Olivia was once a shy shelter dog

Olivia was once a shy shelter dog

Achieving a CD title is not an easy task for most dog owners as it means training the dog above and beyond basic obedience. The classes attended for the CD are usually the group classes with The Barbados Dog Training Club although there are other dog training areas in Barbados.

I believe that some members of The Barbados Working Dogs Association also have achieved a CD title and they could train on their own grounds but would have to attend at least 3 classes with The B’dos. Dog Training Club before the trials date. The Barbados Working Dogs Association will focus more on IPO training. I believe the BH training qualification which might be offered through that club is similar to the CD title. So far, I am not aware of any BH trials in Barbados but I think it is very good for Barbados to have more than one dog training club.

It is possible also, for an individual trainer, to sit the CD trials, once they comply with the trial regulations.

To get to the CD level, the puppy/dog would have to be comfortable coming off the leash in a roped ring and doing exercises like stand for examination without moving, doing a figure eight on a leash with sits in between 2 people at a natural pace, heeling on and off leash with different paces inside a ring, being left with other dogs on a sit stay and down stay, being confident enough to be left on a sit stay with its owner walking away and then waiting to be called for the recall exercise which includes a finish.

Rescue dogs, unless they were rescued as very young puppies, have probably had a very hard life. A lot of them would have been abused, abandoned and possibly rescued by kind people who might have picked them up and taken them to a rescue shelter. Behaviour traits could be fearful of people and other dogs, and strange surroundings.

To rescue a dog through one of the animal shelters and get it transformed to almost a different dog personality wise through loving care and training is a wonderful achievement, much less achieving a high level of training with it.

Olivia was a rescue coming from the Hope Sanctuary. These are her pix when she was first rescued by Brenda Kaufman and her family. Besides looking starved out, she was afraid of most things, including humans. The pix. on the extreme right is a recent pix, the others tell Olivia’s early sad story.

Olivia, a shelter dog

Pictures of an early Olivia who was rescued from the Hope Shelter

Today, she is a confident happy dog, very affectionate and loyal to her owners. She does not mind being approached by most dogs and people and no longer appears nervous and scared.

Olivia lives in a home with other dogs, some are also rescues, in an area with lovely grounds and caring people.

She is well fed and also runs off leash in agility with The Barbados Dog Training Club. Most dogs love agility and this playful popular dog sport where dogs run through tunnels, tackle obstacles like an A-frame, walk-way, see-saw, do jumps is great fun for them and their handlers.

I am sure there could be other people in Barbados besides Brenda who have “rescue” dogs with the CD title but this one I know as Olivia was on the class with my Bouvier, Isabelle, and Oliva’s owner chose to tell me her story and also send me the pix published here. This is actually Brenda’s fourth CD title with a “rescue” dog.

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