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Lucky Dog Sports Club in Jupiter
Positive, rewards-based
dog training
September 2009
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Greetings!
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There's lots going on at Lucky Dog, seminars, special events, and lots of new classes. Scroll down to read it all, or look at the contents list to your right.
Dog Behavior Seminar Series
Does your dog do annoying things? Want to know how to fix them? Read on. These seminars are for humans only.
AKC Canine Good Citizen Test
Is your dog well mannered enough to pass the test? Find out.
There are so many new classes starting in obedience, rally, agility, and puppy. Learn more below or on our website and sign up to guarantee your spot in a class.
It's really easy to read this newsletter online. Click here.
To all of our Jewish friends this month on the Jewish New Year: Shana Tova, A Good Year! |
| Is Your Dog Well Mannered? |
AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test
We will be doing CGC testing on Saturday, September 26th beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The purpose of the CGC Program is to ensure that our favorite companion, the dog, can be a respected member of the community because it has been trained to be well behaved in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs. The CGC Program welcomes both purebred and mixed breed dogs.
A dog and handler team must take a short behavioral evaluation of less than half an hour. Dogs who pass the evaluation earn the Canine Good Citizen certificate, which many people represent after the dog's name, abbreviating it as CGC; for example, "Fido, CGC".
Register now and we will call to schedule your appointment to take the test.
Go ahead; show that your dog is an exceptional and a very well mannered member of the community!
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| Dog Behavior Seminar |
My Dog Is Driving Me Crazy! How To Deal With Unruly & Annoying Behaviors.
Friday, October 2nd from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Note: this is a change of date from the original one)
You love your dog, but he barks constantly, digs holes in your yard, counter surfs, and jumps on your  visitors. You will learn about these and other annoying behaviors and how to fix them. A better mannered dog is a pleasure to live with!
The knowledgeable and engaging speaker is Dr. Lisa Radosta, board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
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Contact Information:
Mindy Cox, Training Director
561-427-6700 phone
561-748-3699 fax
Any suggestions or comments? Please email. I value your feedback.
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Obedience Class Schedule
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For complete description, fees and registration form click on the class name or
click here to go to our website. These are 6-week classes.
Focus Foundation is one of our most popular classes. This class teaches or improves obedience skills such as sit, down, stay, come, loose leash walking, leave it, and no jumping. It  also improves attention, focus and impulse control. We will work at your pace to improve what you already know of teach you and your dog some new skills. As with all of our classes, this is a positive, rewards-based class. No jerking, pulling, or reprimands, only positive reinforcement for being successful!
This is also a great class if you want to move on the fun sport of agility or rally.
New class open for enrollment (6-week sessions):
Tuesday, September 29th at 6 p.m. Ends November 17th (no class Nov. 10th and 17th- instructor on vacation!)
This class fills fast, so sign up now to ensure a place in class.
Rally-O is a really fun obedience sport to do with your dog. Give it a try!
Classes begin Monday, October 12th to November 16th.
Advanced class starts at 6 p.m.
Beginner class starts at 7:15 p.m.
Rally-O (also called Rally-Obedience) emphasizes fun and excitement for the dog/handler team while providing an interactive approach to obedience. Rally is about the most fun you can have doing obedience exercises with your dog! The exercises involved in the course will help build your skills as a handler and increase your dog's repertoire of behaviors.
Maureen, the instructor is awesome but we don't get her very often, so if you are interested, please sign up. For Rally I (beginner), your dog should have good obedience skills and attention to you.
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Puppy Socialization & Training Classes
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 For complete descriptions, fees and registration form click here to go to our website.
Ideal Puppy I is your puppy's first class, almost like Kindergarten. Your puppy must be between 9 and 20 weeks at the start of class.
Why should all puppies go to school? By five months of age much of your puppy's personality has been determined, so it is very important to begin a class prior to this age. Early puppyhood is a critical time for socialization and learning. This time will set the stage for the rest of your puppy's life. You will train and socialize your growing puppy. It is never too early to start them off on the right paw.
UPCOMING CLASSES (total of 8 weeks for Ideal Puppy I & II):
All classes from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Ideal Puppy I: Begins Thursday, September 24th. Ends October 15th Ideal Puppy II: Begins Thursday, October 22nd. Ends November 12th. All classes from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Ideal Puppy I: Begins Thursday, October 22nd. Ends November 12th. Ideal Puppy II: Begins Thursday, November 19th. Ends December 17th (no class on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26th)
Most folks sign up for both Ideal Puppy I and II for 8 weeks of great training and socialization, and $50 in savings.
Puppy Agility Fun!
Just graduated from Ideal Puppy class and want more fun, learning, and bonding time with your growing, energetic bundle of fur? Puppy agility teaches confidence and helps build your partnership with your dog. You will continue to work on obedience as your pup begins to learn the skills and balance required for agility. This class is for puppies between the ages of 6 to 12 months. You'll love this fun class!
This indoor/outdoor class begins:
Tuesday, September 15th at 7:15 p.m. and ends October 20th.
This wonderful agility class is for your dog 6-12 months of age.
Puppy Agility 2
Begins Tuesday, September 15th at 8:30 p.m. Ends October 20th.
This class continues the fun and learning of Puppy Agility Fun!
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| Agility Class Schedule |
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Puppy Agility Classes
 Check out these fun classes in the section above, or on our website.
More info
AGILITY FOR THE GROWNUPS, dogs that is. (One year of age and older):
Intro to Agility
Wednesday, September 16th at 6:15 p.m. Ends Oct. 21st.
This is the first adult (12 months and up) agility class.
dogs will be introduced to many of the obstacles in agility such as jumps, tunnel, chute, and open weaves, in a safe and controlled manner. The skills needed to successfully negotiate the obstacles and the handling skills will be worked on weekly. Attention, focus and motivation will be practiced as the team builds confidence in an atmosphere that centers on learning skills while having fun. More info
Beginning Agility
Wednesday, September 16th at 7:30 p.m. Ends Oct. 21st
Intermediate Agility I & II
Start: Thursday, September 10th at 6:15 pm (please try to be there for set up at 6:00). End: October 15th.
Advanced/Masters Agility Handling & Skills
Monday, September 28th to November 2nd. Two classes: 6:00 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.
Monday, November 9th to December 14th. Two classes: 6:00 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.
Want to Start Your Dog in Agility?
The Intro to Agility class is your first agility class at Lucky Dog. But before you begin, you need to aks yourself if you and your dog are ready. Does your dog have a good sit/stay and down/stay? Does your dog come when called? Does he or she work well and pay attention to you when there are other dogs around? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, then your first stop is the Focus Foundation class. Good obedience skills are the backbone of any dog sport. In the Focus Foundation class your dog will learn attention, focus, better obedience, and impulse control. And you will learn how to be a better trainer and handler. If, however, you happily answered yes to those questions, congratulations! You have been working diligently. The next Intro to Agility class begins September 16th (or if your dog is less than a year old, check out Puppy Agility Fun!
Still Don't Know What Agility Is?
Don't know what agility is but would like to find out? There's a video that I think explains it well. Check it out. |
| Agility Special Events |
They are back! Get in on the action and have some fun! Sign up now.
2009 DATES
Sunday, September 13th
Sunday, October 4th
Sunday, November 29th
Sunday, December 20th.
(These dates subject to change.)
TIME: Gates open at 5:00 p.m. and first dog will be ready to run by 5:45 p.m.
CRATING: is indoors in climate-controlled comfort (or outdoors if you prefer).
EXPERIENCE: All levels (Novice class students and up if training at Lucky Dog) are welcome to practice this nested course (novice/open and excellent). After everyone runs the first course we will reverse it and run again after walking the new course. The lighting and footing are great. Toys and treats are welcome and encouraged to reward your dog.
REGISTRATION: To sign up, email us your name, and your pet's name, breed, jump height, and level (novice or excellent). You must sign up in advance. More info |
| Featured Article |
Too Busy to Train? Think Again!
Here are some tips to make training your dog easier to fit into your hectic life.
Most of us, pet owners and trainers alike, intend to practice and train our dogs more than we actually do. We have busy, complex schedules and good intentions. But actions count more than intentions, as we all know.
To help change intentions into actions, consider these "Tips for Training for the Busy Life". They provide many practical ways to 'sneak' training and practice into your normal routines. These are activities many of us do in an average day. By taking just a little more time with them, we can turn them into opportunities for clandestine training.
Use dog meal times! Require a "sit" while you prepare the meal. Build to a long "sit" (sit/stay) until the bowl is on the floor and you are standing fully upright again. Add "Watch" (or "Look at me"). Add seconds slowly.
Consider stepping away from the bowl before you release the dog. Your distance from the food bowl makes the food appear more available to your dog. This makes sit/stay harder. Build toward it at the rate your dog is successful.
Vary where your dog sits for this exercise: on a mat, by the bowl, across the room.
If feeding multiple dogs, add individual release cues.
Always RELEASE your dog to get the food - YOU decide when the dog can get up, but be fair and kind.
Train your dog during TV commercials. Instead of finding commercials annoying, be prepared with clicker and treats and a plan. When each commercial starts, invite your dog to another short training session. Decide ahead what behavior you will train so you don't waste precious commercial time! Consider: name game (say dog's name, click & treat when dog looks at you), freeze and go wild games, hide and seek, train a trick, or play tug and practice "give" (or "out") on cue. Keep a special tug in the living room on the bookcase or in a drawer (out of dog's reach) for this. Also keep a little bowl of treats and a clicker there for spontaneous training moments.
Remember to let your dog know when each mini-session is over by using a cue to indicate "all done" or "free".
