AKC Canine Good Citizen Atrocities

Monday was Roxie's (the brindle boston terrier's) dress rehearsal, the last class before the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Last week, M forgot to show up for the class, meaning, there was no chiweenie to practice step #8, Reaction to Another Dog, and there was no post about Roxie's improvement either. Let me tell you, if that dog does not pass the CGC next week, I'll eat catnip! Roxie, as hyper and unruly as she started out, is now unofficially a canine great citizen. This intro serves as a warning, so you don't get shocked by the outtakes and the chiweenie's take on Roxie's last class.

Class started out the usual way.

"You want me to do what? And for no treats?"

I just love opinionated terriers!

A hug from mom made it all better.

Well, almost.

On your marks, get set . . . wait a minute!

Class disruption, a welcome one.

The chiweenie loves children, as for Roxie, she was on her best behavior.

As for the child's mom, too cool for words, so her child is already dog savvy and an animal lover. 

ATROCITY!

The chiweenie got locked in the pet store's grooming area, so everybody could focus on Roxie.

The chiweenie is not very happy away from M, but you can see that. 

From that point on, Roxie's training went smoothly-ish.

Roxie remained skeptical but compliant.

The crowd went wild with joy as our future canine good citizen got her graduation star and a large baggie of dog treats (for her trouble).

But this, we did not expect!

Brindle-bum got a star too, aaand a baggie of dog treats to bring, ehem, home.

Roxie's mom is reading my blog, well, at least the posts about Roxie. Feel free to wish her good luck (not that she'll need any). And if the dog trainer ends up reading this post: three cheers for trainer extraordinaire. You managed the impossible! By believing in us and our dogs and by using only positive discipline, you've given us the opportunity to turn them around and make them safe and enjoyable for us the owners/handlers/parents and everybody they come in contact. 

Next week, I will be proud to announce that Roxie has sealed the deal and earned her dog treats. 

Twinkie

Roxie, The Future AKC Canine Good Citizen, Strikes Again

Roxie, the brindle Boston Terrier, is going to become a great Canine Good Citizen. How do I know? A. She's extremely smart and B. Her owner, called a handler, is determined and consistent, both words of utmost importance in dog training (that would be your first dog training tip).
Last week, Roxie practiced steps 1-3 and I posted about it, including some helpful and some not so helpful tips: Our Future AKC Canine Good Citizen.

This week, Roxie practiced steps 4-8 and I will break those up for you.

Test item #4: Walking on a loose lead
The class instructor set up a pre-plotted course using orange cones and signs, and the handler had to maneuver around them with Roxie relaxed and not yanking on the leash. This step is fairly easy. Roxie only needed to exhibit a bit of self restraint.

The pre-plotted course

The cones had directional arrows as well as one that said "stop" and one that said "about turn" 

Roxie did just fine.

Test item #5: Walking through a crowd
Roxie and her handler had to show they can walk around a crowd (minimum 3 people). Because Roxie gets around, she was rather good at this one.

(Sorry, no photo available. Somebody had to be the crowd)

Test item #6: Sit and Down on command and Stay in place

The handler normally decides which position the dog should be in (standing, sitting, or down). In our case, Roxie made the decision.

Test item #7: Coming when called

Problem. Roxie likes her treats but dog treats are NOT allowed during testing, so it's a good idea to practice without them. Add to that the fact that Ms. Roxie is too smart and she knows her handler is going home with her . . . In other words: handler = mommy = I get that at home too = boo-ring. 

Bored and hesitant Roxie

Fed up but obedient Roxie

Here, I need to interrupt briefly for some precious dog training tips for my furry friends:

Look adorable and starving, trust me

I told you to trust me! I bet now you do.

(back to our post)

Roxie, for unexplainable reasons (see last two photos) mastered this step.

Good girl, Roxie

Test item #8: Reaction to another dog, aka uh-oh

Roxie must demonstrate she'll behave in the presence of other dogs. Interesting challenge, especially since all Roxie's handler is allowed to do is use her voice. This is a tricky part of the test because Roxie and the handler have to actually stop, shake hands with the evaluator and the demo dog, exchange a few pleasantries and move apart. Let's see how Roxie did!

That's why this is called the "uh-oh" test item

One more try

Uh-oh! What do I see here?

Is that Frankie, the other AKC Canine Good Citizen? The brave chiweenie? 

It is indeed. She volunteered (not)

All jokes aside, Roxie did a marvelous job and as I already said, I know she'll make an excellent canine good citizen in a few weeks. Meanwhile, she's going to be training her handler:

Good handler!

