by Deborah Parkhill Mullis
It was an unusual ceremony. For starters, it was close to 80 degrees outside yet all of the graduates wore fur coats. Uninhibited beyond belief, these grads enthusiastically exchanged hugs and sloppy kisses. Some even rolled around on the floor together. However, when asked to settle down, they did.
Before you decide to skip your next invitation to a graduation ceremony, this was a class of canines. Having passed their final exam, this “Puppy Headstart” group was graduating from a basic obedience class.
Each dog had to demonstrate his smarts by successfully performing commands given by their owners and evaluated by a professional trainer. These included a 30-second sit/stay; a 60-second down/stay; loose-leash walking (not pulling), “leave it” (walking by dropped treats); wait; come; a 30-second settle; sit politely for a greeting. Pretty impressive for puppies all under a year old!
Proud of their puppy’s accomplishments, the owners all waited to hear their pet’s name called: Thistle, a Labrador retriever mix; Blanco, my daughter’s white Siberian husky mix; Biscuit, a Cockapoo; and Cookie, a chocolate Labrador retrieve, all received their rewards of pats and praise. They also received an official Certificate of Achievement from the program (really for the owners) and a bag filled with a variety of doggie treats (really not for the owners).
After the ceremony, it was time for more pictures. Each puppy was photographed wearing a black graduation cap complete with tassel. Then a class picture was taken.
Not every dog nor owner who started the class finished the class. “Puppy Headstart” is a commitment to an hour long class once a week as well as to homework (frequent repetition of commands at home) but it is well worth the time and the effort. It is also great fun! This particular class cost $89 for an 8-week course, or a little more than $11 a week.
It’s a worthwhile investment when you consider how many dogs are abandoned each year due to behavior problems like biting, chewing, jumping, over-zealous playing and under-zealous house-breaking. These normal puppy behaviors can be easily controlled with a little training.
Unfortunately, puppies are often expected to “grow out of” these behaviors and when they don’t, they loose favor with their owners and often end up in a shelter.
Dogs aren’t so different from children. They want to please their authority figures but they aren’t born knowing how to do it . Like children - they have to be taught.
The good news is an obedience class is probably conveniently located near you. The class Blanco took happened to be held at a pet store. Dog training tips are also available via books, the Internet, television and videos. But taking your dog to an actual class offers additional benefits.
A class provides socialization for your dog with other people and other pets as well as the opportunity for your dog to deal with distractions and still obey you .
It only took a couple of lessons to see how capable the puppies in this class were! The trainer had each one of them following basic commands in a very short time. In this class, the owners were able to catch on almost as quickly as the canines which will undoubtedly prove to be fortunate for all!
- - END - -
This story appeared in the Union Observer (now Neighbors of Union County) and was posted on Charlotte.com on August 1, 2004.
No comments:
Post a Comment