First PetsMart Intermediate Class
Cody had his first intermediate class on Saturday (last week's was a beginner class to see if he qualified for Intermediate). After attending PetClub and PetsMart classes, I'm beginning to think that books and practice sessions might be all that one needs for a dog like Cody.
The reason is that Cody understands the commands, but he chooses to ignore it or not. After reading books and understanding dog psychology, I think the first issue to master is dominance. With some dogs, the first hurdle is to make sure the dog knows who's in charge. With timid or shy dogs, this might not be a problem, but for more active/opinionated dogs, no amount of teaching in a class is going to cause the dog to obey you in all circumstances. The commands seem more like lumber or plaster which helps build a house, but establishing dominance is the foundation where the commands should lie.
The reason I don't regard the new instructor very highly is that she saw me enforcing Cody to heel at all times (or at least walk behind me). We've been practicing this more often in the last week so I can make sure that he knows who's in charge. The instructor actually said to me that she will be teaching heel later, and to only let Cody on a loose leash, walking in front of me. From my books on dog behavior, this would probably be one of the last things I want to do with Cody given that we are having a power struggle already.
However, I can still learn certain techniques or tricks to use. For example, mixing up a bunch of dog treats in a ziplock bag so that Cody won't be tired of one treat. Also, the possibility of picking his favorite treat may entice him to obey more readily. Also, she recommended that I take Cody to the dog park and just sit outside and wait. I have tried to get him to heel or sit when we go to the dog park, but now I have "homework" where I concentrate on practicing just this task. Without specific "homework" there might be too many things to want to work on. Concentrating on small tasks each week can help us succeed. (It's similar to having 5 projects. Sometimes it's better to finish one at a time, especially if one can build on another, rather than randomly switching projects).
Cody had his first intermediate class on Saturday (last week's was a beginner class to see if he qualified for Intermediate). After attending PetClub and PetsMart classes, I'm beginning to think that books and practice sessions might be all that one needs for a dog like Cody.
The reason is that Cody understands the commands, but he chooses to ignore it or not. After reading books and understanding dog psychology, I think the first issue to master is dominance. With some dogs, the first hurdle is to make sure the dog knows who's in charge. With timid or shy dogs, this might not be a problem, but for more active/opinionated dogs, no amount of teaching in a class is going to cause the dog to obey you in all circumstances. The commands seem more like lumber or plaster which helps build a house, but establishing dominance is the foundation where the commands should lie.
The reason I don't regard the new instructor very highly is that she saw me enforcing Cody to heel at all times (or at least walk behind me). We've been practicing this more often in the last week so I can make sure that he knows who's in charge. The instructor actually said to me that she will be teaching heel later, and to only let Cody on a loose leash, walking in front of me. From my books on dog behavior, this would probably be one of the last things I want to do with Cody given that we are having a power struggle already.
However, I can still learn certain techniques or tricks to use. For example, mixing up a bunch of dog treats in a ziplock bag so that Cody won't be tired of one treat. Also, the possibility of picking his favorite treat may entice him to obey more readily. Also, she recommended that I take Cody to the dog park and just sit outside and wait. I have tried to get him to heel or sit when we go to the dog park, but now I have "homework" where I concentrate on practicing just this task. Without specific "homework" there might be too many things to want to work on. Concentrating on small tasks each week can help us succeed. (It's similar to having 5 projects. Sometimes it's better to finish one at a time, especially if one can build on another, rather than randomly switching projects).
posted by Phoebe @ 5:14 PM
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