Christmas Eve Walk Canceled...probably

Hi everyone.  We were planning to do the Point Isabel Christmas Eve walk this year, however, the Weather Channel is saying it will be raining all morning tomorrow morning so we most likely won't be able to do it.  I wanted to make sure everyone knew that we won't go if it is raining.

I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year.  I am looking forward to 2016!

December Newsletter

Happy Holidays! 2015 has been a really good year for me and for Braveheart and I am looking forward to amazing things for 2016.  One of my goals is to begin offering training to professional trainers for conformation training so that more positive reinforcement trainers can offer this service.  I coach people all over the world and this tells me that we need more people to offer positive conformation classes by professional dog trainers and behavior consultants who truly understand behavior and learning theory.  Earlier this year I made the decision to focus on my group classes and offer private training only for conformation and bird training.  This has proven to be a great decision for me and I am filling my calendar with private conformation consults and referring out behavioral cases and basic training consults to highly qualified friends and colleagues.

Another one of my new passions is teaching husbandry training and I will begin offering my new Cooperative Care class where we will teach dogs to accept nail trims, grooming, ear cleaning, wearing a muzzle and other basic care behaviors.  I plan for this to be an ongoing class and am very excited about it.

I will continue to offer all of my other classes including my one session Flash Classes.

I want to say thank you to all of my clients and to the other animal care professionals that refer to us for your continued support and confidence.  Happy Holidays!

UPCOMING CLASSES
Puppy Preschool, Saturdays, January 9, 10am
Cooperative Care, Thursday, January 7, 6pm
Strength, Balance and Body Awareness, Friday, January 8, 6pm (in Pleasanton)

Flash classes are one time, one hour classes and the cost is $20.  Please RSVP.
Conformation Flash Class, Tuesday, December 8 7pm,
Conformation Flash Class, Wednesday, December 9, 12pm
Wild Card Flash Class, Thursday, December 10, 6pm
(Wild Card means I haven't decided yet!)
Old Dogs, New Tricks Flash Class, Tuesdays, December 15, 7pm

Positive Training for Show Dogs Workshops
I am planning to offer more seminars and workshops beginning in 2016.  My goal is to not only continue to coach people who show their dogs but also to teach other trainers to teach conformation.  If you are interested in hosting a workshop please feel free to contact me.  Trainers or individuals or breed or training clubs that would like to host a workshop please let me know and we can set something up.

DOG OF THE MONTH

Argos and Rescue pup

Argos is a super sweet and smart guy who is owned, trained and loved by Angela Prendergrast.  Argos has completed several classes at Braveheart.  He is shown here with a rescue puppy that was brought to Braveheart who Angela and Argos generously agreed to take home and foster!

Christmas Eve Point Isabel Dog Walk
We are thinking it is time to do our Christmas Eve dog walk at Point Isabel again this year!  Join Rick and I and a dog or two of ours for a morning walk at Point Isabel on Christmas Eve.  Get your dogs out and walking before you start all the holiday festivities.  We will meet at Point Isabel, in the parking lot in front of Mudpuppies at 10am on Christmas Eve!  Dog and people friendly dogs will have a great time!

Point Isabel 2013

November Newsletter

Just as I sit down to write the November newsletter, I realized that I never did one for October!  Oh my!  Well, I have been busy, which is a good thing and something I am grateful for, but it wasn't my intention to skip October!  So, here we go with November.  Welcome Fall!  My favorite time of year. Things will be winding down with classes soon, but I have some cool things coming up for January and next year that I am going to be excited to share with you.

Likely the main reason I forgot the October newsletter was that I was preparing for my trip to Florida. I attended the Natural Encounters professional animal trainers week long workshop.  The workshop is designed and taught by Steve Martin and Susan Friedman, both regarded as two of the top animal trainers in the world.  They consult with zoos, teach trainers and Steve trains birds for free flight shows including the free flight macaw show for Disney.  It was a very exciting, fun and enriching trip.  The schedule was intensive with two hours of lecture every morning and every afternoon and two hours of hands on training every morning and afternoon.  We were split up into groups of four with one leader per group.  We were all given a macaw to train for our duration there.  In addition to the basic things we worked on such as building a relationship with the bird, delivering food reinforcers to the bird, teaching the bird to turn in a circle and reinforcing for flying to our hand, we were also allowed to choose a behavior or chain of behaviors that we wanted to train.  My bird was a gorgeous and social Hyacinth Macaw named Sulley.  If you have never met a Hyacinth before let me tell you they are amazing.  Easily one of the most beautiful of all the macaws and the largest.  Sulley was the only Hyacinth in the workshop and I felt very lucky to get to work with him.  In addition, each group had a corvid to train as a group.  Ours was a pied crow named Garfunkle who was amazing.  We also got to see some young Bald Eagle training, their Harpy Eagle and some work with a Red Tail Hawk.  It was an amazing trip and I am so glad I went.  This month I will be back in Florida for the Pet Professional Guild Summit conference to learn even more!

