Homeschooling for dogs is a real thing! Right now most kids are doing distance learning which is like homeschooling, so why not try it with your dog to keep you both busy? Not only will it help to cure any boredom you are having, it will also build the bond you have with your pup.
Olivia was home schooled most of her first year of life. Yes, she did attend two obedience classes and a couple rat classes, but otherwise, Mom did her training at home. She taught her nose work, tracking and worked on barn hunt and obedience as well. For Olivia it worked out great. Homeschooling can be for dog sports, for competition, or just for fun, learning tricks, or simple basic obedience.
Training From Experience
If you know a lot about what you would like to train, you can easily train your pup with the knowledge you have. Mom wants to teach Olivia to do the weaves now that she is old enough. Through my agility training she has an idea of how to go about it, so we have our portable weaves out and work on them with her.
I no longer do agility, but I still love to do my weaves, so I get to be the demo dog. Mom hopes that Olivia learns from me and from her on how to tackle weaves.
Emma knew how to wave but my sisters and I don’t wave at all. Now I’m learning how to do the wave. It is an easy trick and fun to learn.
Working on obedience isn’t much fun for any of us, but it is necessary. One hard thing for us is to have each dog follow a different command. Olivia and I are working on that. Here we have the down Olivia and sit Madison working pretty well. Even more difficult is one of us in a stay, and the other gets the come command.
Mom has been doing nose work now for six years, with several trainers, and has a lot of experience. We try to practice several times a week, especially now that classes are cancelled. Right now our goal is learning about water hides. Mom and I took a class on it in January, and now my sisters are learning what I learned. Luckily, we have a lot of open space in the basement to work in.
YouTube Has Dog Training Videos
If you are new to a sport or are looking for something specific, try searching YouTube to find out how to teach your dog. There are tons of training videos there, but not all are really good. You have to weed out the bad ones.
Professional Online Training
The best place we know to go to learn anything from sports to obedience to behavior issues, is the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. They have a wide variety of classes, and different programs where you can even upload your own video for critique. Mom isn’t good at learning online, she is better with in person, so we rarely sign up for a class. Lots of our friends train with FDSA, and really like their classes.
Homeschooling for dogs is fun, but Bailie isn’t really into training for anything. She is into getting rewarded. Stay tuned tomorrow for her super simple, to drool for training treat recipe! No worries! If you are bored with staying at home, and you need entertainment for your pup, we are here to supply it, along with fun for all!
I am waving back at you!! XOXO, Sparkle
Yay! Do you wave too? I like to wave now that I know what it is.
we do that too… but by now it looks as if we collect a lot of “F”‘s
F’s for funny, right?
Mom is so glad you shared that website! She wants to keep working with Chester. She loves your wave! When we walk Mom is working so hard with him so he doesn’t pull and try to chase squirrels! She says leave it and he looks at her. He is starting to get it. He loves treats so I know that’s the main reason he likes it! You girls look great working on your homeschooling. Keep it up! your friend Lilly
Hope your mom can find the class she needs online. Friends of ours use that site a lot and say it is super helpful. Mom has bought 2 classes, but she got the info she was looking for and quit. In person class is more her thing. Good luck, Chester. Remember the food is the name of the game.
The girls picture just bring a smile to my face.
Yay! Everyone needs smiles right now!
You girls are amazing students and wonderful teachers too!
We do pretty well in school, and in home learning. Teaching each other is a good thing as we learn faster.
Good ideas and thanks for that website. We are going to check this out.
Hope you guys find some fun homeschooling classes.
Wonderful post! We’ve been doing home training for awhile but I think lots of folks forget that they can do this all throughout the day, when they can. The doggies love it! It’s awesome bonding time. Love the photos of your dog training! Take care 🐶
Thank you. We are always training something around here it seems and we all enjoy it too. And for your other comment. Thank you! Have a great day, and stay safe.
I forgot to add that I shared it to my Facebook page @ Pawz and Pray 🤗
Good Morning Madison! I would tap the “like” button but it doesn’t work on my phone. Ducky is like Bailie – she’d rather get the rewards. 😂 I’m looking forward to the training treats recipe in tomorrow’s post!!
You will both like them because they can’t get any easier. Bailie is very smart, so we think sometimes she is just bored with learning. When she is in the mood, she is a genius, when not, she is a disaster.
Yes, as you know we are big fans of Fenzi, and I’ve been homeschooling Luke for a while now! It has always worked better for me, since neither Luke or I are very outgoing! 🙂
We have a class now that we’re ready to get started on, I’ve just been waiting for the weather to get better. I think April is going to be a great time to do it. (tracking)
We were wondering if you ever started tracking. Have fun and watch out for ticks, especially in the springtime. Mom is more like you, happy without a lot of people around, but she loves dog sports because so many are just like her and everyone loves dogs.
School at home, I hope not for dogs (or cats) !
Oh yes, and we love it. Learning is fun.
Mom and Dad are spending extra time with us and we are loving it…except they seem to think Pierre needs a lot of grooming attention. It makes me kind of jealous, just sayin’. Love y’all, Bentley
Oh heavens no! Jealous of grooming? We all run when we see any of us getting groomed. Hope you boys and your parents are doing well and staying healthy.
Excellent ideas, i will pass them on to friends who have dogs and plenty of time at home.
Lots of people have too much time on their hands right now. We wish Mom had more time, but she is still working, so at least we have money coming in.
Perfect plans!!
We love learning and practicing our sports.
What a great idea…we are going to see if Mama can pull up some YouTube videos!
xoxo,
Rosy, Jakey & Arty
You girls are so smart because your mom spends lots of quality time with you. Mom says now would be a great time to teach me a new trick!
That is a great idea and fun for both of you!
You all look so very studious. Good looking too.
Have a fabulous day and week. My best to your peeps. ♥
Thank you. Olivia and I work hard at training, Bailie does sometimes, not others.
Fabulous home schooling!
We enjoy going to some classes, but homeschooling works for a lot of things.
You have my total admiration. Trying to train two or more dogs together is. hard. work. It usually involves a lot of chaos around our house. No doubt the dogs think I’m completely looney. 😊
For most of our training we train individually, but sometimes with obedience it is fun to try group stuff.