Sue Ailsby's Training Levels

Well lets see I have been very lazy in training Kenzie as she is pretty easy to manage on a day to day basis with what little commands I have been bothered with. Her extreme obsession for retrieving and chasing her toys when we are out means that there is very rarely a time when she is more than a meter or so from me unless she is off fetching and then its straight out and straight back.

Having said that I made the decision on Monday night to enrol her in classes at the Canine Behavioral School (CBS) for next year. Not that either of us really need to attend to classes for a training perspective but I guess it means she is out and about and it looks to be a good place to train. Now we have signed up there is now the prospect of being "tested" to see if she can go straight into the Gold level class or whether she should start in Bronze.

Given that classes don't start until February I thought I better get cracking on actually working out what she knows and working on bits and pieces with her (other than having her set up at heel which she does without thinking).

The good thing about CBS is that they are manners type classes rather than strictly formal obedience. While there is no doubt I intend on trialling her in the future there is a lot to be said for having a well mannered, confident pet that is a loving and happy companion first and foremost. At the moment she does need to develop confidence if I have any hope of making it in the competition arena with her, especially confidence in people.

Well all that being said I thought I would have a go at Sue Ailsby's Training Levels with her over Christmas as a starting point.

As it says in the introduction to the levels:

"These Levels are written for those who want a coherent training plan. They aren't aimed at obedience competition, or agility, or tracking, or any other particular sport or job. They're aimed at producing a dog who is a willing partner, eager to learn, happy to work, and having the basic civilization necessary to allow her the access she needs to do her job and to allow you the confidence to enjoy being and working with her"

So with that in mind we are starting out at the very beginning.