The Central BarkerIt's a Dog's World!

The first 3 Mondays in May, Central Bark is offering great opportunities to try out new activities with your dog.  Each hour long workshop lets both explore a popular dog sport, no strings attached.  Dog sports are a fantastic way to focus, train, bond with, stimulate, and exercise your canine companion and they have something to offer for every unique breed, age, and physical ability.  Here are the upcoming workshops and some darn good reasons why you should try them…

Rally Obedience on May 6th – Rally-O is the new wave of basic obedience trainining: fun reward-based pratical obedience using instructive signs.  If your dog can sit, down, follow you, or turn right (any or all of the above) you are already on your way to aceing this dog sport.  All of the exercises in Rally can easily go from competition ring to sidewalk.  Rally broke the mold in that it allows you to praise and encourage your dog during competition and that the course is never the same twice, removing the predictablility and rigidness of old-school obedience.

Canine Freestyle on May 13th – This rapidly growing sport is an absolute blast to train and perform.  You simply create a routine of chosen tricks to music.  It lets your dog’s (and your) personality bloom, having no required moves to compete.  You can do whatever your dog and you feel comfortable with.  If your dog stinks at stay, then don’t stay.  If your dog loves to jump, put that on cue and tada!  If your dog wants to improvise, great, go with it.  You will never be docked for too much personality.

Nosework on May 20th – Harnessing the power of a dog’s nose is part of our ancient and magical relationship with canines.  Nosework does just that, by asking your dog to navigate a course of objects and indicate which objects are marked by a small amount of predetermined scent.  It engages your dog’s brain, provides a ton of enrichment, does wonders for focusing and calming hyperactive dogs, and is a natural to train.  Plus it welcomes dogs of all abilities (deaf, blind, handicapped dogs welcome).

Workshops are from 7:30-8:30pm.  To enroll call at 206.325.3525 or e-mail at info@central-bark.com

Q: My dog barks all the time.  I have tried spray bottles, vinegar, and collars but nothing seems to work in the long run.  What do I do?

A: Dogs bark for many reasons: boredom, stress relief, attention, to scare away bad things, and many more.  I think the one thing all these barky dogs can agree on is that they bark because they’re dogs.  Barking is a totally natural behavior in dogs.  It only becomes a problem when it doesn’t fit into the requirements for human living.  Here are some questions to ask if you are having trouble with barking.

1)  Are all of Fido’s needs being met?  Is your dog getting adequate exercise, attention, mental stimulation, and are their housing and feeding requirements being met?  Remember, your dogs needs are determined by your dog and your dog alone.  An active 2 year old Lab needs more exercise and mental stimulation than a 7 year old Cavalier.  If those needs are not being met, then there’s your barking problem.

2)  Is your dog getting “Doggy Time”?  Dogs have to have an outlet for their doggy behaviors.  They have to dig, bark, chew, play and do zoomies somewhere.  If you don’t give them appropriate outlets for their doggy behaviors, they will find inappropriate ones.

So what do we do now?  15 minutes of hard exercise and 2 minutes of training a day goes a really long way towards making most companion dogs happy.  Putting naughty dog behaviors on cue goes even further.  You can put barking, crazy running, digging, and much more on cue.

1. Simply say “Bark”
2. Prompt your dog to bark by ringing the doorbell or doing some other bark-inducing behavior
3. Tell them what a great ferocious watch dog they are
4. Get them to “Shush” by prompting them into a sit with a food treat
5. Praise them for being a wonderful quiet dog

Now you have a happy fulfilled dog that only barks on cue!

Here is the winner of our Leprechaun Photo Contest – Cooper!

When Cooper is not spreading his Irish charm as a Leprechaun, he is a Yellow Labrador Retriever.

Cooper’s favorite things are: food (of course), car rides, going anyplace where he can meet people, Maymoor dog park, street fairs, dressing up, sniffing new smells, and he loves his over-sized comfy crate – with removed door.

His dislikes are: cats, getting shots in his nose, and the blow dryer.

