Dogtalk: Hey Mutts! Welcome to AKC!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Hey Mutts! Welcome to AKC!

It's high time. The American Kennel Club has finally conceded to let mixed-breed and non-registerable dogs compete in companion events like agility, obedience and rally, beginning in April of next year. If you and your dog have been feeling left out until now, here's the scoop:

Date of Article: October 01, 2009

– Program Benefits, Including Canine Competitions and Lifetime Recovery Service with Free ID Tag, Available to 34 Million Mixed-Breed Dogs in U.S. –
Starting today, mixed-breed dog owners can visit www.akccaninepartners.org and enroll their dog in the American Kennel Club® Canine Partners Program. Mixed-breed dogs and their owners will now be able to participate in canine competitions held by AKC-affiliated dog clubs nationwide and access many AKC programs and services including lifetime enrollment in AKC Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR).
For a $35 enrollment fee, owners will receive benefits worth more than $50 including a free AKC logo ID collar tag with the dog’s listing number and the AKC CAR pet recovery 800 number. Ensuring that your pet wears this tag increases the chances of finding your dog should he/she become lost. AKC CAR has reunited more than 360,000 animals with their owners since 1995.

Once enrolled, dogs will receive their AKC Canine Partners listing number plus:

Lifetime enrollment in AKC CAR Pet Recovery Service
AKC CAR collar tag with AKC Canine Partners Listing Number
One-year subscription to AKC Family Dog magazine
Frameable 8.5" x 11" AKC Canine Partners Certificate of Recognition
AKC Canine Partners decal
Eligibility to participate in mixed-breed classes at stand-alone AKC Agility, Obedience and Rally events beginning in April 2010.

Additional benefits including a free AKC Canine Good Citizen® certificate for dogs passing the CGC test, and various other offers from AKC affiliates and sponsors will be added to the program in the future. With more than 34 million mixed-breed dogs in the U.S. (according to the 2009-2010 APPA National Pet Owner Survey), AKC Canine Partners is designed to strengthen the human-canine bond by encouraging training, responsible dog ownership and pet owner education.

"While we have always been known as an advocate for purebred dogs, we have also always been concerned with the welfare of all dogs. Encouraging the public to do more with their dogs helps us achieve our mission when it comes to canine welfare and allows dogs and people to enjoy one another more, " said AKC President and CEO Dennis Sprung. "With the launch of AKC Canine Partners, mixed-breed dog owners will benefit from AKC resources and be able to discover the world of canine competition."

With mixed-breed classes beginning April 1, 2010, dog owners have time to kick start their competitive training regimen. Go to www.akc.org to the club search function and look-up agility and obedience clubs in your area where you can enroll in classes and begin learning about events so that both members of your team can be ready to hit the ring and rake in the ribbons come Spring!

AKC-affiliated clubs may begin applying for events now by visiting: http://www.akc.org/eventplans/index.cfm or contacting AKC directly at eventplans@akc.org.

To find an event near you starting April 1, 2010 visit: http://www.akc.org/events/search/

For more information about the AKC Canine Partners program for mixed-breed dogs visit: www.akccaninepartners.org

