Benefits of Dog Training
Colleen Gray offers helpful advice for pet parents on the benefits of training your dogs. Colleen shares over 20 years of experience focusing on the rewards of training and building a special bond with her pups.
Listen to Episode #174 Now:
Transcript:
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Announcer: >Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Susan Marie: The views conveyed by the guests on this program do not necessarily represent the views of the host or owners of The Doggy Diva Show, and do not necessarily constitute endorsement of products.
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Susan Marie: Medical information shared by the guests on this program are those of the guests, and are for informational purposes only.
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Susan Marie: They should not replace the medical advice of your veterinarian.
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Susan Marie: Hi, this is Susan Marie from The Doggy Diva Show.
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Susan Marie: In this episode, we learn the benefits of basic training for our pups, increasing your pup's confidence and sociability.
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Susan Marie: That's what's on our show, so let's get started.
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Susan Marie: Come here, babies.
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Susan Marie: It's time for a treat, The Doggy Diva Show.
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Susan Marie: Here's national award-winning author and animal advocate, Susan Marie.
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Susan Marie: Hi, welcome to The Doggy Diva Show, the show for animal lovers.
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Susan Marie: I'm your host, Susan Marie, and as always, I'm joined by my canine co-hosts, the Doggy Divas themselves.
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Susan Marie: Thank you for joining us today as we bring you the experts in the pet and animal world right to you.
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Susan Marie: Contact us at the doggydiva.com.
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Susan Marie: That's the doggydiva.com.
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Susan Marie: We love hearing from you, so go grab a cup of coffee and your pet's favorite treat, and we'll be back in just a moment.
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Announcer: >You know the expression, cats have nine lives.
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Announcer: >Well, what if you can give them one more?
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Announcer: >The Give Them Ten Movement is on a mission to help give cats an extra life.
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Announcer: >How?
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Announcer: >With spay and neuter.
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Announcer: >Spaying or neutering your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life.
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Announcer: >And it helps control free roaming cat populations too.
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Announcer: >Learn more about the benefits of spay and neuter and meet Scooter, the neutered cat, at givethemten.org.
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Announcer: >That's givethemten.org.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.
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Susan Marie: Welcome back everyone to the Doggy Diva Show.
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Susan Marie: We have a fun and educational show for you today about something both our beloved fur kids and us as pet parents can benefit from.
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Susan Marie: We welcome Colleen Gray back to the show to share her journey over the past 20 years, working closely with her dogs, taking them from puppy classes to intermediate classes, earning all of her beloved pups, AKC K9 Good Citizen, and having a lot of fun and bonding time along the way.
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Susan Marie: So welcome back to the show, Colleen.
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Colleen Gray: Hello, it's great to be with you.
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Colleen Gray: Thanks for having me.
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Susan Marie: You are truly the ultimate dog mom who has learned how to balance valued training and education with fun.
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Susan Marie: So how about this?
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Susan Marie: How about if we start?
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Susan Marie: Because this show is all on the basics of training.
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Susan Marie: So how about if we start with what are the benefits of basic training?
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Colleen Gray: There are so many benefits.
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Colleen Gray: We'll just kind of go through kind of the highlights, but there are so many benefits.
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Colleen Gray: The first one that comes to mind is training your dog builds up confidence in your dog.
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Colleen Gray: So when you train your dog using positive reinforcement, it teaches them that making decisions and engaging with you and the environment earns them good things like treats and praise.
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Colleen Gray: Your dog will then be more open to new experiences as they are positive and rewarding.
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Colleen Gray: Another benefit is that you'll create a stronger bond between you and your dog.
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Colleen Gray: So as you spend time together, you create boundaries, learn about each other and share positive experiences, which will build a trusting, respectful bond that will truly last a lifetime.
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Colleen Gray: You'll also have a companion that you'll be able to trust since you've spent time ensuring that they behave appropriately.
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Susan Marie: And can we just chat really quickly about the bonding experience through training?
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Susan Marie: Because I think that's so important.
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Colleen Gray: Absolutely.
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Colleen Gray: Yeah, it's kind of hard to put into words.
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Colleen Gray: So that the closeness that develops through mostly the nonverbal communication and the fun that we enjoy together because of our training is really, really special.
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Colleen Gray: And it's hard to describe and really hard to put into words.
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Colleen Gray: And some of the quality of life benefits for us as parents and our dogs as a result of training is, it's really hard to describe and it's really, really special.
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Colleen Gray: So it does, you'll kind of see it as you evolve through your training process from the wild child to the good citizen, but the bonding is truly, truly amazing.
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Susan Marie: How about working on training your dog?
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Susan Marie: How does it help to reduce unwanted and sometimes unpleasant behavior?
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Colleen Gray: Yeah, so working on your training, in doing that, you do reduce unwanted or unpleasant behavior.
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Colleen Gray: Since you and your dog will have a better bond and know how to communicate with each other, it's easier to set boundaries for what is and isn't allowed.
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Colleen Gray: So regular training sessions, work your dog physically and mentally in a positive way, providing stimulation and attention, which helps to prevent behavior concerns.
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Colleen Gray: Also with proper training, you'll increase your pup's sociability.
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Colleen Gray: As your dog learns boundaries and how to behave appropriately in social settings, other people and dogs will feel more comfortable as well, and this will result in more positive experiences for you and your dog.
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Susan Marie: Can you share for a minute how, well, I'll say a well-behaved dog is more welcome like in social settings?
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Colleen Gray: Absolutely.
