Last evening, I took Red to a new dog training club. They do the KC Good Citizen Dog Scheme. I am interested in doing the Bronze Award with her - she can do all that is required BUT probably not in a new environment as she gets really excited around people and dogs. I think therefore this would be a good thing to do. We just observed - there were 6 dogs doing it (apparently busier other times but it's holiday time and was a rainy evening) - mixture of breeds and all sorts of ages. Red was very excited at seeing other dogs yet I saw her looking at what the dogs were doing and she looked interested. The lady in charge asked me why I used a harness and I explained whilst noticing that all the dogs except one very reactive bull dog (a rescue) just had their neck collars on. I said would she prefer me not to use a harness and she said yes as you had better control. Not sure about this. They also don't treat much as they can't during the testing. I quite like this as Red is now at the stage she won't do something unless she knows she is going to get a treat - you can see her mentally weighing up if it is worth her while . Think I will start to take her. Think she would enjoy it. Just not sure about using her lead on her collar.
If there is any chance at all of Red suddenly lunging, then I'd stick with a harness. I don't see it as a problem. Coco (and our 2 dogs before him) always wears a harness for walking. I don't see that a flat collar can give "better control", but a harness will give his neck protection in the event of a lunge or a pull. Good luck doing KC Bronze - I really want to do this with Coco but there is only one place on Island that does it - and it is impossible for me to get there at the time they do it
I am thrilled for you! Training classes are such great fun, and a good idea to just hang out with Red and observe first. One note, it is really good that Red was calm enough to be able to observe the dogs, however she was still really excited. Do not be afraid to suggest that you are quite happy to continue with the harness for the time being though...and there is absolutely no harm in just observing a few more classes with Red whilst working on her being calm and getting used to the new and exciting environment. Regarding treats. Treats are used to reinforce and reward behaviours, (of course some dogs are motivated by other things ) most test situations would frown on the use of treats because you should have really cracked the behaviour you are being assessed on. To get to that point, luring, shaping and marking the correct behaviour needs to happen. I would not be afraid to use treats in a training situation, indeed with Benson when we first started gundog training, I couldn't shove them in his mouth fast enough!! You can always fade them out when you have nailed that particular exercise Good luck! Really excited for you
The KC changed its rules over a year ago and you are now allowed to take good citizen tests with your dog wearing a harness. I think this is great -not so great that they also now allow headcollars. Most dogs at the club I attend wear harnesses.
For the KC tests I put treat crumbs in my pocket and make my hands smell of treat lol You don't need to rush in to doing the test, just do the exercises and try the test when you feel Red is ready. Try not to feel any pressure - the classes are worthwhile in themselves. I would use the harness for a few sessions then, when Red is more settled, try him just on the collar. To stop the 'show me the money' problem (I had it in a big way with Tatze) you need to not show them the treat. If they don't give you the behaviour, just stop the exercise and start again a few minutes later. He'll soon realise that he can't weigh up the reward. Also, in the house, put treat tins in various places and vary it so that he doesn't know where the treat is coming from. We don't reward every time once the pups are six months old, we have a random way of treating, giving occasional random jackpots too - this keeps them much more keen. I have to write it down to keep it properly random lol
I must admit that when I saw the title of your post I thought we were in for a new puppy because Red has turned into such a star. I was all excited I love the photos of Skye and Red and more will be just great (hint, hint). I am so glad to hear this. We will start working towards this late next year, when Harls is a bit older and hopefully consistently calmer too.
Thank you @Beanwood - I just feel I want to use her harness - I want to continue to protect her neck and maybe as she gets older and steadier , then I'll use her neck collar. Yes one of the helpers said this. I am not after awards etc, just want positive experiences for Red. Also I like the idea that you pay weekly and it doesn't matter if you miss classes - we have Red's first season coming up in the future. This also takes the pressure off always having to go. Thank you @Harley Quinn, I will be posting more now I can minimise photos . I use a lot of Sky's daily food allowance for training at home - downside is that she thinks she should have a treat for everything. I know I need to faze this out and the KC class would be a good starting point. Yes now you say that, some did have head collars on. I will stick with the harness for the time being. Thank you everyone for responding.
