Dog Training

Dogs come into our lives giving everything and expecting nothing. They are faithful, loyal, and loving. They cheer us up; they guard us; they keep us company; they amuse us; and they work for us—on farms, in law enforcement, and in health services as ‘seeing eyes’ and in other ways.

Dogs are also intelligent and sensitive. By nature they want to please us, but first they need instruction. They need to be taught to do what we want them to do and, perhaps more impoAgility Trainingrtant, not to do what we don’t want them to do. It’s all a matter of communication.

Barking, biting, chewing, jumping up, pulling, and aggression are among the most common reasons people give up on their dogs and surrender them to shelters or exclude them from daily family life. These characteristics are natural pack-animal instincts dogs bring to their relationships with humans. Our goal is to understand how and why dogs have developed these unwanted tendencies and, through effective training, to change a dog’s behavior.

As the training progresses, a dog’s eagerness to please and to be obedient is reinforced with positive techniques. Such techniques include clicker training, creating a ‘safe place’ for the dog to go to and still be part of the family’s activities, and teaching the dog to understand our verbal commands and our body language. The emphasis is always on developing a loving, cooperative relationship between you and your dog that will last as long as you and your dog are together.

The following will give you an idea of what to expect when you join one of our dog-training programs:

Puppy Classes

Our puppy classes teach young dogs how to socialize with people and other dogs. In the first week of this five-week course, you will gain a basic understanding of how dogs learn. And you will learn how to use a clicker as a basic training tool. The clicker is used in conjunction with a food reward to reinforce correct behavior. When your puppy responds correctly to a command, a click will signal his success. The clicker, unlike the human voice, is consistent and non-emotional. You will be surprised how quickly your little dog will respond to the clicker.

In weeks two through five, you will learn how to teach your puppy to sit, lie down, to come when called, and to walk nicely on a leash. You will learn how to cope with common puppy problems as well as some basics about health and grooming.

Obedience Classes

These courses, for dogs six months and up, run for six weeks. And yes, you can teach an older dog new tricks. The new tricks include all the basics taught in the puppy classes but include the important addition of teaching a dog to stay in “place.” You can use this command, for example, when the family sits down to dinner. Send the dog to his “place” in the corner and it will stay there until dinner is over.

Canine Good Citizen Program

This program is all about teaching dogs how to be good members of the community. The course was devised by the American Kennel Club and is a series of tests that evaluate your dog’s obedience, behavior toward other dogs, and toward people. Dogs are put into unfamiliar situations to see how they behave outside their home environment. If your dog passes all the tests, it is declared a Canine Good Citizen and may be recruited as a goodwill ambassador to visit schools, nursing homes and hospitals. This course is four weeks long.

Meet our Trainer, Krista Barger

In addition to puppy training and obedience classes held at Sand Road, Krista is available for private training sessions with dog and owner. For more information, call Sand Road Animal Hospital at (860) 824-5223 or email Krista at: krista@sandroadanimals.com