Island Discovery
& Training
835 Harewood Mines Rd.
Nanaimo, BC V9R 6P3
E-mail:
250-753-5246
Dog Training Classes in Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island
Class Structure / Schedule
All in-person classes
include private instruction, overview of the lesson, demonstrations,
step by
step practice, handouts, and your questions answered by your
instructor
who has a degree in zoology (animal behavior) and a teaching degree.
Your instructor teaches YOU how to teach your dog!
Lessons take place in quiet outdoor settings.
I
Clicker Training
Practice for Canine Good Neighbor Test
Assistance
Dog Training Separation
Anxiety Games
for Dog
Homemade Toys
for Dogs
Bicycling Safely with Your Dog
Other Services
Clicker Training
Fastest, Easiest and Most Fun way to train (or re-train) your
dog-of any age!
Use it clicking to teach basic behaviors such as sit, down, stay, come
or more complex tricks such as pulling a child's toy, scoring a goal, or
putting toys away.
Discover what the fuss is about with this most current
& humane training method for any animal.
Find out how to introduce the clicker,
how to use it to train and how to wean your dog off it. Find out
how to shape behaviors-the secret advantage of clicking! Learn how and why
the clicker works and try it out yourself before you spend money on a clicker
and treat pouch.
Once you discover the basic technique, you can
apply to it teach or re-teach any behavior! Even works with stubborn dogs!
and old dogs! It is the only dog training method
that trains your dog to think about the behaviors he is doing and you can reward him
for doing the ones you want!
Want to train your dog to wait before going out the door, keep her feet
on the ground when greeting people, come when called, look at you and be
quiet when seeing another dog etc? Works effectively with dogs with fear
or anxiety issues.
Have a specific behavior challenge? Let me know what you want to work on when you pre pre register and we can
start working on it! Once you discover the power of the clicker, you'll
want to use it all the time! Remember, clicking is a training tool to
teach new behaviors, not a lifelong crutch!
$20 per 45 minute private class
Pre booking required. You decide if and when you
need your next class.
Bring: dog, 6 foot leash with loop handle, 150 soft treats in pea sized
bits,
water, poop bags, and dress for the weather.
Do you want to get your dog certified to prove
he is a well-adjusted member of the community?
Are you wondering if he she/he is ready for the
test?
I am offering practice classes specific to the criteria of the test in
Nanaimo
and tips for dealing with each criteria of the test.
12 Criteria Required by the Canadian Kennel Club:
1. accepting a friendly stranger-owner shakes hands
with a friendly stranger
2. patiently sitting for petting-not overly friendly, fearful or
aggressive of stranger of any age
3. appearance and grooming-dog accepts a simple grooming, and appears
well-cared for
4. out for a walk-owner shows control of the dog-walk on loose leash
during all activities
5. walking through a crowd on loose leash
6. dog willingly obeys commands: sit, down, stay
7. come when called from 20 feet on long line
8. calming reaction-dog is revved up (with toy or game) and calms
quickly when asked to
9. reaction to passing dogs-dog behaves politely around other dogs
10.distractions and noises-shows dog is confident when faced with common
sights and sounds when out in the community
11. supervised isolation-shows dog can be left with someone other than
owner and maintain training and good manners
12. door or gate-the pair walk through with the dog waiting until owner
allows dog through
Your dog must have a good temperament, be good with people and other
dogs and have basic training already (sit, down, stand, come, stay on
leash)
to be able to practice with us.
Pre booking required as class is limited. Dogs of
of any breed or mix and over the age of 6 months are welcome.
$60 for 6 one hour classes, held in a public place on grass, gravel & tarmac.
Next weekly class starts May 1, 7pm, 2008 6 one hour
practices for $60
Next CGN test in June 7, 2008 in Black Creek, BC
Bring: dog, 5-6 foot leash with loop handle, 50 soft treats in pea sized bits, water, poop bags, and dress for the weather. Clickers & training collars welcome for the first four classes!
Do you need help around the house due to a
disability? Your dog can
help!
Learn how to train
your dog to become an in-home assistance, service or hearing dog one behavior at
a time! I'll help you to train your dog to do tasks that are useful to
you in your home such as closing doors, turning on lights, pick up dropped objects, collect laundry, pulling up a
blanket, alerting you to the phone, waking you up, helping you to take
off your coat, shoes or socks, and more! All dogs are capable of
learning helpful tasks-which tasks will depend on the
size and age of your dog and your needs.
