A fork in the road...

Dear Friends,

It is with mixed emotions that I write this today. I have been presented with several wonderful opportunities to teach more advanced classes and workshops. We believe in order to best serve our students, something has to give. After looking at the big picture, discussing with our family and much prayer, we decided to give up our training facility in Fremont. We feel it is the best possible scenario for all of us – we will still be teaching classes locally and I will be able to teach at other facilities, judge, and lead workshops without being tied down to the building.

I will continue to offer private, in-home or on-location sessions, as well as outdoor classes when the weather cooperates. I am working locally with Bark Avenue Pet Boutique to offer some classes in their store and I am also going to be looking for other locations to offer classes. (Please, if you have any ideas, please share them!) I will continue to do day camp and boarding at the house. I would like to add dog walks in various locations, as well as other dog outings. We will maintain our wholesale accounts so that we can continue to get food, treats, and other supplies for our students. I am currently studying for the Certified Canine Behavior Consultant exam in November and I will still take that. God willing, I will pass with flying colors and will be able to add that to my certifications.

We will be giving up the building at the end of November. Class attendance is typically very low in the winter and utilities are high. Until that time, we will continue with our ongoing classes (Rally, Obedience, Agility for Fun, and S*T*A*R Puppy) and we will complete our current series (Canine Life Skills and It’s All Tricks). The website will continue and I will keep the calendar up to date as well as linking to the appropriate websites when I am teaching at other facilities.

Please don’t forget, if you are willing to drive just a bit farther, I would love to see you at one of the other training facilities! There will also be classes offered locally at different locations. Thank you all for your support and your commitment to positive reinforcement training. Ken, Meagan, and Kendra send their love and gratitude to you!!! They have loved sharing their lives with you and they will also miss you. It is because of you all that this decision is so difficult. If you need anything at any time, please contact me.

This is not good-bye, and we look forward to the next leg of our journey.

Pawsitively,
Laurie Buchele

Her Senior Year

This usually is the place I talk about our life with our dogs.  But today I feel I must talk about our life with our oldest daughter, Meagan.  Yesterday she began her Senior year of high school.  The journey with her, and with our dogs, is amazing!!!

Meagan is our "brainiac."  She is smart -- both book and street.  She is logical, compassionate, faithful, loving, quiet, reserved, talented, musical, adventurous, empathetic -- she is an awesome young lady.  She never ceases to amaze me with what she is doing, can do, will do.

I credit Meagan for helping us get into dogs and dog training.  When we first started getting more "into" dogs, she was our faithful companion at dog shows.  I have wonderful memories of both girls taking notebooks to dog shows and keeping lists of all the different breeds they saw.  She saw Conformation and Junior Showmanship and told me she wanted to try that.  So we explored our options and Meagan began training Daisy for the Junior Showmanship ring.  Meagan loved Junior Showmanship!  It was truly a shining moment for both Meagan and Daisy.  They trained with several outstanding dog people and did wonderfully in the ring.  Meagan achieved her three Novice wins (including one at the Beagle Nationals!) and moved into the Open division.  It was at this time we opted to take a "sabbatical" from the Junior ring.  (Long story...and while it was a tough decision, it was a mutual decision.)  I think Meagan still has dreams of being in the Conformation ring again someday (at least I hope so!).

I also credit Meagan for showing me what having food in the ring can do for a dog.  I might never have tried other venues (that allow food) if it weren't for the different attitude I saw in Daisy when she was with Meagan in the Junior ring.  I saw how animated and happy Daisy was and I realized that Daisy needs to have food for feedback, information, and reinforcement in the ring.  It has even made our time in the rings where food is not allowed, better and more positive because Daisy now knows the show/trial ring is a good place to be.

Now Meagan is moving (quickly!) into a new phase in her life.  Going with her is her puppy, Elphie.  The puppies were not the road any of us thought we were going to be traveling, but I don't think any of us are in a hurry to change our direction!  Meagan and Elphie are a wonderful team!!!  Meagan has done a wonderful job of raising her puppy.  Elphie is a joy to work in the Rally ring for Kendra and I and Meagan is having fun working her in the Obedience ring.  I am so proud of the young ladies both Meagan and Elphie are becoming!!!!

Meagan is applying to several colleges and plans to study Biological Anthropology (remember? I told you she was the brainiac!).  She is busy, busy, busy at school with four AP classes, Spanish 4, and band.  It's going to go by much too quickly I'm afraid.

I am a crier.  I cry at commercials on television, the National Anthem at events, musicals, and just because.  It's going to be a long, short Senior year with lots of tissues in my pocket!!!!  But I am also excited about what's ahead for Meagan.  Her future is bright and the possibilities are infinite.  What more could a mom ask for?

