New Training Class Schedule!Classes start October 27, 2009. Sign up NOW! Classes are filling up fast!
Pampered Pooch Salon is Open! |
ANNABELLE'S NEWS and NOTES
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Fall Edition
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October 2009
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CAROL HEIN-CREGER and ERINN HADLEY offer
PUPPY CLASSES and BEGINNING OBEDIENCE, INTERMEDIATE classes for dogs
with some training, our popular 4-week MEETING & GREETING and
6-week COMBO classes in addition to competitive OPEN OBEDIENCE.
DAWN
PIZZOFERRATO offers Doggie Do Good for beginners as well as Clicker Training, a prelude to "Dancing With Your Dog" akaFree-Style, a
great way to exercise with your dog.
ERINN HADLEY offers great advice and opportunities to get ready for AKC and UKC conformation shows.
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Attention All Dog Rescue Foster Parents!
We offer deep discounts for dog rescue foster parents who want to get low-cost, effective training for their foster dogs. Check out our discounted drop-in punch card program and our 1/3 off classes. We also offer 10% off all classes for those who recently adopted from a rescue!
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| Contact Us |
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600 Capitol Ave.
Lansing, Michigan 48933
517.599.0995
info@coolcitydogs.com
www.coolcitydogs.com
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FEATURED PRODUCT - THE BUDDY SYSTEM
 The Buddy System™ is a unique hands-free leash system. The Buddy
System™ is designed for the comfort, convenience and safety of you and
your pet. It has unique leash and collar attachments that allow you to
easily release and reconnect your pet. These attachments also allow you
to stow the leash out of your way when not in use. (You NEVER have to
carry the leash.) The Buddy System™ is available in the standard
version and now a light weight version designed specifically for
smaller dogs. Order on-line or pick up your Buddy System today at AnnaBelle's Pet Station!
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GET READY FOR THE RING!
AnnaBelle's would like to introduce its newest conformation instructor, Erinn Hadley.
Erinn
Hadley is both a seasoned competitor and multi-breed professional
handler. She has developed her training and handling skills over the
course of several years through mentoring by professional all-breed
handlers and expert trainers. Erinn has titled dogs in both
Conformation and Obedience. Erinn is a Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
evaluator and is currently working towards her Therapy Dog
International (TDI) evaluator certification.
Erinn advocates and utilizes gentle and practical handling and
training techniques and presents her training services in a simple and
no-fuss manner that her human and canine clients greatly appreciate.
Erinn will take the mystery out of competition and creating a seamless
transition from practice to precision!
Erinn teaches Get Ready for the Ring! on Monday evenings from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. She is offering a four session drop-in punch card for only $69! Please sign up on-line or call 517.599.0995 to register.
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AnnaBelle's Pet Star!
Roxie lives with her "MeanOleMom," Lisa Wallace and her dad, Bill Wallace, in Lansing, Michigan.
"Hi! I's da Roxie, and I gots sooooooooo much to barkbarkbark about! MeanOleMom says I's a RESCUE....it's good to be a rescue!
Somebuddy
took me, and my mom, and da rest of da puppies, and put us in a BOX
thing, and LEFT us somewhere - in a 'bandoned house! We had COOTIES all
over us! (that's sarcoptic mange, Roxie) It made us itch and scratch a
lot, and being stuffed in that box was BAD.
Somebuddy found us,
and gave us to a nice rescue lady. Julie, da rescue lady, said I was a
'lil SNOT! So I went to schnauzer boot camp, with my meanolemom, so da
schnauzers could teach me MANNERS. (Hmpf.) My dad said I looked like a
'lil nekkid rat thing. (Did NOT!!!!!!!!!!!)
My MeanOleMom got
rid of da cooties, and I started to grow HAIR. By then, dad said I was
the bestest Roxie in the WORLD, and they should keep mememe!!! (Give da
humans LOTS of kissers, this helps!)
So now I gets to live with a bunch of those schnauzers, and foster doggers looking for their homes!!
I likes: TOYS, 'specially my Frog, playing outside, and playing with puppies! I loves it when we foster puppies!
I do NOT like: BAFFS!!!!
If YOU look for a rescue dog, YOU might end up with da bestest dog ever, TOO!!!!"
Want your precious pooch to be the next AnnaBelle's Pet Star? Send us a picture and short story (info@coolcitydogs.com) about your furry family member! Your story can be a funny memory with your pet, the happy day he or she first came into your life, or whatever strikes your fancy!
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FEATURED RESCUE DOG!
 Rosie is a three year old beautiful, delightful, gentle, and
darling little (23 pounds) beagle girl who is learning all the comforts
of living indoors as part of a family.
Rosie is friendly with every
person and animal that she meets, and her favorite place to be is in a
lap or snuggled next to a person.
This sweetheart was surrendered to APB (Animal Placement Bureau)
by a family who had hopes of using her for rabbit hunting; but alas,
Miss Rosie would circle back on her people instead of the bunnies, and
she would never go "arroooooo" on a rabbit trail. Although Rosie's
owner treated her kindly, she lived in an outdoor pen by herself and
was never allowed indoors. As a result, Rosie was very scared when she
first came to her foster home, and she spent about five days glued to
the couch or on her foster mom's lap.
