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Virginia Community Dog Training Centre

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24.01.2022 All competing dog sport members please note: Dogs SA (the governing body for all dog sports) have suspended all Dogs SA activities, including all group training as well as trialling and showing until at least 1st June, 2020. At this stage we will not be cancelling training and, as we are not Dogs SA affiliated, we are not obligated to. However, we will be closely following recommendations from state and federal governments and may cease training classes for a period if required. All members will be notified if we need to do this.

24.01.2022 At this stage community groups are still not permitted to meet so we will not be on Monday night https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/r/activities-and-gatherings

21.01.2022 If you asked me to name the single most important thing you can do for your dog, it would be this. Keep your dog feeling safe. This is not to be confused with y...our dog being safe, or whether or not you think your dog is safe. This is about keeping your dog *feeling* safe. Which means identifying what your dog finds stressful or scary by learning how to observe and read their body language to recognize when, where, and under what circumstances they feel uncomfortable, and doing whatever you can to avoid those situations. This can mean that your dog never visits another dog park. This can mean that even though its a beautiful Sunday and youd love to have brunch on a patio of your favorite restaurant with your dog, your dog stays home. This can mean that you politely (or not) decline requests to pet your dog. This can mean that when children come over your house, your dog is in another room with a yummy Kong. This can mean that you walk your dog during quiet times of the day. This can mean that you drive your dog to walk them in a different area. Whatever it means for you and your dog, keep your dog feeling safe. You are your dogs best and only advocate. You are what stands between them and the rest of the world, a world where dogs are set up to fail every day with often heartbreaking consequences. This doesnt mean that we dont also actively and *humanely* work to help our dogs feel more comfortable and confident in this world, but it does mean that until they do, WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM FEELING SAFE. Our dogs are relying on us, its our job to have their backs.

21.01.2022 This weeks challenge is to play fun recall games! Here I am playing the game with Jazzy and it involves the following steps: Find a safe area where your dog can be off lead. Initially Id suggest somewhere the dog is not too distracted (like the backyard). Have some tasty treats (big enough pieces that the dog will be able to find them easily). Show your dog a treat and toss it a little way away and at the same time say find it. As your dog is finishing the treat, call t...hem with a nice happy come cue As soon as they get to you, give them a treat and repeat the exercise. You will notice, after a few times (when the dog is doing the exercise really well) I start to gently grasp her collar, then give her a treat, then let go of the collar, throw a treat away and say find it. I do this because I want her to get used to having her collar held for when I need to reattach a leash. Once your dog is doing it well in the backyard, start to add distractions. However, if you go to an area that is not fenced, use a long leash for safety while doing the exercise. Remember it is a game, so keep it fun! Your dog should always be enthusiastic to come to you and, if you make a game of it, they will enjoy it too. See more

21.01.2022 https://www.psychologytoday.com//you-arent-dog-and-other-s

20.01.2022 Last week we did pivot boxes - which is a great way to teach dogs hind end awareness. This week we use that hind end awareness to help train back around an object. Here is Enriques first training session and this is how Im training: 1. Im using a cone, but you can use any object. Ive placed the cone inside a puppy pen (dont worry if you dont have a puppy pen, in the comments Ill show you a different way to do it. However, puppy pens are useful for training a var...iety of tricks and can be picked up cheaply from Kmart. 2. I am using a lure to encourage Enrique to walk backwards (he does already know how to walk back on cue, but hasnt ever backed around anything) 3. I mark the behaviour using a clicker and my goal is to click as the dog is moving backward - initially I click for just one small step 4. I start to ask for a few more steps 5. Once its going well, I will move from luring to rewarding (I will lure with the treat but then reward with the other hand). 6. I will do less luring and work on getting on a cue 7. Once I can get a whole way around using a cue, then I will start removing puppy pen panels one by one until the dog does the whole way around without them. I will share other dogs performing the trick at different levels - hopefully in the comments if Facebook wants to play better than it did last week when it wouldnt let me . This is a trick that takes a lot of practise and repetition - dont be in too much of a rush! A few minutes training at a time is usually more successful than longer sessions

