Hound about Town
for dogs which have completed Junior Progress
Passing other dogs and people in the street. Focus around urban distractions. Heelwork in town. Responsiveness to cues in the presence of distractions. Generalisation of behaviours. Extremely small class size of four dogs.
Course details.
FOR: Dogs which have passed Junior Progress
WHEN: TBD
WHERE: Various locations
LENGTH OF COURSE: 4 weeks + 1x Zoom prep
FEES: £150
The ingredients of Hound about Town are…
ONE
Generalisation
Many dogs seem impressively well-trained in church halls and training clubs.
But these same dogs are often unable to respond in ‘real life’ environments - even though this is where owners most need their dogs to respond!
Why is this?
Dogs need help generalising what they have learnt to new environments. A dog doesn’t naturally transfer learning from one situation to another. They are quite context-specific.
Handlers need help upholding the training away from the typical set-up of a dog training class. These are the handlers whose dogs do beautiful heelwork in class - and then allow their dog to tow them back to the car as soon as they leave the training hall!
Don’t just have a well-trained dog in a church hall. Get help moving your training into realistic environments!
TWO
Ongoing socialisation
Dogs on the Hound about Town course are outside the socialisation period, but they are typically adolescent.
It’s important to keep socialisation going (at a reduced rate) throughout adolescence.
This way we ensure your dog continues to accept traffic, people, other dogs and new sights and sounds as a normal part of everyday life.
THREE
Focus and attention
Without being shown otherwise, owners simply ‘walk’ their dogs.
This translates as - allowing the dog to discover the wonders of the natural world by themselves, becoming ever more focussed on the environment.
This can result in a very outwardly-focussed dog who pays little attention to their handler. No matter if you are in a town or the countryside!
Hound about Town gives you the opportunity to learn how to retain your dog’s focus in the presence of distractions through:
Leash-handling skills
Focus exercises
The best equipment for your specific dog
Dialling up or down the environment
Increasing/reducing criteria
All these skills will be immediately transferable to other distractions, when you return to the countryside!
“It is a testament to your training that, wherever I go with Seeker, I receive compliments on how well-trained he is.”
— Paul with Seeker