Welcome to Tara's School for Dogs
Check out our videos to see our results and training in action! Training in Partnership with your dog. Let Us Show You How!
Classes are offered In-Home, Out-Doors or Remotely.
Depending on the temperament of your dog and the behavior we are training it's worth considering the advantages of working in various locations. That's why all our packages are combo location. For example, a puppy that's not fully vaccinated can begin learning leash walking in-doors. Slowly distractions are added and by the time your puppy is ready to walk outside they have a huge advantage over puppies that didn't start loose leash walking early. This is only one of the ways that Tara's School for Dogs sets you and your dog up for success!
Drop us an e-mail using the contact form on our website. Mary the owner and founder of Tara's School for Dogs will work with you and your dog to develop and implement a customized training plan.
ALL DOGS
Excerpts of a ZOOM Lesson
In this short demo you can get an idea of what a remote zoom dog training lesson is like. This is a great way to tidy up your training or work on your dog's behaviors that need improvement. There are some benefits to working on Zoom besides avoiding the hassles of travel and concerns regarding Covid-19. For example, it more closely resembles how you would practice with your dog alone and your trainer can make helpful suggestions for problems that arise. Also, there's good control over the environment at home so distractions can be at a minimum.
BLIND DOG
Giving a Treat Treat
Blind dogs can figuratively see with their noses, however using the sense of smell is not exactly the same as sight. When Tara hears the marker "yes" she goes for the treat with gusto. In the past she could see it but now she can't and she reacts to get the treat faster than she gets the smell of where the treat is. The result is she bumps her head, her nose, her eye before getting the yummy tiny treat. If you think about it, instead of getting positively reinforced she gets positively punished! The exact opposite of what we want to have happen!
This short video clip show how to train your to to have their head supported as you pop the treat into their mouth.
BLIND DOG
Tara plays Tricks & Treats
Tossing a treat is another way to deliver it to your blind dog. This wood floor and the crunchy treat work perfectly. First Tara will do two tricks for us and then she'll hear me say OK! At which time she listens for the treat. These treats don't smell too much so she has to really use her sense of hearing to find the treat.
ALL DOGS
Inner Roll Enrichment Toy
Dog just want to have fun! This is an easy to make enrichment toy that you probably toss out every few days. Check out this 2 minute video for instructions on how to make it. Then watch it in action as Tara demonstrates. What I like about this toy is that it engages a dog's sense of hearing and sense of smell. It's perfect for blind dogs! But you don't have to have a blind dog because most dogs love it!
BLIND DOG
Loose Leash Walking
In order for your blind dog to walk nicely on the leash they have to trust you to be their seeing eye human. That trust is built by their positive experiences with you, their seeing eye human. In this one minute video clip you can watch how Tara has learned to walk on a loose leash, stop when she hears something and wait for me to let her know what to do next. It's important when doing exercises like this that nothing too startling happens to Tara, otherwise the seeing eye human isn't reliable. With that in mind when our blind dog trusts us it's of the utmost importance to pay attention to details and anticipate upsets before they happen.
ALL DOGS
Loose Leash Walking
Little Hank is a young puppy. He's not fully vaccinated and hasn't walked outside his home. Today he is learning how to walk on the leash for the first time. He has practiced wearing his harness and leash but never walked with it on. He's learning by first having his human face him and walk backwards. Hank picks up quickly and in no time toddles along side his human. In a few weeks he'll be walking outside showing off his skills!
ALL DOGS
Targeting: Say Touch!
Touch is one of the core puppy commands or cues that we teach at Tara's School for Dogs. It's easy for puppies to learn and can potentially save your puppy's life in an emergency if they get free and run away. Don't panic, squat down, make the finger symbol and say, Touch! Watch little Hank have a blast playing the touch game.
ALL DOGS
Stay 1 (Human Returns)
Stay is one of the core puppy commands or cues that we teach at Tara's School for Dogs. With some practice and consistent training, your puppy or dog will be sitting like a statue for you until the magic word, OKAY! Watch one of our senior students demonstrate. She only learned her stay the week before. Way to go Grace!