The Puppy Workshop took place, on schedule, at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, August 26. This workshop is part of a series of training workshops we’re hosting here at Woofers with professional dog trainer, Kari Hammargren.The participants varied in size, the smallest dogs being a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuahua, and the large dogs were a Siberian Husky and an English Mastiff. To be honest, I was a little bit concerned about the huge difference in the size of the dogs. I wondered if the small dogs might be intimidated by the larger breeds; and I guess my concern was that they would be too nervous and unable to focus on the training being offered. As it turned out my fears were completely unfounded. Kari showed us the importance of allowing dogs to settle their own dominance issues and her philosophy proved to be correct.
It is striking to note how often that we, as humans, project our own thinking into our pets and we expect them to act as we might act in a similar situation. Kari showed us how dogs have a different kind of thinking and that they can often settle their own issues better without human intervention.
It occurred to me that one of the biggest obstacles we face as amateur dog trainers is the notion that our dogs think and respond the way humans do. I watched as several of the participants had “Aha! Moments” when Kari helped them understand the way their dog was actually thinking and responding. As participants, we couldn’t help noticing how quickly Kari was able to get a dog to respond to the basic obedience commands: “Sit” and “Off”. In conversations with other participants after the workshop, I learned that others were just as impressed with Kari’s training as I was. It was a real eye-opener to witness these rowdy pups responding so quickly to a trainer who understands their thought processes.
The next workshop will be Monday, September 21, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, here at Woofers Grooming & Goodies. This workshop will focus on Coming When Called.
This is one of the most important commands to learn as a dog owner because it can keep your dog out of danger. If you’ve ever been that person who stands on the back porch in a bathrobe calling their dog, over and over, with no response, this is the workshop for you!
Participation is limited to six dogs so that Kari will be able to give personal attention to each dog and their owner. We expect quite a bit of interest in this workshop, so be sure to call Woofers now and reserve a spot for your dog.
