SS - A To Z Challenge - Z Is For Zest

In order to achieve your dog training goals, you must have a zest for going out and training your dog. Fill yourself with unfounded energy, go out and ensure that you and your dog enjoy your session and gain valuable skills, experience and enjoyment out of it. If you have a zest for training, it will rub off on your dog and so will he!

Earl

Have a zest for training and you're bound to succeed and achieve your goals!

And that marks the final day of the A To Z Challenge 2016! We have once again thoroughly enjoyed participating in the challenge and look forward to participating again next year. We hope you have all enjoyed our A To Z posts during April!

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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We cohost the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop alongside Ruckus The Eskie. Please join us!

A To Z Challenge - Y Is For You

You and your dog. You and your precious, beloved canine companion side by side. You are responsible for ensuring that you and he have an amazing, beneficial and enjoyable training journey as a pair.

Ethel

Nothing is more important than you and your dog and your partnership.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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We are joining Rascal And Rocco, Bionic Basil, Barking From The Bayou and Love Is Being Owned By A Husky in The Pet Parade Blog Hop. Thank you!

An InLinkz Link-up

A To Z Challenge - X Is For X Marks The Spot

Teaching your dog to target a variety of objects can be incredibly useful and can serve you well when you want to teach him more advanced commands. A simple hand touch is surprisingly simple to teach, and from then on, you can teach your dog to target many more objects using the same technique. Clicker training your dog to perform this command makes the process even easier, as you can simply click and reward every time your dog shows the desired behaviour. Hold out your hand, and every time your dog makes contact with it, click and reward. When your dog fully understands his task with confidence, you can add your desired vocal command and/or hand signal. Once your dog has learnt this command, you can replace your hand with different objects and use the same technique. This command opens up a wide variety of training doors for you and your dog; the many training opportunities that can arise from this one simple command are endless! The same command can also be successfully taught with the paw.

Ethel

As long as your dog understand that X marks the spot for rewards, he is bound to love touching your hand and different objects at every given opportunity! This command can even open several sporting doors; many Heelwork To Music handlers use the target command to teach their dog to work away from them and be able to send away to different props during a routine. Obedience handlers also use the hand touch command to teach their dogs to walk to heel and press their nose against their side where the hand is positioned. Agility handlers use the target command to teach their dogs to touch the contacts on the contact equipment, often using the two-on-two-off method. This is taught with the paws instead of the nose, but a similar principle applies. One simple command can do so much for you, your dog and your training progress!

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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We are joining Ruckus The Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By A Husky and Barking From The Bayou in the Thoughtless Thursday Blog Hop. Thank you!

A To Z Challenge - W Is For Weary

Keeping training sessions with your dog short, effective and productive can help keep his attention span for the entire training session and make him more willing to train. We all become weary of things that drag on for a long time; for example, a boring lesson at school. A 10 minute lesson would definitely make pupils more willing to participate than one that dragged on for an hour. Keep training sessions with your dog short, but make them more frequent. This means that you'll be training him for the same amount of time, but you'll be spreading it out a bit more so that you both become less weary.

Earl

Eventually, we all become weary of things that drag on for a long time, even if we find it enjoyable. Every weight becomes heavier if we do it in excess and all in one go without splitting it up and having some time out. You should always aim to keep your dog's enjoyment and motivation levels high when training him.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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We are joining BlogPaws in the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thank you!

A To Z Challenge - V Is For Vocal

When training your dog, using vocal commands is incredibly helpful in order for your dog to learn. Of course, many deaf dogs are taught impressively well using hand signals and body language alone, but using your voice to guide and reassure your dog makes training a lot easier for both of you.

Earl

Teaching your dog vocal commands can even save his life. For example, if your dog runs towards a road and you shout 'down' or a similar vocal command, it could save him from running into the road. Training your dog vocal commands has many benefits and will make your daily life living with him much easier for everyone.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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A To Z Challenge - U Is For Ups

Just like in life itself, you will experience many ups and downs in dog training and competition. Sometimes, your training session will go completely and utterly pear shaped, while other times, your dog will be focussed, enthusiastic and performing fantastically. And sometimes, you will drive home with a collection of Eliminations and faults, while other times, your will come away with a bag full of wins, rosettes and trophies. Life is about balance, and you can only experience the ups if you deal with and move on from the downs.

And at the recent Lincoln Agility Enthusiasts Agility competition, we experienced many ups!

We had a brilliant weekend! Ethel gave some absolutely outstanding performances once again, winning the Combined 1-4 Jumping by 3 seconds out of around 50 dogs on Saturday, and coming 6th out of around 90 dogs in the Combined 4-7 Jumping on Sunday! She was beyond brilliant once again!

