiet room move on to a less quiet room. Start throwing in distractions of other people, animals, and different places. You can test your dog by throwing a small box across the floor, have someone else blow a whistle, roll a ball past the dog, throw a treat etc. There are endless ways to test your dog out. Create the distraction and give the command, “center” and if your dog struggles to look at you despite the distraction then you need a bit more work in the quiet room or with a less challenging distraction. Slowly build those distractions inside your home and then try outside your home. Try in your yard and then move on to a local park, beach, down town etc. If your dog struggles with the new level of challenge then you need to take a step back and work a bit more at a lower challenge.
We’re almost halfway through the month so I figured it was time for my monthly update.
In January I helped 4 people gain new skills with their dogs, and for February I’d like to double that number. I’m establishing a weekly routine for dog training now that I’m feeling like I’m starting to get into the swing of. I was mostly a stay-at-home-mom for over 7 years so having a schedule (outside of my kids schedule) has been challenging to stick to. I keep track of all my clients by their first name and their dogs name because I’m more likely to remember their dog than them. Sorry, but it’s the truth, no offense intended.
One of my favorite things so far about training dogs again is learning what people name their dogs. I think this sparks an idea for a new monthly segment on the blog: favorite dog name! My favorite dog name for January was Darla. I know she’s named from the Little Rascals (which in itself is great), but I’ve been re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel for a while now and one of my favorite characters is Darla.
Last month’s update I mentioned changing my prices. I am still planning to raise my prices to help balance my cost after adding the online consultation. Because I had worked my prices to include the phone consultation as part of it, when I added the online consultation I lost $20 off every session. I will be recouping that by adjusting the prices of my sessions. This price change will be in effect starting March 1st, which is our official business launch date! So book now, if you want to take advantage of my current low prices.
On Sunday we had our first meeting for the Fort St. James Humane Society. Currently, just an idea and a dream, but we’d love to re-establish the humane society in our community. The Humane Society was established in 2008, did a lot of good in our community and had a lot of community support, and then it was dissolved about 5 years ago after the founder and some board members moved or experienced burnout. Since then it’s been a small handful of people just trying to do right by the animals. I think we’re in a position now where we have more people to help, more support from community leaders, and people have seen how much these issues have compounded in the last couple years. Heck, it’s why I got back into dog training. I was just tired of people complaining but never trying to fix the problems; I decided I’d actually do something and it all started with Pack in the Park.
You can view the meeting minutes here and the next meeting is February 25th at 1PM at the View Hotel. We had a good turnout last time and I’d love to see even more next time! A special thank you to April, Monica and Lesley for bringing this meeting together and spearheading this project. Another thank you to Diane who couldn’t make it to the meeting but has been doing so much for animal welfare that I feel she deserves a thank you too.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
I can’t talk about local animal rescue without also talking about volunteer opportunities. Want to help and get involved?
There is a raffle for Bingo at Kwah Hall February 22nd, donations can be dropped off between 4 and 5PM. Food and raffle items are needed. Popular foods: soup, chili, chow mein, jello cups with cool whip. Contact the Fort St. James Humane Support Group for more information or to find out other ways you can get involved.
Trick of the Month: Target
I tried to do a “trick of the month” for a trick training club last year and struggled to get interest in it. I think I’ll just be sort of adding it onto my monthly updates as I’m working on them with my own dog Zelda. Right now I am capturing the behavior with “yes” every time she touches the post-it with her nose. We are just starting this trick, but I’ll post progress as we go.
Teaching a dog to target your hand with their nose (touch your hand with their nose) is a behavior that can be shaped into many other tricks such as closing a door or turning on a light switch.
I like to use a Post-it (sticky note) to help make the transfer between your hand and other objects easier. When I first taught my dog this trick, I wanted him to close a door. I first taught him to touch my hand and then when I tried to get him to target the door he just kept booping my hand. The sticky note made it so much easier to communicate to him that I wanted him to touch his nose to something other than my hand.