19.01.2022 It is with deep sadness that we advise we will be required to stop training for the near future because we are an 'outdoor space associated with buildings used by social and sporting clubs'. In an effort to keep you training, we will be posting weekly challenges that we hope you will participate in. These will be published every Monday night so make sure you turn on notifications and become involved so we can all stay connected. We do not know when we can recommence but I... expect it will be a number of months before we will see each other in person again. For this reason, anyone who joined the club this year will have their memberships extended until 2022. I know I speak for all the instructors when I say we will miss you, we will miss your dogs and we hope you all stay safe and healthy during this difficult time. Lis https://www.facebook.com/101740356569982/posts/2902716669805656/?d=n See more

17.01.2022 For you training junkies out there, I recommend joining the closed group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/660004408115805/

16.01.2022 I’m not sure when we can go back to training - but definitely won’t be training next Monday. This is a good alternative for anyone who’s looking for stuff to do during lockdown. Especially seeing as we can’t even walk our dogs!

16.01.2022 Please be patient - your weekly challenge is coming (and it's a super useful one!). Just having some minor technical issues which hopefully will be sorted soon!

15.01.2022 https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com//dog-training-me

14.01.2022 With permission from Lewis Nicholls This is fantastic !! #dogbehaviour

14.01.2022 This week's challenge is teaching your dog to wait and it is presented wonderfully by our amazing puppy trainer, Sonia. Thanks to Sonia's employer, Gawler Animal Hospital, for allowing us to use the video for our page.

13.01.2022 This weeks challenge is teaching leave it (without having to yell or threaten!). Here is Harold showing the finished behaviour and walking past some hot chips. Just to show he really did want the chips, I show him eating one at the end (but usually, if you ask your dog to leave something, you wouldnt give it to them later). Ill show a video of Annabelle going through the steps in the comments and here is a breakdown of how to train it: 1. Have a boring treat (with A...nnabelle Im using a piece of dried kangaroo) for them to leave and also have some tasty treats to use as a reward (I used chicken and bung fritz to reward Annabelle). 2. Show the dog the boring treat, say leave it and quickly close the hand as they go toward it. Now wait (most dogs wont be as quick as Annabelle to get it, but thats because Annabelle is a genius). 3. As soon as their nose comes away from you hand, mark the behaviour (Im using a clicker but you could also use yes). It is important that you use your marker as the dogs nose moves away from your hand so they understand what the behaviour you want is. 4. As they get the idea, try keeping the hand open (but be ready to close it if they go for it). 5. Once they seem to be avoiding the hand, try swapping hands to check whether they really understand (you might have to go back to step 1 when you change hands) 6. Try putting the leave it object on the ground, but be ready to cover it if the dog goes for it (youll see Annabelle does at this stage so I have to be quick to cover to prevent her getting it. Once your dog can do leave it, youll find you can use it for many things! You can stop them from rolling in poo, stop them eating things on walks, stop them stealing your lunch. Just make sure you continue to reinforce the dog with high value rewards, even once theyre good at it to ensure they dont lose this very valuable skill!

13.01.2022 For those with chickens, I'm tempted to make this our first training challenge

13.01.2022 Another useful trick this week. Teaching your dog to go to his bed. Here is Harold showing a good understanding of the exercise. The steps will be shown shortly by Enrique in a separate video.

12.01.2022 We admire the dedication of those who braved training last night! Thanks to Vanessa for this great photo of the oval.

11.01.2022 PIVOT BOXES - great way to get exceptional heeling and teach your dog about hind end awareness. Harold has only had a few sessions but was happy to show you his progress (you can see at the end of the video that he starts to move on his own without the lure). Step 1: find a box of correct size (should be just big enough for the dog to stand on comfortably - ie chest width). Step 2: teach the dog it is a good place to be - lure the dog onto the box and give lots of treats... for front paws on it. Step 3: test the dog wants to get on the box without a lure (toss treat away then see if dog puts paws back on box - if so, reward - if not, go back to step 2). Step 4: start to lure for hind end movement (Im using a clicker as a marker and initially clicking when Harold moves his back legs. As we progress, I start to click for position - heel). Step 5: remove the pivot box and be amazed at what your dog can achieve. Jasmine has been doing pivot boxes a lot longer than Harold - Ill share some videos in the comments of what pivot box training can progress to... See more