Until the next installment of Roxie and her progress with the CGC.

Twinkie

Our Next Future AKC Canine Good Citizen

Roxie, the Boston Terrier, aka Boston Bull, from puppy training class, decided to become a canine good citizen, and I'm going to be auditing her class while bringing you new ideas and canine good citizen and general dog obedience training tips. Roxie is still a puppy and she's part brindle. Her markings are extraordinary in the sense that she looks like she's dark chocolate with white, but a slightly closer look proves she has a lot of brindle in her. A brindle boston terrier! So unique!

This is Roxie, our next AKC Canine Good Citizen

This is her second class and she's still getting used to the "no dog treats" concept

***AKC Canine Good Citizen Dog Training Tips: No dog treats are allowed during the actual CGC test. If you're training your dog using dog treats, it's a good idea to start to wean him/her before your first AKC CGC class. You can start alternating dog treats and praise or favorite toys or a low grade" treat, such as kibble. This way your dog will not be shocked like Roxie or our chiweenie. 

Step 1: 

Accepting a Friendly Stranger

Roxie did great with that one in the beginning of class, but then, a little girl showed up at the end and wanted to pet her. Roxie's owner, she's truly on top of her training, made Roxie go through the proper steps.

She let Roxie say a gentle hello from the standing position

Step 2:

Sitting Politely for Petting

The owner asked Roxie to go "down" to demonstrate her self restraint

Roxie was perfect, considering this she is so new at this, and only once did she try to jump on the girl's arms. Roxie's mom corrected her instantly, as one does for proper training, but the girl's mom had a panic attack and yanked her child away ... (no comment)

***AKC Canine Good Citizen Dog Training Tips: Instant corrections and rewards are the key to all animal training. Dogs do not remember what they were doing a few minutes ago. They live in the NOW and should be handled accordingly.

Step 3:

Appearance and Grooming

During this part of the test, your dog must demonstrate that he can be easily examined and groomed. The evaluator will brush him and perform a quick exam of the ears, teeth, paws, tail... and your dog must remain calm, but is allowed to move around. 

Roxie is being perfect again.

She lets the trainer (on the right) check her out and brush her.

She's looking at her mom for "help" but she's being good for the trainer

This is what the evaluator wants to see

More AKC canine good citizen test items and tips, dog obedience training, and puppy training tips in the weeks to follow. Stay tuned.

Twinkie

Chiweenie Friday (15) - Dog Obedience Training

I went to dog obedience training yesterday to learn some new moves and to practice for my AKC Canine Good Citizen test and it went really really well.

This is me, the Chiweenie demonstrating how timid I am generally

Consider this my personal dog training tip

I am rather submissive

This is my furiend, Dexter the Doxie

For a easily frightened dog, like my chiweenie self, the real challenge regarding the Canine Good Citizen test is overcoming my fears (and the fact that for this test mommy is not allowed to use treats). The test is not so hard. I get evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Most items I need to learn are simple. I have to be able to sit/stay, do down/stay, sit politely for petting, allow a stranger to groom me, walk on a loose leash, and sit down on command. No problem. Where dog obedience training gets tough for me is the following training items: walking through a crowd and  reaction to another dog and distractions. Those require a certain amount of bravery I have yet to master. I'll know more next Wednesday the day I take my Canine Good Citizen exam. 

Meanwhile, I have my two sissies to protect me. 

I ask my tiny tea cup chihuahua sissy to fight my battles

btw this is the friendliest blue heeler in the world and her name is Sage

And I hide behind my larger, dalmatian and german shothaired pointer sissy

for protection

Regardless, we all do the best we can in this life and my mommy appreciates it. This is the email we got from my superb and funny and adorable trainer, the fabulous Ms Cyndy Wood.

"Frankie's test is next week but she deserves recognition for completing, and very successfully I might add, the CGC class.  So, with Pomp & Circumstances playing in the background, this is in honor of Frankie's stellar performance as a Canine Good Citizen.

Congratulations to Ms. Frankie and to her able handler!  What a great team you are!"

She even sented me a virtual star!!! I will cherish this email and save it among my most prized possessions. What I haven't mentioned yet is that my trainer is a firm believer in Positive Training for Dogs and Their People. I'm so lucky! Mom loves this philosophy and swears to use it on all dog obedience training from now on. I agree 100%. Thank you Ms Wood and mommy. 