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Axiom Archive

Consistency = doing things the same way 100% of the time, with the eventual goal of achieving the same results 100% of the time.
Be consistent with what you allow your dog to do. Consistency = same thing 100% of the time. 99% is not good enough.
Before you give your dog a command, have a plan to enforce it without repeating it. If you can't enforce it without repeating, don't give the command.
Your dog can read your body language better than you can speak.
Before you can teach your dog anything, you must earn his respect.
The best trainer your dog will have ever had is its own mother.
A dog's destructive behaviors are caused by improper human management.
"Dog training" is actually about teaching people how to act around dogs.
The quality of a dog's "Sit" can tell you a lot about his state of mind.
Out of respect to your dog, learn his language.
Eye contact with your dog is like an invisible leash.
Leashes and collars are communication devices, not restraint devices.
If it would be impolite for a child to do it, it's impolite for your dog to do it.
Get your dog off unemployment and help him have some self respect.
Dogs don't love "loveable" leaders; they love strong leaders.
Your dog's behavior in your presence is a reflection of his relationship with you.
Your dog's respect for you must be earned; it can't be bought.
Never ask your dog to do frivolous or demeaning things that could cause him or her to question your judgment and fairness as a leader.
Words are a human invention; sounds are natural occurrences. Dogs respond to sounds, not words. Make sure your commands "sound" the same each time you give them.
When it comes to training, make the wrong behavior difficult and the right behavior easy (thank you, Ray Hunt!)
People who physically resemble their dogs are usually pretty well matched for each other.
Dog training is a never-ending journey. Forget the destination and enjoy the trip.
Teach your dog to think, not just react.
Training doesn't change your dog's personality; it merely brings out the best of it.
The pack leader LEADS on walks.
All dogs and kids need boundaries, rules & limitations.
Survival tips: Pay attention to your leaders, show respect to them, and learn to exercise self control.
Learning to be your dog's leader is 10 times harder than training your dog.
Any dog can be housebroken with the right training and guidance from a human.
Never use your official recall command (i.e., "Come" or "Here") to call the dog to something he doesn't like.

When you're about to issue a command, always ask the dog for the command that's easiest for him to do correctly and easiest for you to enforce. (Don't ask for a "sit" if a "down" will do. Don't ask for a "stay" if a "curb" will do.)
Your dog is more "human" than many people.
Listen to what your dog is saying to you.
Who rescued whom?

About Jan Manning

Life takes unexpected turns and leads us into work we were each meant to do. Jan never set out to make a meaningful career out of dogs. But 8,000 dogs later, Jan has established herself as one of the best dog behaviorists in the Pacific Northwest. Her understanding of dogs, and her ability to improve the dog/owner relationship, rivals that of any specialist in the world. Her approach most closely resembles that of Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer," although she'd never heard of Cesar until a couple years ago. Jan has been "whispering" since 1993, refining her techniques over the many years and thousands of dogs.

Retiring, but not rusting

On Nov. 3, 2007, my husband Don closed the gunshop he'd owned in Yakima, Washington, for 30 years. Several months earlier, I'd sold my 15-year dog-training business. Don and I were setting our sails for RETIREMENT!

To commemorate the closing of Shooters Supply, which had been a Yakima icon for three decades, our good friend Phil Lamb presented my husband and me with a bottle of Glennfiditch Special Reserve and a few words of advice scribbled on a note card. He wrote, "Retire, but don't rust."

Wise words. Good advice. "Don't rust" is more than just a catchy phrase. I consider "not rusting" a moral obligation. None of us should ever really "retire" from using the skills, talents and gifts we've accumulated. We have a duty, a responsibility, a mission to use those skills to help others live better lives. That's a responsibility from which there is no retirement. Ever.

It took me a good 10 years to realize that I'd been led down the "dog-trainer career path" for that very reason. It's not so much about helping dogs as it is helping people to fully enjoy their dogs, which were put here on earth by God to bring us joy and pleasure. Dogs are one of God's purely fun, pleasurable gifts to us. They enrich our lives. They teach us patience and grace, self discipline and self control. They relieve our stress. They teach us to love and to accept love. They teach us humility and compassion. They make us better human beings, which is the ultimate challenge for all of us.

After many years in central Washington, Don and I are now living in a quiet, secluded Montana river valley. This blog will help me stay in touch with many of you I've met through the years, and hopefully many more I have yet to meet. Updates will happen at least every other week. Look for articles and insights on a variety of training and behavior challenges, plus some good information on nutrition and health. I'll also be reviewing new dog products, from toys to grooming devices.

In between blogging and playing outside in our Montana paradise, I plan to conduct some small group obedience classes in the local community on a strictly volunteer basis. I'll be available for professional consults (for a fee) on a VERY LIMITED basis. I would rather just "give back" to the dog community, while enjoying a bit more down-time than either my husband or I has had in the past 20-odd years.

Stay in touch. Feel free to forward this site, or refer others to it. I invite you to send me your questions on anything dog-related. If I can't answer it, I'll refer you to someone who can.

Now, let's go walk our dogs!

Dogtalk

Friday, October 9, 2009

Hey Mutts! Welcome to AKC!

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Retiring, but not rusting