Here are a few photos from the trip:

With pied crow, Oreo

The magnificent Sulley

Sulley flying to my hand

Not where he is supposed to be

With Steve Martin

DOG OF THE MONTH

Valencia is a beautiful and sweet young Pharaoh Hound who is trained, loved and handled by Theresa Harper.  Valencia comes to Braveheart for her show ring training and is doing a fantastic job!

Ins and Outs of the Show Ring 1/2 Day Workshop
San Leandro, 12/6
I have so many clients that are just starting out in the show ring that I have decided to offer a 1/2 day workshop covering much of what you need to know about showing including what the dog needs to know, ring etiquette and procedure, classes to enter, what to wear and so much more.  Dogs do attend this seminar and space will be limited so register today!

Cooperative Care Class
I am designing a new class that will be offered in January called Cooperative Care.  The focus of this class will be teaching husbandry behaviors with your dogs such as nail trims, ear cleaning, grooming, examination, and much more.

UPCOMING CLASSES
Conditioning and Skills for the Show Ring, Pleasanton, Fridays, 6-6:50pm, starts 12/4
Scentwork Flash Class, San Leandro, 12/1, 6-7pm
Conformation Flash Class, San Leandro, 12/8, 7-8pm
Old Dogs, New Tricks Flash Class, San Leandro, 12/15, 7-8pm
Cooperative Care, San Leandro, 1/7, 6-6:50pm
Beginning Obedience/Manners, San Leandro, 1/9, 9-10am
Puppy Preschool, San Leandro, 1/9, 10-10:50am

Upcoming 1/2 day conformation workshop!

Mark your calendars for December 6!  I will be doing a 4 hour, 1/2 day long workshop on The Ins and Outs of the Show Ring.  This will be a workshop for people who are just getting started in conformation and need some help in direction in how shows work, what to wear, how to enter and what the show dog needs to know.  Please let me know of your interest and I will put you on my list of interested clients!  This is a tentative date but will be confirmed soon!

The Naturally Complete Canine Seminar with Anna Bettina

Braveheart Dog Training and Dodger's Paws Dog Training is proud to be hosting a seminar with Anna Bettina from Happy, Healthy Pup in Atlanta, Georgia.  The Naturally Complete Canine Seminar will give you tons of information about nutrition including homemade diets, as well as the use of other holistic remedies such as herbs and essential oils.  You won't want to miss this!  Register here!

Anna Bettina and Glaukos

September Newsletter

It's funny that as Summer is winding down we seem to be just starting in with some really hot weather!  Keep yourselves and your animals safe!

Most of you probably know that after 8+ years we will no longer be teaching dog training classes with the Castro Valley Adult School.  They replaced the floor in their multi-purpose room and when they did they informed us that they no longer wanted to have dogs in the building and that they were moving forward with more fitness classes.  That's okay for Braveheart as we still offer our classes at our own San Leandro location and at Dodger's Paws in Pleasanton.

In addition to this change, we have also made some other changes to the direction of the business.  At this time, we will no longer be offering private behavior consultations.  Our only private lessons will be for conformation/show dog training and bird consultations.  We will continue to offer our usual wide variety of dog and puppy training classes and have added a Monday night conformation class to the schedule which is taught by Yvonne Chohan. Vicki will also continue to offer a very limited number of board and train dogs (small dogs and puppies) for conformation training as her schedule allows.  Day training may be available for some of our clients as well.

Thank you all for your understanding and ongoing support.

DOG OF THE MONTH

Baxter is a sweet Labradoodle boy who has completed several of our classes with his owners Dorrie and Ryan.  He is shown here after earning his Canine Good Citizen award.  We love having this awesome family in our classes.



BRAGS
Those of you who participate in dog sports please feel free to let me know about your brags so I can share them here.

Congratulations to my own dog Opie (Aviance's Opportunity Knocks SL) who finished his championship with a 5 point specialty major.

Congratulations to Bernice Jensen and her Bulldog Bigges on completing his championship.

Congratulations to Cheryl Hawthorne and her Leonberger Bogey who completed his championship.

Congratulations to Jerry Caldwell and his Australian Cattle Dog Sly Cly who has had a few wins and obtained some championship points.

Congratulations to Rhonda Perkins and her Dachshund Emeril who recently got Reserve Winner's Dog at the Santa Rosa show.

