By Jen Rinaldi

How often do I hear the phrase? “I can’t get him to stop doing this. He’s driving us crazy!”

I feel for both dog and owner, but the outcome is always worse for the pet. It is challenging for both the pet and the owner when issues arise. Although poor personality matches, inconvenient timing, or significant illness in either pet or owner present difficult situations, owners can resolve many behavioral problems with effort and commitment.

Basic training saves the lives of dogs that might otherwise be euthanized.

Here are some facts.

• According to the ASPCA’s National Re-homing Survey, pet problems are the most common reason that owners re-home their pet, accounting for 47% of re-homed dogs and 42% of re-homed cats. Pet problems were defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, they grew larger than expected, or health problems the owner couldn’t handle.

• The National Institute of Health reports; The most reported of these seven reasons for relinquishment of dogs were owner health (29%), animal behavioral problems (23%), housing issues (21%) and lack of time (14%).

• Owners relinquished nearly one-quarter of the animals because of behavioral problems. Because owners often contribute to behavioral problems, the results emphasize focusing on owners to address pet relinquishment challenges.

The reason is clear.

• Roughly 96% of relinquished dogs had received zero formal obedience training (i.e. obedience classes and/or private training). About 28% of the pup parents didn’t do ANY training at all.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DOGS BEING RELINQUISHED?

TRAIN YOU DOG!

Untrained and unaltered dogs are the dogs that either get left on the side of the road or are surrendered to our local shelters or animal welfare organizations. With surrenders on the rise here, our shelters and fosters are overwhelmed! We need to keep dogs with their people! Without training, a dog becomes a nuisance rather than a valued member of the family.

Terry Bankert, a volunteer at the Humane Society of the White Mountains, Boxer Love, Border Collie rescue, and Cattle Dog rescue, is also a member of our training and rally group, strongly agrees with positive training to change the odds for dogs on our mountain.

For years now, a dedicated group of dog enthusiasts (Many from Arizona White Mountain Kennel Club) have been meeting year round to help train and get the word out about helping dogs of all kinds. The folks and dogs in the group are from all walks of life. Some take part in search and rescue, some are competitors in obedience, rally, and agility, service dogs, some dogs are pure breed, others shelter dogs and family pets. All are beloved family members who are with us until they die!

The one thing these dogs have in common is they all are canine good citizens through weekly training sessions and responsible dog ownership! Canine good citizen is a designation from the American Kennel Club. Being a canine good citizen means so much more than just earning a ribbon. In fact, on the back of the Canine Good Citizen form are the commitments to responsible dog ownership that must be agreed to. I feel that these need to be stressed before a dog is purchased or adopted!

• I will be responsible for my dog’s health needs.

• I will be responsible for routine vet care, adequate nutrition through proper diet, daily exercise, and regular grooming.

• I will be responsible for my dog’s safety.

• I will properly control my dog by providing fencing, not letting my dog run loose, and using a leash in public. I will ensure that my dog has some form of identification.

• I will not allow my dog to infringe on the rights of others.

• I will not allow my dog to run loose in the neighborhood.

• I will not allow my dog to be a nuisance to others by barking in the yard, at a hotel, or at others.

• I will pick up after my dog, in the park, at home, and in the wilderness.

• I will be responsible for my dog’s quality of life. (Until the end)

• I understand that basic training is beneficial to all dogs. 

• I will give my dog attention and playtime, and I understand a dog is a lifetime commitment.

If you believe in the statements above and wish to deepen your bond with your dog, then join us!

On May 17th and 18th, The Arizona White Mountain Kennel Club will hold its Rally and Obedience Trials at Frontier Field, 650 N. 9th Place, Show Low AZ, 85901 From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be temperament testing and Canine good citizens tests given on Saturday. Many of us who train weekly at the Humane Society will be there to show our own dogs or to just lend a hand, helping judges and competitors.

For those who do not know what Rally and Obedience Classes entail, the name Obedience says it all. Dogs in obedience need to be able to perform on command all the basics. The very name of this type of training implies that the dog will learn to comply with a verbal command or hand signal given by a trainer, owner, or handler.

In Rally, which is the precursor to agility, you and your dog will heel through a timed course of stations and perform the specific obedience exercises indicated on each sign. Various signs direct a dog and handler team to turn left or right, and guide them through moves like sit and down, stay, come, fast or slow, and heeling maneuvers.

The lower-level classes in both classes are non-threatening and are quite enjoyable! If you have ever thought about trying to show, our club is the perfect place to start. With such a mix of dogs and experience levels, we strive to help each other and have fun!

If you are interested in joining our Tuesday training group, we have limited space, especially in winter when we are in a small indoor training room, but we can make accommodations.

During summer if you are new to our training group, we request you contact us through Facebook or by email at https://awmkc.org/, to schedule a date for us to meet you and your dog. We have an evaluator who can test your dog in Canine Good Citizen, Urban Canine Good citizen, Trick dog, and temperament testing with an appointment.

We work in obedience, rally, and basic socialization. The class runs around an hour and a half and is held at the Humane Society of the White Mountains on Tuesdays. If you are on the fence about training with other people or would like to come meet us, the show in May is the perfect time to do so. Our passion is all about bonding with our dogs, having fun, and creating family!

Become a member today!! The Arizona White Mountain Kennel Club is an All-Breed and Mixed breed club. Founded in 1979, the club’s name and bylaws were accepted by AKC in 1980. The first ‘A’ Match was held at Blue Ridge High School. Our Club’s focus is on the welfare of both dog and owner!

We love our dogs and want to see our mountain become an example of great dog stewardship!

https://www.facebook.com/AZWhiteMountainKC

https://awmkc.org/