Hot Diggity Dog!
Dog Lover's Ezine from Martia Nelson & Rincon |
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| WELCOME! September 19, 2009 Issue #7 |
| Dog Days of Summer Are Going. |
Hi everyone!
You know how dogs are in the present moment and not so attuned to linear time? That describes me, too! It must be why so much time streams by before I remember to put out another newsletter issue.
But here I am, happy to be talking with you again at last.
I hope you had a great summer.
This time of year I see the shadows starting in my back yard two hours earlier than I expect them, and I want to reach out and grab the edges of time and hold it still so I won't lose more of this lovely evening light.
But then we have a day or two when I swear the air feels "thinner" and I'm inhaling the beginning of the beauty of fall. In those moments I'm excited that soon we'll have crisp days (so much cooler for dog walking!) and the cozy feeling of retreating into a warm house for the evening.
I guess transitions tend to be this way; we lose one thing and gain something else. At the change of seasons, nature trades us one beauty for another.
One kind of beauty I love all year is...puppies!
So I especially want to direct your attention to the adventures of Coco, the puppy you'll see below. I hope you'll click on the link there and read her story.
I already know the whole story, and I still laugh out loud every time I read it. Which is everyday because Coco has totally won my heart. And she's Rincon's new best friend (you'll find out how that happened in the story).
One person said she laughed so hard reading Coco's story that she almost peed her pants. I haven't officially posted that testimonial yet, but it's a pretty good one! (So don't say you weren't warned.)
In the joyful spirit of puppies, changing seasons and beauty of all kinds, I wish you a bountiful fall.
Tail wags, Martia & Rincon
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| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| In This Issue |
- CAN YOU RESIST THIS FACE? - Coco's Camper Capers
- FUN VIDEO CLIPS - Simon Sez
- CLASS STARTS 10/3 - Obedience & Socialization
- TRAINING TIPS - Do You Ever Feel Frustrated?
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| CAN YOU RESIST THIS FACE? |
| Coco's Camper Capers
Can you resist this face?
Me neither!
Meet Coco. A bouncy, bitey 3-month-old Brittany puppy who stayed at her first "away camp" with Rincon and me over Labor Day weekend. When she wasn't wearing me out, she had me laughing so hard I couldn't see straight.
AND--who knew?--she kept a diary of all her adventures!
Good thing, because you're going to want to read it. I'm pretty sure.
Coco is a determined little girl. Find out how much trouble she got into (how do puppies do that so fast?) and what she learned.
And you'll watch positive dog training techniques in action. By Coco's mistakes and triumphs you'll see how to elicit good manners and cooperative behavior from the dog you love.
Who knew dog training could be so entertaining?
This is a HILARIOUS true story. Both you and the children in your life will delight in little Coco's escapades. Check it out!
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| FUN VIDEO CLIP |
| Simon Sez |
Simon says, "Watch this short clip to the end to see who wins!"
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OCTOBER CLASS |
| Sign Up Now. |
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DOG OBEDIENCE & SOCIALIZATION
All Positive Training
Six Saturdays, October 3 - November 14 (skip 10/31)
9:00 -10:00am, Sebastopol
Training your dog might be easier than you think!
To enroll or get more information, contact Martia by phone or email.
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| TRAINING TIPS |
| Do You Ever Feel Frustrated? |
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Your connection with your dog is about love and pleasure. Simply put, you and your dog love each other and feel pleasure in each other's company.
That's also how the most effective dog training feels. Training when you or your dog isn't feeling pleasure causes more problems than it solves.
Today's two tips will help you get back to the good vibes whenever you find yourself having a tough training moment.
TIP: If you're not enjoying the training, you're dog isn't either.
If you start to get tense or frustrated, BREATHE, SIGH, and RELAX. Then find the fun in what you're doing, or remember how much you love your dog, or notice how trustingly your dog looks at you--anything that brings you pleasure. When that pleasure appears, continue training; when the pleasure disappears, stop a moment to follow those steps for recapturing it.
If you can't find the pleasure right then, or you sense that you or your dog is too tired, confused or hyper to be successful, end training. But end it on a POSITIVE note.
Here's how to end it.
Guide your dog into a super simple command you are CERTAIN your dog will be successful at (looking at you, or Sit, or Come from two feet away--you get the idea).
When your dog successfully completes that command reward BIG. Give four kibbles instead of one, or exuberant praise, or immediate play with your dog's favorite toy. No matter what happened two minutes before, you want your dog's last feeling in the training session to be "Wow, that training stuff feels WONDERFUL!"
You'll see this tact demonstrated in Coco's Camper Capers. Oh, yeah. Big time.
TIP: Don't scold or yell at your dog during training. The instant you do, your dog's learning ability takes a nose dive.
When you get upset with your dog, her brain becomes so bombarded with stress hormones that are instantly pumped into her system that she can't think intelligently or process sequences of instruction.
She loses their ability to "connect the dots" for whatever you want her to do--and training is all about connecting the dots. The stress also can make her anxious about future training and diminish heir self-confidence.
If you doubt it, imagine how well you would learn a training technique in class if I scolded or yelled at you. I won't (I promise!), but you can imagine that you would be more likely to shut down or to resist me than to experience a joyfully accelerated moment of learning.
And afterward you might be less confident about your training ability and even feel like never coming back to class. Dogs are just as sensitive emotionally as we are--maybe even more sensitive because they depend on us for so much of their care.
Remember, training that is pleasurable for both of you and increases the positive bonding between you is the most powerful and effective training.
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| THE SMALL PRINT |
| Reprinting |
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You are welcome to reproduce this issue of Hot Diggity Dog!, in part or in its entirety, as long as you include the paragraph with copyright immediately below. (Also please send me a copy of the reproduction or a link to the webpage. Thanks and Enjoy!)
Martia Nelson is a dog trainer www.DogDancer.com , as well as a life coach and author of "Coming Home: The Return to True Self." www.MartiaNelson.com. Copyright (c) 2009 Martia Nelson.
Copyright (c) 2009 Martia Nelson. All Rights Reserved.
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 Hot Diggity Dog!
Dog Dancing & Obedience Training Martia Nelson & Rincon
PO Box 1932, Sebastopol, CA 95473 (707) 823-4403 martia@sonic.net
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