Humour in Dog Training
There should be humour in everything, and that includes training dogs.
Dogs are very smart. Some of the very intelligent ones are so easy to train.
Dog humour
I guess if dogs could talk they would say they train their humans as well.
Easy, everyday things, dog owners give treats and other positive reinforcements that will reinforce the behaviour. Sometimes humans give positive reinforcement without realising it with the smart dog.
dog smart enough to reward itself
But sometimes, dogs also need corrections, and the corrections do not have to be harsh.
Dogs remain happy then and get rewarded when they are doing the correct things, after the correction.
Never reward for behaviour you do not want to encourage.
And a dog needs to be shown what behaviour you want as its owner.
Barbados Dog Obedience trials end for first half of 2015
Ch. Chepam Valentina at Calliope achieves the C.D. title
There were 2 trials, one on June 25th and the other on July 8th.
On June 25th several dogs achieved various legs of the Novice (C.D.) Obedience.
Jenni Wilson with her Boxer Riley successfully completed the final leg and Riley now has the C.D. title.
At this trial Rosemary Coghlan with her Labrador Retriever, Tia, was first and high in trials with other participants passing legs of the CD.
The judge was Sarah Hamilton.
The Barbados Dog Training Club held trials again on July 8th. This is not usual to have trials so close together but most of the participants requested another trial and The Barbados Dog Training Club’s committee agreed to it.
Unfortunately for a few participants, their female dogs were in season and so they missed the trials.
But Isabelle had missed 2 trials because of her being in season, one last year and one earlier in the year, so I was glad of the opportunity to catch up.
Bouvier Des Flandres, Isabelle, was first with a score of 193.5 out of 200 and as this was her final C.D. leg, she also received the C.D. plaque and C.D. title as well as a small trophy for being high in trials and the ribbon for being first.
Bouvier Des Flandres Ch. Chepam Valentina at Calliope achieves the C.D. title
Isabelle is 18 months old.
I am pleased with Isabelle as this is 2 out of 3 Novice legs she passed that she has placed 1st and high in trials.
And the dogs that have been in the ring with her have mainly been German Shepherd dogs (from Working lines), Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. These are breeds that are known to do well with obedience trials.
Also achieving the C.D. title from these trials was Jennifer Fields with her Golden Retriever, Honey.
The judge was Jenni Wilson.
The trainer was Linda Pearson.
There is only so much training that can be done on a weekly one hour class, especially if it has a lot of dogs, and participants at this level help each other and work together outside of classes.
At the C.D.X. (open) level, Sue Blandford and her German Shepherd dog, Phantom, passed the final leg and so they have achieved the C.D.X. title. The judge was Jean Ray.
There were no formal CDX (open) classes.
Congrats. to all for their achievements, various legs and titles.
Dog training continues to be more interesting with the progress of going on to more advanced dog training and getting great results.
There is so much information that can be found on the internet, online courses, facebook resources or through books to improve the training of dogs as Barbados would not have the availability of the training resources available in large countries.
Again, I have found that the trainers/handlers who are interested in working with their dogs for titles such as the CD and CDX in Barbados are experienced trainers and handlers who enjoy competitive obedience training and are results oriented.
As they say, “see you next time”, as our next time will hopefully be the CDX trials as Isabelle easily does and enjoys those exercises.
Looking at her score sheet, she scored 44 out of 45 for off leash heeling and once she continues like this with heeling plus her ease in retrieving the dumb bell and her fast drops on the recall, she is certainly ready to progress and do very well in the CDX.
Tags: Advanced dog training, Bouvier Des Flandres, Dog training in Barbados
Here is Ch. Chepam Valentina at Calliope. She is a 17 month, soon to be 18 month old, Bouvier Des Flandres.
Young Bouvier Des Flandres enjoying and doing well in training
She has achieved 2 (out of 2) Best Puppy in Show and 1 Reserve Working Group win. 3 Challenge Certificates out of 3 shows from UK judges Tom Mather, Geoffrey Corish and Derek Smith.