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Colleen Gray: Yeah.
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Colleen Gray: So I've found that our dogs, after we've worked with them, are welcomed in, for instance, dog-friendly restaurants, even dog-friendly hotels, and also just hanging out with friends since they're well-behaved.
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Colleen Gray: It takes time, but eventually the patience and hard work pays off.
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Colleen Gray: And it's a, as I mentioned before, it's a really rewarding experience to witness the transformation from your wild child puppy or your wild child adult dog if you adopt a dog when they're older to a truly good citizen.
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Colleen Gray: And it just takes some time and patience and a little bit of structure with training.
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Susan Marie: You know, Colleen, one of the things that you do, and I'm not sure if it's done throughout the country, but I know that some of the places near us do this, you actually do a mall walking class.
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Susan Marie: Can you tell us a little bit about that?
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Susan Marie: Because I know that you're sending me the little videos of Cisco.
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Susan Marie: He is really doing well and thriving.
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Colleen Gray: He is.
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Colleen Gray: He really enjoys it.
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Colleen Gray: He's one of those who's still a bit of a wild child.
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Colleen Gray: He's a young Sheltie, and we're working on really getting back to the basics.
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Colleen Gray: So he progressed really well from his puppy class into his intermediate and earned his canine good citizen.
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Colleen Gray: And then I found, as he became kind of an adolescent, he would get really excited around other dogs and bounce around and all that.
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Colleen Gray: And it was kind of that unwanted behavior.
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Colleen Gray: So I took him way back to the basics, and we're taking a beginner obedience class right now, which is super fun.
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Colleen Gray: Most of the classes have dogs that are half his age or less.
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Colleen Gray: And one of the components is about once a month, we go to our local shopping center, and it's really nice.
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Colleen Gray: It's indoors.
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Colleen Gray: And we meet as a group, and we walk nicely through the shopping center.
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Colleen Gray: So we start out and kind of meet up and do a little bit of freshening up on our obedience.
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Colleen Gray: We have them sit and lie down and just kind of get their attention.
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Colleen Gray: And then we break out our treats, and then we walk nicely together.
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Colleen Gray: The first time we did, it was a little bit challenging.
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Colleen Gray: But even that first time, over time, we were able to kind of get a little bit of traction back to our basics.
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Colleen Gray: And about 75% of that mall walk was really, really good.
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Colleen Gray: I didn't think it was going to be that good, but it did end up really, really good.
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Colleen Gray: And he was really well behaved.
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Colleen Gray: And then the next few times we walked, he was really good, almost from the start.
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Colleen Gray: So, you know, I have, again, my bouncy, my bouncy teenager is really kind of coming around and those mall walks really help.
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Susan Marie: That's great.
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Susan Marie: And he's so cute.
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Susan Marie: He like bounces around.
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Susan Marie: He's the happiest little dog I've ever seen.
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Susan Marie: Now, one of the things, and you know, we talk about the disciplines and things like that, but one of the things is how having your dog trained or properly trained or being able to, you know, be trained on command increases safety.
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Susan Marie: Can you explain that?
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Colleen Gray: Yeah.
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Colleen Gray: Yeah.
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Colleen Gray: Truly ensuring your pet listens to your cues can prevent it from experiencing potential conflict with other dogs or animals, running into a busy road or generally harming itself in hazardous situations.
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Colleen Gray: Also, you'll probably learn how to better understand your dog and be able to prevent future concerns such as resource guarding.
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Colleen Gray: So again, kind of that whole process of that, you know, deeper communication can develop into a really good safety foundation, and it really helps with safety.
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Susan Marie: You mentioned resource guarding, and I think that sometimes when we adopt animals, or maybe there are some issues there that people think, oh no.
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Susan Marie: And sometimes it's just resource guarding.
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Susan Marie: Could you just explain what resource guarding is so people understand it and how actually the training helps to benefit at basic training?
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Colleen Gray: Yep, absolutely.
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Colleen Gray: So there's all kinds of resource guarding.
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Colleen Gray: One of the most typical resource guarding is with food.
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Colleen Gray: So if your dog is eating their food, and either another dog or you goes over to take their food or move their food bowl, you know, just very, you know, in a very simple way, if you have a dog that is a resource guarder, it can be a real problem.
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Colleen Gray: They can growl or snap or, you know, things like that, which is not great behavior with us, other dogs or other people.
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Colleen Gray: So working with your dog and practicing, you know, giving them a bone and taking it away and then giving them a treat, giving them their bowl and then taking it away slightly and giving it a treat.
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Colleen Gray: Just letting them know that if I move your bowl or I take your bone or whatever it might be that you're guarding, if I take it, I'm going to give it back to you.
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Colleen Gray: And it's really going to be a good experience.
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Colleen Gray: That repetition will really ease up any resource guarding situations.
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Colleen Gray: If you have a dog that's kind of a dangerous resource guarder, you probably would want to bring in, you know, behaviorist or something of that nature.
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Colleen Gray: But if you work with them when they're younger and you start working on that resource guarding right out of the gate, it's really helpful so that they don't see, you know, you're removing anything that they really want to keep as, you know, as a problem in their mind.
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Susan Marie: Thanks for explaining that.
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Susan Marie: And I think that's really important for households that have multiple pets, because sometimes that's what we encounter, and it is this resource guarding.
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Susan Marie: Sometimes you're the resource, and they're guarding you.
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Susan Marie: With proper training, how does it make it easier or not only easier for the pet parent, but easier for your dog when you're working with, let's say, pet professionals?
