This is Alex and Chico’s very first park class, last Saturday afternoon at Sunset View Park in the Eastlake area of Chula Vista. Alex is in the eighth grade and has done ALL of Chico’s training. Alex and Chico did pretty good for their first time out around distractions!
Mission Statement
SNAP’s mission is to ensure there are no more homeless pets in San Diego County.
website link: www.snap-sandiego.org
We work to eliminate pet overpopulation through education and programs that promote and facilitate spaying or neutering pets in San Diego County. Our preventative approach addresses pet overpopulation and its tragic effects on companion animals as well as on people’s health, safety and quality of life.
Why Spay & Neuter: Health Benefits
The benefits to your pet’s health and life expectancy are the best argument for spaying and neutering. Here are the facts:
• Problems and potential risks involved with pregnancy and birth are eliminated.
• Sterilized pets tend to live at least two to three years longer than unsterilized pets.
• The likelihood of developing mammary tumors or uterine infections increases the longer a female goes unspayed. A female cat or dog spayed before sexual maturity (6-9 months of age) has one seventh the risk of developing mammary cancer, compared to an intact female. Breast cancer is fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and 90 percent of female cats.
• Neutering a male cat or dog by six months of age prevents testicular cancer, prostate disease, and hernias.
• Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (a pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer and having this done before the first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous fluids, antibiotics and spaying.
• Sterilization reduces the incidence of injury and disease.
• Uterine infection is common in older animals and this risk is eliminated by spaying.
Aside from your being able to enjoy your pet more, your pets will be spared much suffering and the cost advantages to you can be enormous. There’s just no excuse not to!
Please spay or neuter your pets.
Contact Us: Mailing Address
SNAP of San Diego
Spay Neuter Action Project
PO Box 1373
La Jolla CA 92038
Phone
For information: (619) 525-3047
To schedule an appointment on the Neuter Scooter (toll free): 1-866-SPAYBUS (1-866-772-
9287)
Partnering with SNAP Sit Means Sit South Bay offers a discount on our Unlimited Training Package with your SNAP certificate. Contact Lou Ann Sherman at 619 847-8040 for more information.
Amber and Armani practicing remote commands of “place”. Note that this is a public park class with numerous distractions. This is Armani’s third park class and you can see she is mastering the basic commands of Come, Place and Sit. This exercise, performed in this sequence at multiple stations, is an advanced stage lesson. Amber is 17 years old and has total responsibilty for Armani’s training. Together they are showing that everyone can achieve positive results utilizing the Sit Means Sit method of Dog Training. Dog Training for the Real World!
The “Sit Means Sit” South Bay Fiesta Island park class is a great introduction to a revolutionary method of dog training. You can bring you favorite companion to play in the surf and on the beach of the off leash area. Its obvious from the pictures, that all our clients and their favorite humans are having a blast enjoying the sun and learning at the same time.
Armani is around a year old and her favorite human is Amber. Amber is a senior at Mira Mesa High School and her family has been Sit Means Sit clients for the last 5 years. Armani and Amber have made great progress and continue to impress us all every week.
You can also see Handy and Dillon, the Australian Kelties with William and Melanie. They are an extremely active addition to our classes! You can see that they are both happy and eager to please and enjoy the times they get to spend doing anything outdoors.
Fiesta Island is a great place to take your favorite human companion (or canine) to enjoy the fun and sun of San Diego. Feel free to join in or just come see what the fun dogs of San Diego Sit Means Sit South Bay are all barking about!!!!!
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Vicente and Cristina of Chula Vista brought home a new baby girl and an 8 week old Akita puppy, “Kuma” at virtually the same time. They wanted Kuma to be a part of the family, but were understandably a bit concerned on how to go about safely doing that. Kuma is a wonderful dog and has happily adjusted to his role in the family!
