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Teaching your dog to settle down is so important that we want to practice it a lot. When one of the puppies gets spooked by the cameraman we see how to deal with it before it becomes a problem.  Owners trade dogs to give them practice working with and being handled by strangers.

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To finish up the course, we run the pups through the heeling course, stopping at stations for position changes.  Moving forward, our owners need to work on phasing out the use of food lures and rewards, so that food doesn’t become a crutch in training.

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Six weeks go by so quickly.  It’s time to test the pup’s comprehension of verbal commands & hand signals to see how much they’ve learned.  Then we pit the pups head to head for some stay competitions.  Don’t forget to phase out the food treats!

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In week 4 we begin working towards verbal control of our puppies, giving the hand signal immediately afterwards, but only if necessary.  We also ask our pups for some position stays, and then up the ante by bringing in some distractions.  There’s nothing like a squeaky toy or another puppy to make things more challenging.

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We learn some tips for improving our control during heeling, including the Touch command, which can be wonderful for accurately directing your pup.  We spend some more time working on our control from just a single step away.

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Get your pup excited, then settle them down.  Repeat!  You simply can’t do this too many times.  We also start working on position changes and stays from a short distance.  After a little handling with strangers, we finish the class on the following course.

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In the second half of week 1 we spend some time refreshing the pups on their off-leash heeling.  The owners practice luring and maintaining their pup’s attention while the pup’s practice walking attentively without jumping up or lagging.  We finish the class with a little “Off” practice.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

Bang is a fun and practical trick.  It’s sure to impress your friends and it makes it easy to examine their underside.  At the end of the class we begin working on a small following course and a loose-leash walking exercise to work on improving our pup’s focus during heeling.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

Puppy class is a great place to work on greeting people during your walks.  With practice, your pup will sit politely when they meet a new person.  We hear about ways to elaborate on the Bang routine, then finish up with some off-leash heeling and a Reward Training following exercise.

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In week 5 we get to mix things up with a substitute teacher.  After our initial play session we jump into some stays, trying to build a little bit of distance and duration, and proofing for distractions.  Then we work on some focused heeling, trying to maintain our pup’s attention the whole time.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

In week 1 we take a little time for all of the dogs to get comfortable and meet each other before we jump into some settling, position changes and stays.  We begin by assessing their obedience skills so we can see how much they improve throughout the course.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

In Week 1 puppies get comfortable playing with each other and having their play sessions interrupted by people for short training sessions. Owners learn how to lure their pups into a sit, stand or down position and pups are taught to enjoy being held and handled by humans.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

Also in Week 6, the pups are introduced to a following course that can help them develop very solid heeling skills.  Owners continue to handle their pups, targeting sensitive areas like the mouth, ears & paws.  Some of the pups reveal that they’re not going through the course with just any old lures, and owners see how to use energy and enthusiasm to keep their pups interested.  Finally, our puppy graduates receive their diplomas.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 here

In Week 6, the last class of Puppy 1, the owners test their pups for stays in all three basic body positions, they review the Take It & Leave It game and see what an advanced Leave It can look like. The pups demonstrate how difficult a simple sit command can be when there’s a puppy play session in progress, and the owners learn the importance of practicing around distractions.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

In Week 5 the pups’ understanding of verbal commands is tested, as they’re put through a variety of position changes. Owners learn to not repeat their verbal commands, and instead use their hand signals to help their pup understand. The pups also learn a very valuable lesson about the appropriate way to greet people during the Jumping Up game.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

Also in Week 5, the pups are introduced to their first tricks: Bang! & Roll-Over. First, owners learn how to lure these behaviors from the down position, then how to get their dog to respond to the hand signal from any position. Pups also do some basic heeling work, watching their owners while they walk off leash.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

Also in Week 3, owners learn to use movement as it’s own reward while walking on-leash, or as a useful tool when proofing stays. The idea of the “Release” from stay is introduced, giving every stay a clear ending. Pups continue to work on their recall and owners learn what to do when their recall command doesn’t work. For homework, pups will be working on their stays, with lots of proofing for movement & distance, plus following and loose-leash walking.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

Also in Week 4, owners begin learning how to translate their verbal commands using the hand signals that their pups have already learned. With practice, the pups will soon be following verbal commands even if they can’t see their owners. We spend more time on Stays, focusing on trouble-shooting and proofing.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

In Week 3 owners continue to handle their pups, with special care for sensitive spots. A round of Pass the Puppy helps pups get accustomed to being handled by strangers (your vet will thank you). Pups get used to the idea of “Stay” as owners ask for longer duration positions. Owners also work on getting their pups to follow them off-leash, then they put the leashes on for a moment to learn the loose-leash exercise.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

In Week 2 we visited a SIRIUS student at home, to see what training was like with the whole family. Jasper introduced us to his family, including Marley, a SIRIUS graduate. Jasper showed us his doggy den and demonstrated the finer points of training recall.

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Practice makes perfect, and in Week 4 puppies continue to practice what they’ve already learned: bite inhibition, socialization, position changes, recalls & “leave it.” Earning food treats gets more difficult as owners ask for better performance in exchange to rewards. Pups must come the first time they are called, and successfully leave treats for longer periods in order to get treats.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

In Week 2 puppies practice and improve their position changes and “Leave It.” They learn “Settle” for longer duration downs and are introduced to the “Stay” command. Owners begin to phase out the use of food treats as a lure, but continue to use it regularly as a reward.

Download all of SIRIUS Berkeley Puppy 1 Here

In week 1 we take a little time for all of the dogs to get comfortable and meet each other before we jump into some settling, position changes and stays.  We begin by assessing their obedience skills so we can see how much they improve throughout the course.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

Dina’s been training dogs in Los Angeles for 20 years.  Her passion is training dogs that can help save people’s lives, whether it’s in search and rescue or early cancer detection.  She uses rewards and games in training, and believes that you never stop rewarding your dog altogether, though you do always ask for more and better behavior to earn it.  One of her favorite games to play with dogs is tug, because it’s so interactive and gives you a great way to combine training and fun.  She demonstrates how to make any dog love tug and how to make it into a fun training game.

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One of the most important things you can teach your dogs is a reliable recall.  You want to have a command that you only use when it’s very important, and you really need your dog to come straight away.  Use special treats and praise them extra when they respond to your special recall command.  Finally, Bridget shows the class how to play musical chairs, K9 games style.  When the music stops, owners must get their dogs to sit outside the circle, and then race to find a chair.  Buy they can only remain in their chair so long as their dog maintains their sit stay, and anyone without a chair is free to try and get your dog to break their stay, so they can take your chair.

Music by Kevin Macleod