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Colleen Gray: Yes, it can make a huge difference when working with a groomer or a veterinarian.
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Colleen Gray: So dogs whose owners have worked on handling exercises and training usually have better vet and grooming visits, which makes the experience better for both the groomer or the vet and your pet.
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Colleen Gray: So, you know, just doing things like getting them used to being handled, touching their feet, touching their toes, petting them, having other people like friends or, you know, people that they know or that they don't know.
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Colleen Gray: Just come over and pet them and handle them and maybe run a brush over them really gently.
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Colleen Gray: And doing it kind of in baby steps so that they're desensitized.
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Colleen Gray: And again, you can bring in the positive reinforcement and give them a cookie and give them lots of praise.
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Colleen Gray: But a dog that has that kind of desensitizing and also just kind of a good experience with being handled, it usually very much translates into better visits with professionals.
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Colleen Gray: And that can make all the difference when, especially if your dog is sick or hurting, the veterinarian or other professional, it really, really helps.
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Susan Marie: That's so important.
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Susan Marie: And I think sometimes we don't even think about that.
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Susan Marie: I never encountered it until recently with one of my dogs.
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Susan Marie: I had never had any, you know, they're all pretty compliant.
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Susan Marie: And then we have one, she's a little resistant, a little quirky.
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Susan Marie: But, you know, we work with it.
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Susan Marie: We have our groomer work with it, our vet works with it.
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Susan Marie: Anyone who we encounter works with it.
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Susan Marie: And she's a good dog.
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Susan Marie: She just is quirky.
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Susan Marie: And you've been encountered it when you've been here.
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Susan Marie: But yeah, so it's very important to be able to work with them so that they can visit pet professionals and not be so anxious.
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Susan Marie: Now, we've talked about this, we've touched on it.
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Susan Marie: But what are the different classes that you have each of your pups attending?
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Susan Marie: And I have to tell you, you do send me little videos of them.
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Susan Marie: They love it.
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Susan Marie: So can you tell us about their classes?
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Susan Marie: And can you tell us how much they love it?
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Colleen Gray: We have a blast.
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Colleen Gray: You do.
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Colleen Gray: So for the past 20 plus years, all seven of my dogs and I have taken, as I mentioned before, foundation obedience classes from puppy to beginner to intermediate, and all earn their canine good citizen.
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Colleen Gray: Again, as I had mentioned earlier, the CGC.
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Colleen Gray: And we've had a lot of fun along the way.
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Colleen Gray: So the CGC, it's a program through the American Kennel Club, doesn't have anything to do with a dog being pedigreed or anything of that nature.
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Colleen Gray: It's just a certification program that evaluates a dog's good manners and teaches responsible ownership practices to their parents.
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Colleen Gray: And it's a very worthwhile program.
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Colleen Gray: Any dog can participate.
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Colleen Gray: It's a wonderful, the training leading up to the CGC is a lot of fun.
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Colleen Gray: And if you go on the AKC website, it kind of goes through the different, they call them stations.
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Colleen Gray: I believe there's 10 or 12 things that you need to do to earn your CGC.
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Colleen Gray: And some of the things are being quiet with being brushed, being quiet and well behaved when a stranger comes up and shakes their pet parent's hand.
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Colleen Gray: You know, just little things like that, which again goes back to that veterinarian and grooming situation.
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Colleen Gray: And then also being around other dogs, they need to behave well in a crowd, those sorts of things.
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Colleen Gray: So anyway, take a look at that on the AKC website.
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Colleen Gray: It's a really fun program.
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Colleen Gray: So definitely worth checking out.
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Colleen Gray: And then once we get the basics down, each of my dogs has enjoyed training in some type of sport.
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Colleen Gray: So these are usually the videos that I share with me.
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Colleen Gray: And we love it.
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Colleen Gray: So over the years, we've taken several classes in agility, years of training in agility, sheep herding, rally obedience we're doing right now, tracking we're doing right now.
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Colleen Gray: And we really do have a lot of fun.
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Colleen Gray: And we've also met some of the nicest people and dogs along the way.
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Colleen Gray: I've met some wonderful friends and we go to the beach together and we have playdates together.
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Colleen Gray: And then when we see them in class, it's a lot of fun, a lot of really, really neat people.
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Colleen Gray: So currently Keegan the Corgi is taking beginner rally classes.
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Colleen Gray: We're just about to move up to intermediate.
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Colleen Gray: Callie the Corgi just started her third year of tracking.
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Colleen Gray: And Cisco the Sheltie, we're bringing back to basics a little bit.
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Colleen Gray: And he's doing those back to the foundation classes in the mall walking.
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Colleen Gray: Again, just trying to harness some of his enthusiasm, but we're making progress.
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Colleen Gray: You are.
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Susan Marie: And for those people that are not familiar, and this is Keegan the Corgi, these are the two Corgis that you have.
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Susan Marie: What is a rally class?
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Colleen Gray: Rally is a lot of fun.
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Colleen Gray: So it's a type of obedience.
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Colleen Gray: I'm not a big competitive obedience person.
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Colleen Gray: I'll never be out there in a competitive ring, showing how amazingly obedient my dog is in a really structured environment.
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Colleen Gray: But rally obedience is kind of a fun obedience.
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Colleen Gray: It's almost like agility without the jumps.
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Colleen Gray: And they set up a course, so your instructor will set up a course, so things like left turn, right turn, about turn.
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Colleen Gray: We do serpentines, we do little figure eights.
