Tag Archives: Canine

Tampa Dog Training School Student: Judith Destasio and Tucker Go From Rescue to Pet Therapy!

by Judith Destasio

June 2012 we adopted Tucker, a magnificent 18 month old purebred from Golden Retriever Rescue Mid-Florida. It’s hard to believe but he had been surrendered twice already! Tucker was ready for his forever home. We were so happy and blessed to bring him home. He is a big strong boy so we thought we should get him in training. We have been customers and friends of Courteous Canine for a long time so we signed up for Basic Manners. Tucker did great so the next step was to work toward his Canine Good Citizen (CGC), he passed his test in November of 2013. Then with a lot of positive feedback about Tucker’s skills we decided to start training with the goal of Therapy Dog. We decided to take the CGC/Therapy class again as a refresher, which was a good idea. He passed his Therapy Dog evaluation with flying colors April 26, 2014. Thank you to everyone at Courteous Canine, with special thanks to Angelica, Pam, Monica and Jan. You all provided so much support and guidance we wouldn’t be where we are without you!

Courteous Canine, Inc. offers dog training, puppy training, working with aggressive dogs and rehabilitating fearful and shy dogs. In addition we offer cat training, agility, pushball and dock jumping. Courteous Canine, Inc. is a full service dog school that offers doggie day care, pet sitting, group classes and boarding!

Tampa Dog Trainer Angelica Steinker Recommends Blog: Eileen and Dogs

Tampa Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant Angelica Steinker Recommends Blog: Eileen and Dogs

Smart, gifted and clear are the words that come to mind when I think of this blog: Eileen and Dogs written by Eileen Anderson about the training adventures she experiences with her dogs. Eileen is careful to base all her information on science, fun and results oriented training.

The internet overwhelms with largely inaccurate information so this blog is fresh air.

http://eileenanddogs.com/2014/04/28/getting-dogs-attention/

Read. Enjoy and please subscribe!

Eileen Anderson, BM, MM, MS Eileen is a passionate amateur dog trainer who writes about learning theory, her life with three dogs, and force free training in her blog and other publications. She brings a science background, critical thinking skills, and teaching experience to her writing, with a focus on making training accessible and learning theory comprehensible to pet owners. Eileen has worked professionally as a writer and academic editor, a network administrator, taught remedial college math, and trained all levels of computer skills in academic and workplace settings. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance, and a master’s degree in engineering science. She received the Certificate of Excellence for completion of Susan Friedman’s professional course, Living and Learning with Animals, in 2012.

Courteous Canine, Inc. offers in dog training, puppy training, working with aggressive dogs and rehabilitating fearful and shy dogs. In addition we offer cat training, agility, pushball and dock jumping. Courteous Canine, Inc. is a full service dog school that offers doggie day care, pet sitting, group classes and boarding!

Tampa Dog Training: 9 Fun Facts about Dog Dock Jumping

9 Fun Facts about Dock Jumping for Dogs

By Brenna Fender and Angelica Steinker

Does your dog enjoy jumping into your pool or launching off your dock into a lake? Does he just love to swim every chance he gets? If so, you and your dog might like the sport of dock jumping.

Here are 9 fun facts you might not know about this sport:

1. Splash Dogs is organization that sanctions, and promotes dock jumping events. Splash Dogs tracks rankings and offers titles. Splash Dogs is affiliated with the United Kennel Club, and handlers may register to earn UKC dock jumping titles at Splash Dogs events. (The UKC’s website is ukcdogs.com). Courteous Canine holds dock jumping events sanctioned by DockDogs. For more information on Splash Dogs, visit www.splashdogs.com.

2. Ultimate Air Dogs (UAD) is yet another organization that sanctions dock jumping events. They host Ultimate Air (distance jumping) and Ultimate Vertical (high jumping) events. They also offer new game called “Catch It” in which jump distances are only logged when the thrown bumper (used to encourage the dog to jump) is caught. Like Splash Dogs, Ultimate Air Dogs is affiliated with the United Kennel Club, and handlers may register to earn UKC dock jumping titles at UAD events. For more information on UAD visit www.ultimateairdogs.net.

3. Dock jumping is open to any dog that enjoys the sport. All breeds and all sizes can play! While many competitions favor the larger dog that, by grace of having a longer stride, may be more likely to jump farther, some organizations have classes specifically for small dogs as well. Some events offer Veterans classes for older dogs and junior handler classes for kids ages 16 and under. It’s a very “inclusive” sport!

4. You might think that dock jumping is all about jumping far, but that isn’t always the case. As the sport is growing so are the games that are being played. Some events involve jumping high, swimming fast, or catching a thrown bumper.

5. There’s more training involved than you might think! If you just want your dog to have fun jumping in the water, then you might not need to train much, but if you want to win big competitions, there is more to be done. You will need to teach your dog to stay at the end of the ramp, run at top speed down the ramp and to take off as close to the end as possible. You will need to determine how high your dog needs to jump in order to have the proper trajectory for the longest possible jump, and then teach your dog to jump that high. You will need to develop drive and motivation for the bumper, and speedy, strong swimming skills. Dogs structure impacts how high they can push off the end of the dock. Dogs with shoulder lay back will not be able to reach the same heights as dogs who have straight shoulder angulation. No matter what your dog’s structure, the good thing about dock jumping training is it’s all fun!