Emptying the dishwasher? Great training time! Ask for a sit or down or go-to-your-mat in the kitchen. As you move around putting dishes away, remember that this is highly distracting for the dog. Cabinet doors opening and closing are exciting to your dog, as is your moving around. Reinforce the behavior you want!
Do you pull your shades at night? Do you open them again in the morning? This is a great chance to invite your dog to walk nicely with you, on or off leash. Consider asking for a sit or down at each window while you work the shade and then...off you two go again! Mix it up - sometimes ask for a sit/stay until you recall your dog to the next window; sometimes ask for nice walking at your side. Remember to reward and to keep it fun for both of you!
Go to the Article index for training information, including an all-about-agility video. |
| Featured Article #2 |
 Why Punishment Fails
Punishing a dog often doesn't work or can even
make a behavior problem worse. Three important
rules must be met for punishment to be effective.
1. The punishment must occur every time the unwanted behavior occurs.
2. The punishment must be administered within a
second or two of the inappropriate behavior.
3. The punishment must be aversive enough to stop
the dog from repeating the unwanted behavior in the
future but not be so aversive as to frighten the dog.
As seen in the two examples below, meeting all three of these criteria can be difficult. That's why punishment often fails to solve behavior problems and should not be the first training method of choice. Positive reinforcement training, in which animals are rewarded for appropriate behaviors, is safer and more effective. Punishment teaches an animal what you don't want it to do but fails to teach it what you expect of it.
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| News You Can Use |
Agility Trainers:
Looking for some new agility drills to use in your training?
Try out the Jump Box Drill Generator from AgilityNerd.com. There are thousands of permutations! And you can decide what skills you want to practice, such as wraps, 270s, and lots more.
Open House Planned
Lucky Dog's next door neighbor, Emergency Pet Care of Jupiter, is planning an open house on Saturday, Oct 3 from 9-5 pm. For more information email them or call 561-746-0555.
I was thinking that we should plan some dog demos during their open house as well. Anyone want to help with an agility demonstration? Obedience would be great too. Come on, it'll be fun! Email me if you are interested or have an idea.
Responsible Dog Ownership Fun Day
The Jupiter Tequesta Dog Club is hosting a fun day of dog events in Jupiter, including all kinds of demos, games and a parade. It's scheduled for Sunday, October 11th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information visit their website, www.JTDC.org.
Interested in Dog Massage?
Mark your calendar. Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure & Massage has scheduled more classes at Lucky Dog. Level 1 begins in February, 2010. Contact them for more information or check out their website. |
| Special Mention |
 A special and heartfelt thanks to all of my friends whose support during the illness and loss of my beautiful Malinois, Remy, is sincerely appreciated. He was taken much too soon and I miss him terribly (but memories of his goofy antics always bring a smile to my face). Your caring, compassion and friendship made this difficult and sad time a little easier.
A great big thank you to my good friend Cheryl for all of her help at Lucky Dog. She and Seele, her spirited shepherd, volunteered and helped at Reactive Dog class whenever they were needed (Seele played "neutral dog"). Seele was also a great play buddy to Remy, and is now a playmate to my new border collie rescue, Decker. Your help and friendship are appreciated, Cheryl. (I watched the DVD again that you made of Seele & Remy playing and it was so much fun!)
Love all you guys! I am richly blessed. |
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FAQ |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do you have an at-a-glance way to see classes and events?
A: You betcha! Our class calendar is now better than ever. If you are a Lucky Dog member organizing your practice times, you can now tell if a class is inside or outside. It is color coded by type of class (such as agility, obedience, puppy). The first class will have START to indicate the beginning.
Q: How do I register for a class or event?
A: Find the class you want on the Schedule page. For events, go to the Events page.
Click the Sign Up button beneath the class description and fill out the registration form. Or you can call 561-427-6700 and I will sign you up over the phone.
Payment can be cash, check, or credit card.
You can mail your form, email it, drop it off in our secure drop box to the left of our front door, fax it, or you can sign up by phone. Go to our Contact page to find all this info (or find the info in this newsletter in the above right column.
Q: What training philosophy do you use?
A: We only use positive, reward-based, dog-friendly training methods at Lucky Dog. No jerking, pulling, ear pinching or other aversive methods are used. We introduce the training clicker into many of the classes so your dog has a quicker and clearer understanding of what you are teaching.
Q: Do I need a club membership to take a class?A: No. Becoming a club member and taking a class are two separate things. But as a member you have access to Lucky Dog and can practice whenever you want (when there is no class scheduled).
Q: What are Lucky Dog's hours?
A: At this time there are no regular hours when you can drop by, but if you'd like a tour just give us a call and we are happy to accommodate you. Someone is always there when a class or event is scheduled.
Q: Do you only do group classes or can I schedule a private lesson?
A: We are happy to schedule a private lesson at Lucky Dog. We offer obedience and agility private lessons. | |
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