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Colleen Gray: In the higher level classes, there might be one little jump.
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Colleen Gray: It's just an awful lot of fun.
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Colleen Gray: And you can, you know, you do have to have a bit of a foundation because they need to be able to do the basics, like sit and lay down and calm and those sorts of things.
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Colleen Gray: But, you know, the young dogs can do it.
00:17:46.572 --> 00:17:52.412
Colleen Gray: My dog who had degenerative myelopathy scooter actually did rally in his cart.
00:17:52.412 --> 00:17:54.472
Susan Marie: He did in his little wheelchair, yes.
00:17:54.472 --> 00:17:55.952
Colleen Gray: And he loved it.
00:17:55.952 --> 00:17:57.952
Colleen Gray: So it's a lot of fun.
00:17:57.952 --> 00:18:00.332
Colleen Gray: That's probably my favorite sport.
00:18:00.332 --> 00:18:04.812
Colleen Gray: And again, it's obedience, but it's a lot of fun.
00:18:04.812 --> 00:18:07.492
Colleen Gray: So, yeah, highly recommend.
00:18:07.492 --> 00:18:09.672
Susan Marie: We have to talk about my girl, Callie.
00:18:09.672 --> 00:18:11.472
Susan Marie: Callie is also a corgi.
00:18:11.472 --> 00:18:14.792
Susan Marie: She's my niece, and she's very confident.
00:18:14.792 --> 00:18:18.912
Susan Marie: Now, she just started her third year of tracking, which I'm going to ask you what that is.
00:18:18.912 --> 00:18:26.892
Susan Marie: But I remember when you had sent me these pictures of her in her glory, herding sheep.
00:18:26.892 --> 00:18:30.312
Susan Marie: Can you tell us a little bit about, number one, how you got into it?
00:18:30.392 --> 00:18:32.152
Susan Marie: Because corgis are herders.
00:18:32.152 --> 00:18:32.652
Colleen Gray: Yes.
00:18:32.652 --> 00:18:36.252
Susan Marie: And then you evolved into the tracking, which she's very good at.
00:18:36.252 --> 00:18:41.412
Susan Marie: And, you know, but can you tell us a little bit about how she sort of evolved?
00:18:41.412 --> 00:18:43.372
Colleen Gray: So corgis are natural.
00:18:43.372 --> 00:18:45.232
Colleen Gray: They're herding dogs by nature.
00:18:45.232 --> 00:18:51.852
Colleen Gray: And so typically, you know, if you have a herding dog or herding breed, you can do a herding instinct test.
00:18:51.852 --> 00:19:01.312
Colleen Gray: So usually a breed club or, you know, a local group that has herding at their facility and gives herding lessons, they'll give herding instinct tests.
00:19:01.312 --> 00:19:04.672
Colleen Gray: Some corgis have no interest in herding anything.
00:19:04.672 --> 00:19:06.792
Colleen Gray: German shepherds, kind of the same thing.
00:19:06.792 --> 00:19:08.592
Colleen Gray: Malinois, et cetera, et cetera.
00:19:08.592 --> 00:19:09.432
Colleen Gray: Shelties.
00:19:09.432 --> 00:19:12.352
Colleen Gray: But if they have the instinct, it is amazing.
00:19:12.352 --> 00:19:14.272
Colleen Gray: They just know what to do.
00:19:14.272 --> 00:19:19.552
Colleen Gray: So you'll put them in a pen with sheep, and they just know what to do instinctually.
00:19:19.552 --> 00:19:22.432
Colleen Gray: So you have to see if they're interested.
00:19:22.432 --> 00:19:28.952
Colleen Gray: If they are interested, you can actually take lessons, and it's an official AKC sport.
00:19:29.552 --> 00:19:33.652
Colleen Gray: So you can hone your skills in herding sheep.
00:19:33.652 --> 00:19:36.992
Colleen Gray: There's sheep, there's cattle, and ducks.
00:19:36.992 --> 00:19:44.752
Colleen Gray: I believe those are kind of the three main kind of livestock type creatures that are part of the herding sport.
00:19:44.752 --> 00:19:58.412
Colleen Gray: And it's really, if you see a dog that is truly well trained and is really on their game with herding, and usually it's the border collies, they're just usually off the charts, it's amazing to watch.
00:19:58.532 --> 00:20:06.492
Colleen Gray: But with Callie, we took a couple of years of herding, I think we did it probably for about two years, and she was amazing.
00:20:06.492 --> 00:20:09.652
Colleen Gray: She was a hundred times better than I was.
00:20:09.652 --> 00:20:18.452
Colleen Gray: And we progressed along the ranks, and Callie doesn't do anything halfway.
00:20:18.452 --> 00:20:27.932
Colleen Gray: So she would be out there, and she'd be stopping hard and turning hard and running hard, and everything she did is extreme.
00:20:28.192 --> 00:20:33.492
Colleen Gray: And she actually has an incongruent elbow, which is just something that she was born with.
00:20:33.492 --> 00:20:38.592
Colleen Gray: So we unfortunately, because she can't do anything halfway, she was going to hurt herself.
00:20:38.592 --> 00:20:41.692
Colleen Gray: So we had to rethink things.
00:20:41.692 --> 00:20:43.792
Colleen Gray: So, you know, she got a little older.
00:20:43.792 --> 00:20:53.372
Colleen Gray: And so we do, I do with her now, we don't do the hurting anymore, but we do do tracking, and she also does rally.
