Expanded Description:
Connie Cleveland uses the following in her training program:
*Dogs have the ability to solve problems. *Dogs learn by trial and error. *Dogs stop behavior when it does not produce the desired reward. *Dogs are situational. *Dogs perform correctly prior to learning a task.
Chapters include: Training theory, Raising Puppies, Obedience Exercises, Competing in Obedience, Problem Solving, Teaching Classes, Raising a Puppy, Competing Obedience, and more.
(Note: Connie uses five pages to address the use of electric collars.)
Connie grew up at Heron Acres Golden Retrievers, entered the show ring for the first time at 8 years of age, earning her first championship with Ch. Shawn's Golden Boomerang UDTX when she was 12 years old.
By college, she was teaching obedience classes in her spare time, and shortly after college, she became the director of a program that trained service dogs to assist the physically disabled and hearing impaired.
Her many obedience achievements include seven Obedience Trial champions, two Gaines Cycle golden dumbbells, a UDT Maltese, and a CDX Shih Tzu.
Most recently she has been recognized for training the first two retrievers to ever earn both their field and obedience championship. (FC AFC OTCH Law Abiding Ezra and FC AFC OTCH Topbrass Ascending Elijah)
"In 1995, The Golden Retriever Club of America asked me to become the obedience editor for the Golden Retriever News. Thus started my odyssey of writing about the subject that I had spent the better part of my life studying: training dogs and teaching obedience classes. In 1999, Front & Finish, the Dog Trainers News, asked me if I would contribute articles to their publication, as well. The response to my writing continues to overwhelm me. Every month I receive requests to reprint or obtain copies of past articles.
This is the third time I have reprinted a 'collection' of those articles. The first two collections were small, and far from complete. Compiling over fifty articles into one manuscript has been an enormous undertaking. Some of the articles were more than ten-years old. I felt a need to revise them, as I’ve continued to learn and grow as a trainer." - Connie Cleveland
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| A fantastic book for understanding how dogs learn/solve problems. Connie has a way of explaining every exercise so that even me, a very Novice handler, can understand. Not only understand what to do, but the rationale for why. Clear, concise. Not only is she a great teacher, but obviously a great writer as well. Thanks Connie for all of this wonderful assistance! |