August Newsletter

I can't believe it is already August.  I hope that everyone is enjoying their Summer.  I took my longhair Dachshund Opie to Ventura for a Dachshund Specialty show and then one day of the all breed show.  I made sure to come home on the morning of the 4th of July so that I could be here with the dogs in case of fireworks.  I'm so glad I was as it turned out to be a horrible night for my dog Jenny and I was glad to be able to be home with her.  She has never been this upset and I wasn't prepared, but plan to be better prepared next year.  I will be talking to my vet about some medication for her to help her cope with the fireworks.  I will NOT be using acepromazine, but will be wanting an anti anxiety med to help her through it.  I hope that you and your dogs did well.  It is a scary time for very sound sensitive dogs.

DOG OF THE MONTH

Bronn is a sweet German Shepherd who is owned and loved by his mom Chelsea.  He has been taking class with Braveheat since he was a baby in our puppy class.  Since then he has done a variety of classes and excels in everything Chelsea invites him to do.

The Naturally Complete Canine with Anna Bettina Seminar

Saturday, September 19, 9am to 5pm

Registration is just $85 if you register before September 1 (then $95)

Anna with Glaukos

I am very excited to be co-presenting this seminar with my good friend Christine Salazar of Dodger's Paws Dog Training.  If you are interested in learning about nutrition including raw and homemade diets, holistic approaches and the use of herbs and essential oils, you won't want to miss this day long seminar with Anna Bettina of Happy, Healthy Pup in Georgia.  Anna is a good friend and my go to person for nutrition and holistic remedies for my dogs.  Register here!

UPCOMING CLASSES

Indoor/Outdoor Advanced Obedience, San Leandro, Thursdays, 6-6:50pm, 4 weeks, starts 8/6

Conformation/Handling class, San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7-7:30, 4 weeks, starts 8/11

Conformation/Handling class with Yvonne, San Leandro, Mondays, 7-7:30pm, 4 weeks, starts 8/17

Real World, San Leandro, Tuesdays, 11-11:50am, 4 weeks, starts, 8/25

Conformation/Handling, San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12-12:30, 4 weeks, starts 9/9

Greetings and Salutations, Pleasanton, Fridays, 6-6:50pm, 4 weeks, starts 9/18

BRAGS

My Opie finished his Championship with a 5 point specialty major at the NCDC specialty show.

Cheryl's Leonberger Bogey, finished his Championship at the Richmond Dog Fanciers show.

Feel free to remind me of your brags!

UPCOMING CLASSES

UPCOMING CLASSES
Conformation, San Leandro, Wednesdays, 7/29, 12-12:30
Conformation with Yvonne Chohan, San Leandro, Mondays, 8/3, 7-7:30pm
Conformation, San Leandro, Tuesdays, 8/11, 7-7:30pm
Indoor/Outdoor Advanced Obedience, San Leandro, Thursdays, 8/6, 6-6:50pm
Real World, Tuesdays, 8/25, 11-11:50am
Canine Good Citizen, San Leandro, Thursdays, 9/10, 6-6:50pm
Greetings and Salutations, Pleasanton, Fridays, 9/11, 6-7pm
Beginning Obedience/Manners, San Leandro, Saturdays, 9/12, 9-10am
Puppy Preschool, San Leandro, Saturdays, 9/12, 10-10:50am

Register here

Aggressive Dogs In Conformation Classes

In the past I have tried to help people work through issues with their dogs in our classes including dogs in conformation class that may have issues with other dogs.  I have made the decision that this is not fair to the other dogs and students in the class.  Even if no contact is made, a dog can develop issues if he or she has been rushed, lunged at or frightened by another dog in class.  For this reason, I will no longer be allowing dogs that I feel make other dogs and people in class feel uncomfortable. Any dogs that makes contact with another dog due to the owner not being able to control the dog or not managing the dog in any way will immediately be removed from the class and not permitted to return.  This is regardless of whether the dog is behaving aggressively or the owner feels the dog wants to play, is being friendly or wouldn't hurt another dog.  It is everyone's responsibility to have control of their dogs.  This would not be appropriate at a dog show and it isn't appropriate in class.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

July Newsletter

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July holiday!  I went down to Ventura for the dog shows and had a nice weekend showing my Opie and my friend's puppy Emeril.  The boys traveled and roomed well together.  We came home with just a Specialty Reserve, but we proud of how both boys did.  I always try to prepare my show dogs for traveling by making sure that they:

• Are comfortable sleeping in a crate
• Are comfortable riding in the car and being crated in the car
• That they are comfortable and know how to go potty on cue and in novel locations
• That they eat meals and can eat in different locations
• And, of course, that they are trained and prepared for the show ring 

I made sure to come home on the 4th so that my husband would not have to be alone with my dogs and other animals on the night of the 4th.  I am so glad I did that.  It started out quiet, eerily quiet actually, but as the night went on the loud bangs and bombs started.  Most of my dogs were fine, but Jenny, my fearful Basset Hound mix had a really hard time.  She couldn't help panting and pacing.  My young wire Dachshund, Betty Spaghetti seemed to be feeding off of Jenny's anxiety and began to pace and worry as well.  I have never had them have this bad a reaction and I ended up sleeping on the floor with them in the living room for part of the night to quiet them down.  I used a Thundershirt on Betty which seemed to help.  I will be talking to my vet about meds (NOT Acepromazine) for Jenny for next year for sure.

