Canine Curriculum – Middle School

( Note: When I first came up with my three-stage curriculum, I toyed with a variety of titles. One trio that I didn’t choose was “The Managed Dog, The Controlled Dog, and The Willing Dog”, as I disliked how they objectified my students. That doesn’t mean I disliked like the terms themselves, so don’t be surprised if they crop up now and then.)

Wow - time sure does fly. My little bundle of fur is fast approaching two years old and his Uncle is now six! I think it’s fair to say that both passed Primary School, and if they never learned another thing they would still be fine family dogs.

But where’s the fun in that?

So, having mastered the fine art of not destroying my home (usually), each other, or me in Primary School – what’s next? Why, Middle School of course. Of all my years in school (I am a college grad) I disliked Middle School/Junior High the most. It was an awkward time, where I found myself too old to be a child yet too young to be anything else. Thinking about my youngest charge, I find eerie similarities.

My Canine Primary School graduate’s behavior in the confines of a carefully managed home has reached a level where it is easy to be lured into thinking he is more skilled than he actually is. He knows how to sit and down and stay, but is not ready to do so with serious distractions – and let’s face it, if it wasn’t for distractions I really wouldn’t need him to be sitting, lying down, or staying! Physically capable of doing many things, he lacks the control (by me or himself) to be expected to do them reliably or seriously.

My goal for Middle School is teach my student this all-important self-control. Stay means stay, even if a roast beast falls at your feet (or mom puts a tennis ball on your head!) Same goes for sit and down.

In Middle School, many of the skills now considered routine in the home (those sits and downs and stays) are trotted out into the public arena. While I expect a Primary School graduate to not jump on people, I expect a Middle School graduate to politely hold a sit if told to do so. (I expect a Secondary School graduate to willingly sit without being reminded. One can always dream…)

As before, all work and no play makes everyone dull. Through Field Trips and Extracurricular Activities, I hope to enrich my dogs’ lives with new experiences and the opportunity to try new things.

If all goes well, my Middle School graduate will move on to Secondary School, where I hope he learns to willingly offer appropriate behaviors at the appropriate times. No more nagging from me, yeah! If he makes it that far, then where to go next is only a matter of our mutual interests. Rally, Agility, Freestyle – so many opportunities!

But I am getting way ahead of myself. For now, I will endeavor to make our journey together as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.

As always, clicking on the image takes you to something more readable.

 (Final Note: The Middle School Extracurricular Activity Requirements will be uploaded in the near future. There just wasn’t enough room to list everything on one page.)

Canine Good Citizen

I am hoping Zachary earns his AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Certificate this year, and thus you will find us studying for it quite a bit during the early months of this year. For those not familiar with the CGC, it contains the following ten items.

1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and down on command and Staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reaction to distraction
10. Supervised separation

I have no doubt that for many dogs, the above is a piece of cake. I’m sure there are dogs who can walk into the test, obediently at their beloved owner’s side, and breeze right through all items without ever having studied at all.

I do not own one of those dogs.

I suppose it’s only natural to recall previous journeys when about to embark anew, and so I find myself thinking back four years…

It was a labor of love (or possibly insanity) on my part to get Beau’s CGC, requiring two full sets of classes (six weeks of Sundays, each) totaling $256. No, he didn’t pass the first time. Let’s just say that ignoring people was… hard… for my immature, exuberant, and overly friendly two-year old Golden boy.

I remember the instructor offering to hold Beau’s leash while I practiced leaving the room for the supervised separation. Thankfully those left behind were able to corral him again after he pulled the leash out of her hands. The next time we practiced she gave the leash to a guy who couldn’t have weighed under 250lb. He noted upon my return how strong my dog pulled to follow after me (and never touched the leash again.)

I have a clear memory of suggesting to the instructor that she should stare at the wall - the one on her right as we past on her left - and to not even think of smiling, in hopes that for once he wouldn’t try to leap up and kiss her as we walked by.

It’s a good thing I kept an iron grip on my 80lb rocket.

I remember wondering, right before the first time we took the test, if I should have worn a “Do Not Smile At My Dog” T-Shirt as a not-so-subliminal message (warning?) to the poor unsuspecting tester.

It wouldn’t have helped.

Beau held it together until the grooming part (all the way to Test #3 of 10) then rolled over for a belly rub as soon as the “friendly stranger” tried to pick up his paws. We aren’t talking a partial roll or a fearful roll. No, this was an all-four-paws-in-the-air-wiggling-with-pure-delight sort of roll, showing all the parts that God gave him while he was at it.

He has no pride whatsoever.

I am sure there were many other priceless memories formed doing those first six weeks, which are now thankfully lost in the same black hole where childbirth memories go. His second set of six classes was unremarkable, as was his second test (for the most part) save the final moment when I realized he had actually passed.

Skip forward three years and it was Zachary’s turn, enrolled in his first CGC class at the tender age of 8 months. Wendy is fond of reminding me that Zachary is not Beau, and that may be true, but after six weeks of classes Zachary didn’t pass his first CGC test either. Of course, at such a young age, we never really expected that he would. Zachary did manage to keep all four on the floor, but alas, his butt had to stay there too and it popped up faster than water on hot oil. I think the “stranger” said something like, “Gee, a friendly Golden, what a shock.”

At least he didn’t keep me in suspense as to whether he would pass or not. That was Test #1 of 10.

It’s now a year later, and the time has come once again to seriously consider the CGC test. I even drew up a plan this time to help us prepare.

I’m thinking that the only real problem is going to be #10 (he’s a big momma’s boy) but anything with a dog (#8) or another human (#1-3, 5) is going to trip his friendly trigger. Then there’s his tendency to bark at strange sounds (#9), follow his nose (#4), and anticipate commands (#6-7).

Oh, dear.

They say those forgotten memories of childbirth pain return when you are having your second child. Given what I do remember about CGC classes and tests, I can hardly wait to rediscover the gems I have forgotten.

Just For Fun

So I uploaded last month's Just For Fun item last night. Curious?  Click here.

As all work and no play makes dogs just as dull as people, these are included in my Canine Curriculum to bring zest amidst a sea of boring sits and stays.

There are two lists. One is for "pure" tricks:

... and the other for more useful things:

(clicking on either shows a larger image)

I have intentionally picked things I think my Golden Retrievers would enjoy learning, and would actually be good at (hence the high number of "horse" items at the bottom of the first list. For some reason, Zachary always seems very pony like to me.)

By all means, feel free to offer further suggestions!

From a canine point of view, is there really a difference between learning to balance a cookie on your nose vs. doing a perfect Front? In theory, there shouldn't be, but I bet there is. My mood is much lighter and the atmosphere much less tense when we are working on the "fun stuff" and the dogs do seem to really enjoy it.

I think there is a lesson in there (for me!) that in the end, everything I teach my dogs could probably be considered either work or a trick. It all depends on how I teach it.