General Guidelines

General Guidelines

• Walk your dog before class, to avoid accidents or marking. They both can be very distracting.

• Be Positive! Steer clear of saying no, a good motto to follow is “Ignore the bad, Reward the good. A reward doesn’t have to always be a treat, it can be praise.

• Please don’t feed your dog right before class. A hungry dog is more motivated to learn. Feed your dog extra early or after class (depending on the time of the class).

• Training your dog at home is important. Training once a week is not enough repetition or diversity for them to learn adequately. Shorter sessions more often will not only give your dog the opportunity to learn faster. It will provide for a more solid foundation for the skill you are teaching them.

• If you see yourself or your dog getting frustrated, it is a good indication you need to either switch to reinforce a skill your dog has already mastered (so you both can be successful) or stop training, play with your dog and then return to the training.

• I have many articles and books on many topics. If you want more information than is provided in class, please ask.