After teaching classes at Westport Animal Clinic for a little over a year (an ENORMOUS thank you to Dr. Anderson for allowing us to use her space!), I am so very excited to announce that we have signed a lease on a space of our VERY OWN! This new space will not be ready for use for a few weeks while we do some remodeling to prepare the space for classes. Since the next few weeks of our life will be totally consumed by this remodel, I have decided to chronicle some of it in my blog for anyone who might enjoy hearing about the trials and triumphs of our newest project!

In a few short weeks Camo Cross Dog Training will make it's new home at 710 SW Gage Boulevard. Our neighbors will include: A hair salon, a taxidermist, Wet Whiskers Day Spa (WONDERFUL groomer, by the way!), and a CPR and First Aid Instructor. The space will be smaller than the area we have to work with currently but will open up some new opportunities for Camo Cross Dog Training, including having regular hours that you can drop by and see us, carrying a variety of training merchandise previously unavailable in Topeka, and utilizing nearby Gage Park for some of our training sessions! Some of my students will also be glad to hear NO MORE STAIRS! (especially those with dogs who are afraid of the stairs!)

The space does not come ready made (wouldn't that be nice?!) So there is some major work to be done. It's a good thing I am not allergic to elbow grease! We need to move a dividing wall, rip up carpet (NO ONE wants to deal with carpet and puppies, am I right?), discover what is under the carpet, prime the walls, prime the walls again (did you see the dark blue paint?), paint the walls, decide on signage, etc.

Today I decided to pull up the carpet and have a look at what is underneath.
And the verdict is...

I'm still not certain what is there! There seems to be areas of concrete, areas of tile, and areas of....? It is kind of fun to ponder how many tenants this place has had and what it looked like for each owner.

The training room definitely needs some major TLC, these work benches will have to go or be relocated higher for overhead storage, new flooring, new paint, and of course adorned with my educational posters. I have also considered a graduation wall for all the lovely graduation pictures of your pups, what do you guys think?
After pulling up the carpet, I decided to go by Menard's and found the perfect floor for the training room but you will have to wait until our open house to catch a glimpse at it, I love surprises!

Stay tuned for more updates on progress! As soon as I truly realize how much work I have gotten myself into, I will set a deadline for an Open House! It will probably be a Friday afternoon/evening come and go event in the next month or so.

I am always flattered when I hear one of my clients say, "How can I find a trainer like you for my family member/friend in another state?" Unfortunately, picking a trainer can be a tricky process. What you see is NOT always what you get when it comes to trainers. Dog training used to be about force, cohersion, and doing it because I SAID SO. Thankfully, recent research has shown that those methods of the past are not only not very humane, they aren't as effective! Even though the new methods have been proven , some trainers are still finding it hard to reinvent themeselves to fit into the new generation of training techniques so they simply reinvented the verbiage on their website. What does all this mean for someone looking for a dog trainer? If you are looking for a trainer who uses positive training methods, take what you see on their website with a grain of salt and do some of your own research. Choosing a trainer should be a careful decision. If you end up not liking the trainer you hastily chose, not only are you out the money you spent on that class, you will likely need to spend some more on taking a class elsewhere. Not to mention the possibility of undoing some of the things that were initiated in the first training experience. Here are some helpful tips on choosing a trainer:

Do any of your friends have dogs? Ask them who they used for their training needs. Depending on their dog's behavior, this may sell you on their trainer or convince you NOT to use that one! :) Next time you are at the dog park, ask some of those friends who they used. Do you encounter a very well behaved pooch on your daily walk with your dog? Consider stopping and asking them who has helped them achieve their training goals. You will probably get more than one answer, helping you begin a list of possible options to choose from.

Most pet professionals have heard feedback from their clients about other services they may have used. Don't overlook them for additions to your list of potential trainers. Examples of other pet professionals: Veterinarians, Groomers, Dog Day Care Facilities, Dog Boarding Facilities, Pet Stores, Pet Portrait Photographers, local rescue groups, etc.

Once you have compiled a list of possible trainers, sit down at the computer and do some online research, just don't forget, their website was written by them, to sell themselves so use a critical eye. Things to look for on their website:

Now that you have likely eliminated a few of the options after viewing their website, it is time to sit down and call the remaining candidates.

  So what exactly do I mean by training muscles? Many of the behaviors we expect from our dog require prerequisite skills to perform. You can think of these skills as "muscles". We have to strengthen these muscles before we can ever hope to achieve the behavior we want to accomplish.

  Imagine I had a goal to be able to do a pull up. Perhaps I need to first let my readers know that I was not born with incredible upper body strength. Okay, so imagine I wanted to do a pull up. If I started out my journey by installing a pull up bar and immediately trying to accomplish my goal. What would probably happen? I would fail, not just fail but fail miserably. I probably wouldn't even be able to raise my lead filled feet one inch above the ground! I would then promptly return the pull up bar and decide I wasn't "made" to be able to do a pull up, always wishing I had been.

  So what does this have to do with dog training? I'm glad you asked! You see, I experience dog owners doing this to their dogs constantly without even realizing it!  We are constantly expecting our dogs to exhibit behaviors just because we want them to, without taking into consideration that they will need to  exercise these skills for awhile before they will be able to perform the behavior at the level we will be satisfied. We then make excuses for why  our dog "isn't good at training", "has puppy ADHD", or is "just plain too stubborn to be obedient".

  Many times when I hear an owner say this, I know exactly what is going on. Cognitive recognition precedes physical capability. In other words, your pup will understand the behavior you are requesting before their physical skills are capable of obliging. The "stay" command is a perfect example. As we get ready to teach "Stay" to our furry friend, we get so excited about how we will be able to utilize this command in the future, that we ask too much too quickly. Time and time again I see owners who are just beginning stay, trying to get the dog to accomplish Duration, Distance, and Distractions all at once. Your dog will understand that the command means do not move until you are released but he is far from having the self control to actually perform the behavior. So, even though it may seem that they know exactly what we want and simply choose not to do it (and I am not saying that never happens) many times it is because they are not "strong enough" to accomplish the task

  Let's revisit my goal above of the perfect pull up. A parallel exists between the dog above and my quest in upper body strength.  I knew exactly what  I wanted to accomplish, a pull up. But simply understanding what I wanted to do was not enough for me to be able to do it. I would need to start with a strength training regimen. I would need to start wherever I saw success and build from there. Even if that means simply lifting 1/10 of my body weight! I may even need to cross train in areas that do not seem to be related to my ultimate goal. For example, I may not "need" to or have a desire to be able to do bicep curls or bench press. However, accomplishing these goals will strengthen my arm muscles, preparing me to lift my own body weight high enough to clear a bar with my chin.

  Now let's turn the channel back to the owner in obedience class working on a "Stay" command with their pup. First , start wherever they are  successful. Forget walking away from them, get rid of the distractions, and start with a short stay (6 seconds or less). Also cross train in other areas that help develop self control "muscles" like Leave it exercises and Polite leash walking. Slowly increase duration, distance and distraction, preparing their training muscles to perform the "Stay" command you are hoping to eventually accomplish.