Testimonial from Vicente:
After finally deciding to add a dog to our family, we acquired an 8 week
Akita puppy. At 8 weeks, he was just a little fur ball, with all the
curiosity, turning to us for direction. My wife and I realized that due to
this puppy’s temperament and personality traits, we needed some strict and
thorough obedience training. After an extensive search on the internet for
obedience training (your local pet store services, local obedience training
center, private trainers that use food as reinforcement, books, and myself
as taking on the task, etc), we decided to start by inviting Lou Ann from
Sit Means Sit for a free demo and presentation.
Lou Ann was very thorough and answered all of our questions (even the dumb
ones), and did not at all make us feel ignorant (which we WERE about raising
a dog). In fact, she made us feel quite comfortable in addressing all of
our concerns, and no matter what, she assured us that it was up to us of
what we wanted Kuma to do and obey, and with time and a little commitment,
Kuma would oblige out of sheer pleasure. Lou Ann provided a lot of insight
to dog ownership from her long time experience as a dog trainer and owner.
She quickly got to know Kuma and his personality and helped us along the way
to understand on how to work with Kuma. And best of all, with our busy
schedules, Sit Means Sit comes to your home at your convenient time! And even
more importantly, Lou Ann made herself available throughout the week for any
in-between needs of our training sessions and/or questions. It was really a
great experience watching Kuma meet obedient milestones.
Nowadays, Kuma is 65+ pounds and despite and still being in puppy hood, he is
surprisingly very obedient. He can be a little ball of energy at times, but
still manages to obey. We continue to work with Kuma on reaching more
milestones, and do our best to attend the ongoing park sessions (which are
vital if you want to keep your dog learning and obedient).
As a new parent of a wonderful daughter, Sit Means Sit methods are a great sort
of, insurance and reassurance of your dog’s temperament. Although a dog can
be the best loving, and loyal animal to humans, they are after all an
animal. Having said that, animals will always have their natural instincts,
which may sometimes be unpredictable. The Sit Means Sit method allows the
owner to feel reassured that their dog will always be civil.
Vicente Salgado
Keep checking back for more photo’s of Alex and Chico…. Alex is in the 8th grade and he accomplished the training with Chico - and did an outstanding job!
From Lori Dawson and her two boys, Alex and Logan:
Our experience with “Sit Means Sit” personal dog training has been wonderful. Our 2 year old adopted dog “Chico” has become a pet that follows commands and is eager to please. He no longer runs away and is far less mischievous around the house. Thanks to our dog training with “Sit Means Sit” we finally feel like our dog is a true member of the family. He is happier and more secure… and so are we!
Lori Dawson and kids Alex and Logan
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Come and join the fun at Rohr Park in Bonita every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Tytanique is a 5 month old Yorkie, owned by Cecilia of Chula Vista. Ty started her training with the remote collar at just over 2 months. Little Ty is one of our “stars” at the Rohr Park class, held every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.
For more information on remote collar training and to schedule you free in home Demo, contact Lou Ann Sherman of Sit Means Sit South Bay at 619 847-8040.
Intersted in your dog becoming a Canine Good Citizen? Sit Means Sit South Bay practices the behaviors and requirements for this ceritificate every weekend at or Fiesta Island and Rohr Park group classes. The information below is from the AKC website, www.akc.org
CGC is a certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club.Many dog owners choose Canine Good Citizen training as the first step in training their dogs. The Canine Good Citizen Program lays the foundation for other AKC activities such as obedience, agility, tracking, and performance events. As you work with your dog to teach the CGC skills, you’ll discover the many benefits and joys of training your dog. Training will enhance the bond between you and your dog. Dogs who have a solid obedience education are a joy to live with-they respond well to household routines, have good manners in the presence of people and other dogs, and they fully enjoy the company of the owner who took the time to provide training, intellectual stimulation, and a high quality life. We sincerely hope that CGC will be only a beginning for you and your dog and that after passing the CGC test, you’ll continue training in obedience, agility, tracking, or performance events. Before taking the Canine Good Citizen test, owners will sign the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge. We believe that responsible dog ownership is a key part of the CGC concept and by signing the pledge, owners agree to take care of their dog’s health needs, safety, exercise, training and quality of life. Owners also agree to show responsibility by doing things such as cleaning up after their dogs in public places and never letting dogs infringe on the rights of others.After signing the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge, owners and their dogs are ready to take the CGC Test. Items on the Canine Good Citizen Test include:
Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The evaluator and handler shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness, and must not break position or try to go to the evaluator.