What his people have to say about him: Cooper if a wonderful sweet dog who has a great smile. He is very laid-back and very tolerant of almost everything. Cooper will be your best friend for the smallest piece of food. We also love his goofy personality, he still has a puppy brain in an adult body (he turns 7 tomorrow). He loves all people and other dogs, and they all love him back. We are always amazed when we meet someone who met him a year ago and still remembers him.

Congratulations to Cooper and have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Our little terrier mix Sophie is a great dog but she doesn’t always come when called.  We have been though basic training but she still ignores us.  What can we do to make her recall more reliable?

This is a great question and one I love to answer!  Emergency recalls are easy and fun to train and very effective if you follow a few simple rules.

What is an emergency recall?  I use the term “emergency” because I train a recall specifically in case I need to call my dogs out of some dangerous situation.  I need them to turn and fly back to me immediately.  I also need to be able to catch and leash them when they return.

Are there non-emergency recalls?  Absolutely!  I train a formal obedience “Front” for my competition dogs and I use a casual leg pat to let my dogs know that I am changing directions or pace and they need to pay attention.

Here’s how you train it…

Step 1.  Call your dog loudly once “Fido COME!”

Step 2. Reward your dog for atleast 5 seconds.

Step 3.  Repeat once every few days in different places.

The rules to keep your dog coming…

Always reward.  I like to continue rewarding for my emergency recalls to keep the behavior strong.  Use different toys, treats, and games.  Switch it up to keep it interesting.

Never punish.  Always calling your dog for a nail trim, to leave the dog park, or go in the dreaded crate are all great ways to make your dog run away from you when it hears the word “come”.

Rewards should be engaging.  Playing tug, tossing treats up for your dog to catch, or pulling out a spoonful or wet dog food are all ways to get your dog to stay with you, not just check-in and then disappear off again.

Now you’re on your way to an amazing emergency recall.  Good luck and happy training!

We asked what you wanted from our training program and you told us.  You wanted to brush-up on your basic manners and wished for more attention and focus from your dogs in general.  You were also interested in taking your sidekick to the next level with fun & games classes that encorporate tricks, agility, and aspects from other dog sports.

Well here it is…

Polite Greetings & No Jump – Teach your dog to sit or stand politely when greeting people.  Learn and practice techniques for greeting on walks, at home, and for visitors

- Sunday March 4^th: 1 – 2pm  $10

Leash Walking & No Pull– Learn skills to walk anywhere even under distraction

- Sunday March 25^th: 2 – 3pm  $10

Basic Manners – Build a strong training foundation or an obedience
refresher.  This class covers polite greetings and leash walking, attention, and basic obedience cues sit, down, stay, come, leave-it, and more.

- 4 Sundays April 15^th, 22^nd, 29^th, & May 6^th: 4 – 5pm   $80

We will have an intro to sports & games class on the agenda as well.  More details to come.  You can enroll via e-mail at info@central-bark.com or by phone at 206.325.3525  See you there!

The snow has a way of, well, bringing out the dog in your dog.  A dusting of white can turn even the best-behaved Rover into a jumping, twirling, digging, snow bather.  It can also make for an adventure skittering across the parking lot with an overly excited dog in tow.

Now you can make use of Spot’s inner sled dog with the rapidly growing sport of skijoring.  It is a combination of cross-country skiing and dog mushing where your dog uses a harness and tow line to pull you along a winter trail on skis.   Why skijor you ask?  Because…

• Dogs absolutely love it.
• Perfect for dog, ski, and nature lovers alike.
• It requires minimal equipment and expense.
• Any type of dog can do it.
• It is a blast!

With minimal training and equipment you and your dog can feel the exhilaration of mushing across the Arctic tundra like the days of old.

For more information check out www.skijornow.com

Does your dog bark at the door?  Does your dog need work greeting strangers?  Does your dog shy away from funny looking people?  We have the perfect opportunity to deliver precious socialization straight to your door…. Halloween!  Here’s how to turn this spooky holiday into an awesome training opportunity.