DOG OF THE MONTH

This month's Dog of the Month is Harry the bulldog, owned, loved and trained by Jean Marie Hill.  Harry has been coming to Braveheart for conformation (show dog) training since he was a little puppy with Jean Marie.  All their hard work is paying off since Harry is already major pointed!  

UPCOMING CLASSES

Conformation with Yvonne Chohan

San Leandro, Mondays, 12-12:30pm, 4 weeks, $40, starts 7/20/15

Conformation with Vicki Ronchette

San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12-12:30pm, 4 weeks, $40, starts 7/29/15

Indoor/Outdoor Advanced Obedience

San Leandro, Thursdays, 6:00-6:50pm, 4 weeks, $110, starts 8/6/15

Conformation with Vicki Ronchette

San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7-7:30pm, 4 weeks, $40, starts 8/11/15

Reactive Rover Seminar with Kim Moeller on July 19

Do you have a dog that barks, lunges or pulls on the leash around other dogs? Then this seminar is for you. Kim Moeller is an expert on leash reactivity and will help you understand why your dog may be doing this and how to work with it. This seminar will include live demonstrations with hand picked reactive dogs so you can see the process in person. This is a seminar you won't want to miss!

A nationally certified professional dog trainer (CCPDT-KA) and a certified specialist in dog-dog aggression, Kim Moeller's skill in reading dog body language and working with dogs is well known and respected among her peers. Her leadership in the training field is reflected in her committed efforts toward improving the quality of life for dogs and building stronger bonds between dogs and their owners. A longtime trainer at theSan Francisco SPCA and a professional dog walker for the Bay Area, Kim's expertise in successfully working with dogs of all types reflects her love of animals and a passion for what she does. Kim is the author of Reactive Rover - Barking and Lunging on Leash and she is a knowledgeable, passionate and exciting speaker.

Co-hosted by Dodger's Paws and Braveheart Dog Training

Sunday, July 19, 9am-4pm, 
Humans Only, no non demo dogs will be allowed

Due to the planning involved in making these seminars available to you, we are sorry, there will be no refunds. 

Register here!

June Newsletter

It's already June and Summer is almost here. This is the time of year when I usually start posting information about how to protect your dog in the heat, from hot sidewalks and warn of the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars, but that hardly seems necessary right now.  Still, it may warm up and if it does, do be aware of making sure you are thinking about keeping your dog safe in the heat and sun.

I do have some really exciting upcoming classes that I want to share with all of you.  I am continually offering my basic puppy and beginning classes, but have been adding a lot of new and exciting other classes.  My current All Tricked Out trick class is going great and I will definitely be offering that again, perhaps even a level 2.  I really loved my Old Dogs, New Tricks class and will be doing more of that as well!  I am also working on a new class that will include tricks, useful stuff and music! Take a look at the schedule below of upcoming classes and be sure to get your dog registered soon!

UPCOMING CLASSES
Strength, Balance and Body Awareness REGISTER
Fridays, Pleasanton, June 12, 6pm, 3 weeks, $100
This class is one of my favorites to teach and I am so bummed that I can't take it myself!  In this class we use fitness equipment made just for dogs to help them build balance and core strength as well as to develop body awareness.  This is AMAZING for show dogs and a great confidence builder for any dogs that are needing a little something to boost their self confidence.

Real World REGISTER
Tuesdays, San Leandro, June 30, 11:30am, 4 weeks, $110
This class will help your dog practice their already learned skills in a variety of different locations including in and around my training building and then to various parks in the area.  Great for people looking for that next step with their dogs.

Small Dog Beginning Obedience/Manners REGISTER
Tuesdays, San Leandro, June 30, 6pm, 5 weeks, $165
This class is very similar to our beginning obedience class but is geared towards small dogs so the curriculum is a bit modified for them.  Designed to teach your small (under 25 pound dog) the basics including sit, down, stay, leave it, loose leash walking and more!

Greetings and Salutations
Thursdays, San Leandro, July 9, 6pm, 4 weeks, $110 REGISTER
Does your dog's greetings skills need some polishing?  This class is for you!  We will work on nothing greetings.  Dogs will need to be okay in the car as they will be worked in the class one at a time so that they have many opportunities to greet new people and practice their skills.