00:20:53.372 --> 00:20:58.792
Colleen Gray: But the tracking is something that we've really pursued over the last couple of years.
00:20:58.792 --> 00:21:03.772
Colleen Gray: And it's kind of like the beginning stages of, I think, the search and rescue.
00:21:03.772 --> 00:21:05.472
Susan Marie: The search and rescue, yeah.
00:21:05.472 --> 00:21:10.612
Colleen Gray: So this is kind of the baby step into the, you know, the super advanced.
00:21:10.612 --> 00:21:12.752
Susan Marie: But she doesn't know it's a baby step.
00:21:12.752 --> 00:21:17.372
Colleen Gray: She doesn't know, she thinks she's, you know, she's all that.
00:21:17.372 --> 00:21:23.912
Colleen Gray: But it's really neat, our instructor will go down, and it's what is called laying a track.
00:21:23.912 --> 00:21:28.972
Colleen Gray: She'll get out there before we do, and she will lay a track, so she'll walk.
00:21:28.972 --> 00:21:41.012
Colleen Gray: And she will leave her scent just by walking, and there will be, and at the end of the track, and there are turns, and, you know, we'll walk around trees and all kinds of things.
00:21:41.012 --> 00:21:44.232
Colleen Gray: And then she'll leave a leather glove at the end of the track.
00:21:44.232 --> 00:21:47.792
Colleen Gray: And the goal is to have the dog start the starting point.
00:21:47.792 --> 00:21:49.012
Colleen Gray: There's a little flag.
00:21:49.012 --> 00:21:52.432
Colleen Gray: And then we'll go, you know, it could be two minutes.
00:21:52.932 --> 00:21:58.752
Colleen Gray: And we have to go from start to finish and follow the instructor's track to get to the leather glove.
00:21:58.752 --> 00:22:00.312
Colleen Gray: It's so fun.
00:22:00.312 --> 00:22:02.872
Colleen Gray: And she can't hurt herself.
00:22:02.872 --> 00:22:04.132
Susan Marie: And she loves it.
00:22:04.132 --> 00:22:05.032
Colleen Gray: She loves it.
00:22:05.032 --> 00:22:05.972
Susan Marie: She's very into it.
00:22:05.972 --> 00:22:14.172
Susan Marie: Now, years ago, when you had come on the show as a guest, and it was when Callie first started her sheep herding class, and we talked about it.
00:22:14.172 --> 00:22:27.092
Susan Marie: And I think I told you that I had, because the show is heard nation-wide, and that I had people contacting me from all over the country, asking how they could get their dog into a sheep herding class.
00:22:27.092 --> 00:22:30.332
Susan Marie: So it's just, these are things that are a little nuanced.
00:22:31.332 --> 00:22:33.712
Susan Marie: We've talked about the basic obedience training.
00:22:33.712 --> 00:22:35.172
Susan Marie: We talked about rally training.
00:22:35.172 --> 00:22:42.092
Susan Marie: But things like the sheep herding and the tracking are a little different and sometimes unique to the breed of dogs.
00:22:42.092 --> 00:22:47.972
Susan Marie: So I think that that's wonderful that you brought that into this conversation, because I think it's very interesting.
00:22:47.972 --> 00:22:58.912
Susan Marie: And you know what, Colleen, you have made, throughout the years, lifelong friends through basic obedience classes, the rally classes.
00:22:58.912 --> 00:23:10.152
Susan Marie: I know you did agility years ago with your pups and, you know, and then with Callie, of course, with her sheep herding and now her tracking, but you've made lifelong friends.
00:23:10.152 --> 00:23:19.292
Susan Marie: Can you tell us the importance of being a part of this and being a part of this with like-minded people who thoroughly enjoy doing this with their dogs?
00:23:19.292 --> 00:23:34.592
Colleen Gray: So the bottom, the real base of all this is the love of our animals and animal welfare and doing the best we can in the animal community to just kind of lift up the animal community.
00:23:34.592 --> 00:23:49.332
Colleen Gray: So maybe for people who are just, you know, bringing a dog into their family for the first time up to cheering our friends on, who are, you know, I have one friend who trained, she has competed in Europe in agility.
00:23:49.332 --> 00:23:59.432
Colleen Gray: She's off the charts, but she is just, every bit is down to earth and kind and helpful with everybody as anybody else.
00:23:59.432 --> 00:24:17.112
Colleen Gray: So it's really meaningful, you know, and again, to see over the years, having a dog from, you know, a puppy or whenever you bring the dog into your family, into their elderly years, and just have all that really, really special time with them.
00:24:17.112 --> 00:24:21.272
Colleen Gray: It's just, as I mentioned earlier, it's just really hard to put into words.
00:24:21.272 --> 00:24:32.252
Colleen Gray: And experiencing that with people that you see, I'm a member of an obedience club, and I've been friends with these people for, gosh, since like 2000.
00:24:32.252 --> 00:24:34.372
Colleen Gray: That's when I first started training with them.
00:24:34.372 --> 00:24:36.152
Colleen Gray: And it's really, really beautiful.
00:24:36.432 --> 00:24:46.912
Colleen Gray: And, you know, the type of people who are attracted to this kind of activity just really want to build that bond with their animals, and it's just really beautiful.
00:24:46.912 --> 00:24:59.672
Colleen Gray: Even, like, I'm not very good, and my dogs are a lot better than I am, but I don't really do it to be the best obedience trainer or for my dogs to be the most perfect dogs, you know, in the neighborhood.