Have someone else man the door while you work with your dog.  This way you can move further away from the door if Fluffy is getting too excited.

Leash your furry friend to prevent escapes and to keep away from those overly generous chocolate-wielding trick-or-treaters.

Bring dog candy; soft, smelly, meaty treats that is.  Reward those social butterflies for remaining
calm as kids arrive.  For shy dogs, reward for bravely approaching those strange costumed creatures.  For barkers, reward those quiet moments.

Create a training station using a cushy blanket or dog bed.  It will give your dog a focal point for stationary positions like sit and stay, which can be tricky when there are distractions.

And remember, don’t force any encounters between Fido and those kids.  If at any point your dog seems stressed or is refusing treats, it’s time to give them a break.  Training should be fun and safe for everyone.  Consider boarding if you’re concerned about your dog’s stress level.

Tucker is a very friendly 3 year old retriever mix that we adopted from the Humane Society.  He has always been great with my three kids and loves playing with other dogs and going to the dog park and has never been in a fight.  Recently he has been barking and pulling towards dogs on our walks.  I thought he just wanted to play but yesterday when he reached the dog he bit it on the face.  What has happened to my sweet Tucker?

What you are experiencing with Tucker is called “reactivity” in the trainer world and it is very common.  Tucker’s reactivity is probably due to a combination of being uncomfortable meeting on leash and feeling frustrated at not being able to greet and play with dogs that he meets.  In this case, having a social butterfly can make the situation even worse because the frustration at not being able to play is even greater.

There are two things that you will need to do to help Tucker’s reactivity.

1)  Teach him that dogs approaching him on leash is awesome and that they are a cue that you are about to dispense awesome cookies and fun games.

How to – Bring tasty treats on your walks with Tucker.  As soon as he sees another dog, say his name and pop a scrumptious treat in his mouth, then walk away.  Treat him the very second he spots that other dog. Before long he will look up at you every time he sees a dog.

2)  Teach him that calm behavior and attention is the key to being able to greet and play with friendly dogs.

How to – Have a helper bring a dog that Tucker knows and likes.  Pick a distance from the other dog where Tucker is distracted but not lunging or barking.  Ask for a sit, wait for him to comply, then release him to go play with his buddy. This exercise works best if both dogs are released at the same time and meet off leash.

I recommend Patricia McConnell’s book Feisty Fido if you want some extra help.  Good luck in your training endeavors!

You can ask the trainer yourself at info@central-bark.com

With our last training class being such a huge success, we are kicking off round two, and this time we are adding a new class into the mix!

Buddy Basics & Canine Good Citizen – This class includes all of the basic obedience cues (sit, down, off, stay, come, polite leash walking and polite dog-dog greetings) as well as prepares you to certify your dog through the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program.  Certification is included in the cost.

Buddy Basic’s is 6 consecutive Tuesdays @ 7:30pm from 10/18 – 11/6     Cost is $130

Foundation Fido – Learn the techiques that pro sport dog trainers use to build that intense focus and stop-on-a-dime obedience that creates champion agility, flyball, weight pull, and obedience dogs.  Your dog will form a foundation of focus, self-control, and confidence that will prepare him or her for dog sports of off-leash control.  Class includes exercises like relaxed down-stays, long distance flying recalls (come!), immediate attention on cue and much more.  For specialized attention, maximum enrollment is 4 dog/handler teams.

Foundation Fido is 6 consecutive Wednesdays @ 7:30pm from 11/15 – 12/20     Cost is $120

For more questions or to enroll contact info@central-bark.com or 206.325.3525

And to see the graduates from last class click here.

Join us Saturday October 29th at 2pm for our first ever Halloween party at Central Bark!  There will be fun, games, prizes, costumes, and treats for our human and canine guests.

When: Saturday October 29th

Time: 2pm (to 4pm)

Where: Central Bark – 838 Poplar Place South, Seattle, 98144

Who: People and friendly leashed canines

What: Games, costume contests, bobbing for hot dogs, pie eating contests (for dogs), musical sit, dog and human goodies, photos, and much more!