Wednesday, March 2, 2011

March Newsletter

DOG OF THE MONTH
  

Haley is a beautiful, outgoing, Pit Bull mix that has been coming to Braveheart classes since she was a small puppy!  She has done our puppy, beginning, Canine Good Citizen classes, even our board and train refresher course and now she is rocking the Nosework classes!  Her parents Joanie and Dennis have done a wonderful job training this girl and keeping her busy!  We love having Haley in classes!

UPCOMING CLASSES
We have a lot of great classes starting soon that I would like to tell you about.  As time goes on, I try to add new classes to the schedule to keep everything challenging, fun and fresh for my clients and their dogs.  Take a look at what we have coming up and please let me know if you would like to register for anything.
Marshmallows Class, Dublin, Thursday, March 17, 6:00-6:50pm, 5 weeks, $150
Is your dog shy or uncomfortable around certain things?  Is he or she nervous of new people and you are not sure how to deal with it?  Then this class is for you! This class is designed especially for shy dogs.  The goal will be to teach owners of shy or fearful dogs to understand their dogs behavior and body language and how to help their dogs become more comfortable with different things.  We will work on some manners and obedience behaviors while also learning to help dogs cope in a new environment.

Confidence Building Class, Dublin, Thursday, March 17, 7:00-8:15pm, 5 weeks, $150
This class is all about building confidence in dogs through choice.  Using the seeking system in dogs (searching, investigating, exploring and experimenting) we build confidence by setting up situations that encourage seeking that the dog learns is rewarding and reinforcing which encourages more confidence and seeking.  This class is a great next step for many of our "Marshmallows" graduates looking for the next step in their dogs journey to confidence and security.  This class is limited to 5 dogs per session and to dogs that can be safely left in the car during the other dog's runs as dogs are worked individually (one at a time), which makes it a great choice for dog reactive dogs as well.

Three's Company, San Leandro, Tuesday, March 22, 6:00-6:50pm, 5 weeks, $200 
This class is identical to the Beginning Obedience/Manners Class listed above but is limited to only 3 dogs and owners.  This allows clients who need more one on one time.  Somewhere in between private lessons and a group class, our Three's Company class allows clients to afford more one on one training at an affordable cost.

Clicker Conformation, Dublin, Friday, April 8,  12:00-12:50pm, 5 weeks, $150
This course will help people wanting to get started with clicker training their show dogs.  We will work on teaching the dogs to stack, gait and accept examination.  While this is a class to teach conformation or show ring behaviors, dogs need not be show dogs to enroll.  This class will help dogs learn to accept handling and everything worked on is appropriate for pet dogs as well. 

Intro to K9 Nosework, San Leandro, Friday, April 8, 7:30-9:00pm, 6 weeks, $150
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and a natural desire to hunt. This class focuses on teaching you how to encourage and develop your dog's natural scenting abilities by using their desire to hunt and their love of toys, food and exercise. It's a great class for your dog to have fun, build confidence and burn lots of mental and physical energy and to find out just how good is your dog's nose. High food or toy motivation is beneficial for this class.Dogs must be able to handle confinement in a crate away from handlers.

Intro to Odor, San Leandro, Friday, April 8, 6:00-7:30pm, 6 weeks, $150 
This class advances the dog's scent discrimination skills taught in the Introduction to Nose Work Class. All dogs are taught to identify the first target odor, a natural essential oil. Additionally, we introduce techniques and tactics for building better dog/handler teamwork.Dogs must be able to handle confinement in a crate away from handlers.

Lectures on the Lawn, Friday, March 4, 6:30-7:30pm
As a crossover trainer, I will explain the differences between traditional, correction based training and positive reinforcement training.  I will talk about how they both work, how they are different and why I prefer positive reinforcement methods after having done both.

Drop In Conformation
San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7:00-7:30pm - All Dogs
San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7:30-8:00pm - Small Dogs
San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12:00-12:30 - All Dogs
San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12:30-1:00 - All Dogs