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 So many exciting changes since we last showed up in your in-box! We said farewell to Schooner and sent him on his next adventure toward becoming a service dog. Updates on Schooner are below (he's doing great!).
We gained a new service puppy in-training (that's Levi on the left).
Next month, Laurie will be speaking at ClickerExpo - Norfolk. There are still a few spots available for this amazing animal training and behavior conference if you're interested in attending.
We're starting several new series of Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior's Professional Dog Training Program all over the U.S. If you're thinking of changing careers and getting into dog training, take a look at the different locations and start dates and get your application in!
If you haven't visited us on the web, stop by the new Smart Dog University website! We're constantly improving here at SDU to bring you and your dogs easy, fun, and effective training. The new website brings the blog and our videos together in one convenient spot for you.
Laurie Luck, Professional Dog Trainer
Faculty, Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior
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Do This, Not That
The new puppy Levi, is doing what normal puppies do: he’s using his teeth to explore. At the moment, he’s exploring a hand that’s been offered by a visitor to our home. I hear “Ow! No!” and watch as the offered hand remains well within the puppy’s reach, dangling enticingly, despite the protesting voice.
Again, “Ow, no!” this time with a little more, shall we say, enthusiasm. Yet still, the wiggling fingers dangle oh so close to puppy teeth.
“Ow! Dang it, stop it!” Finally, I can take no more. The puppy clearly isn’t learning anything. The person clearly isn’t learning anything. I step in and tell the person to simply withdraw their hand from the puppy. The quizzical look surprises me. Doesn’t this make sense to everyone, I wonder? When one touches a hot stove, how many need to reach out again and again to see if it’s still hot? Yet when it comes to a puppy or dog, people don’t seem to come to this logical conclusion.
Maybe the fact that dogs seem to understand to much most of the time that renders people incapable of following basic logic, but I find myself daily instructing people on seemingly straightforward matters that involve dogs.
Whatever the reason, people tend to abandon common sense in their interactions with dogs. I’m here to lobby on behalf of dogs who are quite uncomplicated and need to know what they should be doing, not what you don’t want them to do. This article explains how and why it’s much easier and more efficient to focus on what you’d like your dog to do. It’s a version of Do This, Not That (DTNT), but doggie-style.
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New Career?
Does making money working with dogs sound good?
Thinking of branching out in 2014?
Want to take your education to the next level?
Karen Pryor Academy's Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program is what you're looking for!
Our 6-month course combines online learning with hands-on teaching from some of the most experienced teachers in the field.
I'm offering the DTP across the US in 2014:
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Baltimore Metro, Maryland
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St. Louis, MO
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Atlanta Metro, Georgia
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Richmond Metro, Virginia
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Meet Levi
The newest addition to the "western" themed service dog class has arrived! Around Smart Dog U, we call Levi an old soul. He's got lots of puppy in him, but somewhere deep in those eyes is a dog who's been around the proverbial block, several times maybe. He seems to pick up on things quickly, has a deep-seated calmness about him, and appears to be a thoughtful, attentive, and charming young pup.
Our dogs have slowly accepted him and his playful antics. It usually takes about three weeks for our dogs to switch from tolerating to accepting the new puppy. Then, another two or three weeks to get from accepting to enjoying.
Our initial learning goals are focus and self control. We are hard at work teaching Levi to ignore other people (which can be difficult for the ultra-social Labradors) when he's out in public training with me, settling quietly on his mat, and generally learning how to learn.
Socializing a puppy is critical before 16 weeks (Levi's now 12 weeks), but it's very difficult to socialize when the weather's been so cold. We're doing out best to get him out and about: visiting the local library, bringing him to Puppy Charm School, taking him along on errands to the local feed store, and our regular veterinary well-puppy visits.
He's starring in several upcoming dog training how-to videos. You can see them on the Smart Dog Blog. We offer a new dog training video every Thursday.
Stay tuned to the blog and learn what it's like to raise and train a service puppy! Almost everything little Levi learns can be directly applied to your own dog. Join us and teach your dog, too! |
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The NEW Smart Dog Blog
We want to make it easy for you to have a well behaved dog.
We've redesigned our website and now it's easier to find what you want. Each week, we include a short, how-to video to help you teach your dog. Let us know what you'd like to see next on the blog!
Here are some articles from January:
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