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HULA DOGS: TRAINING SCHOOL

Karl's Training Diary

by Debbie Cannon & Heather Spragg

Saturday 23rd April 2011

Today Karl has completed a block of 10 classes at Lynne Davies Training school. Karl has been doing very well; he certainly seems to enjoy his Saturday outing to see some of his human friends and his pal Lukey the Staffy cross who used to be at Hula.

Throughout this set of classes, Karl has continued to be more focused and less distracted by the other classes taking place at the same time. With the guidance of our trainer, Ian we start each class with ‘attention’ training to get the dogs and handlers focused for the hour’s training ahead.

We’ve been learning new techniques and commands to add to our knowledge so that we can put these into practice between our weekly training classes to give the dog’s consistency and continuity.

Part way through the training course, another lovely kind lady who goes to the training school called Ruth made a new toy for Karl to use in training class; it helps to encourage him to play more, helps him with certain parts of the training and it encourages him to enjoy the fun session at the end of each set of exercises. Thank you Ruth, Karl likes his new toy lots!

A few weeks into training, our instructor, Ian approached Heather, Luke’s owner and me to ask if we could change to a different class on Saturday morning; it is a slightly more advanced class, so we agreed to start the new class the following week.

We started the earlier class which included mostly new people and dogs which we had not met or worked alongside before. Ian was still going to be our trainer, which was great because he knows all of the dogs from both classes. When new dogs go into a class, it can upset the balance that has already been established, so it is to be expected that there may be occasional grumbles from the dogs until a new balance is found.

The first of the earlier classes went very well, with no grumbles or upset from any of the dogs, with all of the handlers working hard to keep the dogs focused on them and not on the other dog in the class.

Debbie Cannon

Residential School

As Karl’s first set of training classes came to an end, Lynne very kindly gave Karl a free place on one of the Residential Training Courses she runs. The course ran from 21st – 23rd February and as Karl and I live locally, we travelled to the course each morning to join the rest of the participants.

On the first day of the course we arrived in the morning for a ‘Welcome meeting’ with the other people on the course; we left our dogs secure in vehicles or kennels depending on whether we were residential clients or travelling there daily. There were all sorts of people on the course from many different parts of the UK. During the meeting Lynne and the instructors introduced themselves, and then we all introduced ourselves and told everyone which dog we had brought along and why we were there.

After the welcome meeting, we had to get the dogs out to begin training; we were all allocated a group to be in and given our trainer. Mine and Karl’s trainer during the course was Ian, who we already knew as he is our trainer at the weekly Saturday class we attend.

Mid-morning we began our training. As it was February the weather was extremely cold, very wet and muddy, but we were all looking forward to finding out what the course had to hold and what we would learn. Each training session began with some exercises to calm the dogs down and to get their attention focused. We then did a variety of different exercises, getting the dogs and handlers working hard.

Each day on the course consisted of practical and theory sessions morning and afternoon, with a welcome break for lunch and some time to defrost before continuing with the rest of the day. During each training session we did different things including sit, stay, down; heel work, recalls, retrieving, agility and lots more. At times the training was challenging and it was definitely tiring for both dogs and handlers! The whole course was very enjoyable and certainly beneficial to everyone.

Due to a prior commitment I was unable to attend the third day of training, so one of the Junior Instructors on the course, Linda, who is also a volunteer dog walker at Hula, very kindly took Karl through his final day of the residential course so that he didn’t miss the last day.

Photo of Caroline Hodgkiss and Lynne Davies

At the end of the residential course, Sheila one of the junior instructors (and one of Karl’s friends) very kindly donated her wages to pay for Karl to have another set of training classes, so we are all very happy and grateful for her thoughtfulness and kindness. Pictured here is Lynne presenting the donation from Sheila to HULA Senior Animal Carer Caroline Hodgkiss.

Debbie Cannon

Saturday 12th February 2011

Karl has just completed his first block of 5 training classes at Lynne Davies training school. Since starting training Karl seems to be more relaxed and he is certainly more focused, he is also responding well to all of the new commands we have both had to learn.

Initially, when attending training, Karl and Luke did not like each other much, I still don't think they'll ever be the best of friends, but now they are fine walking to the training field together from the car park and they routinely work next to each other in class.

The classes are very structured, they start on time and the instructors have us all working for the full hour, with a varied programme of exercises and commands to follow to keep both the dogs and their handlers interested and on our toes. The instructors are very keen to ensure all the handlers understand the commands and instructions and quickly help or correct anyone where they feel that they have misunderstood. All handlers are expected to practice the commands with their dogs, between classes, so that the learning is consistent and all of the commands are being reinforced.

Each week as the training progresses, we are given more challenging things to do with the dogs as well as going over the basics at the start of the class to get the dogs' attention and settle them down. Early on in the training Karl was often very distracted by all of the other dogs in other training classes, but as time progresses, he is getting much better and if he does get distracted, it is easier to bring his attention back to the training.

Throughout the classes, handlers are encouraged to give lots of praise to their dogs when they are doing as they have been asked, such as walking to heel or coming when told; after a set of exercises is complete the dogs are given a BIG fuss or a brief play with a toy, to give them encouragement before bringing the dogs' focus back and embarking on the next set of exercises. At the end of the training we usually do something a little fun for the dogs, often using the agility equipment, whether it's going over some of the jumps or the 'A' frame or sometimes the dogs have to seek out a hidden item. This helps to finish the class on a positive, relaxed note.

When the whole class is finished everyone secures their dog away from each other and we all have a hot cup of tea. Often at these times, Lynne and the other trainers do some extra handling with Karl and Luke to get them used to having more people handling them or generally being around them.

Now that Karl has completed his first set of classes and because he is doing well, he is about to embark on a new block of 10 classes commencing Saturday 19th February along with his 'friend' Luke.

Debbie

A new school for Karl

Over the past few weeks, Luke (who I recently adopted from HULA) and Karl have been undergoing special training at the Lynne Davies Training Centre near Newton Longville to help with their people aggression problem.

So far, it has worked wonders. They are both much more laid back, not so excitable or tense when attending training classes. In fact, at the start, they did not like each other and kept having a barking session. Their trainer Ian soon put a stop to that by making them work along side each other and addressing the problem. They are now fine and happy to work along side, with a bit of a gap of course!!

The training is extremely structured. It always starts on time and there is no time to chat, it is all down to work for a solid hour. So much is packed in and Debbie (Assistant Manager at HULA), myself and the dogs have to concentrate and listen really carefully to get the best out of the session. The results are showing remarkably well in both dogs.

Towards the end of the session, we all have a fun exercise to do. Either agility, recall or seeking. This helps us and the dogs finish in a more relaxed state, even though it is still learning and improving behaviour in the dogs. Well, may be in us too !!!

As Ian is giving us the tools to train the dogs, we are expected to put the afternoon’s work into practice during the following week to reinforce the commands both in our minds as well as the dogs.

After the session has finished, Debbie and I relax with a cup of tea, while the trainers take Luke and Karl away for training to deal with their individual problem. With Luke this is strangers approaching him and patting him. His trust of people has improved greatly, but he is still worried by people he does not know. The trainers have him muzzled, then stroke him gently and keep stroking him until he stops. When he stops he gets a reward.

They are also getting him used to being walked around by different trainers, this is improving too, but he has a long way to go yet.

This type of structured training is proving very good for dogs and encourages them to concentrate on the handler, rather than the trainer and not what other dogs are doing. I am very pleased with the way it is going and I am sure it is helping Karl to find a new home.

Heather Spragg