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| Douglas Mello and Casey have been actively involved in dog sports for eight years. And while Mr. Mello is the only human on this team of two ?Casey is a beagle ?maximum effort and training are required of both of them.
That's just one reason local agility enthusiast, competitor and dog trainer Douglas Mello ?who also owns and operates Avonlea Agility ?believes that dog agility should gain recognition as a proper sport.
He defined a sport as consisting of a physical and mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill or some combination of these.
"A sport has physical activity, side-by-side competition, self-motivation and a scoring system. The difference of purpose is what characterizes sport, combined with the notion of individual or team skill or prowess," he said.
Mr. Mello believes agility easily fits this description. With at least four to six runs per day, the activity is very physical. And there is strategy involved.
"You are always trying to find the quickest, cleanest line for your dog to run?in order to keep your course time to a minimum without incurring any faults like knocked bars, wrong courses or missed contacts," he said.
There is also a sense of teamwork between the handler and his dog that goes beyond the one-minute run.
"The dogs have to learn the desired behaviour or behaviours for each obstacle plus learn to work with the handler to follow their signals, whether verbal or physical," he explained.
He said teaching the dogs is relatively easy compared to teaching their owners how to handle.
Margaret Every, president of the Dog Training Club of Bermuda, said, "Dogs already know how to do these things?They just have to learn how to do them when we ask them to."
Any dog can do it
Mr. Mello said that while certain breeds are more prone to agility, any type of dog is capable of being successful at it. Avonlea Agility, for example, has everything from a tiny Yorkie to a large Pit Bull, including several SPCA shelter dogs.
Dogs are natural athletes. And just like humans, some competitive canine athletes have their own massage therapists and receive acupuncture treatment in preparation for the competitions.
Bermuda has hosted several internationally recognized top trainers including Joan Meyer, Sarah Mairs, Carolyn Dockryl and Stacy Peardot Goudy, all of whom have competed at international agility events including world level competition.
There are between 30 and 40 dogs that do agility in Bermuda. Most of them train at least once a week with their owners.
But it's not strictly serious competition. Dogs enjoy a number of benefits when doing agility that go beyond scores or times or ribbons.
"Agility gives the dog a release and a chance to bond with its owner," Mr. Mello said. "It gives the dogs a sense of purpose, it helps relationship building and provides stimulation?It also keeps the owner active."
To learn more about dog agility contact the Dog Training Club of Bermuda (291-4230), Avonlea Agility (293-6611), dog trainer Vincent Madeiros (799-7014) or the International Dog Events Association (238-0779). | | |
| HUNTLEY ' Car-Dun-Al Obedience Dog Training Club Inc. has found a new home here.
After being without a facility for a year, its special permit for a canine training facility has been approved. The 5,000-square-foot lease space is located at 10643-5 Wolf Drive in the Wolf Business Center.
"We're delighted and very excited," Car-Dun-Al President Jerry McEvilly said. "The facility should be up and running this summer."
The name Car-Dun-Al is taken from the three villages of Carpentersville, Dundee, and Algonquin where the club originally was founded in 1963.
McEvilly believes dogs of all ages can benefit from canine training.
"I have had dogs in my beginner classes that were as young as 6 months and as old as 10 years," McEvilly said. "As long as a dog is physically sound, it can benefit from training at just about any age. "
The goal of the club is to teach owners how to effectively communicate with the dogs and teaching dogs to obey even under the most distracting circumstances.
Bad behavior, according to the club, usually is the result of the owners' lack of knowledge of how to stop their dogs from doing what they don't want them to do and teach them how to do what is wanted.
The club's facility has been relocated many times over the years. It has moved from Carpentersville to the armory in Elgin and back to Carpentersville again. It has held classes at Kucaba's barn and training field in Marengo.
At its new location, the club will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, contact McEvilly at (847) 658-9875 or go online at www.cardunaldogtraining.com . | | |
| A program "Training You to Train Your Dog," sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Field Trial Clubs and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will be held Sunday, June 4, at the Richard Bong Recreation Area, routes 142 and 75, in Kansasville, Wis.
Registration is at 8 a.m. with the training seminar at 9 a.m. The fee is $20.
Bring your hunting dog with a collar and a leash. All other training materials will be provided. Training assistance will be provided by qualified amateur and professional trainers for pointers, flushing dogs, and retrievers. Dogs of all ages are welcome.