Below is what I sent her breeder, Cheryl Pierpoint, last week.
Young Bouvier des Flandres dog enjoys training
All of her documentation was acknowledged as received by The Barbados Kennel Club on March 21st but their official documentation was only received by me last week.
Isabelle has just 1 more leg to complete before she also achieves the C.D. title.
She already easily does the CDX (open) exercises so we plan to progress to that.
She enjoys training and I believe most dogs do.
She works for little treats but also works without anything as she loves training activities.
She also loves agility and she has a natural drive which will help her excel in this sport.
Tags: Agility, Bouvier Des Flandres, Cheryl Pierpoint, Dog shows in Barbados, Dog training in Barbados
Repeat visitors to Barbados, Jim and Belinda love dogs. This year when they visited they brought down a huge bag filled with mainly dog collars, a lot of which are really nice leather collars. Belinda explained that the dog gifts she brings in from the UK come from several dog lovers, from her area, and dog clubs. This must have filled a large suitcase.
Lots of dog gifts from UK visitors to RSPCA
We were welcomed by RSPCA staff member, Naresh Belgrave. Sounds as if that organisation currently houses about 65 dogs. He brought out Gracie to meet us. Gracie has been there for approximately 2 years. She was very friendly. There are lots of dogs there that the RSPCA desperately needs to find homes for. People looking to help by taking in these dogs would be advised if they are suitable around other dogs and cats. Gracie is one who would do well as a “one” dog, we were told.
Gracie, at the RSPCA, is still looking for a home
From there we headed to the beauty of the East Coast in Barbados. We stopped at Bay Tavern, Martin’s Bay, and one of the owners explained that they were closed for their annual vacation. Bajans are usually very friendly people and the door to the bar was unlocked so we could get some cold Banks Beer and sit on a beach overlooking the sea. We ate at Sand Dunes Bar and Restaurant, Belleplaine where the service and food were also very good.
Bay Tavern at Martin’s Bay, St. John
Hope to see my friends, Belinda and Jim, again next year. And I am sure the RSPCA looks forward to their visit again as well.
Tags: dogs in Barbados, RSPCA Barbados
Basic obedience training is essential to dogs.
Competitive obedience is also great as it can be fun for the handlers as well as teaching the dog new exercises.
But not all dogs and handlers enjoy competitive obedience where they do the same repetitive exercises, like come, heel, sit, down, stand and stay. Yes, they get to a different environment to meet with other dogs in group classes, yes, the dogs get rewards but it can get boring for both dogs and handlers after a while.
And yes, the opportunity is there, in Barbados, to move from one obedience level to another.
With basic obedience training achieved, a dog, if the facilities are there, and the dog is old enough for its growth plates to have sealed to prevent damage to them through jumping, a fun dog activity in Barbados is agility.
It is also good exercise for both dog and handler.
As far as I know, only The Barbados Dog Training Club has the agility equipment and instructors trained to teach agility for dogs in Barbados. The main instructor is Jean Ray. The training here is also in enclosed grounds as in agility, the dogs run off leash.
Major agility trainers/competitors have visited us in Barbados over the years and have imparted knowledge. The two I remember are Kathrin Tasker (UK)of Millbrook Agility Dogs, a top agility trainer, competitor and agility judge and Elizabeth Evans,(USA) of Best Friends Fun Farm, also an agility trainer, competitor and agility judge. Both of these trainers spent agility training time with me and my Bouviers and other dogs and members of The Barbados Dog Training Club.
These trainers would have also have helped the Club’s agility instructors to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for agility training.
Bouvier Des Flandres Isabelle enjoying the view from the walk way
This year, Isabelle is enjoying agility, the obstacles she loves, especially the tunnels, and she enjoys the sequence jumping. She is happy racing around. I still give her small treats but I think she would do all the agility running around out of fun. We do agility training one evening a week.
Bouvier Des Flandres, Isabelle and agility tunnel
We missed 2 CD trials, six months apart, as she was in season for both trials so we still have to complete the CD (Novice) title before we go on to the CDX (open).
