Little Spitz - Pom Blog

Pomeranian Training - Vlog 2

2012-02-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

This is our latest training Vlog on Youtube. Robbie and Izzy have been practising their 'waits' at a distance, going left and right, getting familiar with the surface of the dog walk by walking up and down an old piece of one.

They love the tunnel, I think they would spend all day running through it if they could - so that's probably the favourite part of training at the moment. we have also started the 2 x 2 weave training - it all seems a bit illogical at the moment, but if we stick with it, they should be able to eventually do independent weaves from any direction.

The Wait Command...Robbie and Dean

2012-01-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a clip from last Sunday's training - you can see after a week of Dean working with Robbie each day, he is now doing the Wait command perfectly and by the time he gets to the jump, he's even got some speed... that's exactly what we're after!! So slight change from last week, we decided it was better if they started from a Stand position, this way, they can quickly take off running and already have speed by the time they go over the 1st Jump.

It is also really promising that Robbie is focussing on Dean with all the barking and other noises around - the treats and rewards help keep him centred on his task.

Both Robbie and Izzy practice this command at home daily in a short session lasting less than 5 minutes, it keeps the learning productive, interesting and fun for them.

The next stage......we're going to practice holding them in the wait command, but moving around the jump wing, then into position before giving the 'come' release word. So when it comes to training in the house, we place them in position, then walk around an obstacle, like a chair or table etc, then use the release word when we're ready.

When we walk around these obstacles, both Robbie and Izzy look at us with a quizzical stare, but eventually it will all click in place for them when we put it into practice at the start of a course.

The Wait Command

2012-01-13T04:18:00.000-08:00

Well it's time to get started with some basic training for Robbie and Izzy - this first session is learning to "Wait". This command is very handy for them to learn for agility as I should be able to make them 'wait' before the first obstacle, get into position on the course then get them to start when I'm ready.It is of course a really good basic command for any dog to learn whether they do agility or not.

I've not had a lot of luck in the past with this command when it came to Buzz - he will 'wait' at home, but when he sees an agility course, he is so excited and revved up, he would be better suited to begin from a Race-horse starter box!! So I do rolling starts with Buzz, place him on the ground and then run like heck to keep up with him - hoping he'll go the right way!

With Robbie and Izzy and at the advice of our trainer Margot - I've been practicing making them either sit or stand - I say 'wait' show the palm of my hand so they have a visual cue, then move back a step....after a few seconds, I say 'come' then reward them with a treat and praise. I've been increasing the space and they are really getting starting to get it.

It's important to stress with Poms to always smile, be enthusiastic and give lots of praise, they are a sensitive breed and being calm and patient works best with them - they also love nothing better than being told how clever they are - some Poms, like my Teddi, prefer praise and fuss over treats or anything else.

I must confess here that my wonderful husband Dean has been helping with this command throughout the week, he's become so good with Robbie, he can now leave the room and Robbie waits until he's called.....so Izzy and me have a bit of work to do to catch up with the boys! I think Robbie with Dean could be a Gold Good Citizen in the making!

Please see the video on my Youtube Vlog that goes with this exercise:

Visit the Pomkins Poms YouTube Channel

Next time - we will try some clicker training and also working to 'heel' and 'side'

Have a great day - Vycki

Welcome to the Little Spitz Diaries

2012-01-12T01:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new blog which will follow the training of my Poms. Some of which are learning or already competing in Agility, others, just needing a bit of redirection. I will look at various popular training methods and techniques, give them a go and see what works best for the situation.

I hope to also tackle some of the problems owners of Poms and small Spitz breeds may encounter and also look when possible at their personality and why they have a natural inclination to do some of the things they do....like barking!

I will also be doing a Video log to correspond with the training we're working on, which is on Youtube and I will post links to the videos here.

So here is to a year of learning... and hopefully some well behaved Poms - Vycki from Pomkins
www.pomkins.com