00:24:59.672 --> 00:25:02.752
Colleen Gray: I want them to be well-behaved, but I also want them to have fun.
00:25:02.752 --> 00:25:10.772
Colleen Gray: It's more about the experience and the people and my dogs spending time with other dogs and other kind of people.
00:25:10.772 --> 00:25:12.672
Colleen Gray: That's really the most important thing.
00:25:12.672 --> 00:25:18.132
Colleen Gray: So, yeah, so for us and probably a lot of other people, that's really what it comes down to.
00:25:18.132 --> 00:25:19.732
Colleen Gray: It's really, really special.
00:25:19.732 --> 00:25:21.292
Susan Marie: Well, I'm going to give you props.
00:25:21.292 --> 00:25:23.332
Susan Marie: Well, why don't we take a quick break?
00:25:23.332 --> 00:25:29.632
Susan Marie: And then when we come back, Colleen's going to share a valuable, quick tip and command with us.
00:25:29.632 --> 00:25:31.152
Susan Marie: So we'll be back in just a moment.
00:25:34.392 --> 00:25:36.832
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00:26:15.052 --> 00:26:16.092
Announcer: Hello, everyone.
00:26:16.672 --> 00:26:23.192
Susan Marie: Susan Marie here to tell you about the award-winning three-book series, The Doggy Diva Diaries.
00:26:23.192 --> 00:26:27.392
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Susan Marie: Olive, a lonely little rescue pup hoping to find her forever family and friends and a life filled with love.
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Susan Marie: In this series, Ms.
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Susan Marie: Olive learns that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's the kindness and love you have on the inside that counts.
00:26:43.332 --> 00:26:48.572
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00:26:48.572 --> 00:26:52.492
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00:26:52.492 --> 00:26:53.912
Susan Marie: Thank you, everyone.
00:26:57.012 --> 00:26:58.892
Susan Marie: Welcome back, everyone, to the show.
00:26:58.892 --> 00:27:04.892
Susan Marie: I am here with Colleen Gray and she is sharing the basics of dog training with us.
00:27:04.892 --> 00:27:08.892
Susan Marie: Can you tell us about the Shaker?
00:27:08.892 --> 00:27:09.412
Colleen Gray: Absolutely.
00:27:09.412 --> 00:27:10.292
Colleen Gray: I love this.
00:27:10.652 --> 00:27:11.072
Colleen Gray: I love this.
00:27:11.072 --> 00:27:18.212
Colleen Gray: Out of all the little tips that you learn along the way, this is my favorite.
00:27:18.212 --> 00:27:21.972
Colleen Gray: So it's teaching the come command using a shaker.
00:27:21.972 --> 00:27:22.792
Colleen Gray: So I love this.
00:27:22.792 --> 00:27:29.492
Colleen Gray: We have a shaker in our kitchen, in our car, and it's amazing how they listen when they hear food.
00:27:29.492 --> 00:27:30.852
Colleen Gray: So that's what this is kind of about.
00:27:30.852 --> 00:27:33.732
Colleen Gray: So anyway, teaching the come using a shaker.
00:27:33.732 --> 00:27:39.452
Colleen Gray: So make a shaker by putting some kibble or hard treats into a small container.
00:27:39.612 --> 00:27:49.412
Colleen Gray: So like, you know, those little itty bitty Tupperwares, little plastic things, you can just put, you know, a little handful of treats in there, just be kibble or treats.
00:27:49.412 --> 00:27:51.012
Colleen Gray: Doesn't really matter what it is.
00:27:51.012 --> 00:27:52.232
Colleen Gray: And then close it up.
00:27:52.232 --> 00:27:54.232
Colleen Gray: So make three or four shakers.
00:27:54.232 --> 00:27:58.852
Colleen Gray: As I mentioned to you, we have one in our kitchen and I have one in the car.
00:27:58.852 --> 00:28:03.472
Colleen Gray: Another idea is to have one for each door to the outside.
00:28:03.472 --> 00:28:07.612
Colleen Gray: And you can just use these to practice with and maybe even leave there, which I've kind of done.
00:28:08.092 --> 00:28:17.872
Colleen Gray: So the first day or two when you're starting to do this with your dog sitting in front of you, have the shaker in one hand and some good treats in the other hand, like really, really good treats.
00:28:17.872 --> 00:28:19.132
Colleen Gray: Break out the good ones.
00:28:19.132 --> 00:28:25.992
Colleen Gray: I have sometimes have steak or little pieces of chicken breast, so you really get their attention.
00:28:25.992 --> 00:28:29.832
Colleen Gray: So you shake the shaker and then pop a treat into your pup's mouth.
00:28:29.832 --> 00:28:32.832
Colleen Gray: You're building an equation in your dog's mind.
00:28:33.252 --> 00:28:37.532
Colleen Gray: The sound of the shaker equals this yummy treat.
00:28:37.532 --> 00:28:46.352
Colleen Gray: So practice this four or five times and then quit the session for the day and come back the next day or maybe later in the day to do it again.
00:28:46.352 --> 00:28:47.672
Colleen Gray: Keep this fun.
00:28:47.672 --> 00:28:51.412
Colleen Gray: Use a happy tone of voice and really, really great treats.
00:28:51.412 --> 00:28:55.332
Colleen Gray: So after two or three days of this training, add the word come.
00:28:55.332 --> 00:28:57.852
Colleen Gray: Again, start with your dog sitting in front of you.
