As I mentioned in my last post, Micah and I enrolled in a new training class, and it started last night. It’s for dogs that are reactive, distracted, anxious, stressed, uncomfortable, etc. in any number of situations.
Initially I thought the class was going to be very small, but we ended up with 8 dogs and handlers. I am actually VERY happy about that, as I think working around MORE dogs and people will be more beneficial.
As we approached the training barn, Micah EXPLODED, barking and howling at a man who was walking out the door toward us. It was someone that he has seen several times, and actually rode to class with in the same car. Go figure. He continued to bark relentlessly as Cait attempted to direct us to our appointed station. I could barely hear what she was saying, and she was just a few feet away. Such is life with the Micah man.
However, once settled in, he calmed down immensely. I brought a mat for him to lie on (when he wasn’t in his crate), where he could get treats for being a good boy. For the most part he paid attention like he was supposed to.
The class also has a huge focus on relaxation. We not only want our dogs to be able to work around whatever environment we bring them to, but we want them to be able to do it with a minimal amount of stress.
I have to admit that we haven’t ever done any work in this area. Generally, Micah is excellent at giving me attention, and “working” with me, but there’s really no relaxation going on there. 
When he’s “on”, he’s ON.
(This is Micah giving me “chin” where he bops his chin on the ground)
So we will work on relaxing - on body massage - and on having soft eyes and a relaxed mouth.
During class we did an exercise where we each took a turn inside “the box”. It was a square made up of ring gates, similar to this but without the jumps in the middle, and much, much, MUCH smaller!
One dog at a time, we entered the box with our dog and just walked around. Whenever our dog gave us eye contact, we would treat. Depending on how the dog was doing, someone with (or maybe without) a dog would approach the “box”, very gently, to see if the dog inside could continue to work with his handler, without getting stressed. While that dog was working in the box, the rest of the class was free to work independently, by either moving around the barn, or working on relaxation techniques on their mat.
Cait Macanliss of Dogstar Academy in Lancaster TX runs the class. It’s very informal, and she has an easy, relaxed way about her. She’s a natural “animal person” and went out of her way to make sure that everyone was comfortable.
And it was really comforting to walk into a class where your dog COULD react and have a “meltdown” if he needed to, and know that no one there would judge you. I’m looking forward to the next few weeks, and all that we will (hopefully) learn.
Maybe next week I can bring my camera and get some shots if no one minds.
Stay tuned.
Kay has been a professional trainer for nearly 30 years, and is one of the world’s top clicker trainers. She has authored several books, and videos, and is frequently a speaker at Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expo. I hadn’t ever heard her speak, and she was as entertaining as she was informative. She’s the kind of gal you’d like to take out for drinks and just listen to her stories for hours. You can check out her website at 