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler’s side, to begin the exercise, the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to his or her dog throughout the exercise. The dog may stand in place as it is petted. The dog must not show shyness or resentment.
Test 3: Appearance and grooming
This practical test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer or friend of the owner, to do so. It also demonstrates the owner’s care, concern and sense of responsibility. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if it is clean and groomed. The dog must appear to be in healthy condition (i.e., proper weight, clean, healthy and alert). The handler should supply the comb or brush commonly used on the dog. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog, and in a natural manner, lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot. It is not necessary for the dog to hold a specific position during the examination, and the handler may talk to the dog, praise it and give encouragement throughout.
Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
This test demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog. The dog may be on either side of the handler. The dog’s position should leave no doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler and is responding to the handler’s movements and changes of direction. The dog need not be perfectly aligned with the handler and need not sit when the handler stops. The evaluator may use a pre-plotted course or may direct the handler/dog team by issuing instructions or commands. In either case, there should be a right turn, left turn, and an about turn with at least one stop in between and another at the end. The handler may talk to the dog along the way, praise the dog, or give commands in a normal tone of voice. The handler may sit the dog at the halts if desired.
Test 5: Walking through a crowd
This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic and is under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to several people (at least three). The dog may show some interest in the strangers but should continue to walk with the handler, without evidence of over-exuberance, shyness or resentment. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise the dog throughout the test. The dog should not jump on people in the crowd or strain on the leash.
Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
This test demonstrates that the dog has training, will respond to the handler’s commands to sit and down and will remain in the place commanded by the handler (sit or down position, whichever the handler prefers). The dog must do sit AND down on command, then the owner chooses the position for leaving the dog in the stay. Prior to this test, the dog’s leash is replaced with a line 20 feet long. The handler may take a reasonable amount of time and use more than one command to get the dog to sit and then down. The evaluator must determine if the dog has responded to the handler’s commands. The handler may not force the dog into position but may touch the dog to offer gentle guidance. When instructed by the evaluator, the handler tells the dog to stay and walks forward the length of the line, turns and returns to the dog at a natural pace. The dog must remain in the place in which it was left (it may change position) until the evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog. The dog may be released from the front or the side.
Test 7: Coming when called
This test demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler. The handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face the dog, and call the dog. The handler may use encouragement to get the dog to come. Handlers may choose to tell dogs to “stay” or “wait” or they may simply walk away, giving no instructions to the dog.
Test 8: Reaction to another dog
This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler.
Test 9: Reaction to distraction
This test demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The evaluator will select and present two distractions. Examples of distractions include dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. The dog may express natural interest and curiosity and/or may appear slightly startled but should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness, or bark. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise it throughout the exercise.
Test 10: Supervised separation
This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners. Evaluators are encouraged to say something like, “Would you like me to watch your dog?” and then take hold of the dog’s leash. The owner will go out of sight for three minutes. The dog does not have to stay in position but should not continually bark, whine, or pace unnecessarily, or show anything stronger than mild agitation or nervousness. Evaluators may talk to the dog but should not engage in excessive talking, petting, or management attempts (e.g, “there, there, it’s alright”).
Sit Means Sit South Bay at the San Diego Paw Yard Howloween Pawty held in Little Italy. A fun time was had by all and Maximus and Selene made many new friends! Believe it or not, over 100 dogs and their owners entered the Costume Contest. Next month’s Paw Yard event is “Denim and Diamonds” which will be held on November 18, also in Little Italy.
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