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205 Getting Started
Prepared by Linda Siekert
Getting Started With Obedience
What’s the first thing I would tell someone that asks me how to get started? Try not to make the same mistakes I did. I read numerous books in the months preceding the arrival of my first basenji. I called several local dog clubs and training facilities before locating a trainer that was familiar with the breed. I met with each trainer in person, I asked a multitude of questions and yet I still made one crucial mistake.
As training progressed I ignored a vital piece of myself— my gut instinct: Instinct which told me jerking and pulling via the Koehler method (this was back in 1994) a 10-week old puppy was not beneficial to his growing body and developing mind. Instinct which screamed “No!” when the trainer proceeded to ‘hang’ my puppy for daring to show a bit of attitude after an unfair pop correction. Instinct which wanted to give him treats for a job well done but was told that went against everything ‘real’ dog training was about – “make the dog do it or there will be hell to pay if they don’t”. Instinct which knew there was something better out there for us but I lacked the confidence to seek it out; sadly my courage arrived long after my basenji decided obedience was not to his liking.
Through trial, error and word of mouth I would eventually find a training club whose primary focus was positive reinforcement or reward based training. It was during group classes, when I happened to notice a woman off to the side doing what appeared to be ‘play training’ with her dogs. I stopped to watch and the more I watched the more I liked. She was very upbeat, very motivated and both of her dogs seemed eager to be with her; unlike my baby basenji sitting stone faced at my side. I knew, if at all possible, I wanted to train under her; I did for the next six years.
While having a successful competitor as a trainer (this woman had several OTCH’s to her credit) is a definite bonus — what immediately caught my attention was her relationship with her dogs and the means by which she worked them. What made her a great trainer was not her personal success but rather her ability to relate to every dog as an individual and adjust her training accordingly; a must for basenjis. I personally define a good trainer as someone who truly understands not all dogs respond in the same way, not even dogs within the same breed.
A good trainer should be up to date on current training methods and have a veritable bag of tricks that can be called upon to bring the best out of every individual animal. To expect each animal to respond exactly like a Border collie or Golden Retriever is, in my opinion, a recipe for disaster with most dogs (even Border collies and Goldens!) but especially non-traditional breeds like basenjis.
So when in the market for the right training facility or private instructor - do the following:
• Visit during a training session to see what kind of methods are being used as opposed to just meeting with the instructor and taking their word for it.
• Ask point blank if they are primarily considered a reward based or correction based facility.
• Get references of past students – specifically those with non-traditional breeds, then make some phone calls and ask questions.
• Attend a local obedience trial and watch potential trainers ‘in action’. Find one whose dogs truly seem to enjoy working with them in and out of the ring. Watch how they treat their dogs after a disappointing performance.
• Most of all – listen to your gut. If it tells you it doesn’t like what is going on there’s usually a good reason for it - so pay attention!
Basenji Suni with her training companions
Books (alphabetically):
"Click Your Way to Rally Obedience" by Pamela Dennison
“Control Unleashed” by Leslie McDevitt
"Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson
"How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks" by Dr. Ian Dunbar
“Puppy Primer” by Patricia McConnell
"Rally On" by Marie Sawford
"Really Reliable Recall" by Leslie Nelson
“When Pigs Fly-Training Success with Impossible Dogs” by Jane Killion
How To Find A Trainer:
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT): http://www.apdt.com/
Certification Counsel for Professional Dog Trainers: http://www.ccpdt.org/index.php
Victoria Stillwell (Animal Planet’s It’s Me Or The Dog) positive trainers: http://positively.com/dog-training/trainersearch/
Return to Course #205 Obedience and Rally
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