So besides agility, we are having fun with the dumb bell retrieve and other exercises in preparation for when we can go on to the CDX trials.
Isabelle holding the dumb bell
And I am looking forward to when Isabelle gets past the beginner’s agility level so I can try for little videos or photos of her racing around the ring.
Tags: Agility, Bouvier Des Flandres, Dog training in Barbados
Have you got some bunting gathering dust at the back of your cupboard? Well get ready to dust it off and hang it out in the streets. Why? Well haven’t you heard? There’s some great news. The Daisy dog has finally reached… » The Daisy Dog – a Mongrel With a Pedigree | Dog Show News & Results
Source: The Daisy Dog – a Mongrel With a Pedigree | Best In Show Daily | 2015
The dog rescue and shelter places in Barbados seem to be full. So many dogs are being abandoned and rescued but still breeders keep on breeding puppies without finding homes for them before they breed.
Not all breeders are like that. There are responsible breeders who have a waiting list for their puppies and who do vet the potential homes before the sales.
On a list in social media today is this ad. Yes, the puppies look cute but then again, don’t all puppies look cute.
Why advertise puppies as guard dogs? Most of us should know they are not and they might never grow into guard dog personalities either.
An example of false advertising in Barbados
People who do not know dog breeds and dogs might actually be fooled by this misleading ad and buy one of these cute puppies expecting it to turn into a “great guard dog” and when it does not, it could end up at the Animal Control Centre or a shelter or even worse.
It is time people become more responsible with their marketing of puppies and dogs in Barbados.
I would prefer to see an ad where it states that the puppies’ sire and dam are great family pets and the puppies could have the potential to be great family pets also and maybe great guard dogs. In the event that the puppies never turn into great “guard dogs” as least then they were never marketed to be such!
In between the March 25th dog obedience trials and the new obedience training classes starting end April, the B’dos. Dog Training Club slipped in another trial on April 22nd for Novice, Open and Utility.
I was not there as Isabelle, my Bouvier Des Flandres, was in season.
Congratulations to Zoe Marshall who achieved the CD title with the Labrador Retriever, “Tilly”, owned by Susan Leacock, and to Judith St. John who also achieved the CD title with her Labrador Retriever, “Callie”. Jenny Fields was high in trials with her Golden Retriever “Honey”.
Legs of the Utility and Novice were achieved by other participants.
There were no formal dog training classes leading up to these trials so participants worked on their own and with their friends.
Congratulations to those handlers/trainers as well who passed legs of the Novice and Utility.
Some of the jumps used at utility obedience trials in Barbados
Full classes at the basic obedience level, and Novice will shortly resume at Waterford, along with the informal classes for the Open and Utility.
And, of course, agility classes will be restarting for dogs at all levels.
Tibetan Terrier Ch. Araki Miss Conduct at Calliope C.D. coming through an agility tunnel
Tags: Dog training in Barbados
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.
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.
Tags: B'dos. Dog Training Club, Dog training in Barbados, Rescue dogs in Barbados
March 25, was the date for the first obedience dog trials in Barbados for 2015.
A lot of very keen contestants. There were no passes in the Utility and CDX and only 2 dogs competing at each of these levels in the trials.
There was keen competition for the CD title and 11 dogs were in the ring for the CD trials. The breeds were: 3 German Shepherd dogs (from working lines), a Boxer, 3 Golden Retrievers, a Bouvier Des Flandres, 2 Labrador Retrievers and a mixed breed/rescue.
Dogs doing the trials were at different levels. To achieve the CD title, passes would be needed for legs A, B and C.
Different dogs passed different levels. Different judges are provided by The Barbados Dog Training Club for trials as one judge cannot qualify contenters for all three CD legs.
Two dogs achieved the Novice title in Barbados in March, 2015
Two of the participants achieved the third and final leg for the CD title. Brenda Kaufman with her mixed breed/rescue Olivia and Linda Pearson with her German Shepherd Dog, Echo.
