Summer Classes Roundup

Summers classes are coming to an end. They have been an absolute blast to teach. The feedback has been amazing as well - thank you for that.

How amazing is it to make a living doing the things you love? What a life - I love it. Thank you to all of my student for making this possible - You guys ROCK!

The fall classes were filled in only a couple of days and there is a waitlist for all the classes. I'm sure the fall classes will be just as much fun.

During the seminars, mainly puppies classes and motivational classes, we have been focusing on short intense training sessions with sky high rate of reinforcement to maximize the dog's motivation and speed.

Although small sessions of only a couple of minutes of duration the progress has been huge! The dogs have been top motivated and rate of success through the roof.

  • Plan your training - use a journal
  • Set criteria low enough for the dog to have a high rate of success to begin with
  • Keep session short and intense!
  • Stop the session when the dog is performing at it's best - leave the dog wanting more - don't try to squeeze in one more rep.
  • Be clever when placing the reward
  • Consider micro shaping
  • Don't train every single day - give the dog's mind a break from time to time
  • Use the reward that works: toys and treat aren't the only reinforcers usable
  • Film your sessions for later analysis
  • Don't be afraid to go in the opposite direction of the main stream

The video below is an old one. It shows my very much missed Jazz'er pup at 13 weeks of age.