6. Conditioning is important for any canine athlete. Build strength and endurance on both land and water for maximum results. Using balance balls such as recommended by Debbie Gross Saunders, Ph.D. www.WizardofPaws.com are ideal. Just like people dog’s do best when their core is strong.

7. To maximize your success, your dog will need to be really excited about getting to the bumper or toy that you are throwing. Play with it on land to build a lot of motivation. Make it the coolest thing ever! Hold the bumper up so your dog grabs it while jumping for it to simulate the ideal scenario. The goal is for your dog to track and grab the bumper while he is in the air and before he hits the water.

8. Know the body of water you are using for training or competing. This is particularly important when you are using lakes, ponds, and other natural bodies of water. Items under the surface of the water, like rocks or a shallow bottom, can injure your dog. In some places, wildlife (like alligators) can pose a danger to your dog. Be careful! We recommend using pools on grass surfaces for optimum safety! Courteous Canine, Inc.’s pool is optimally safe by being outdoors on grass and crystal clear!

9. Your dog may get very tired while dock jumping, just like with any other activity. Watch for signs of over exertion and give him a rest when needed. Also, if your dog seems to bite the water or otherwise consume excessive amounts of water while jumping, make sure to take your dog out of the pool often and supervise that he urinates. If your dog tends to obsessively drink water, discuss how to prevent water intoxication with your veterinarian. This is a serious (but rare) condition that can lead to death. Fortunately, properly monitored dock jumping is a safe and fun activity that many dogs enjoy. If your dog loves water, give it a try!

Happy Dog Dock Jumping, sign up for a class today! www.CourteousCanine.com

Brenna Fender is a dog sport journalist who writes for Clean Run Dog Agility Magazine, USDAA’s website and many other high profile dog publications. Courteous Canine, Inc. offers agility, pushball and dock jumping instruction. Courteous Canine, Inc. is a full service dog school that offers doggie day care, pet sitting, group classes and boutique boarding! Angelica Steinker the owner of Courteous Canine, Inc. is the author of Agility Success a book addressing the mental training aspects of agility training grab your copy at www.CleanRun.com.

Tampa Dog Trainer: Brenna Fender – Is Humility at Odds with Success?

Is Humility at Odds with Success?

By Brenna Fender, Tampa Dog Trainer

When you walk off an agility course, out of an obedience or rally ring, or away from your dog training class, do you dwell on your shortcomings? Do you gloss over your successes and focus on your failures?

Do you think only about what went wrong and rarely about what went right?

I am guilty of behaving this way and, thanks to my interest in sports psychology, I’m wondering why. The bottom line is this: I was raised to believe that humility is proper, and that bragging should generally be avoided.

As children, we take pride in our accomplishments and believe we have enough skill and talent to take on any task. And that’s a good thing, because children learn and grow by trying out a wide variety of experiences.

But life takes its toll on us and we learn that we can’t do everything we think we can. Self-doubt depletes our confidence. As we continue to grow, our social skills develop. We learn that it’s best to be humble, to understate our skills, to avoid making others feel “less” because we, in some areas, are “more.” It’s polite, right?

Sport psychology gurus offer a different take. This don’t-brag-about-yourself, don’t-think-too-much-of-yourself, really-you’re-no-better-than-anyone-else behavior that many of us have grown into appears to be in direct conflict with having a winning mindset.

This is a problem.

Many successful athletes, actors, and others don’t worry about always sounding humble. They speak openly about their successes, talents, and skills. They do not often point out their shortcomings, and if they do, they don’t apologize for them. Does that kind of talk make you uncomfortable? Does it feel too much like bragging?

It may seem that these people have let success go to their heads, thinking they are better than others because of what they have achieved. But perhaps they have always believed in themselves. Maybe they have always felt that they could achieve what they set out to do. Perhaps that’s part of what has led to their success. What if they are good at certain things because they believe they will succeed, rather than being successful because they are good?

I believe that I have certain skills and talents. Could I be good at those things because I believe I am, rather than the other way around? It’s mind boggling to think about!

The dilemma is, can I allow myself to think I’m good at new things, like the sports I do with my dog? Can I speak highly of my own performance rather than be self-deprecating under the guise of modesty and humility?

Maybe I need to spend some time changing my own thoughts when I hear people make successful statements about themselves. Perhaps I need to brand it as confidence that leads to success rather than boasting that comes from it.

Tampa Dog Training: 8 Secrets to Dog Training Success

Tampa Dog Training:

8 Secrets to Dog Training Success

Dog training just like other professions, has its secrets. At Courteous Canine, Inc. we share all of the secrets of training. So here they are:

1. Use your marker – click or say yes – followed by a reward

2. The dog determines what is a reward

3. Vary your reward; Food toy, play, love and life rewards

4. Use the “half rule” – if your dog fails, try for half of what you just did

5. One cue only – always think of the worst case scenario, you may not have time for another cue

6. Make every session fun for both you and your dog

7. Set up for success and end on success

8. Challenges make us better – your dog’s behavior issue will take your training to the next level

Happy Training using the “Secrets”, The Staff of Courteous Canine, Inc.

Courteous Canine, Inc. offers in dog training, puppy training, working with aggressive dogs and rehabilitating fearful and shy dogs. In addition we offer cat training, agility, pushball and dock jumping. Courteous Canine, Inc. is a full service dog school that offers doggie day care, pet sitting, group classes and boarding!