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BetCo MarchNewsletter

Hello ,

 
Looks like winter wants to stick around a little longer, with more snow and cold temperatures! We still have some booties and snow suits available, contact us for sizes!

Need winter gear?
- Snowsuit for your dog
- Booties for your dog  
- Skijor belts and lines
Book: Skijor With Your Dog (Authors live in Fairbanks)
- Carting/Pulk and mushing harnesses

Dress warm and enjoy the snow together with your four-legged friend(s)!

What to offer this summer? We'd love to hear from you! Would you like to see Treibball on the June/July schedule, a Trick Dog class or rather a continuation of Freestyle? Which level would you participate at? We could offer these classes either on Thursday evenings or maybe on Saturday mornings before agility - which day of the week would you prefer??? Contact us! 


All clickable links in this newsletter are in PURPLE.

Monthly story at the end of this newsletter:
100 Kibble - 100 Sits!


Enjoy life with your better companion,

Claudia

Sally is Claudia's Aussie/Husky-mix who has been with her since the start of The Better Companion in 2002! She's now 15 years young and loves romping in the snow. She has been retired from Obedience and Agility, but still trains and competes in Nose Work. 
Sports classes:

We have Freestyle on the schedule again! Freestyle Beginners starts Thursday, April 13th. Instructor will be June - look for some exciting twists to the curriculum! Teach your dog some great tricks and then implement them into a heeling routine, all that with music running in the background. Improve your dog's attention and bilateral skills! 

Start or keep going with our popular Agility classes! NEW: Sign up for Agility Level Unknown, if you know you want to continue, but aren't sure at which level you'll end up for the next session. We'll reserve you a spot in the level at which you are now, AND in the next level up! If we have enough interest, we'll double up whichever classes are needed, so times as listed could still change. Starting again on Saturday, April 15th, this session will have several breaks to accommodate Memorial Day weekend, and an agility trial, finishing June 10th.

K9 Intro to Nose Work® is a fun sport and a great outlet for any dog; puppies or seniors, shy or outgoing, mellow or energetic, little or lots of obedience, even a little reactive to other dogs - no problem! Channel the energy of your 'nosy' dog into a behavior you can control! As we again filled an overflow class in January, we added another K9 Nose Work Beginner class in March 2017!

We are working on adding other sports classes to the calendar, too!  We'll have some room in June/July to add other sports classes to the calendar on Thursday evenings and possibly Saturday mornings. Would you like to join a Treibball Beginner class, a Novice Trick Dog class, continue with Freestyle II after having taken the Freestyle Beginner class either last year or in April 2017, or Practices like Freestyle and Rally? Can't decide? The the Sport Sampler class is for you! A Sports Sampler will combine three different dog sports, 2 weeks of each, in a six week class. Most likely the Sampler would include Freestyle, Trick Dog and Treibball. Contact us with your wishes and you might see them coming true!


2) Manners classes

Any time after Grade School:
We're offering our CLASS-BA course in April (Canine Life And Social Skills program) at 5pm. Or take obedience to the higher levels in our Junior High class, offered again in June. Junior High graduates: There could be another Rally College also in June, if we have enough Junior High students wanting to continue! Sign up is open!

Haven't done Grade School yet?
After Puppy 2 - Kindergarten or Foundation Class, you can continue on to Grade School, offered every month. Pick the day and time that fits your schedule best! Grade School applies all the learned techniques to valuable exercises, improving your handling skills and your dog's behavior through more practice with controlled but increasing distractions. Next GS starting March 5th on Sunday afternoons, after that in April on Monday evenings. Grade School is already on the schedule all the way into May 2017, although some changes could still occur.

Want to start your dog now?
Our Package deals are the best option for the young dogs - bundle two or more classes for a great discount! You learn valuable lessons and your dog gets the best start. Package Puppy 1 and Puppy 2 or Foundation Class and Grade School together to receive the best rate! Puppy owners can even bundle P1, P2 and Grade School together for even bigger savings. Add the S.T.A.R. Puppy for dogs under a year! 

Next Puppy 1 classes: Starting in March on Wednesdays and in April on Monday morning and Monday evening. Puppy 2 class starts in March on Sundays and Wednesdays and in April on Monday mornings.

For dogs over 6 months new to BetCo, join our Foundation Class, also starting every month! Next FC starting  in March on Sunday afternoon or Wednesday evening and in April on Monday morning or Monday evening.


Here's what one of our clients had to say after taking Puppy 1 - Preschool:
"[The greatest benefit was] ... my pup already becoming eager to obey. [I liked most about the program how] the clicker training has really encouraged my pup to focus her attention on me and ignore distractions. ... I haven't trained a puppy in 10 years and thanks to June and BetCo I'm beginning to feel like I will succeed and end up with a happy and well trained dog."

Read more testimonies HERE!

Monthly Training Tip:

100 Kibble - 100 Sits!

Do you have an exuberant adolescent that can't seem to sit still and jumps up a lot? Then this exercise is for you!

Take about one cup of your daily feeding ratio of dry food and put it in your pockets when you're at home with your dog. Use your jeans pockets, hoodie or vest pockets and not the training pouch. Don't use a plastic bag (Ziploc) for the food, just keep the kibble loose in the pocket for faster reach. 

Offer your dog to "Sit" in a happy tone of voice, and if your dog obeys without first jumping up, give her/him ONE piece of kibble for that. If your dog jumps, just say "Oops" and turn away, take a deep breath (or two) and then try again.

You can ask your dog to sit every 1-3 steps as you're walking through the house, or while you're sitting somewhere every 5-10 seconds. 

Soon your dog should offer you "Sit" without being asked - reward with one kibble per Sit!

Is your dog staying in the Sit position, because it's so rewarding? Jackpot! Reward for KEEPING the Sit position. 

Your dog right now learns to use "Sit" as a routine 'begging' behavior, to not only beg for food, but also for attention. Reward "Sit" with the one kibble and also with your attention.

One cup per day equals about 100 kibble and therefore 100 "Sits". Repeat this on as many days as possible, at least weekends, but best also during the week. 

You should see a decrease in jumping within a few days - keep going! Questions? Contact us!

Enjoy the Journey of Dog Training!
Claudia

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We now carry
Orijen and Zukes
Mini Naturals dog treats!
 
The Better Companion, LLC, 1400 Regine Ave, Wasilla, AK 99654, United States


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