Hidden Valley Obedience Club

Happy National Pet Day!

Happy Easter to all! Keep that chocolate far , far away from your pups on this beautiful sunny weekend!

It was great to see everyone back on the field, and we made it through the week with no rain outs! One of our students got all dressed up for her first day of school!

School bells are ringing! Our second session for 2021 begins tonight & tomorrow. Bundle up... it’ll be chilly... & don’t forget face masks!School bells are ringing! Our second session for 2021 begins tonight & tomorrow. Bundle up... it’ll be chilly... & don’t forget face masks!

Just sayin’...

We had a wonderful CGC and CGCA Test Day. All our Teams PASSED CONGRATULATIONS

Be careful out there!

Happy New year! Make it your dog’s best year ever!

Welcome, 2021! Here’s hoping for a great year of dog fun and safe, healthy families! Do you have party dogs? Share the fun here! (Breezy was struggling to keep her eyes open!)

Best wishes for joy, safety and good health to all!

Best to be aware of this, especially if you hike or travel with your pups ! https://www.kpbs.org//san-diego-leptospirosis-dog-bacter/

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Help your dog to be the very best version of himself!

It's back to school time again, folks! Our last session for 2020 begins tonight and tomorrow and we are happy to welcome you back to our field! Don't forget to wear your mask and use some hand sanitizer when you arrive. Social distancing is what we do!

All three dogs passed their CGC Tests CONGRATULATIONS

Don't forget! Canine Good Citizen testing tomorrow morning on our field! Please contact Cathy Jacobs, CGC Coordinator, if you would like to make an appointment to test with your dog or if you'd like to volunteer your time to help! ([email protected]) Masks are required for everyone and social distancing will be observed. The cost is $5 per test and we ask that you please have exact change or a check made payable to HVOC.

It’s the Sunday funnies! Have a good week, everyone!

HVOC will be hosting our next Canine Good Citizen testing day this coming Saturday, September 19th. Please be assured that we will be taking Covid 19 precautions. Masks are mandatory, as is social distancing. We will keep the number of people on the field to a minimum. There will be no snacks or drinks available, so please feel free to bring your own. Unfortunately we will not be offering the CGCA at this time. Cost for the CGC evaluation is $5 for club members and current... students. Please bring exact amount (either cash or check payable to HVOC...no credit cards, sorry). We will begin at 8:30 am and test one dog every 15 minutes. If you are interested in testing, or if you would like to volunteer to help, please email Cathy Jacobs, our CGC coordinator, at [email protected] to set up a test time. Volunteers need no experience and you will earn puppy paws in thanks for your help!

Hidden Valley Obedience Club’s www.hvoc.org website registration is now enabled, ready for you to register for classes starting October 6 and 7, depending on which night you select on your registration. The Classes link for each class description and the Registration link are on the left side of the home page. If you select to pay using PayPal, an invoice will be emailed to you. Do not send money to [email protected]. Please remember to click the Confirm button at the bottom of your registration’s Order Confirmation page to enable the system to add you to the class. Please contact us if you don’t receive a confirmation within several days.

Happy Labor Day! Stay safe and cool!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Stay safe!

These good words of advise come from an article titled "Meeting a Dog You Don't Know: The Sniff Test", which was featured in a recent post from the AKC's CGC folks (Evaluator News). We've all been meeting new dogs for years, but have we been doing it the best way? Instructors and Assistants might find this especially helpful when first meeting new students who are a little shy or fearful! Use Your Manners! The Sniff Test - Stop Doing That! ... The sniff test is a badly ingrained habit that society has been taught, without a clear understanding of what they're actually doing. When you reach out towards a dog, you are using body pressure AT them, giving them no time to assess whether you are safe and whether they require further investigation to pick up your information. You are forcing an interaction of a relationship that hasn't had time to develop. To some dogs, this is quite rude and the reason a lot of dogs snap at or bite people. This can cause a lot of behavioral issues because of layered stress due to forced interactions. If they are on lead, dogs have nowhere to go if they are sensitive to spacial pressure, so they can end up shutting down, shying away or snapping at your hand to make you back off. This is an example of how a dog is now using pressure to turn off pressure and make you back off so they aren't so stressed. People think by offering your hand it can give the dog time to sniff to know you're friendly... they can sniff without being forced to sniff your hand. Their noses are far more superior than ours and they don't need close contact forced upon them to smell you. Some dogs might not want to know you. You have no relationship with them and that's perfectly fine. They aren't your dog so you don't need to touch them or steal pats for your own satisfaction. If you are meeting a dog, what should you do? Ask the owner if you can interact with their dog. Not all people want strangers touching their dogs, especially strangers who you are unlikely to see again. Stand up straight and relaxed, with your hands at your side. Ignore the dog and talk to the owner. Don't stare at the dog and don't try to force an interaction by going in for a pat. If the dog wants to know you, it will come up to you & sniff around. Usually they will move away and then come back for a second sniffathon. Some dogs will bunt your hands & wag their tails, which are good signs that you're likely an accepted new friend. Give them a few slow pats down their back (NOT THEIR HEAD) and then stop. Is the dog happy? Has it accepted your interaction? This will determine whether you can give it more pats. This is a more stress free option for dogs and a reason why in consultations we can develop a good level of trust, especially with fearful dogs and aggressive dogs, without a bunch of negative side effects from forced interactions.

HVOC'S RALLY TEAM did it again today. Another First Place.

Today at the Basset Hound Rally Trial HVOC's Rally Team earned First placeToday at the Basset Hound Rally Trial HVOC's Rally Team earned First place