The command you use should be something simple and easy to remember. You can use “target”, “touch”, “nose” or whatever makes sense to you. You can either start using the command right away, or start incorporating it once your dog is making the connection.
Stick a sticky note to your hand and hold it out to your dog. When they sniff at the sticky note say “yes!” (or use a clicker) and reward them with their favorite treat. Keep repeating. If your dog no longer seems interested in the sticky note at all, you can try holding a treat under your thumb in the sticky note hand or rub a treat on the sticky note to make it smell good. Some dogs may try to bite or take the sticky note; discourage this. Only reward for the dogs nose touching the sticky note. You can also sort of wave the sticky note in front of them, or move it a little closer into their view. Basically, you’re hinting “hey, it has to do with this thing”. Make sure to give them time to work the problem out in their mind. Hint at the sticky note and then wait and see what they figure out. If they don’t seem to be getting it at all then hint harder, maybe use a treat in that hand etc. but try to give the dog time to figure it out first.
Once your dog starts to make the connection that they need to touch their nose to the sticky notet, try moving your hand away from them a bit more, maybe a bit higher or on the ground. Move it around to make it more challenging.
When you know your dog has figured it out then it’s time to try transferring the sticky note to whatever you want them to do. Whether it’s to close a door, flip a light switch or push a ball, use the sticky note to let your dog know it’s time to touch their nose to something other than your hand.
At this point you can also stop using the sticky note and get your dog to touch your hand with their nose without it.
We’re one week into the new year and this is the point where I start to gear down and focus on my goals. My first daughters birthday is on the 6th, so it always takes me until after the 6th to be able to focus on myself and get away from the December/January celebrations that are compounded for our family (2 birthdays plus Christmas and New Years). Now that’s all done, I’m ready to focus on the year ahead and the goals I have for it.
Consultation and Better Structured Sessions
At the end of last year I changed my fees and how I offer my dog training. I change the name of “Consultation” session to “Problem Behaviors”. The session is still the same as what I originally offered, just a name change. It was brought to my attention that the title “consultation” may be confusing since a consultation is usually that happens first before the training/contracting etc. I wanted that session to focus on a lot of one-on-one back and forth problem solving for behaviors beyond the 5 basic commands. At the same time, I was struggling with not feeling like I was getting my worth when I spent hours putting together a session for someone to have them no-show or cancel. I decided I needed a regular consultation first, I needed a way to get to know my clients better and get paid before putting in all the work that comes with a personalized training session. This is how I came up with the phone consultation. I made up a sheet of questions (that has since turned into 3 sheets). This worked to get to know my clients ahead of time and honor my value, but I was struggling with scheduling conflicts and gaining trust with my clients. Not all, or even most, but I had some people struggle with trusting to pay for the consultation first. They didn’t know whether they could trust me or not, which, fair enough; I’m a stranger and this is a sketchy world we live in. But it’s frustrating because as much as you don’t trust me to send me money, I don’t trust you to pay for it afterwards.
Over the holidays I got thinking… people rarely think twice about paying for something online. For some reason, this feels more secure than just sending someone an e-transfer and trusting they’re going to phone you (I did try to put that power in their hands, but it didn’t seem to make a difference). Likewise, offering an online version of the consultation would also make it more convenient and avoid scheduling conflicts. You can fill it out whenever you’ve got 5 minutes. This is how I came up with the Online Consultation. Since you’re not getting the back-and-forth with me the way you would on the phone, you don’t get to know me personally and you’re doing the work of filling out the form yourself, it is a cheaper rate than the Phone Consultation.
Of course, making the rate for the Online Consultation lower than the Phone Consultation means I’m no longer honoring my value because I also adjusted my session prices to accommodate the consultation fee. Which brings me to… I’m going to need to raise my session fees a bit. I really appreciate the patience of my clients as I make these adjustments and grow into this new role as a professional dog trainer.