10.01.2022 Yesterday, Hannah and myself were out with Mack and Poodle for a little run/hike. Both dogs have struggled in the past with seeing other dogs on a leash. We c...ame across a lady with two dogs, both at the end of the leash barking at us. We pulled off to the side and started to reinforce the behaviours we wanted to see more off in this situation. It was basic stuff. We were just maintaining their focus on us as opposed to the two yappy dogs. They got within less than 5 metres and both Poodle and Mack ignored them whilst their tirade of barks increased the closer the lady and the dogs got. At that point the lady said its great when dogs are food focused. This unfortunately shows a huge lack of understanding with how behaviour change works and how training works as well. The point isnt that these dogs are food focused. A few months ago the food would have meant nothing to Mack in this situation. And I probably only used 3 or 4 pieces of food the whole time she was trying to manoeuvre around us. Its like saying its great having staff that are money motivated. Sure, money plays a part in having good workers but the biggest reason people quit their job or do a poor job, is not because the money isnt good or good enough, its because theyre not happy with their boss or how they are treated. Dog training isnt just about giving dogs food. Its about being a good boss. (I use boss very loosely here - we dont need to be that boss that is more like a tyrant etc). Food played a part with why our dogs didnt react in this situation but the biggest reason they didnt react was due to the months of training we have been doing with them. With Mack, I actually used little food in the first few months because when things got too much he simply wouldnt take it or would snatch the food and then react. We worked around this by building reinforcers as opposed to having them food motivated along with management to prevent the behaviour from happening again and again and again. Most of the training occurred away from the triggers. The foundations are heavily reinforced and then we slowly reintroduce dogs to their triggers. Once were happy with how they are responding, we simply dont stop there (hence why we took our dogs off to the side and trained) we maintain what we have spent months teaching. This is dog training. Its not as simple as having food focused dogs. That can help but its not the be all or end all. It requires a lot more thinking than that. Our patreon page is designed to help people better understand and learn more so they can achieve their goals as well. It does take some work though. And thats on us. That is dog training. Www.patreon.com/Thinkdogtraining

10.01.2022 Stimulation is the key!

10.01.2022 https://www.animalsense.com.au//labelling-dogs-as-dominant

09.01.2022 We have a date for the resumption of training!! We'll see you all on Monday, 15th June at 7.30pm for 1st session and 8.15pm for advanced. On that night we will be accepting new members as well as our current ones. Jazzy and I are looking forward to getting back to it!

08.01.2022 Please don’t be this stupid.... https://m.youtube.com/watch

08.01.2022 Here is Enrique learning on your bed. Here are the steps to train this useful exercise: Encourage your dog into the bed using treats. Once he has at least one paw on the bed, give a number of treats in quick succession. Place the treats at the far end of the bed to encourage your dog to put more of his body on the bed. Giving lots of treats on the bed will help magnetise him to the bed.... Throw one treat off the bed (say off or something similar as you throw the treat away from the bed). Some dogs will go straight back to the bed others, like Enrique, will require more help (lure with treat) to go back on. Again, lots of treats when he puts at least 1 paw on the bed. Notice I am not saying on your bed yet. I want to wait until he is offering the behaviour confidently (otherwise he may start to ignore the on your bed cue). This is Enriques first time at learning this trick so this is a long enough session. However, the next steps will be to start to wait him out and see if he starts to offer going on the bed without the physical encouragement. Once he does, I would start to increase the time he stays on the bed before giving his treat (very gradually). If this is going well, then I would start to add a gradual distance increase (again, very gradually). See more

08.01.2022 Congratulations to Bandit (and John) for excelling at their first rally competition with an incredible score of 91/100. It was a successful day for Stryker (and Lyn) also who got their first Masters pass. We had a number of members entered in the tricks and DWD competitions but don't have results for those yet, will look forward to hearing of their successes.

08.01.2022 The 'how to' for this week's challenge (chin target). Here is Annabele learning a chin target. As you can see, she initially wants to offer paw so I start with her in a drop position (it depends on your dog as to whether you need to do this). To start with, it's a matter of getting her comfortable of having my hand resting under her chin. You will see at the end, she puts her head down slightly to find my hand, indicating that she is starting to understand the exercise. We'll look forward to hearing how your training is going and would love you to post videos of your progress.

07.01.2022 Since we can't meet up for class currently, we'll be doing a training challenge every week to help you stay motivated to train. This week is a chin target. Jasmine is demonstrating the finished product and you can see how it can be useful. I'm asking her for "chin" so I can examine her ears, wipe her eyes, check her paw and look at her teeth. I will upload the 'how to' video shortly.