Meagan and Elphie, May 2011

Positive Versus Negative

I've always been honest with all of you.  And to be honest, I haven't been feeling like blogging.  I wholeheartedly believe in positive reinforcement training for animals.  In light of that, I try to live positively and blog positively.  And I just haven't been feeling that this summer.  

The Rescue C.L.A.S.S. is going very well.  (If you are interested in adopting one of these wonderful dogs with their training started, please contact www.spaohio.org.)  Other classes in general are going very well.  The puppies are thriving and our older dogs are staying healthy and loving life.  The kids are good and my husband has a good job and is doing well.

So what's wrong?  The attitudes of people who think that being the "alpha" and dominating their dog is a good idea, the people who believe that pit bulls and pit mixes are all bad and should be euthanized, the people who don't work with their dogs thinking they are "too stupid" to learn and bond, the people who assume (and we all know what happens when people assume!), people who continue to refuse to take advantage of our world and its technology and choose to remain ignorant, and the list goes on.  Why?  Why does it have to be this way?  Why can't we all respect each other's opinions?  Why can't we be nice to each other?  Why can't we be nice to our animals and give them the respect they deserve?

I understand the people who subscribe to pack and dominance theory.  I used to be that person.  But I think the picture is much bigger, much more global.  Scientists have known for years the complexities and the beauty and the grandeur of the animal kingdom.  It is an amazing field of study and I hope I am always a willing student.

I know this all sounds like "why can't we just get along" rhetoric.  But it's much bigger than that.  Our attitudes are affecting our world.  We are on the brink of everything changing in our country with the debt crisis.  Maybe it's time to actually work together and do what needs to be done.  I don't have the answers.  I just know if we don't do something positive, we aren't going to have much to offer anyone or any animals.

It's time to pass it on, to commit random acts of kindness, to live positively.  Both with humans and animals.  Do something nice today for someone or for an animal.  If we all do one nice thing, what a HUGE change in the world that would make.

Blog The Change July 15, 2011

I usually give a lot of thought to my Blog The Change posting, but it's been such a crazy summer, that I haven't thought about it at all!!!  So this is truly from the heart...

When I first started thinking about what I could do to help precipitate change for animals (more than a year ago), I was stumped.  I don't have a lot of money to donate, I don't have a lot of time most days, I don't have a lot of influence, and I just don't have a lot of knowledge about how I can help.  I felt pretty "disposable."  Much like some animals in rescues and shelters must feel.

Than after hearing about the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) C.L.A.S.S. (Canine Life and Social Skills) program for probably a year, it was released this spring.  I was intrigued, but not really thinking it was something I needed to get in to.  I knew it was probably a good program, but I am not much for change sometimes and I'm really not much for change if it means I have to completely rewrite my dog training class curriculum.

But I started reading and I was very interested; then I attended a webinar and I was hooked!  And, I had an idea -- this is a way I can make a change for animals.  In the C.L.A.S.S. program, there is a shelter/rescue component.  And something that is very lacking in our area is training for the dogs in shelters/rescues.

So I took the tests to be an Evaluator, and passed (yay me!), and I continued reading the enormous amount of material they make available to us as Students, Instructors, and Evaluators.  I saw some really wonderful things we could do with not only dogs in shelters/rescues, but also with all dogs.  I love the "life skills" aspect of the program and am excited about the changes that are going to happen in our classes with the addition of this program.

I approached a local rescue group (SPA -- the group we fostered our puppies for) and they liked the idea.  This week we started our first class made up entirely of volunteers training dogs available for adoption!!!!  It was fabulous!!!  The dogs and the volunteers were wonderful and we had an extremely productive first class.  I can't wait to see how the subsequent weeks go!!!

If the dogs all pass their evaluations at the end of the class series, they will all have their "Bachelor's Degree" in the C.L.A.S.S.  program and of course, our hope is that their new "degree" will make them even more adoptable.  My personal hope is that I have found a way to help Be the Change for Animals.

More information is available at www.apdt.com, www.mydoghasclass.com, and www.spaohio.org.

Rest...is...good...

...in so many ways...for so many things.  As a dog trainer, I see all kinds of things as I coach people in training their puppies and dogs.  Something I have to remind myself of sometimes and something I try very hard to communicate to my students is that muscle and knowledge is built during rest and that rest is as important as active training time.

I love a well-trained, tuned in dog!!!  But I love my dogs because they are just that, dogs!  Not people in dog suits, not working machines, not robots.  I want to provide the best possible life for them and that includes my training plan.  How best can I train them keeping in mind our goals?  And rest is an important part of that training plan.

In my classes, I will tell folks to do an exercise with 10 treats or for 1 minute or in a round-robin sequence.  Then I will tell them "give 'em a break."  And that's exactly what I mean!!!  Let your dog be a dog for a minute or two, let the information sink in and process in their brain.  Remember muscle and knowledge is built during rest!!!  

