Agree with @elbrant and I'd like to add, when you return be very matter of fact, do not make a big fuss, particularly if she is excited and effusive in her greeting to you. Sure, acknowledge her if you must but don't make any sort of big deal out of it. Go about your business, e.g. if you've been shopping, put your things away before spending any time with her. Your goal is to make your absence just part of a normal routine, nothing to be excited about. I've had two separation anxiety dogs, and you know you have won the battle when the dog just glances at you in an "oh, you're back" way and doesn't bother getting off the couch! Yes, people like it when their dog greets them and makes a big fuss, but if you feed that behaviour you give too much emphasis to your absence and that can grow into anxiety in your dog.
Bragging on my Baby
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Last night was graduation night for the Intermediate class at PetSmart. As we all know, our beloved B's take obedience as kind of an afterthought, so when the instructor said there'd be contests to see who was best behaved, well…my hopes were not high.
First contest - how long can your dog remain in a sit or stay without breaking it when you are out of sight. She-Ra set the mark by holding position for a whopping 2.8 seconds! That's not really that good in case you were wondering. What can I say...she loves her daddy!
One dog remained in place for like 5 and a half minutes!However, the second contest was standing for inspection. You had to stand your dog and have them remain motionless while someone else (the instructor) examined them by running their hands over them, looking at teeth and ears (think what you see at Westminster or other Dog shows). Every dog broke formation at least once except one...our She-Ra. She stayed in position and let that instructor check out everything like it was dog show time! It wasn't even a contest for the other dogs.
The last contest was pretty rough for her as well...while walking the dog you have to sit her while continuing to walk, then call her to catch up to you. That pretty much wasn't happening, although the instructor said it's not something you'll commonly use as much as if you'd stopped yourself and stayed her. She-Ra's not a sitter...at least not unless there's a treat involved!
At the end of the day, we voted on most improved dog, and She-Ra again took top billing! We were so proud of her, and she got a great squeak toy and a bag of treats for a reward! Her favorite prize was the pig hoof the instructor gave out, though.
We've been talking obedience training on several forums lately so I wanted to take a moment to give PetSmart some praise. It's mostly about finding the right instructor, but we really hit the mark with ours. If you've ever considered trying it, it's well worth the money to do it.
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Two thumbs up and good for you and She-Ra…...congrats!:)
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OUtstanding, good girl She-Ra.
I do agree with you about Petsmart, they have a great program, you just need to find the right instructor at them. Unfortunately there are some places that there is only one store and maybe two trainers with in a reasonable distance, and that one close by might not have instructors you mix with.
When I took my boxers through I had a WONDERFUL trainer. I'd often take Reggie back and she's use him as her example model, to show the class the exercises.
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Yeaahh She-Ra!!
When I took Willie to obedience classes they were outside in November in early morning. Think cold dew on the grass. He would complain loudly about having to place his butt in the cold. It was pretty funny. Everyone else had regular dogs (you know what I mean) and they had never heard noises like that come from a dog before.
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congrats with She-Ra…
And it is great when you find the right instructor... There are goods ones and bad ones... and as I understand it, even though the classes are a Pet Smart, aren't they (the trainers) independents? As in not a Pet Smart employee?
But regardless, it is the instructor, not the place/store.... -
Trainers are PetSmart employees. We often start off doing something else in the store and either express interest in joining the training program or are asked after demonstrating an ability to work with the dogs and talk to pet parents about classes. We do work for comission (20-30%, depending on experience), so the best thing you can do if you like your trainer is recommend them to your friends. You can also go through the "contact us" portion of PetSmart.com to let the district and store know what you think of your trainer.
It's good to hear the praise for our program. I've been a trainer since October, and with the company a year before that. I think it makes training affordable and accessible to people who normally wouldn't even consider it. And the guarantee means that we trainers won't give up on a dog. We'll re-enroll a dog free (losing our own comission) if it didn't perform at its ability.
Yay for a basenji being at the head of its class! How great!!!
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Congrats on a job well done!
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CONGRATS SHE-RA!!!
woo hoo!! And a BAROOOO from Topaz & C3PO I know how hard it is having been in training since last May :eek:
