Clean Run - March 2014 - 61

ship and control first, setting the puppy
up to make good choices. He has had so
much repetition of doing it right that he
wants to race right back to me to play tug
or get treats or jump into my arms."

independent dogs, they are more loyal."
Structure is important, but she also looks
for heart. "That can be hard to know. You
just sort of get this feeling. Without heart,
a dog will be difficult to train."

Listening around distractions and impulse control are also goals. "I want the
dog to still have a brain when something
stimulating happens," so she spends a
lot of time helping the puppy to be able
to sit or down quietly, while on a loose
leash, around exciting things. She also
spends a great deal of time training the
dog to be able to be calm and settle in
the crate.

No matter what the breed, Kayl will puppy
test at six, seven, and eight weeks. "That will
often help me decide. But, if you get a gut
feeling and fall in love, that's important."

Kayl considers the way she trains-with
structure, rules, consistency, and high
expectations-well balanced. "I am not
a purely positive or negative trainer.
I am right down the middle. I believe
there needs to be some kind of discipline
and lots of rewards. That's how a mother
would raise a puppy."

A Myriad of Breeds
Though she runs a myriad of breeds,
Kayl always looks for the same qualities in a puppy. Confidence is key be-

Time to Train
Kayl trains almost every day after teaching. Her eight-month-old is trained in
basic obedience and agility foundation,
several times a day. The younger dogs,
Hippy Shake and Slam, go to obedience
class once a week. The older dogs play
agility three or four times a week and are
demo dogs when she is teaching.
cause it helps performance and training,
whether on equipment or when visiting
new environments. She observes the
puppy's natural instinct to be with people
and his interest in toys and food as indicators of his willingness to work. She
wants a dog that is both people-focused
and able to exhibit some independence.
"I find that when you get control over the

Most training is spent improving skills
such as making sure her contacts are fast
and accurate and sprucing up weave pole
entries. "These are the things that I don't
want to have to think about in competition. I want to concentrate on my handling and know the dog will do his job."
For example, for weave entries, she positions a set of six or twelve weave poles

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March 14

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Clean Run - March 2014

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