Conformation/Handling Class
Mondays, San Leandro, June 22, 12pm, 4 weeks, with Yvonne Chohan REGISTER
Tuesdays, San Leandro, June 23, 7pm, 4 weeks, with Vicki Ronchette REGISTER
Wednesday, San Leandro, June 17, 12pm, 4 weeks, with Vicki Ronchette REGISTER

DOG OF THE MONTH

My dog of the month is Sly Cly.  This sweet, intelligent, adorable little guy is owned and loved and will be handled by his owner Jerry.  Cly has been in my conformation class but came to stay with me for two weeks to learn how to be a show dog and he is doing great!  Can't wait to see what Cly can do in the ring!

Conformation Class Information

New Conformation Class
I am very excited to announce that Yvonne Chohan will be teaching a Monday, 12-12:30pm four week conformation class to start on June 22!  Registration is open for this.  We hope to make this a regular, ongoing class.

New Conformation Class Policies
Effective immediately, we are going to ask that people not bring in season bitches to conformation class.  The space is simply too small to ask other dogs, young males in particular to deal with such a challenging distraction.  While we understand that males may be exposed to in season bitches at dog shows, we don't feel that group classes are someplace where a dog should have to deal with that.

Also, we occasionally have dogs that can overstimulated and reactive during class.  We are going to ask that if anyone's dog becomes reactive, which we define as barking or lunging at other dogs, that the owner step out of the room with their dog and walk them around a bit to see if they can relax and settle down.  If they can, they are welcome to return to the room.  If they can't, or if multiple dogs can't we will have them alternate being inside while the other dog steps out, then do our best to put them in different classes in the future if need be. We are not referring to dogs who may bark once or twice, only if a dog really can't focus and becomes disruptive to the class.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification.

May Newsletter

We are all in this together

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Suzanne Clothier seminar and was lucky enough to have my dog Venom be a demo dog for the seminar.  It was incredibly emotional for me as I was desperate to try to keep him comfortable, relaxed and safe, all while trying to capably manage and handle him, while being coached by one of the best dog trainers in the world with more than 80 other people watching me!  I was thrilled with our session and am super grateful to Suzanne for the input and advice.  I have already started working with Venom and am seeing a lot of progress in a short amount of time.  The reason I wanted to share this is to let people know that 1) we are all always learning and if we are good we are always trying to improve our knowledge and skill base, 2) even professional trainers struggle with being able to think, be there for our dogs, not get too emotional and find time to train and work on the "less than fun" stuff and 3) being in a position like that is a great reminder that all of us, our dogs, the handlers or owners, all of us can struggle with decision making, performance and management when feeling highly anxious and so we should be empathetic to our dogs as we work through this stuff.

Me watching as Suzanne works with Venom.

DOG OF THE MONTH

This month's Dog of the Month is Biggie.  Biggie is a 2 1/2 pound Chihuahua who I have been working with to develop confidence and help her and her owner rebuild their relationship. When I first worked with Biggie, she charged me barking, by our third session she was playing fetch with me and choosing to sit as close to me as possible chewing on her toy.  Proof that ALL dogs, no matter how defensive, reactive, fearful are capable of positive change when they are worked with correctly.  Good job Biggie and Tiana!

UPCOMING CLASSES

Puppy Preschool

Thursdays, San Leandro, 5/21, 6-6:50pm, 6 weeks, $165

Strength, Balance and Body Awareness

Fridays, Pleasanton, 6/12, 6-6:50pm, 3 weeks, $100

Small Dog Beginning Obedience/Manners

Tuesdays, San Leandro, 6/30, 6-6:50pm, 5 weeks, $150

NEW CLASS COMING SOON
I am working on a new class that will be offered in July.  It is called "Greeting and Salutations" and the whole class will be for working on greetings.  Dogs will work one at a time and do dog/human greetings and some dog/dog greetings for appropriate dogs.

UPCOMING SEMINARS
Mark your calendars now!  My friend Christine Salazar, owner of Dodger's Paws Dog Training in Pleasanton are teaming up to co-host an exciting seminar on September 19!  Anna Bettina of Happy, Healthy Pup in Georgia will be presenting on Naturally Complete Canine which will focus on raw feeding, essential oils and herbal use in dogs.  We are so looking forward to this seminar!

Also, Christine is hosting Pam Johnson who will be doing a two day workshop on Rattlesnake Avoidance Training without the use of Aversives as well as a one day seminar on Canine Freestyle!  I am excited to be attending both of those seminars!  More information on these workshops here!