00:28:58.532 --> 00:29:07.532
Colleen Gray: Shake this shaker and say, Cisco, come or sweetie, come or whatever your dog's name is, come and pop a treat in their mouth.
00:29:07.532 --> 00:29:11.532
Colleen Gray: At this point, your dog is not moving, just sitting in front of you.
00:29:11.532 --> 00:29:13.612
Colleen Gray: So it's still super basic.
00:29:13.612 --> 00:29:23.292
Colleen Gray: So you're adding to the equation, the sound of the shaker equals the word come, which equals the treat popped in his mouth.
00:29:23.292 --> 00:29:30.752
Colleen Gray: Practice this for several days, two or three times per session, and you'd be amazed at the outcome.
00:29:30.752 --> 00:29:35.692
Colleen Gray: Right now, I get up really, really early in the morning, and we live in a development.
00:29:35.692 --> 00:29:38.932
Colleen Gray: So it's hard for me to be calling my dogs in the morning.
00:29:38.932 --> 00:29:48.692
Colleen Gray: You know, they go outside and sniff around, and you know, and when it's time for them to come in, rather than me calling them, I use the shaker.
00:29:48.692 --> 00:29:51.372
Colleen Gray: And as soon as they hear the shaker, they come running.
00:29:51.372 --> 00:30:07.572
Colleen Gray: So that's like just one instance where, you know, I'm able to really get their attention without even saying their names or even the word come after they've gotten conditioned to equating that sound with something really, really good.
00:30:07.572 --> 00:30:14.952
Colleen Gray: And I still give them a reward as soon as they come in the house, even though we've done this tons of times, I still always give them a treat to reinforce it.
00:30:14.952 --> 00:30:21.712
Colleen Gray: So it's a really, I found it to be a really effective command and kind of a fun thing to work on with your dog.
00:30:21.712 --> 00:30:31.592
Colleen Gray: And it really, it can make a big difference if your dog darts out the front door or does something where you really need to get their attention.
00:30:31.592 --> 00:30:34.232
Colleen Gray: This could be something that could really help you.
00:30:34.232 --> 00:30:40.852
Colleen Gray: And it could really save a really tough situation if you really need to get their attention.
00:30:40.852 --> 00:30:42.512
Colleen Gray: So great one to teach.
00:30:42.512 --> 00:30:43.412
Susan Marie: And it's so simple.
00:30:43.412 --> 00:30:44.612
Susan Marie: I mean, it's interesting.
00:30:44.612 --> 00:30:51.772
Susan Marie: You talk about how you have, like, I have a table at my front door with a huge bouquet of flowers in it, but I have like my little treat shaker.
00:30:51.992 --> 00:31:04.992
Susan Marie: And then near the garage door, I do because I have one of my girls who, when John comes in, the door opens and that's like they want to go out, so they come back because I live in a neighborhood where the houses are relatively close together.
00:31:04.992 --> 00:31:11.212
Susan Marie: And the same thing at the back door, like we get up very early and we also take our dogs out very late.
00:31:11.212 --> 00:31:12.832
Susan Marie: You can't be screaming their names.
00:31:12.832 --> 00:31:15.112
Susan Marie: So that works so well.
00:31:15.112 --> 00:31:17.172
Susan Marie: And it's so easy.
00:31:17.172 --> 00:31:18.392
Susan Marie: It's so easy.
00:31:18.392 --> 00:31:20.152
Susan Marie: And we have hard treats in ours.
00:31:20.292 --> 00:31:23.932
Susan Marie: But I mean, it's the little shaker that catches their attention.
00:31:24.252 --> 00:31:32.992
Susan Marie: And it's amazing how when there's treats involved, how you could just get all their attention very quickly.
00:31:32.992 --> 00:31:34.072
Colleen Gray: And it's fun.
00:31:34.072 --> 00:31:35.472
Susan Marie: It is.
00:31:35.712 --> 00:31:51.432
Susan Marie: And that's what, you know, when I opened up, I said that the show would be educational because you brought a lot in as far as like obedience and, you know, some of the fun things like the herding, the rally, the tracking.
00:31:51.432 --> 00:31:56.932
Susan Marie: But I mean, it's all you're building skills, but at the same time, you're having fun.
00:31:56.932 --> 00:32:09.312
Susan Marie: And I think that that helps to, and you could correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're going to agree with me, that helps to build that bond with your dog so that there's like an implicit, like a trust there.
00:32:09.392 --> 00:32:09.492
Susan Marie: 100%.
00:32:10.332 --> 00:32:19.092
Colleen Gray: And that again, that's kind of another one of the main goals is just building the communication, building the bond, having fun.
00:32:19.092 --> 00:32:28.472
Colleen Gray: And it just, I don't know, it just, it makes for a, I found a more special, deeper relationship with my dog, having engaged in the training.
00:32:28.472 --> 00:32:35.692
Colleen Gray: I know a lot of people might think of training as boring or doing drills or something like that.
00:32:35.692 --> 00:32:37.032
Colleen Gray: It really is what you make it.
00:32:38.132 --> 00:32:40.272
Colleen Gray: And it really can be a lot of fun.
00:32:40.272 --> 00:32:47.992
Susan Marie: And just as a side note, I want to go back to this, because a lot of times people are saying, oh, I wish I could meet people or friends or like-minded people.
00:32:47.992 --> 00:32:53.512
Susan Marie: And you could go to dog parks and you could, you know, different things where dogs can socialize.
00:32:53.512 --> 00:33:01.792
Susan Marie: But I believe that sometimes if you go to these training classes, and again, you, whatever you make of them is what they are.