07.01.2022 This weeks challenge is teaching leave it (without having to yell or threaten!). Here is a video of Annabelle going through the steps of how to train 'leave it'. 1. Have a boring treat (with Annabelle Im using a piece of dried kangaroo) for them to leave and also have some tasty treats to use as a reward (I used chicken and bung fritz to reward Annabelle). 2. Show the dog the boring treat, say leave it and quickly close the hand as they go toward it. Now wait (m...ost dogs wont be as quick as Annabelle to get it, but thats because Annabelle is a genius). 3. As soon as their nose comes away from you hand, mark the behaviour (Im using a clicker but you could also use yes). It is important that you use your marker as the dogs nose moves away from your hand so they understand what the behaviour you want is. 4. As they get the idea, try keeping the hand open (but be ready to close it if they go for it). 5. Once they seem to be avoiding the hand, try swapping hands to check whether they really understand (you might have to go back to step 1 when you change hands) 6. Try putting the leave it object on the ground, but be ready to cover it if the dog goes for it (youll see Annabelle does at this stage so I have to be quick to cover to prevent her getting it. Once your dog can do leave it, youll find you can use it for many things! You can stop them from rolling in poo, stop them eating things on walks, stop them stealing your lunch. Just make sure you continue to reinforce the dog with high value rewards, even once theyre good at it to ensure they dont lose this very valuable skill!

07.01.2022 For those interested in tricks and wanting to do a bit more - I recommend having a look at this! Super talented trainer offering an online course at a very affordable cost: https://www.facebook.com/Anythingispawsibledogtrainin/videos/557747688481957/ Tricks are great for your dog to build confidence, learn to listen to you and have fun - and great for you to build on your own training skills (and also have fun!).

07.01.2022 Advanced class - maybe this is something we should try!

06.01.2022 LOST! One of our members has lost his wedding ring and thinks it may have fallen off at training. If anyone did see it or picked it up please message the page. If anyone is going to the oval to exercise their dogs this week, please keep an eye out for it. Hopefully we can find it and keep him out of the doghouse!

05.01.2022 Sorry all - classes will NOT be held tonight. Because it is a northern suburbs based cluster, we need to err on the side of caution, even though the restrictions don’t officially come into effect until midnight tonight. https://www.abc.net.au//sa-reintroduces-coronavir/12887770

05.01.2022 Please dont be this stupid.... https://m.youtube.com/watch

04.01.2022 Be careful and take your time driving to class tonight - already foggy! And of course we'll understand if you prefer not to drive in thick fog.

03.01.2022 Don't forget - no training tonight because of public holiday!

02.01.2022 This weeks challenge involves getting your dog comfortable with nail trims (saving you and your dog huge amounts of stress). Im using Jasmines previously learned behaviour of giving her paw and then introducing the nail clippers into the exercise. Notice that Im not going straight away to clipping nails, Im simply putting the clippers close to the nails. If you have a dog that is really fearful of clippers, youll need to desensitise them first (let me know if you nee...d instructions for that). Jasmine has control in this exercise, she is dictating how I proceed, if she was worried, Id make it simpler. Im working on getting the action of me picking up the clippers as a cue to give her paw (although I stuffed that up in 1 rep by doing wrong order ). Lucky were all allowed to make mistakes and Im challenging myself with these challenges by only allowing myself one take . Ill share Harolds video soon showing the finished product so you can see how great stress free nail clips are See more

01.01.2022 Hand targeting Why? Teaching a dog to target on to your hand can help you train lots of different tricks and give you the ability to position your dog wherever you want, simply by moving your hand. How? Initially present your hand just a couple of centimetres away from your dog. Your dog is likely to reach forward to check whats in the hand. As soon as they do, mark the behaviour by either using a clicker or saying yes then follow up with a treat. As the dog gets the ...idea, try the same with the other hand. If thats going well, try getting the dog to touch with the hand a little further away so they have to reach further. Jazzy shows other tricks and positions you can develop using a hand target. See more

01.01.2022 Hi All, In response to the Coronavirus pandemic which is causing serious consequences around the world, please do not attend class if you have any cold or flu like symptoms or if you have been exposed to anyone who is likely to have been in contact with the virus. Otherwise, see you tomorrow