K9 Tutor

Before he goes to obedience class to learn…

Sit and stay
Go lay down
How to heel and walk with a loose leash

He needs to learn a lot of other things, like

How not to go potty in the house
What to chew and what not to chew
Not to bite too hard, or at all
How to love his crate
Adjusting to being alone while you work
His name and to love hearing it and come running
The fun of playing with toys
Proper socialization skills

You just got your new puppy and want to take him to obedience class. But he’s too young. He needs to have his second set of vaccinations before he can attend class. In the meantime, your little pup is learning everyday, whether you are actually training him or not. Pet experts say that whatever your dog is like at 16 weeks is what he will be like for the rest of his life. Make sure you know how to control your new puppy’s environment to ensure the best results.

Get your pup off to a good start. K9 Tutor will come to your home and show you how to start training your new puppy in your environment. It’s much easier on your new puppy and YOU, to learn the right way from the beginning rather than trying to break bad habits later. Positive reinforcement and leadership techniques establish trust and the correct communication for faster learning. Do you plan to enter competition sports with your new puppy? There are things you can start doing NOW to establish a competitive, but controlled drive.

So you want to learn agility…………

Good for you! Maybe you’ve seen the sport of dog agility on TV, or maybe you’ve seen it locally or at a trial. Maybe you know someone who competes in agility. Maybe you thought – my dog and I could do that! Or Wouldn’t that be fun?! And now here you are taking classes with your dog.

What is agility?
Agility is a dog and handler acting as a team in a ring full of obstacles with the goal being for the dog to take the obstacles in the order shown by the handler, in the fastest time, with the fewest errors. Above all it should be fun.

Can anyone do agility?
Yes, providing both the owner and dog are physically fit enough to perform the sport and that both of you enjoy it. The agility ring should be a play ground for your dog. They don’t have a clue about ribbons or titles. They do know that they are running, playing, and spending time with their owners, which equals a good time with lots of exercise.

What does my dog need to know before we start?
You should work on at least 4 of the basic obedience commands before starting agility: sit, down, stay, come. Your dog will be off-leash and therefore you need some control on getting your dog to listen to your commands. Your dog will be required to “stay” at the start line and not take the first obstacle until you give the command. One of the obstacles is the Table, a 3’x3’ table on which your dog needs to jump up on and either “sit” or “down” and “stay” while the judge counts to 5. If your dog loses focus while on the course and decides to get the “zoomies” (running around like a crazy dog paying absolutely NO attention to you at all!), you need to be able to recall your dog and continue. Your dog should also be able to handle being in an area with a lot of other dogs and people without becoming aggressive or fearful.

My dog is shy. Can he still do agility?
It’s possible. I’ve seen many dogs take an agility class and start out very timid and come out with a new found sense of confidence. As you both learn the sport, each success becomes more empowering. When your dog successfully performs a jump, or going through the tunnel first time, your pride will grow and your dog will pick up on your sense of happiness, in turn, making him feel good about himself. And then there’s the time you both make it through a course of 14-15 obstacles, and you realize that your dog is “reading” your direction and that you are a true “team” in action. It’s a great feeling!!

My dog has so much energy that I’m afraid he won’t listen to me.
That’s where the obedience training comes into play. Dogs with high energy levels need someway to channel that energy and agility is perfect for that. Does he like to run like the wind? Wonderful! Agility is running like the wind – with some direction. Positive motivation makes listening to you a GOOD thing and then combined with the running you should have one very good agility dog on your hands.

How do I get started?
Sign up with K9 Tutor for a class or get private instruction. At first you will be simply learning the obstacles - how to take the jumps, tunnel, teeter, table, A-frame, chute, broad jump, dog walk and others. Take it slow. There’s plenty of time and you don’t want to scare your dog by moving too fast. While you may want to rush things, remember it takes more time to fix a fear problem than to learn by letting your dog go at his own pace. Make it fun and rewarding and your dog will gain speed as his confidence level grows. Your second level of classes should begin teaching you about navigating around a course and you will learn some handling moves. Remember the “fastest time, with the fewest errors” ground rule? There are maneuvers you can perform to minimize your movement and maximize your dog’s time in the ring.

As you continue in the sport, you will learn that your dog watches your body language as much, if not more so, than your verbal cues. You will learn ways to communicate this to your dog. You will learn how to tell if your dog is stressed and how to handle it (keep it FUN!).

Sometimes a problem is so big or so overwhelming that it’s helpful to have the whole process “jump started” for you. Maybe you have a new puppy and it needs to learn a whole LOT of things at one time and you are overwhelmed, stuck on a particular issue, or just unsure how to proceed in the best manner. K9 Tutor offers a 10-day training program, where your dog or puppy stays with us while we dedicate a full 10 days of training to your dog’s issue and helping you to achieve your goals.

During your dog’s stay with us, we will update you on progress and openly discuss our evaluation of the situation. At the end, K9 Tutor and you, the owner, will meet to determine the proper way to continue your dog’s training at home to achieve the optimum level of success.

Are you comfortable taking your dog with you on outings? Are you confident that he will maintain his composure in public settings? If not, it may be time to work on those rusty, or non-existent obedience/good manners skills. Whether you want basic good manners or want to compete in formal obedience, K9 Tutor teaches at both levels. Only positive techniques will be used. You will learn how to get your dog back to being able to share in all the fun activities with your family.

Socialization:

I find that a lot of behavior problems stem from a lack of socialization and/or exercise. Some dogs become fearful of new situations due to lack of exposure. Maybe they’ve never met a lot of other dogs or people and are unsure of them or fearful.

When your dog exhibits undesirable behaviors such as being fearful or aggressive (and sometimes these two are interconnected) it becomes less fun or even impossible to include them in your world away from home. As the behaviors worsen, the dog’s world becomes smaller and smaller. I specialize in providing sub-threshold environments that can help your dog regain his/her social skills, once again opening up their world so they can be included in all your family’s activities.

Exercise: Maybe you just need an outlet for your dog’s energy during the day so that you can come home and enjoy your dog’s company without feeling guilty about being too tired to go for that long walk he/she so needs.

My goal is not just to go for a walk, but to add some fun to your dog’s day – that may mean going to a park or other different location, or playing with other well socialized dogs. I will come to your home, pick up your dog, and then bring him/her home. I will provide updates on what your dog did for the day as well as occasionally provide pictures of the fun your dog is having.

The American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Program
(Taken from www.akc.org)
What is it?
Welcome to the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) Program. Started in 1989, CGC is a certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club.

Many dog owners choose Canine Good Citizen training as the first step in training their dogs. The Canine Good Citizen Program lays the foundation for other AKC activities such as obedience, agility, tracking, and performance events. As you work with your dog to teach the CGC skills, you’ll discover the many benefits and joys of training your dog. Training will enhance the bond between you and your dog. Dogs who have a solid obedience education are a joy to live with-they respond well to household routines, have good manners in the presence of people and other dogs, and they fully enjoy the company of the owner who took the time to provide training, intellectual stimulation, and a high quality life. We sincerely hope that CGC will be only a beginning for you and your dog and that after passing the CGC test, you’ll continue training in obedience, agility, tracking, or performance events.

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

Call today for more information!