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!