I baked Halloween cookies for the dogs in training, which are all the dogs. Always. Dogs are always in training. In other words, even dogs who have been trained need their training reinforced, always.
I kick start well mannered behaviors during board-and-train, so dogs and puppies get an installation of basic behaviors. Then, when dogs go home, it’s up to their owners to maintain the basic installation and grow these new behaviors in their own home and peripheral environments.
In order to get my own dogs and the board-and-train dogs to pose for photos, I first had to teach them to sit. Then to do a stay, even if it’s a 3-second stay. When you’re standing close enough to your dog, and asking for a stay, and you have Halloween cookies, dogs who have been trained will oblige and even do a sit stay while wearing a few festive clothing items.
I have more than one dog, but today I decided to do photo shoots of my dogs and the board-and-train dog one at a time. My own dogs practice behaviors together because I do that work that’s needed to reinforce in tandem behaviors. When you have more than one dog, teaching the basics to one dog at a time is how to start, then, after well practiced alone, you can start to work the dogs together.
As an example, here are my two dogs and a board-and-train who regularly visits me when her owner goes on trips away from home. They are all getting a homemade Halloween cookie that I baked, but my dogs are responding to the usual routine, sit for a treat. Can you tell which one isn’t my dog? She’s learning to respond in a group rather than solo. She’s more concerned about getting a treat than hearing the cue and responding. This is normal stuff in dog training. With enough practice, she’ll learn the routine and how to respond to the cue in a group situation while at my home and furthermore, if it matters to her owner, who is next in line to maintain and grow the training.
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Helen Verte Schwarzmann
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Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC STAR Puppy, CGC, and Trick Dog Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for southwest Florida, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Collier county, Lee county