April Newsletter

Wow, time has gotten away from me.  Coming home from my two week vacation I was so busy catching up that I forgot to do the newsletter!  Our vacation to Virgin Gorda, an island in the British Virgin Islands was amazing.  We visited the Toco Toucans from Adventures in Toucanland and also Richard Branson's Necker Island.  See my blog posts on both of those adventures here:

My Adventures in Toucanland

My Visit to Necker Island

Now, back to reality!  Our classes are going strong.  I am very excited about the new Old Dogs, New Tricks class that I am currently teaching and will definitely be offering it again.  I am also offering a trick class called All Tricked Out!  that you might want to check out.  New offerings along with our ongoing classes including Puppy Preschool, Beginning Obedience/Manners, Intermediate, CGC and more. Take a look at what we have coming up, I would love to see you in class!

DOG OF THE MONTH

Kaia is a sweet, adorable Flat Coated Retriever puppy.  She is owned and loved by the Andy, Diana and Natalia Olveira.  I was lucky enough to get to spend two weeks doing in home day training with Kaia and she is also enrolled in our current Puppy Preschool class.  She is already so great at her basic training and getting lots of fun and positive exposure and socialization.








UPCOMING CLASSES
Skill Building for the Show Ring, 4 weeks, $120
Pleasanton, Fridays, 6-6:50pm, starts May 1

Conformation/Handling Class, 4 weeks, $40
San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7-7:30pm, starts May 5
San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12-12:30, starts May 14

Puppy Preschool, 6 weeks, $165
San Leandro, Thursdays, 6-6:50pm, starts May 21

All Tricked Out!, 4 weeks, $110
San Leandro, Thursdays, 7-7:50pm, starts May 21

Our Vibe, Our Tribe

This post came across Facebook and I instantly connected with it.  I shared it on Facebook and wanted to make sure to share it with our none Facebook users.

Braveheart is and was also meant to be more than a training "business".  My goal, dream really, was to build a community of like minded dog and bird lovers.  I wanted people who love their dogs (and other animals) to learn to train them while loving the journey and looking at training as a way to interact with, offer mental stimulation, strengthen the relationship and maybe make some friends and feel supported along the way.  We are open and welcoming to newcomers who share our vision.  This is my vibe.  Braveheart is my tribe.  Thanks for being a part of it.

March Newsletter

It just occurred to me today, on March 18 that I have not yet done the March newsletter!  The reason is that I am on vacation in the Caribbean on a small British Virgin Island called Virgin Gorda.  We have been here for 11 days and are leaving the day after tomorrow.  We had a lot of preparing to do which is how doing the newsletter slipped my mind!  So, I write this newsletter sitting on a beautiful deck in a private villa looking out at the Caribbean.  This trip has been a dream come true.  I am missing my animals desperately, but have filled the void to some extent by hanging with animals here and caring for the Red Foot Tortoises that live at the villa.  If you follow my Braveheart Birds blog, you have likely already seen some of my posts and photos.  I will be writing a full blog post about our animal adventures on this trip, so please subscribe to my Braveheart Birds blog to see more of the amazing photos of the animals we met. But, here is a taste for you:

Me feeding Toco Toucan Paz

My husband Rick with a lemur from Necker Island who ran up and planted himself on his shoulder

OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS

I am really excited about new class offering called Old Dogs, New Tricks.  This class was designed for older dogs, which I am classifying as over 7 years old or over 5 for giant dogs.  This class is also open to younger dogs that are suffering from obesity.  We will work on light exercise and training, mental stimulation, proprioception exercises and encouraging fun interaction with older dogs.  I am so excited about this class and I hope that many of you will join us!  Register here.  

CONFORMATION CLASSES

Conformation students, please remember to register online for our four week conformation classes. If you want to pay by check or cash, just choose "mail in payment" and mail it or bring it to the first class.  Drop in still allowed when there is space, simply email me to double check.

UPCOMING CLASS

Conformation, Tuesdays, 7pm, starts 3/24
Conformation, Wednesdays, 12pm, starts 4/1
Puppy Preschool, Thursdays, 6pm, starts 3/26
Old Dogs, New Tricks, 6pm, starts 3/27
Three's Company, 6pm, starts 5/26
Register here. 

UPCOMING RATTLESNAKE AVOIDANCE AND CANINE FREESTYLE WITH PAM JOHNSON

My good friend and colleague Christine Salazar of Dodger's Paws Dog Training in Pleasanton is bringing Pam Johnson from Southern California to teach rattlesnake avoidance without aversives and a canine freestyle seminar.  I will be attending both and I encourage you to do the same!  Register here! 

Reinforcement, rewards, treats and toys

This post is for anyone who is concerned with using food in training, who is afraid their dog will "only do it if they have treats" and who think that their dog should "know it" by now and be willing to "do it" just because they said so.

I continue to have these questions asked even by people who I have been working with for a while and I feel I need to address it.  Perhaps I am not clear in my way of explaining things and have failed in some way to help people understand how reinforcement really works.

