Sequoyah is now offering training for all dogs!
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Here at Sequoyah Shepherds we believe that the purchase of a dog is one of the longest commitments that you will ever make. It is a decision that will usually affect the next 10-12 years of your life. In our opinion, it is a bigger commitment than the purchase of a house. If you change jobs, people often have to change houses to be closer to their job. If you have kids 4-5 years down the road, you often changes houses. But, what about the dog? Now that you have added a child to your household, has your dog been properly socialized and trained to accept the newest family member? Now that you have moved from the “country”, into a subdivision, has the dog been taught not to “nuisance bark”? These are all things that must be considered when purchasing a dog.
AT WHAT AGE SHOULD TRAINING START?
TRAINING of your puppy – the stuff you teach them at home – should start the DAY you bring your puppy home! This does not mean training needs to be intensive right away. Training at this stage should be done in many little lessons, in short spans of time (5-10 minutes per session). Then it goes on from there! Don’t pick hard “tricks” to start training. Learn to pay attention to your puppy. Reward him for little things that he does right. If you see him sitting and looking at you, say “good sit” and praise or offer food to reward him. Pretty soon you will see him repeating things he gets rewarded for. If you have a puppy that likes to “talk”, ask him “what do you think?” or simply say “speak” and reward his natural behavior.
When you first start training, you are actually teaching him to learn….He has to discover 1) that you want something from him and 2) that he gets rewarded when he figures it out. He first has to learn the basics. After he masters this concept, he will soon be trying to guess what you want from him instead of looking at you like you have lost your mind.
Puppies and dogs learn from the instant they are born. At first their world is small and their learning comes from their mother, other littermates, and the whelping box (their environment). By the time they are weaned and are sent on their way to new homes, they have learned a vast amount – from their mom, their littermates, and from any environmental influences they had. Hopefully, they have had a good foundation set for future learning. This is one of the biggest reasons to purchase a pup from a knowledgeable and reputable breeder.
Here at Sequoyah Shepherds we are active members of Service Dogs of America of Chattanooga
TYPES OF DOG TRAINING
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- Agility
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- Animal Assisted Therapy
- Assistance Dog
- Guide Dog — Dogs for the blind
- Assisted Therapy Dogs — visits hospitals, nursing homes, etc.
- Hearing Ear — Dogs for the Deaf
- Obedience
- Functional Obedience — Most dog owners simply want their dogs to be well-mannered, and to respond nicely to their basic commands. For example, to have a dog that heels nicely when out for a walk, comes when called (which can save the dogs life), does a nice down-stay when waiting in the animal hospital reception room, does a stand-stay when being groomed, a sit-stay in the elevator, etc.
- Competition Obedience — performance obedience for titles and competitions
- Herding
- Livestock Guarding
- Flyball — This exciting dog sport is lots of fun to watch, and even more fun to participate in. Dogs require speed, coordination and teamwork. Their enthusiasm is absolutely contagious.
- Flying Disc
- Musical Freestyle — this wonderful sport reminds me of two people waltzing together, only in this case one of the two participants is a dog! Requires precision training, coordination, and teamwork. It is truly a beautiful sport to watch.
- Personal Protection — protection training that allows you to be able to count on your dog for defense in any given situation.
- Schutzhund — This popular competitive sport includes three phases: obedience training, tracking, and protection. Dogs with high prey and fight drives (including many German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Rotties, Dobies, APBTs, and American Bulldogs) are often used in this exciting sport.
- Search and Rescue — What could be more rewarding than saving people’s lives? Search and rescue teams are devoted to doing this on a regular basis, locating and rescuing lost and injured people. These courageous teams are some of the today’s true heroes.
- Lost and Found
- Water rescue dogs
- Avalanche Dog
- Cadaver dog
- Tracking
Food for Thought: Make sure that when you are deciding what direction you are going to be going with your dog and your training, you pick a direction that your dog is capable to going. Not every dog has the ability to handle the skills you may try to give him. Don’t forget Albert’s Advice!