00:33:01.792 --> 00:33:03.672
Susan Marie: And you can meet a lot of like-minded people.
00:33:03.672 --> 00:33:09.592
Susan Marie: I go back to you having these friends that you have been friends with for years and years and years.
00:33:09.592 --> 00:33:16.952
Susan Marie: And you've all evolved with, you know, your dogs have aged out, but you, they're still getting newer dogs and they're going to the class.
00:33:16.952 --> 00:33:18.432
Susan Marie: This is kind of like a lifestyle.
00:33:18.432 --> 00:33:19.392
Susan Marie: And I commend you for it.
00:33:19.392 --> 00:33:21.312
Susan Marie: You're very dedicated to it.
00:33:21.312 --> 00:33:25.312
Susan Marie: And I know that you and David have a lot of fun doing it with the dogs.
00:33:25.312 --> 00:33:26.072
Colleen Gray: We do.
00:33:26.072 --> 00:33:34.252
Colleen Gray: And if you want to find a group or a really good trainer, again, there are wonderful people in the community who would really love to help you out.
00:33:34.352 --> 00:33:41.192
Colleen Gray: So if you have a friend who you see or have heard does these sorts of activities, you could ask them.
00:33:41.192 --> 00:33:45.612
Colleen Gray: You can talk to a veterinarian, is another great person to talk to.
00:33:45.612 --> 00:33:54.312
Colleen Gray: Also, you could Google your, just go on your search engine and look for your local obedience club.
00:33:54.312 --> 00:33:57.332
Colleen Gray: There are obedience clubs all over the country.
00:33:58.412 --> 00:34:06.212
Colleen Gray: And I believe you could also even maybe find groups through the AKC if you go on the American Kennel Club site.
00:34:06.212 --> 00:34:12.152
Colleen Gray: But most people would have a group similar to the one that I'm a part of in their community.
00:34:12.152 --> 00:34:13.492
Colleen Gray: It might be a little bit of a drive.
00:34:13.492 --> 00:34:22.192
Colleen Gray: It might be right next door, but they're out there and they're just really wonderful people and really fun dogs out there to spend time with.
00:34:22.192 --> 00:34:49.112
Susan Marie: Well, Colleen, thank you so much for sharing your training experiences and the benefits of basic training for our fur kids and the importance of our dogs learning boundaries and how training can help them behave appropriately in social settings, where other people are, where other pet parents are and other dogs are, so that everybody's comfortable and your dogs are well trained and acclimated.
00:34:49.112 --> 00:34:57.152
Susan Marie: So kind of this whole thing creates a positive experience for pet parents, for the dogs, for people surrounding around us.
00:34:57.832 --> 00:34:59.552
Susan Marie: And I think that that's ideal.
00:34:59.972 --> 00:35:00.912
Colleen Gray: What a perfect world.
00:35:00.912 --> 00:35:01.512
Susan Marie: I loved that.
00:35:01.512 --> 00:35:07.212
Susan Marie: So thank you very much for sharing all of these great tips and fun experiences.
00:35:07.212 --> 00:35:08.112
Susan Marie: This is really great.
00:35:08.112 --> 00:35:09.832
Susan Marie: Thank you so, so much.
00:35:09.872 --> 00:35:10.952
Colleen Gray: It was my pleasure.
00:35:10.952 --> 00:35:12.012
Colleen Gray: Thank you.
00:35:12.012 --> 00:35:13.432
Susan Marie: We'll be back in just a moment.
00:35:19.782 --> 00:35:21.962
Susan Marie: Molly, here's your dinner.
00:35:23.122 --> 00:35:25.982
Susan Marie: Zeus, that's not your food.
00:35:25.982 --> 00:35:28.202
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00:36:02.482 --> 00:36:06.282
Announcer: cattreetray.com.
00:36:07.742 --> 00:36:08.922
Announcer: Let's talk pets.
00:36:08.922 --> 00:36:09.822
Announcer: Let's talk pets.
00:36:09.822 --> 00:36:10.882
Announcer: On PetLife Radio.
00:36:10.882 --> 00:36:12.182
Colleen Gray: PetLife Radio.
00:36:12.182 --> 00:36:14.362
Announcer: petliferadio.com.
00:36:20.467 --> 00:36:22.867
Susan Marie: We would like to thank our guests this week.
00:36:22.867 --> 00:36:29.587
Susan Marie: And also, as our doggy divas always say, please love your pets because they love you unconditionally.
00:36:29.587 --> 00:36:36.627
Susan Marie: And please remember to adopt, foster, spay, neuter, and microchip.
00:36:36.627 --> 00:36:40.087
Susan Marie: And as always, please have a great Diva Week, everyone.
00:36:41.787 --> 00:36:45.547
Susan Marie: Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Doggy Diva Show.
00:36:45.547 --> 00:36:54.467
Susan Marie: To find out more about Susan Marie and the Doggy Divas, visit them at their website, thedoggydiva.com, and on Facebook at the Doggy Diva Show.
00:36:54.467 --> 00:36:56.327
Susan Marie: Tell your fellow pet parents about it.
00:36:56.327 --> 00:36:59.787
Susan Marie: We look forward to having you join us again for the next episode.
00:36:59.787 --> 00:37:01.127
Susan Marie: See you soon.
00:37:01.127 --> 00:37:04.487
Announcer: Let's talk pets, every week, on demand.
00:37:04.487 --> 00:37:06.207
Announcer: Only on petliferadio.com.