Reinforcement by definition in terms of training and behavior refers to something that makes a behavior happen again and more often.  We use things like food, attention, access to things, treats, toys, play and more for reinforcement.  Here is the kicker, the LEARNER, meaning the dog is the one who gets to determine the value of the reinforcement, not the trainer.  If what you are using as "reinforcement" is not serving to increase the frequency of the behavior then it is not reinforcement! So, you can pat your dog on the head all you want or say "good girl" all you want, if the behavior is not getting stronger or even maintaining, you aren't reinforcing and in fact, you aren't training your dog to be more reliable.  The first thing we need to determine is whether or not something is actually reinforcing to the animal. If you are insisting that you will use only praise to reinforce your dog but the dog does not find your praise valuable enough your dog's training will not be reliable, plain and simple.  Dogs and other animals don't come programmed to just do whatever we say because we said it.  Neither do people, actually.  We all behave and do things because of the outcomes it brings.  Yesterday, I went to the vet and picked up medication for my close friend's dog.  She was very busy, was going away this weekend and needed the meds and I had time so I ran and got them and brought them to her.  I did not do this because I would be reinforced in some way or because I would get something.  I did it because my relationship with this friend is based on years and years of a trusted friendship that frequently involves us helping each other when needed. I do things for her and she does things for me because we CHOOSE to based on our history which includes a lot of positive reinforcement.  This is not unlike the relationship with my dogs.  In the beginning, when I was building a relationship with them I used food to reinforce everything they did and learned.  I do my best to set them up to get it right, so that I can reinforce their correct behavior and continue to add "insurance" and more reinforcement history so the behaviors are strong and remain strong. Over and over and over until they pretty much always gave me the response I was looking for.  Then, and only then, did I begin to add in other reinforcers to the mix.  Only after I was truly convinced that they had a solid understanding did I begin to ask them to do things and use different things to reinforce them. Things like attention, scritches, access to things, play, toys or sometimes just a wink and telling them how clever they are, but I am always continuing to reinforce them. 

Take a look at this video.  It shows a variety of different reinforcers used for different animals.  It is critical to keep in mind that just because a reinforcer is effective in one instance or environment does not mean it will it be in another environment.  For instance, Sonic is shown enjoying playing tug and fetch in the video, however, I know from experience that this would not be the case outside or in a group class.  In a class setting I would need to use food with him.  Reinforcers may need to change depending on the level of distractions, the environment or just the level of difficulty of the behavior.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE_CYoNMvAM.

When training a new behavior we may use food as a lure.  In other words, use food to guide the dog into position to accelerate the dog being able to do the behavior.  Frankly, when training my own dogs I use a lot more shaping.  I don't do as much shaping in classes and with clients because it is more challenging to learn how to do this, but honestly people tend to get frustrated having to reward such small steps and having to wait for things to happen.  So, I use a food lure which of course, has it's own challenges.  When using food as a lure, you must stop luring as quickly as you can.  I will sometimes lure a dog only two or three times before waiting for the behavior to be offered or prompting without food, however I am STILL reinforcing with food after they do it. It is critical to stop luring with food as soon as you can or you may get into a situation where the dog "only does it when you have food".  This does not mean using food is flawed or that the dog is being manipulative, it means that the execution of training was not done correctly.  Food was used as a lure too long.

This next part is probably the most important thing.  It is critical that if behaviors are to be strong, the animal continues to be reinforced for them.  After the behaviors are learned and reliable we can begin to play with different reinforcers and change things up, but don't fool yourself into thinking that you can simply stop reinforcing the animal.  People are quick to admit that they would not go to work without some form of pay or positive reinforcement for their work, but want their dogs to behave like little robots.  We have to remember that while we consider them "ours", dogs and our other companion animals have their own lives, feelings, strengths and weaknesses.  We cannot expect them to just do what we say because we said it.  We also cannot expect behaviors to remain strong and reliable if we drop off the reinforcement for the animal.  It simply doesn't work that way.  If it did, it would be easy, simple and every dog walking around would have impeccable manners and be from from behavioral issues.  It takes time to build reliability.  It takes working them around different distractions and in different environments always reinforcing them heavily when they make correct choices.  

It is time that we stop viewing dogs are little automatons and seeing them for what they are, intelligent, thinking, feeling individuals.  

I always try to look at my training and my dog's reliability honestly.  When something isn't going how I would like, it is ALWAYS my issue, not the dogs.  I haven't practiced enough, I have not proofed enough, I have not worked on something enough.  If I had done my part better, my dog would be more successful.  

So please, use food with training.  Reward the dog often

February Newsletter

Oh my, I am so late!  So sorry, but this has been a busy start of the month.  Let me tell you what has been going on!  First, I went to Atlanta, Georgia on January 30.  I was brought there by a colleague and friend who wanted me to help her prepare her and her dog for their first dog show and be there with them!  What an honor!  Partly because she is a fantastic trainer and behavior consultant, but also because she had the trust and confidence in me to want me to be there with them.  I thoroughly enjoyed being their for Glaukos the Gargoyle's first show and I hope to go back and see them again next year!

