| Puppy Preschool |
| Obedience Classes |
| Izzee has been going to classes at Canine Community Center since she was 3 months old. She started out in Puppy Preschool Class, where she got to play with other puppies, and Mom and her Boy learned how to teach her proper house manners, such as waiting for permission to go through a door, or to eat her food. She practiced the commands "sit" (which she had learned from her breeder), "come", "down" (lie down), "off" (get on the ground), "stay", and "wait" (to eat or go through a door). She got to play on the puppy agility equipment, which she loved! There was also game time, where they learned games like "Pass the Puppy", and "Puppy Hide and Seek". In "Pass the Puppy", all the owners sat in a circle, and one at a time, the teachers passed the puppies around the circle. Every owner got a chance to play with each puppy a little, and give each one a treat. In "Puppy Hide and Seek", the owner hides behind a big board, and then calls the puppy. Puppy gets a treat when they find their owner! On the last day of class, there was a "sit-stay" and a "down-stay" contest, to see which puppy would stay the longest. Izzee won the "sit-stay" contest, and her prize was a yummy rawhide chew! Every puppy in the class got a giant dog biscuit as a graduation present from the teachers. |
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| Beginner Obedience |
| Canine Good Citizenship |
| In the Canine Good Citizen program (administered by the American Kennel Club), dogs learn how to be a well-behaved member of the community. They are tested on the following 10 items: -- Accepting a friendly stranger -- Sitting politely for petting -- Appearance and grooming -- Out for a walk -- Walking through a crowd -- Sit and Down on command / Staying in place -- Coming when called -- Reaction to another dog -- Reaction to distractions -- Supervised separation Izzee's class gave her and Mom a chance to practice all of these things. On the last day of class, the test was given. In order to pass the test, Izzee had to do all ten of the items correctly. The hardest one for her was the last one, in which she had to stay (on-leash) with one of her teachers, while Mom left the room for 3 minutes. Izzee was not very happy when Mom left her. This is a common personality trait in many of the Sporting Dog breeds (hunting dogs, which include Spaniels, Retrievers, and Pointers). But Izzee managed to pass the test, and is now entitled to use the letters "CGC", for "Canine Good Citizen", after her registered name. So at the age of 7-1/2 months, she became: ISADORA BELLE, CGC |
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| Izzee's Boy got tired of obedience classes, so he decided to stop going, but Izzee and her Mom looked forward to class every week. On class night, Izzee would go sit in front of the hook where her training bag hung, and point her nose at it. She would sit quietly there, waiting for Mom to notice her. Beginner Obedience class is for older puppies, and covers: BASIC HOME OBEDIENCE and HOUSE MANNERS, controlled walking, heeling, sit and down, sit and down stay, coming when called, charging out of doors, jumping on people & getting into the trash. (No, Izzee did NOT learn how to charge out of doors, jump on people, or get into the trash. Mom learned how to discourage her from such normal puppy behaviors.) |