The Dog Squad Monthly Bark Report
Volume 2 Issue 3March 2011
March Madness is upon us! Can you believe we are already into the 3rd month of 2011!
 
Thanks for all the email support I have received about the changes that have occurred recently at The Dog Squad.
I want to reassure everyone that business is going on as usual and there will be no changes in the Park Classes and Services provided.

If you have any questions regarding unfinished lessons or follow-up you can contact me by email at steve@dogsquad.biz or call me at 510-632-6594.

Sincerely,

Steve Bettcher
Indoor Games You Can Play with Your Dog
Skipper
Weather getting you down? Fido and your kids all have cabin fever? Here are a couple of  stimulating games you can play that can entertain your dog, the kids and you.
  
Hide and Seek
This is a great game for the kids and family to play. To start have person A hide in sight of the dog. Person B holds the dog and then tells the dog to find A. Person A then calls the dog from its hiding place and when the dog finds him he praises the dog and gives it a treat. Person B then goes off and hides. Person B then tells the dog to go find person B. B then calls the dog and praises and treats when he finds him. As the dog gets better with the game stop calling the dog and let the dog use its nose to find the hiding person.
  
As the dog progresses at the game start hiding in more difficult places like a closet, bath tub, or under the bed. This game could keep the kids and the dog entertained for hours.
  
Find
Teach your dog to find its favorite toy by using its incredible sense of smell. Did you know that your dog has over 220 million olfactory receptors compared to a human's 5 million? Your dog will love this game.
  
Start with your dog's favorite toy. Waive it in front of her and get her excited.  Hide the toy within sight and tell her to find it.  When she grabs it praise her and give her a treat.  Next put her into a sit/stay or have a helper hold her while you find a place somewhere in the same room to hide the toy.  Its okay for the dog to see where you are hiding the toy. If your dog does not go immediately to the toy encourage her by walking towards it and helping her find it. Give her lots of praise and a treat for her effort.  Move in small steps making each one a little more difficult and giving less help until she can do it all on her own.
  
As she becomes more proficient give her bigger challenges like hiding the toy up high on  bookshelf or upstairs in a bedroom and finally in a drawer hidden away.
  
So don't let the weather get you and your dog down. Be creative and come up with your own games and fun.
Off Leash Class March   

Only 2 Places Left!
Get your reservation in soon.
 
Rowell Ranch
Castro Valley
6 Sundays - 9 to 10 AM
  
This class is for current Dog Squad Clients and is designed to teach

dog owners how to bridge the gap between working on leash and

reliable off leash control. Attendees must have trained with The Dog Squad (e-collar clients only), are currently or have been in a regular Dog Squad Class and are doing well enough to move onto more advanced obedience work. Any dog with any sign of dog aggression must be muzzled. If the dog is deemed too aggressive he/she may be denied entry or expelled from the class.

 

 The 6 week course covers all the basic obedience commands as well as more advanced behaviors. The use of clear hand signals will be integrated into all the lessons.

 

 We will cover sending dogs away from the owner and calling them back. We will teach the dogs how to move from right to left and left to right at a distance. The dogs will learn to perform sits and downs from a distance as well as executing these commands while in mid recall and mid send away.

 

Included in the course are long stays, stays with distractions while other dogs perform movement commands and stays with the owners out of sight.

 

 Each participant must have a 30 foot long line and a place board/mat. (Place Boards can be purchased from The Dog Squad).  This class is for e-collar trained dogs and limited to 10 dogs/handlers. (Note: I will make some exceptions to this rule based on the dog and handler's level). If there are any rain cancellations they will be made up.

Nominated for Best of the Bay 2011
Last year you voted and we came in 5th place. Not bad but this year our goal is to place in the top 3.

Ask your fiends and neighbors to join in and vote for The Dog Squad.
Thanks for your support!
Weather Alert Email

Sign up for our Weather Alert Email to notify you if a class is going to be cancelled because of bad weather.

To sign up for the Alert Email click on the "Join Our Mailing List" button below or in the upper right corner of this email.

You will be asked to enter your email and if you are already a member you will be sent an email to update your profile.  When you receive this email click on the "Update your profile link" and you will be taken to Constant Contact where you will see your profile information. There will be a list of check boxes that define your interests. At the bottom of the list is a check box that says "Park Class Alert". Check this box and you will be notified of any Class Changes due to bad weather.

 

We also post this information on our Web site under

Park Sessions

 
In Memoriam - Sooty March 1996 - February 2011
  
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Sooty my Cattle Dog/Dachshund mix last week. He died peacefully in my arms of congestive heart failure with the help of Dr. Steve Schuchman and his wonderful staff at Boulevard Pet Hospital in Castro Valley.
  
Sooty won the NADAC Open 12" US Championship in 1997 in Phoenix, AZ. He was an incredible agility dog and he loved attacking the course as fast as his little legs could take him. He was so fast that I often could not always keep up with him. He would inevitably turn around and start barking at me to run faster!
  
Some of you may have seen him when I was bringing him to classes in Walnut Creek and Dublin.
  
Sooty was the last of my three competition agility dogs. Micky, Tippy and Sooty are now back together running, jumping and flying like angels. I will miss him dearly as I do the others.  
Steve
 
Sooty with other small dogs at the Civic Park Class in Walnut Creek
 
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I hope you enjoyed the Newsletter and would like your feed back. Email me at info@dogsquad.biz for article requests and questions for future Bark Reports.
Sincerely,

Steve Bettcher
The Dog Squad
In This Issue
Indoor Games
Off Leash Class
Vote4Us!
Park Class Alert
In Memoriam
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Steve Bettcher with his Dogs

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    St.Patrick's Day 
  $100 Discount for No Boundaries Off Leash
877-632-DOGS(3647) 
*Offer Expires March 31, 2011 and cannot be used with Payment Plans.