Anna, Glaukos and I

Glaukos enjoys a good book;)

                         

I have also been busy working with a new day training client dog.  In case you are wondering, In Home Day Training is a service I offer where I come to your home and train the dog, in many cases when the owner's are at work, and then meet with you weekly to go over what we have been working on.  A great way to kick start your dog or puppies training!

Finally, I am also preparing my own puppy, Opie for showing.  Opie is not even a year old, has only been to three shows getting reserve once and a Best of Winners win with a 4 point major!  This year I plan to have him in the ring quite a bit and we are looking forward to that!

Opie wins a 4 point major!

DOG OF THE MONTH

Gus and Bobo are only 4 1/2 months old but I have been working with them almost since they came to their new home.  It is a dog trainer's dream when someone calls and tells you from the beginning that they want to work with you and do everything they can to help their puppies grow up to be wonderful companions, who are well socialized, can go places, enjoy doing things, have good manners and be amazing members of the family.  This is what Gus and Bobo's dads, Tom and Chad did.  They are in group classes already and we work with them privately regularly for even more one on one training.  I am so proud of this amazing family and team!

BoBo and Gus

UPCOMING CLASSES

I will be on vacation for two weeks in March (woo hoo!) so there will be a period when there are no classes going on.  Now you know why!

Positive Training for Show Dogs Online Course, starts March 23

Conformation Ring Handling class, San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7-7:30pm, 4 weeks, $40, 3/24/15

Conformation Ring Handling class, San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12-12:30pm, 4 weeks, 4/1/15

Puppy Preschool, San Leandro, Thursdays, 6-6:50pm, 6 weeks, $165, 3/26/15

OUR NEW SENIOR DOG CLASS!

Old Dogs, New Tricks, Pleasanton, Fridays, 6-6:50pm, 4 weeks, $110, 3/27/15

January 2015 Newsletter

Happy New Year!
Wow, can you believe it is already 2015?  I can't!  Last year flew by and while it was a great year in some respects, it was a tough one for my family as well.  Looking forward to what 2015 will bring.

I am going to be focusing on my classes a lot this year.  I really enjoy teaching group classes, it is probably the favorite part of my job.  I will still be offering private training, but will likely be focusing on conformation and puppy training for my private consulting.  This doesn't mean that I will not be doing any behavioral cases, only that I may be referring some of those off to some of my highly skilled and qualified colleagues who are also trusted friends.  In addition, I will be continuing to offer Friday evening classes at Dodger's Paws in Pleasanton.

Take a look at our schedule and be sure to register if any classes peak your interest!  Remember that classes, particularly beginning classes fill up quickly, so be sure to register in plenty of time to ensure getting in.

New Online Registration
Many of you already know that this year I have decided to begin offering online registration.  This is simply an easier and more efficient way to run my classes.  No more contacting me for a registration form and waiting to get it back, mail it in, etc.  Now, you can simply go online and register for class immediately.  You may pay at the time of registration with your credit card or you may mail a check in within three days of registering.  I trust that this new system will make things much easier for all of us.  That said, bear with me as I work through this new system and learn to navigate my classes and schedule in a new way.

Once you and your dog are registered, you will remain in the system and be able to easily sign up for classes.  Our class schedule can be found here https://braveheartdogtraining.dogbizpro.com/Public/Registration/Index.aspx.  Please note that you will still register for Castro Valley Adult School classes via their website at www.cvadult.org.

Upcoming Classes
Conformation/Handling Class, San Leandro, 4 weeks, 30 minutes, $40
Tuesday, 7pm, starts January 6
Wednesday, 12pm, starts January 7

Skill Building for the Show Ring, Pleasanton, 5 weeks, 50 minutes, $150
Friday, 6pm, starts January 9

Puppy Preschool, Castro Valley, 6 weeks, $165
Saturday, 10am, starts January 10

Canine Freestyle, Castro Valley, 5 weeks, $125
Monday, 6:30pm, starts January 12

Puppy Preschool, San Leandro, 6 weeks, $165
Thursdays, 6pm, starts January 15

Manners to the Max, San Leandro,  4 weeks, $110
Thursdays, 7pm, starts January 15

Real World, San Leandro, 4 weeks, 4 weeks, $110 ($150 if you bring two dogs, with instructor approval)
Tuesdays, 9:30am, starts January 20

DOG OF THE MONTH

Yeshe is a sweet and adorable labradoodle who has been coming to Braveheart classes for a while.  She is a great little dog and really loves to learn.  Yeshe is loved and owned by Ellen and David.