When you are ready to take the
next step, I'll help you evaluate your dog to see if s/he is suitable
for helping you at work or play outside your home.
Start with a one hour initial consultation, followed by a two hour
training session and weekly one hour sessions after that. Ongoing support available to fine tune or teach new
behaviors.
Private classes tailored for you and your dog in your home or yard. Handouts summarize the
basic concepts for easy practice.
You'll need: your dog, 6 foot leash with loop handle, 150 soft treats in pea sized bits, water, poop bags.
Contact me for more details
Jessie, 13 months, emptying the dryer.
Jessie closing the back door after coming in.
She closes the dryer door when she's done!
Treating Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety is the most common
behavior problem in dogs that find themselves in a new home (shelter
dogs, rescue dogs, re-homed dog, strays etc). You are not alone! Find
out why your dog shows his/her anxiety using the behaviors (destruction,
noise, house soiling, self-mutilation etc), how you can prevent them and
what simple steps you can take to turn anxious dogs into calm pussycats
when you leave or come home.
Learn the key secret to significantly reducing or eliminating separation
anxiety in your dog, not matter how well entrenched it is. My approach
is developed from the results of a North America-wide study of more than
30 dogs that successfully worked through separation anxiety, some in as
little as a long weekend. Most worked through it in 2 weeks to a month.
Tips: Getting another dog or cat rarely works in the short or
long term as the dog misses the human companionship, unless s/he was
bonded to another pet. Punishing your dog only make the behaviors worse!
NEW Training Option!
Training offered by phone and email as well as in person.
Handouts provided.
You don't have to live in the Nanaimo area to get help! The sooner you
get help, the quicker your dog will respond to retraining. I've been
there.
The process:
1. Call (250) 753-5246 or
email to set up an appointment.
2. I'll send you a form to fill out that provides me with an
understanding of your dog's separation anxiety history and living
situation. Your privacy is assured.
3. I'll phone you or visit you to teach you how to successfully deal
with it.
4. I'll follow up with a call or visit 2 weeks later to evaluate your
dog's progress and fine tune your approach. (or you can contact me
sooner if you need to)
5. Extra sessions can be set up if you need my support.
6. You get your life back.
$40 for first two 45 min lessons, $20 per additional 45 min session.
Payment: Pre-payment preferred by cash or cheque but you can use any credit card via PayPal.
Play Your Way to Better
Obedience:
Good Dogs through Games
Calling all Dogs! Do you have
energy to burn and use it up barking, digging, running away and other disruptive
behaviors? Are you looking to improve health challenges such as obesity
or are you planning on a career in agility or fly ball? Want to impress
your owner with your new obedience?
Get your human to bring you to these one on one classes to learn these
easy and fun games. With a minimum of cost and equipment, you and your human will
learn how much fun it is to play together indoors or out and you can
hone your obedience skills at the same time! Exercise your
mind and body for a few minutes a minutes a day almost anywhere and
become a contented dog. Your human will learn how to decrease
your reliance on treats so you become a willing worker for praise. Take
the classes one at a time time or a sequence of all 4 (in any order).
Your "little
humans" (children) are encouraged to attend and play with you! (with parental
supervision).
Soccer Cones
These games turn confirmed leash tuggers into loose leash dreams! Your dog learns to follow
your direction as you move with him or send him around objects and through several
mini obstacle courses. It's a fun way to practice boring stationary cues such as sit, down and wait and
your dog learns to do them eagerly. Also work on distant cues to have your dog sit, wait
or down from 30 feet or more! Improves skills for
agility and Rally Obedience. Want to add challenge? Add pushing a soccer
ball to the mix! Puppies and adults alike love these games that
you can play anywhere and anytime you have a few spare minutes to burn
excess dog energy! Soccer
cones are cheap, take little storage space and can be set up in a
minute.
$20 for one 45 min private session
Jumps & Hoops
For dogs that want more challenge, try different jumps for different
purposes including hula hoops and jumping over arms and legs. Find
out how to introduce a jump, how to proof jumps so you never miss a jump,
and how jumping improves your dog's ability to follow your directions-
even off leash! Discover some fun yet challenging cross and box games and how to
teach solid wall and broad jumps. By the end of the class you will
even know how to teach your dog the basics of fly ball so you can play at home!