First winners of the Novice title in Barbados, for 2015
To me, it is great to see a mixed breed/rescue achieve a CD title. There is more about her, Olivia, in the next post.
Three top dogs in first obedience trials for 2015 in Barbados
Taking the trophy for first and high in trial was the Bouvier Des Flandres, Isabelle, (Ch. Chepam Valentina at Calliope, pending BKC paperwork) with a score of 193.5 out of 200. This is her first leg for the CD title. Isabelle is 14 months old. The passing score is 170 out of 200.
Isabelle goes first and high in trials with a score of 193.5 out of 200
She did miss the trials early November last year as she was in season. As a very young puppy, she would have passed her first CD leg except for the long down and stay where she needed 2 more seconds to qualify! She has always done very good off leash heeling which exercise fails a lot of participants. Isabelle has always done a beautiful fast recall another exercise which also fails a lot of dogs.
I believe that her training has also helped her do well in the conformation show ring. She received 3 Challenge Certificates from UK judges Tom Mather, Geoff Corish and Derek Smith, 2 out of 2 Best Puppy in Show and 1 Working Group 2.
Of course, those of us who love this breed will hold their breath with obedience trials as this playful breed can always decide to entertain, as I well know, in the ring. But a Bouvier can work very well at any task. When I look at Isabelle in the obedience ring and I see her eyes which do look full of laughter, I am one of the ones who hold their breath when I take off her leash.
I did not spend a lot of time training her except for her training at Waterford grounds. At home, I concentrated on sit and down stays and I would leave her in the kitchen and go about domestic duties like watering plants in the patios etc. And she would get biscuit treats on my return for her stays.
There is also a challenge with female dogs, they can compete in conformation shows when they are in season but not attend classes in agility nor obedience much less compete in trials! So it might take longer to finish them!
The judge for the CD trials was Sarah Hamilton who was one of the participants at the Utility level. The trainer was Linda Pearson, a certified USA trainer who also competed with Echo, one of her German Shepherds.
It was nice at these trials to see dogs coming from the beginner’s class into the ring and also doing extremely well as one Golden Retriever did. It is a very big jump to move from a basic dog training class to the Novice level which involves off leash exercises.
There seems to be a lot of dog training going on in Barbados which is good as maybe then fewer dogs would get rehomed, and/or dumped due to behaviour issues.
Dogs with The B’dos. Dog Training Club doing a sit stay exercise
Of course, people need to understand when they bring home a puppy, that puppies will be puppies so a puppy needs to be supervised and trained from early, especially if it is not in a crate/kennel but resides in the home like a family member.
Top trainers, not just in Barbados but worldwide, usually have their own dogs and love dog sports, agility, ring sports, obedience etc. Those trainers do pass on and share a lot of practical knowledge to the others in the ring with them. And in a class like this one which had all levels of dogs and handlers, Linda Pearson split the class into two which made it more productive for everyone.
So far, in Barbados, the only titles that can be achieved locally are from the conformation show ring and from obedience trials.
I would think that breeders looking for good homes for their puppies would be delighted to find puppy buyers who take the time to train dogs.
Overseas, although there would be more obedience trials, it might be more challenging time wise to title a dog as the distances to travel would be a lot further. So, we, in Barbados, are lucky with the short distances we need to travel and also with our climate.
Dogs/puppies on The Barbados Dog Training Club’s Basic Obedience also sat their little training tests the same week. I believe this was also a large class.
With The B’dos. Dog Training Club, the objective of the basic obedience dog training class is to achieve training in dog basics such as sit, stand, down with stays, come and also to heel on leash. It is also an excellent opportunity to socialise puppies/dogs in an enclosed fenced secure area in a central location and friendly environment. Some of these owners and dogs will go on to further, more advanced training.
Congratulation to all the participants who achieved CD titles and CD legs and also to the ones who came out for the Basic Obedience friendly test as well.
Tags: B'dos. Dog Training Club, competitive obedience dog training in Barbados, dog and puppy training in Barbados, Dog training in Barbados, dogs in Barbados, Obedience dog trials in Barbados
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