The trainers will work directly with you and your dog to demonstrate some dog-training and problem-solving techniques. You will also receive a copy of the training booklet Training You To Train Your Hunting Dog. Depending on the number of dogs, these training sessions may continue into the afternoon. | | |
| You and Stone are taking training courses at the China Guide Dog Training Centre, established late last month, in this city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. The centre is the first of its kind in the country.
Six adult dogs are currently undergoing training courses, including Stone. In the near future, Stone will become the guide dog for You, a singer for the Dalian Disabled Art Troupe, who is blind.
You is able to live and do housework by herself, but she needs help whenever she goes out.
"I hope the guide dog will help me a lot and relieve my mother of the burden," You said.
"Guide dogs are in great demand in the country and we are doing pioneering work," said the centre's director Wang Jingyu, an animal behaviour expert.
The dogs currently being trained will be presented to chosen individuals free of charge, Wang said, adding that he hopes the centre can provide guide dogs for people who take part in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.
He said he hoped the centre could train 20 dogs every year in the coming five years.
When the establishment of the centre was first reported last month, the centre received an active response from both home and abroad.
"Quite a few people want to donate dogs to us," he said.
Xia Jun, a businessman from Central China's Hunan Province, said he was prepared to send his golden retriever by plane.
He said he had refused a friend's offer of 100,000 yuan (US$12,500) for his 9-month-old dog and insisted that the dog be donated to the centre as soon as he learned the news.
Wang said the dog would undergo a medical examination and an evaluation before the training began, as is standard procedure.
Early next month, Wang said he will go to Beijing to receive two puppies given by the Japan Guide Dog Association.
"We'll choose from among hundreds of puppies for would-be guide dogs," Wang said.
Some of them will be donated and others will be purchased.
Once accepted, the puppies will be raised in foster families to begin social and obedience training.
They will learn to take orders to walk, sit, stop, distinguish traffic lights, walk across zebra crossings, avoid barriers, and take blind pedestrian walks.
Last month the local government decided to list the centre as one of the scientific programmes for financial support.
"We are glad to have support from the whole of society to expand our non-profit course," Wang said.
However, Wang said there are "also some worries and concerns."
Many people may feel their lives intruded upon when people enter public places with their guide dogs.
"With a guide dog, a visually impaired person could come across some trouble if he enters a restaurant or a hotel, or wants to take a plane," Wang said.
(China Daily 05/29/2006 page3)
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| A properly trained dog will respond properly to all the owner's commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or confusion. A good dog training program will focus on allowing the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors.
(PRWEB) June 9, 2006 -- Dog owners worldwide are constantly searching for free basic dog training tips or ways to solve a dog behavior issue.
It may be Dog Barking, Dog Aggression, Dog Digging, Dog Biting, Dog Marking, Dog Growling, Dog Jumping, Dog Licking, or Dog Whining to name a few.
Traditional training methods required a dog owner to hire a professional trainer to solve a dog behavior problem. Quite often the price and scheduling made it to difficult to complete. Then came the internet and Traditional dog training methods were re-defined. Many professional dog trainers capitalized on the Internet information boom and now provide their expertise online.
Anyone can now learn how to train their dog in the comfort of their own homes, set their own schedules, at a fraction of the cost. There are eBooks, CD-Rom's, DVD's, Books, Video, and many more methods of training available online with just a click of a button.
Professional trainers using these types of media methods can reduce their costs therefore passing on the savings to the person in need.
So when seeking out a professional trainer see if they offer free basic dog training tips or training material online. There is a world of information out there available in many different formats.
How to choose a proper dog training program for you and your dog can also be very difficult. Searching for information on the Internet can be great most of the time, but it can also be difficult to say the least.
In the business of Dog Training most customers are using search engines to seek information about Dog Training. After searching most become confused because of so many programs claiming to be the best. They start out searching for one and now have 20 or more to choose from. There are plenty of ways to narrow this down and ultimately get the best Dog Training program for you and your dog.
Here are some examples of how anyone can do this:
* There are eBooks that will show you how to choose exactly what program is best for you and your dog. Quite simple and very effective.
* There are newsletters that will give you free basic dog training tips including an introduction to their program.
* Many trainers offer free email consultation.
These are just a few ways to receive free basic dog training tips online today.
Take advantage of free basic dog training tips before you invest in a program online. And as always, insure the trainer stands behind their program with a money back guarantee.
Robert Bercume
http://www.Dog-Training-Sites.com/free.html
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