One final word about the Canine Good Citizen exam. There is an automatic failure rule if we, the students, eliminate during testing, we must be marked fail. As you know, chiweenie puppies are not simple to potty train. Puppy potty training is not that easy on most small dogs. If anybody has any potty training tips to share, now is a good time. 

Stay not out of touch and I'll have the exam results next week.

Frankie

Chiweenie Friday (14) - Dog Training Tips...

Hello! Frankie here, the Chiweenie, that's what I'm used to. I don't know what to do about all this Italian Greyhuahua information. I surviveded another week and I'm here to tell you about it. Twinkie's been talking a lot about dog training tips, so I decided to take you to school with me and learn what to avoid.

This is what I see every time I go to school

I only get those a-after class, when I've been good

This is me, the Chiweenie, at the beginning of class

Here's beautiful, playful, and oh-so-smart, Roxie

A new member, Heidi

Can you believe she was the runt of her litter? I do

She's really dainty and perky

Here's Olga (front)

Olga's rear end

No, she's not a Shar- Pei, she's going to grow into those folds

And ... me

Olga and Roxie playing

A furiendly pow-wow/sniffer galore

And me

Olga left early

I would have waved bye-bye

But I was stuck underneath a chair

I did wave bye-bye to the dog treat bar though

After the way I behaved again, I knew I could only wave from far away

As if life wasn't tough enough, the new joke is: Frankie's a Chiweenie, as in Chicken and Weenie. Not BOL. 

Have a not bad day at all!!!

Frankie, The Chiweenie

Chiweenie Friday (13) - Dog Training Tips part deux

Hello! Frankie here, again! I'm here to share more dog training tips. As you all know I'm enrolled in the AKC Canine Good Citizen (GCG) Program every Wednesday and on Mondays I go to dog training class.
This past week, I was determined to make mommy happy. I put on my brave thoughts and off we went to visit the horses and the other rescue dogs. On the car ride there, I made up my mind to be the bestest student there ever was.

After all, I am used to being around many other doggies

I, Frankie, the brindle chiweenie, always get along

With both large

And small

I'm even getting better when the Chimeanie is around

(there's somebody who needs dog training badly)

My dear furiends, I'm going to need another week before I impress you all. 

When we arrived at my last dog obedience training class, it was packeded!

We didn't get any good shots of anybody but me. Can you guess why?

Everybody else was having a ball, while I...

... remained cautious, as usual

Hear me ROAR!!!

Those were not exactly dog training tips, but perhaps if you do the opposite of what I did, they are. Tee hee. 

Have a lovely Friday!

Frankie

* * * GLOBAL ANIMAL BLOGGING EVENT update: don't forget to check out the new links. I am stunned at all the great free giveaways. 

Chiweenie Friday (12)

Hello, dear furiends! Frankie here.

I'm ba-ack, but first I need to say a couple of things about GABE. No, Twinkie's not making me this time. I just like it and hope I win one of the free giveaways. 

Keep your posts and links coming up to the 10th of April. If you want to participate or even pawticipate, you need to email us your post's link at twinkietinydogATaolDOTcom. Twinkie's doing her best uploading the links as they come. If you don't see yours within 8 hours of sending it, try once more. Things constantly get lost in space. Speaking of getting lost, any time you feel lost about G.A.B.E., just click on our badge at the top of the sidebar. Business over. Tee-hee.

* * *

Time to talk about dog obedience training and school. I can't thank you enough about your encouraging comments from last week. They helpeded me so much that I relaxed and even did some soul searching. This is what I discovered. 

The source of my fear

Trixie

Trixie's the one who's been attacking me every time I visit the barn. Trixie's a Chi-meanie and I'm not talking to her ever again. 

A careful analysis of my young soul, as Twinkie puts it, made it clear that I am traumatized. I will not be this way forever though. Now that I know why I'm afraid of small black and white dogs, I can take control. I'm growing up fast after all. 

Not so fast!

My classmates:

This is beautiful and sweet Roxie

I would love to play with her, but she reminds me of a certain Chi-meanie

Adorable, gentle Augie 

He too reminds me of the Chi-meanie

Bright, well-trained handsome Mitch

He's a blue heeler, one of my favorite breeds

He's so well behaved, I shouldn't be afraid of him, but he's also much bigger than I am

Me

As you can see, I was so brave, I even switched chairs

I deserve a tiny drumroll for this next photo

Ta-da! 

Now look who's being brave! It's me!

Mommy was so pleased with me. She kept huffing and puffing, but I could tell she was proud not so deep deep down. 

I have to run now. I want to visit more Global Animal Blogging Event posts and find out about their free giveaways!!! 

Frankie