One of my goals this year is to register Fort St. James Dog Training as a business. I’d like to sort out all these kinks before that happens. I don’t want to need to adjust my prices again once that happens.
I appreciate your patience! I hope that offering an Online Consultation will feel worthwhile for this adjustment as it streamlines the process to get you a training session quicker.
Now Paperless Training Articles!
Another new feature that I’m offering is paperless training articles. I have a whole bunch of articles I have written (and continue to write) about subjects in Safety & Regulations, Training Theories, Training Tools, Puppy Training, Dog Training, Problem Behaviors and Trick Training. I’m in the process of editing and adding to them all of the time, so these articles tend to change over time. Part of personalizing your session is printing off these articles based on what you’ve told me. This is costing me a lot in printing and I’ve gone over my allotted print per month through my HP Insta Ink program a few times now. I am also aware that today’s average person is eco-concious and prefer digital copies over hard copies. I am a sucker for paper in my hand and this is how I learn best, but it recently occurred to me other people are different and learn differently and that offering paperless may be a good option. I asked a few people in my life and had a really positive response to it so I am now offering a paperless option for these articles! You can choose this option during the consultation.
CAAT CAMP
At the end of last year I scrounged together an application for the Canadian Animal Assistance Team Community Animal Management Plans. We have a group of people working towards animal management goals and this is one of the things we discussed in meetings and put together. Unfortunately, our application wasn’t accepted. I’ve discussed it with Chris, a CAAT representative, and she explained reasons why our application was denied and what we could work on to submit a better application for next year.
I’ll admit, when I read that our application wasn’t accepted I was pretty disheartened. But after discussing it with Chris, I felt a bit more hopeful. We’re still a very valid candidate for CAMP, but there are a LOT of communities out there in need. I know how to make our application better now; to reflect the true needs our community has. Part of the problem was that we don’t fully understand what those needs are yet. Chris recommend that we survey the community and the surrounding communities in order to get a better idea of the number of dogs and cats as well as to understand the priorities of the community members.
I think it’s going to be a big undertaking to survey the community, to get it organized. It will be worth it though, I see now how important that information will be to have.
Pack in the Park… or… the Woods?
Pack in the Park is going to really get rolling this year. I have a volunteer in Vanderhoof hosting Pack in the (Vanderhoof) Park. Kai was a client when I was training in Vanderhoof and I instantly loved her connection with her dogs and her understanding of dog training. I sort of heavily pressured her into hosting Pack in the Park. “Voluntold”, if you will. No, but she loves doing it because it benefits her dogs too and that is really what it all comes down to. A bunch of dog owners training towards a common goal; to have dogs who don’t lose their shit every time they see another dog (or person) in public. To have dogs that can focus on their humans and follow commands no matter what distractions are around them. It takes a community to make this happen. Everyone following some simple rules to keep dogs safe, calm and having fun with their humans.
I’ve also talked to Corey about doing a pack walk or hike. I think this would be so cool to be able to really take advantage of our local trails. I see complaints now and then about dogs on trails (or what they leave behind on the trails) and I think this would be a great opportunity to start teaching people how to safely and respectfully hike with their dogs. All the same rules would still apply with the pack walk/hike as they do for Pack in the Park, except instead of training walking circles around each other you’re all walking in one direction (spaced apart and on leash). Corey is down for this and thinks it’s a great idea, and I’m thrilled he’s into it because I still can’t physically host it myself.
I still have a swollen, painful foot that I can’t fit into proper footwear. I’m hoping this year will bring changes in that, too. I have an appointment with a local massage therapist and have finally been referred for an MRI in Prince George, I just need to phone them tomorrow and book the appointment (which, I’m sure will be another long wait). It’s frustrating, and I’m not going to get into it all here, but hopefully one day I’ll be able to join you all on the trails with my dog. The happiest I’ve ever seen my dog was in the woods. I miss it.
Shara Walsh 