FE175: School of Fish - Raising a Performance Puppy

I am so excited for you to join me in how I raise my performance dogs!  This program I have created over 25 years of doing agility and learning what I need and don’t need to train and at what age.  The system I have put together is strategically  taught in order because all of the behaviors build on each other to create the end result of a dog I am ready to step into the ring with.  This class will move a bit faster than what I do at home because you guys would get bored if I went as slow as I do  I like to focus on a behavior in lots of new environments before moving forward but for the purpose of this class we will be learning 3 new things a week.  It is still very important to do each skill in as many new environments as you can.  You will also notice that I add an age guideline into the title of each new assignment so you know what age-appropriate games are. 

The very first thing I teach my puppies when they come home is their name.  This is the start of everything!  The Name Game is a fun game that I play with them in as many different environments I can find.  You can use either a toy or food as your reward.  Use which ever one your puppy finds most valuable.  

The rules of this game are super easy!  I walk around with my puppy loose in a safe place.  Anytime my puppy looks distracted I will call their name and when they come to me, I will have a huge party.  If they do not come when I call their name, I will back away from them or run in the other direction until my motion gets their attention and they want to follow me.  The young puppies will usually come to your voice but if you are playing this game with an older puppy or dog you may have to run away a few times to get their attention on you.   

Once I have rewarded them for coming, I go back to ignoring them and walking around and as soon as they are distracted, I call their name again and start the whole thing over.   

It is very important that you do this in lots of different environments.  Puppies under 6 months old tend to be more needy of wanting to know where we are and not wandering too far off.  We want to capitalize on this while we can.  Once they are over 6 months, they are more independent and care less about our where abouts.  The more places you play this game the more value they build in hearing their name and charging back to you.