And, regardless of not being completely on form, Earl managed a pretty decent 14th out of around 100 dogs in the Combined 4-7 Agility Qualifier on Saturday! We did, however, have a couple of downs during and following some of his runs, as I simply did not feel as though he was performing as well as I know he could. I do, however, know that down days are all part and parcel of life for everyone, including dogs.

I am really proud of my dogs once again, especially Ethel; she is doing so incredibly well, especially for such a young dog! Once again, we had a really good weekend with many of ups!

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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SS - A To Z Challenge - T Is For Train

It's simple; put consistent time, effort and dedication into training your dog and you, your dog and the people around you will reap the benefits.

Earl

Training your dog successfully takes more than just one or two half-hearted training sessions!

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

Join in on social media - #AToZChallenge

We cohost the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop alongside Ruckus The Eskie. Please join us!

We apologise; we haven't received the linky list this week, either.

A To Z Challenge - S Is For Signs

Training your dog is fun, and it should always be that way. However, even fun things can wear you down and make your energy levels plummet to the ground. Overdoing your dog in training can put him off and could even lead to him injuring himself. Your dog may show signs such as a lack of enthusiasm, a wandering mind, lack of concentration, bailing out and, as far as the physical side of this goes, a sign of bodily discomfort such as limping, scratching, lip licking and/or other signs of pain or irritation. Ensure that you know what to look out for and, if and when you see your dog showing any signs that you may have done a little too much, call it a day immediately, and, if necessary, have a professional Veterinarian check over your dog.

Earl

Learn to read your dog and look out for signs that you may have overdone training.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

Join in on social media - #AToZChallenge

We are joining Rascal And Rocco, Bionic Basil, Barking From The Bayou and Love Is Being Owned By A Husky in The Pet Parade Blog Hop. Thank you!

An InLinkz Link-up

A To Z Challenge - R Is For Reverse

If you or your dog is finding something difficult during training, reversing your progress - as disheartening as it may sound - can be incredibly useful in order to progress. Failing to understand something that is required of you can be really disheartening and confidence-knocking. If your dog cannot understand a certain task, going back to basics can help build his - and your - confidence back up again. For example, if you're teaching him a difficult trick and he fails to respond correctly, asking for an easier, more simple command for the meantime can help bring his confidence back up and help him to respond to you once again. If you're teaching him to roll over and he fails to understand how to roll all the way, go back a step and ask him to lie on his side. Building up to a difficult task is important for success and confidence, and if something is too difficult for your dog, you may have rushed into it. Of course, if a command is too physically demanding for your dog's build, you should definitely not continue teaching him it as it could cause him discomfort if he is pushed to a point of near impossibility. Look back at your progress and reverse if you feel it would benefit you and your dog.

Earl

Train your dog at his own comfortable pace, and if he is finding something challenging, never rush or push him beyond his comfort zone. Reverse your progress slightly and build his skills and confidence until he has the understanding and is capable of performing the required task to the full.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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A To Z Challenge - Q Is For Question

If you're unsure about something, asking questions to people who are more knowledgable and experienced than you in the field will result in you learning something new and finding out what you were previously unsure of. If you want some information of any kind, never be afraid to approach someone and ask for some friendly help or advice. If you want someone's help, reach out to them! Remember, knowing something can be the difference between success and failure in that field.

Earl

Ask people questions and you can gain their knowledge. Although approaching people may feel uncomfortable, you simply cannot learn if you don't reach out to people and let them help you.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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We are joining BlogPaws in the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thank you!

A To Z Challenge - P Is For Patience

A cross and inpatient handler will only result in an unhappy, unfocussed and unmotivated dog who will be reluctant to participate in the training. Understanding how difficult and confusing your dog could be finding a certain command is paramount when training him. You must be patient with him and help him learn at his own pace. Rushing him will only ruin the quality and accuracy of his performance, and being cross with him for misunderstanding or not obeying a command will only put him off training. If your dog disobeys you, it is much more likely that he has a valid reason for doing so than simply choosing not to do as you ask of him. If he looks confused or uncomfortable, comfort him and remain calm. Keep your attitude positive and have another attempt, being kind and thoughtful as you guide him. Aim to understand his feelings and why he might be confused. Observe his behaviour and help him to succeed.

Imagine if your schoolteacher or boss screamed at you for making a mistake due to a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge or experience doing a certain task. Would you want to have a second attempt or come back again, knowing that you will be scolded if you find something difficult? No! So why would your dog want to continue with the training session if you were being inpatient with him? Patience is one of the most paramount aspects of dog training, as there is always a challenge involved. Embrace the challenges that you face and work with your dog as a team to succeed. Aim to be on the same wavelength as your dog; your goal is to understand him and how he is feeling and finding a command. This way, you can help him to progress.

We are joining the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge 2016!

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