TWO HOUR TRAINING SEMINARS

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INTRODUCING TWO HOUR SEMINAR/TRAINING SESSIONS

Having a hard time walking your dog? Too much lunging, barking, pulling and other problems that make you dread walking your dog? Are you constantly making excuses to others about your dog's behaviour in public? Or is she just far too "friendly" when meeting other dogs during the walk? Have you condemned him/her to a lifetime of being isolated in the backyard? Or are you constantly complaining that your dog won't 'come' to you, that his/her 'energy' is uncontrollable and "off the charts"?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then this series of new 2 hour seminars/training sessions is for you and your dog(s)!

Starting this Fall, Spirit Ridge is introducing a series of new sessions that will last two hours, cost $50 per dog/handler team and be limited to a maximum of four participants. These intimate-sized sessions will be conducted indoors in our comfortable, climate controlled training facility and will open your eyes to a whole new set of possibilities when it comes to you and your dog(s). The sessions are designed for handlers and their families that have busy schedules and cannot commit to a 6 week group obedience class as well as those that may want a refresher course specifically concentrating on their dog's (and their own) areas of 'weakness'.

We are initially introducing three sets of seminars/training sessions and will continue to add more as demand and client needs arise.

· Achieving the Perfect “Walk”: designed for handlers that don’t dare take their dogs for a walk due to lunging, pulling, etc. Handlers will learn the basics of a proper 'heel', how to properly 'read' their dogs' impending behaviour, recognize the "triggers" and teach their dog to properly walk next to them. No harnesses, gentle leaders, haltis or choke chains are permitted in this 2 hour session.

This seminar is also suited for handlers that just need a 'refresher' on proper heeling and walking etiquette, or those wanting to address issues caused by that off-leash dog that appears out of nowhere and is charging you and your dog, or even parents that want to teach their dog to walk properly with a stroller (handlers bring their own stroller!). We will work at the level of your dog's abilities and distractions will be used according to your dog's tolerance level (and slightly beyond) for training purposes. "Real life" situations will be re-created to teach you how to be a better handler and have your dog mind you instead of everything but you!

Please Note: There are limits to what can be achieved in a two hour session. For example, if you have never had any kind of obedience class and have absolutely no respect from your dog, this seminar is not for you. How can you tell whether this is the case? Quite simply, if your dog has rarely gone for a walk of any type, you have a dog that steals food or eats off counters, "lives" on your couches/beds/chairs, is always jumping on you (indoors), snarls/growls at you when you try and take a toy or food away, attacks your windows/doors at the sight of anyone or anything walking by your window, never even lifts his/her head when you call out his/her name when outdoors, etc then you should not consider enrolling in this class. A more appropriate approach to rehabilitating your dog is to consider booking a private one-on-one appointment where we can begin to reverse the trend and restore proper leadership in your family. This is the first step to changing your dog's behaviour and will teach you how to become better leaders and properly communicate your wishes to your dog in his/her language (not English which they do NOT understand). As your communication and 'working' bond improves, then you can consider enrolling in this seminar or a beginner Group Obedience class for further training of both dog and handler. For more information on this approach, please email (jim@spiritridge.net) or call us: (519) 855-6962.

· Improving ‘Recalls’ (the ‘come’ command): designed for handlers who want to improve or even begin to achieve a more reliable ‘come’ command. One of the most frequently voiced complaints by handlers is that their dogs won't "come" to them. The reasons why this occurs and the proper foundation of how to start a proper "recall" ("come" command) will be introduced. This session will only focus on recalls and provide handlers with the tools to further extend the recalls by distance and, eventually, off leash.

Please Note: Please note that there are limits to what can be achieved in a two hour 'recall' seminar. For example, this seminar is not suited for dogs that display aggression either to other dogs or humans. Enrolling such a dog in this class will be frustrating for handlers as you will not be able to concentrate on the recalls since your dog will be distracted (indeed seek to create 'trouble') with the other dogs and/or handlers in the seminar. Handlers with dogs displaying such aggression/dominance tendencies should consider booking a private one-on-one session (either at Spirit Ridge or in the comfort of your home) at which time you and your dog will be assessed and recommendations and tools will be provided and shown so that you can start rehabilitation of your dog (and, let's face it, of your own 'ways' as handlers) before the aggression reaches levels that will force you to either abandon your dog or euthanize him/her. For more information on this approach, please email (jim@spiritridge.net) or call us: (519) 855-6962.

· Learning How to Drain ‘Energy’ via the Treadmill: designed specifically for handlers that have a treadmill and dogs with too much energy. This session is for those handlers that have a treadmill that is currently either collecting dust or used to dry laundry! Dust off that treadmill and learn how you can use it to drain your dog's excess energy BEFORE you go out for the walk you so dread! Every single dog in this class will get multiple opportunities to get on our own treadmill and each handler will be given advice customized to their own dog's behaviour and reaction to the treadmill. This session will require you to have a tight fitting flat buckle collar on your dog.

Note: Each session will not only include the two hour training but also comes with a set of notes that handlers can refer to after they have left our facility.

These sessions will take place on Friday evenings at 7:00PM and Saturday mornings at 9AM. If you are interested in registering for these sessions, you will be required to forward a $20 deposit to reserve your spot. Once four handlers have registered for a particular session, all handlers will be notified a week prior to starting to give them ample opportunity to schedule the date and time for the session.

Family members are welcome to watch from the observation area but only one handler per dog will be permitted to be in the training area.

For more information on these sessions or to pre-register, please e-mail us at jim@spiritridge.net or call us at (519) 855-6962.