And while you and/or your dog might be chomping at the bit (so to speak!) to keep working, understand that rest is working too.  Understand that just like we need "me" time to do what comes naturally, dogs also need "me" time to be dogs.  And giving this to them makes them better dogs overall!  I am constantly amazed by the learning process and I love it when we work something, take a break, come back to it and it's bigger, better, and stronger!!!  The break time gave the dog time to process, time for it to sink in, time for it to become solid in their brains.

I can hear folks now -- "but my dog doesn't want to take a break!!"  What makes you say that?  Is he hyper and only behaving when you are "working?"  Does he act like a dog and sniff and scan his environment when he's supposed to be at "rest?"  That is him being a dog!!!  Not all dogs relax like humans (couch potatoes catching up on the latest episodes of "Desperate Housewives!") -- for many dogs, sniffing and checking things out IS relaxing.  If it makes you feel better, teach your dog to settle or relax and bring along a stuffed toy or a chewy for your dog during this time.  This will force you to allow downtime and it will give your dog an opportunity to be a dog.

Think about this, if all you did was learn and work all day, every day, what kind of person would you be?  What would be your disposition?  Would that make you happy and fulfilled?  I doubt it.  I am pretty confident you spend some time almost every day, relaxing and "being a human."  This is what keeps you sane, right?  So do the same for your dog during his time with you.  It will enhance your relationship, strengthen your bond and help both of you be better.

Ditto -- relaxing at a trial.

Quiet Week

Ken and the girls are gone this week at their annual camping trip at the Alive Christian Music Festival so I figured it would be good to have a specific training goal for the puppies.  We spent the week working on nice manners in the pop-up puppy playyard and stays.  Hence a quiet week.  We will be trying our new manners next weekend at the Canine Coaches C-WAGS/APDT trial in Ann Arbor.  I'm not judging, so I'm hoping I will have lots of time to work with them.

Heading out today to meet up with Ken and the girls.  I am so excited to see Kris Allen and Toby Mac tonight!  It's been a long time since I was at a concert!!!  I hope I haven't gotten too old!!!

Enjoy the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop!!! 

My Puppy is Wonderful...

...we don't need training classes!!!  Oh, how this statement gets me going.  I am not really an "in-your-face" trainer -- when you need me, I'm there for you with advice, classes, information, support.  But I am not out stopping people while their dogs are pulling them down the street and handing them my business card.  Just not my style.

But I KNOW, without a doubt, how important puppy classes are for ALL puppies!!!  The socialization, the opportunities, the experience, the one-on-one time, the support system.  So many reasons to take puppies to puppy classes and yet, most people don't do it.  They see their compliant, easy-going, smart puppy and they decide that puppy classes are not necessary.  Then they wake up and they have an adolescent puppy -- chewing, biting, pottying in the house, barking, acting stupid, teenaged, almost full-grown adolescent puppy.  What happened?!?!?  They are growing up.  That's all.  They are growing up.  But we have missed a chance to lay a really firm foundation and have nothing to fall back on when this crazed adolescent time creeps up on us.

When we get a dog, it comes with a commitment to the dog's well-being for the rest of his/her life.  Training is part of that well-being.  If I choose not to train, so many things can and will happen that will diminish not only the quality of my dog's life, but could actually shorten his/her life.  If my dog doesn't know not to bolt out the front door when it opens, then one day he is going to do just that and end up hit by a car.  But if I had trained him as a puppy to wait at doors, this is not a problem.  If my dog doesn't know a "leave it" cue and I drop a prescription medication all over the floor, she may ingest a dangerous, potentially toxic and lethal substance.  But if my dog started learning "leave it" when she was a puppy, I will have a dog that backs away and lets me clean up my mess without interference.

I have heard the average age of dogs in rescue is 10 -- 24 months old -- rock solid teenagers.  They are not so little and cute and compliant and end up in rescue because their families can't handle them anymore.  If more people realized the value of puppy training and classes, maybe we could reduce the number of dogs in rescue...definitely food for thought.

I had a dog come to our basic class a few years ago.  This dog was nuts!!!  She was a year old and the family had heard you don't start to train a dog until they are at least one.  So, here they were.  So many issues, so many obstacles, and so much training to do.  This dog had never had any boundaries set for her in her entire life!  It took over a year of various classes, but she's doing okay now.  She still has her moments and she still is very wary of other dogs, but she has come a long way and has become the dog they wanted in the first place.  Puppy training would have changed things for this family.

If you know someone with a puppy, encourage them to find a positive reinforcement trainer and take puppy classes!!!  Tell them it's a good thing to share their wonderful puppy and to take classes.  You just might save a puppy's life.