But Rosie is now comfortable
enough to chew on bones, confiscate a dog bed, roll over for a belly
rub, romp in the yard without a chaperone, and flirt with the other
dogs! Although she may always tend to be a "wallflower" in new
situations, Rosie has already blossomed so much and adapted wonderfully
in just a short time that once he is settled in to a new place, I know
she will be perfectly happy.
Rosie is also excellent with children -
she is very friendly, gentle, and loving (although she might become
anxious with a group of loud or rowdy children).
 Rosie is friendly and social with other dogs, but not especially
playful. She would make wonderful company for another dog, and she is
calm and passive enough that even elderly dogs or dogs who are picky
about their friends will most likely tolerate Rosie. She is also
excellent with the kitties and barely even knows they exist.
Since
Rosie had not lived inside a house, we expected to put some effort into
housetraining her, but it turns out that since she already has a
preference for pottying outdoors we had a great head start. Rosie does
great with housetraining as long as you make sure she spends a few
minutes outside first thing in the morning; otherwise she is apt to
just follow you around and forget about pottying until it is too late.
Rosie is used to a fenced yard to roam in, but she would most likely
adapt to going outside on a tie out or for frequent leash walks. Using
a crate will be important to help Rosie continue her success with house
training. Currently, Rosie sleeps and eats in her crate, and she
rarely barks.
If you have any specific questions about sweet Rosie beagle, please email Hanaburgh@att.net.
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Why Clicker Training?
Author: Dawn Pizzoferrato, ABCDT, owns and operates Pizzoferrato Pet-Care and Training Services (PPATS) and offers dog training classes at AnnaBelle's Pet Station.
Usually
the first question I am asked when tell people I offer clicker training
is, "what is clicker training?" The answer to that is simple...It's a dog
training method using a clicker to mark the desired behavior. That
usually satisfies most askers, but the question most people have next
is, "Why?"
Now THAT is a great question. Why clicker training? As with any
training technique, clicker training has its proponents and opponents.
Many trainers just don't see the benefits of an additional tool to deal
with, some trainers prefer a non-treat based reward and don't like the
clicker/treat connection, and some just don't like positive
reinforcement training. Whatever the reason for opposing clicker
training, there is only one answer to "why" I favor the clicker
training method...It works.
Karen Pryor, the godmother of clicker training in the United States, in her article, The Neurophysiology of Clicker Training, which covers research on stimuli and the limbic system of the animal brain, writes:
"...
another contributing factor to the extraordinary rapidity with which
the clicker and clicked behavior can be acquired might be that the
click is processed by the CNS (central nervous system) much faster than
any word can be. Even in the most highly-trained animal or verbal
person, the word must be recognized, and interpreted, before it can
'work,' and the effect of the word may be confounded by accompanying
emotional signals, speaker identification clues, and other such
built-in information."
So,
in other words, this means that the clicker sound needs no
interpretation. Once the dog learns that a treat follows a click and
learns that to get a click he needs to do a requested behavior, he's got it!
You, however, still need to get the dog to DO the behavior. But if the
dog is clicker trained, once he does the desired behavior and gets the
click, he knows what you want from him and he will repeat it as often
as you want. Clicker training is fastest way I have found to teach a
dog a new behavior. And the more you use the clicker on new behaviors,
the better and faster the dog will learn them. It has a positive
cascading effect.
The other main reason that I use clicker training is because it's
fun. Dogs love the "game" of it. They seem to be less tired from
training and show a stronger willingness to learn. It works wonderfully
for shy or fearful dogs, because it gives them confidence.
In my view, the only downfall to successfully clicker training a
dog is teaching the handler correct clicker timing. It can be tricky.
In your hands, you have the clicker, the leash, the treat, AND you're
luring the dog AND you have click at the precise moment that your dog
does the desired behavior. WHEW! That can be hard. But like any new
skill, practice makes perfect...just ask your dog! The timing of your
click is extremely important because if you click too early, your dog
hasn't completed the behavior; if you click too late, then he's on to
something else.
I often recommend practicing clicker timing separately
from training with your dog just for this reason. So, if you want to make training and learning fun for your dog,
if you want to teach new behaviors quickly with better retention, or
you simply want to learn a new training technique yourself, clicker
training is definitely for you.
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AnnaBelle's Pampers Your Pooch!AnnaBelle's groomer, Robin Hiar, is also one of AnnaBelle's owners and is the Director of Operations. Robin is a graduate of the Michigan
School of K-9 Cosmetology and has extensive experience in the pet
industry, including working as a veterinary assistant and a kennel
technician. She has also worked as a caretaker at a stable and has
loved being around animals all of her life.  Grooming Basics
Does your pet just
need the basics? Get a full bath, brush, nail trimming, ear cleaning,
pad cleaning and trimming, and sanitary area grooming. Pricing depends
on dog breed, size, coat length. Rates start at $35 for small dogs with
short coats. If your pup just needs a nail trim, the cost is only $10.
Pampered Pooches
Does
your pet need a little more than the basics? We offer the full salon
treatment for your pet, including all the services included in the
Basic Bath and Brush plus a full cut and style. Pricing depends on dog
breed, size, coat length, and level of grooming required. Rates start
at $45 for small dogs with minimal clipping.
CALL ROBIN TODAY: 517.202.9319 or email her at robin@coolcitydogs.com.
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