Costs about $20 to make a set of 4 lightweight, easy to store PVC bar
jumps. Plans included in handout.
$20 for one 45 min private session
Homemade Toys
for Dogs
Save money, recycle and keep your dog
safe by making your own sturdy toys for dogs of all sizes and ages from
materials you probably have at home like worn jeans and socks, torn
T-shirts and sheets, old fleece jackets, bathrobes and even garden
hoses!
Learn how to
make 7 toys including a sturdy yet safe chew toy; 1 meter long tug toy;
a floating throw and tug toy; a floating toy for water retrieving; a
shake toy; and a
teething ring for puppies.
No sewing needed!
Keep boredom and separation anxiety at bay!
One toy for every day of the week. All of these will keep your dog mentally and
physically busy.
Learn tips of how to save time making toys that last, what materials to
avoid and find out where to get other toys such as
big balls and stuffed toys cheap!
All toys have been tested
by Jessie, our resident toy expert!
Bring: adult scissors, sense of fun!
Dogs are not brought to this fun 90 minute interactive workshop
and demonstration.
Maximum 8 people per
class.
Children under 12 are welcome accompanied by an adult.
$10 per person plus $3
material fee (or bring your own)
includes handouts and toys you make in class
worth $10 to $15.
You recoup your costs for the workshop before you go home!
Ask about next scheduled workshop! Sat May 3 9:30-11ish
Or get 4 or more people together and have your own private workshop on a
date and time you choose!
Introduction to
Exercising Your Dog
Dogs are not brought to this fun 2.5 hour interactive small group workshop
and demonstration (maximum 6 people).
In this workshop you will discover how much you already know about your
dog and:
* biological adaptations and limitations dogs have for running
* role of exercise in dog health and behavior
* ways to assess your dog to ensure he is ready and able to run beside
the bicycle
* behaviors that tell you if he is getting enough
or too much exercise
* where to play/ride with your dog and
how to select other locations
* challenges unique to bicycling with your dog and how to handle them
* live demonstration with a trained dog
If you choose to attend Basics of Bicycling, you will be asked to fill out
a form about your dog’s behavior, health and training background at the
end of this class. This form must be received with payment at least 3
days before your first dog class.
Bring: pen and paper
Location: Class takes place indoors on the first Sat of each
month 9:30 to noon.
Location provided when you pre-register.
Payment: $25 Pre-payment preferred by cash or cheque but you can use any credit card via PayPal.
The Basics of Bicycling with Your Dog
$70 for four 30 minute private classes
Level 1 bicycle classes are limited to 1 dog and 1 owner (family members may attend to observe) so you receive one on one attention. The same handler needs to commit to the 4 weeks of training. Small dogs must be at least 12 months old when class begins, medium and large dogs must be 18 months to ensure the growth plates have closed. Dog must weigh less than half of handler’s weight, unless already well-trained.
Owners are guided through teaching their dog to accomplish the following using positive training methods:
* Introducing the bicycle to the dog
* How to get moving
* Teaching the12 cues that guide your dog's movement
* Keeping a loose leash-your dog is watching you!
* Increasing distance and control
* Determining the right speed for your dog
* Generalizing knowledge
Tips for heading off undesirable bicycle-related behaviors are also provided.
Required practice at least 3 times per week for 10 to 15 min between classes.
The more you practice, the more comfortable your dog will be and the
faster he will progress.
Bring: dog, flat collar (or properly-fitted harness for small
dogs), 4 to 6 foot leash with loop handle, treats or toys, water, poop
bags, dog towel, bicycle, helmet, and dress for the weather.
Location: Class takes place out of doors.
Location provided when you pre-register.
Payment: Pre-payment preferred by cash or cheque but you can use any credit card via PayPal.
Other Services
Audio Book on CD:
You Don't Have to Be Dog Whisperer: Applying the
Principles of No Force Dog Training for the Family Dog by the
trainer
Canine Consulting
Assistance in Evaluating a potential Family Canine or Dog Sport
Competitor
Presentation/People
Teaching Skills for Dog Trainers
Train the Trainer Workshops-Bicycling, Games,
Principles of No Force Dog Training
Dog Lovers Directory for Nanaimo region
Copyright ©2005-2008 Island Discovery and Training