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I began exploring the word of agility five years ago with my wonderful dog Tallah. Because
Tallah is a very sensitive natured dog I was challenged to find ways to make training as fun
and stress free as possible…hence I become an expert at playing with and motivating the
“soft” dog. I not only create all sorts of new and fun ways to reward dogs, but also work
hard to find motivational games from the collection of toys and rewards which cater to each
individual dog’s desires. Seeing the enthusiasm I generated in my “soft” dog provided
evidence that I have the tools to help a wide variety of dogs. So, whether you have a dog
genetically designed for work (most herding breeds), or a pal with whom you just want to
learn to play and communicate better, my tool box is brimming with ideas, toys, and plans.
I am constantly advancing my skills by regularly attending dog training classes, seminars,
and working various dogs. From a student’s perspective, I keep in mind the challenges one
deals with when learning, and am also able to study what works (and what doesn’t) for
individual people and their dogs. I work hard to support students in designing the best
training program for their dog, as experience working with dozens of different temperaments
and aptitudes has clearly taught that training programs must be individually tailored.
Agility is a wonderful sport which provides ways to exercise both the dog’s mind and body.
My background in training, conditioning, and rehabilitating horses translates extremely well to
the process of developing and maintaining the performance dog’s physique. In addition, my
personal athletic pursuits, which include internal martial arts (chi gung, tai chi) in conjunction
with my movement-awareness studies (yoga, stretching, and dance), add greatly to my
knowledge---A great benefit in helping me ensure my students and their dogs remain safe
and healthy in the sport of agility.
Tallah is a very sensitive natured dog I was challenged to find ways to make training as fun
and stress free as possible…hence I become an expert at playing with and motivating the
“soft” dog. I not only create all sorts of new and fun ways to reward dogs, but also work
hard to find motivational games from the collection of toys and rewards which cater to each
individual dog’s desires. Seeing the enthusiasm I generated in my “soft” dog provided
evidence that I have the tools to help a wide variety of dogs. So, whether you have a dog
genetically designed for work (most herding breeds), or a pal with whom you just want to
learn to play and communicate better, my tool box is brimming with ideas, toys, and plans.
I am constantly advancing my skills by regularly attending dog training classes, seminars,
and working various dogs. From a student’s perspective, I keep in mind the challenges one
deals with when learning, and am also able to study what works (and what doesn’t) for
individual people and their dogs. I work hard to support students in designing the best
training program for their dog, as experience working with dozens of different temperaments
and aptitudes has clearly taught that training programs must be individually tailored.
Agility is a wonderful sport which provides ways to exercise both the dog’s mind and body.
My background in training, conditioning, and rehabilitating horses translates extremely well to
the process of developing and maintaining the performance dog’s physique. In addition, my
personal athletic pursuits, which include internal martial arts (chi gung, tai chi) in conjunction
with my movement-awareness studies (yoga, stretching, and dance), add greatly to my
knowledge---A great benefit in helping me ensure my students and their dogs remain safe
and healthy in the sport of agility.
| Meet Owner/Trainer Cloudine Lang |
Tallah is a perfect pet dog. She has incredible manners, so I can take her with me anywhere.
But, would you believe that the qualities that make a terrific pet don't necessarily make for
the most competitive performance dog? Tallah is an interesting character. She demanded I
learn more than just how to throw a toy. In fact, she has hardly any interest in toys at all.
This really pushed me to learn how to find and create value for rewards. Thanks to her, I
developed skills in areas that many don't get the opportunity to when working with the more
performance-oriented dogs.
At the beginning of our agility pursuits, Tallah's tendencies made for some challenging and
disheartening moments in the ring. I looked to instructors for help, but the advice we got
didn't help us with the challenge of motivating my beloved pet. A few years into it, I finally
found some answers when I met Diana Hoyem. Diana brought my understanding of how to
train to another level and I made breakthroughs with Tallah. Under her tutelage, I developed
a sense of how to tap Tallah's desire, as well as an understanding of when to stop pushing
(which I think is an easy trap for anyone training "less-motivated" dogs). Letting up on the
pressure at the right times made training so much more enjoyable for my best friend, and,
to this day, I can get this mellow mutt to bounce back and forth in front of me begging to
play our games. What a turning point for me as a trainer and instructor!
I continue to learn from this wonderful friend. Since we didn't have access to all the tools for
training when we began, Tallah has further taught me a lot through retraining. Retraining a
"less-motivated" dog requires much from a trainer. Throughout my adventures training all
the dogs I get to work with, the fundamentals are consistently reinforced, leaving me
grateful for all those trainers/instructors who have put good material out there. Especially
when retraining, one's knowledge of how to be fair, clear, pay well and MAKE TRAINING FUN
is a must. For the rest of my training and instructing career I'll be grateful for the many
tools training her has gifted me with.
But, would you believe that the qualities that make a terrific pet don't necessarily make for
the most competitive performance dog? Tallah is an interesting character. She demanded I
learn more than just how to throw a toy. In fact, she has hardly any interest in toys at all.
This really pushed me to learn how to find and create value for rewards. Thanks to her, I
developed skills in areas that many don't get the opportunity to when working with the more
performance-oriented dogs.
At the beginning of our agility pursuits, Tallah's tendencies made for some challenging and
disheartening moments in the ring. I looked to instructors for help, but the advice we got
didn't help us with the challenge of motivating my beloved pet. A few years into it, I finally
found some answers when I met Diana Hoyem. Diana brought my understanding of how to
train to another level and I made breakthroughs with Tallah. Under her tutelage, I developed
a sense of how to tap Tallah's desire, as well as an understanding of when to stop pushing
(which I think is an easy trap for anyone training "less-motivated" dogs). Letting up on the
pressure at the right times made training so much more enjoyable for my best friend, and,
to this day, I can get this mellow mutt to bounce back and forth in front of me begging to
play our games. What a turning point for me as a trainer and instructor!
I continue to learn from this wonderful friend. Since we didn't have access to all the tools for
training when we began, Tallah has further taught me a lot through retraining. Retraining a
"less-motivated" dog requires much from a trainer. Throughout my adventures training all
the dogs I get to work with, the fundamentals are consistently reinforced, leaving me
grateful for all those trainers/instructors who have put good material out there. Especially
when retraining, one's knowledge of how to be fair, clear, pay well and MAKE TRAINING FUN
is a must. For the rest of my training and instructing career I'll be grateful for the many
tools training her has gifted me with.
Tallah, the Honey Mutt
| About Us |
| © 2007 injoydogtraining |
| Zeal "Fluffy Pants" |
I spent a year or 2 getting myself prepared to take a Border Collie into my life. A highly
sensitive breed with the potential to develop obsessive habits if not well guided, I
didn't take bringing my next dog home lightly. I adopted this wonderful kid from
PNWBC Rescue.
Zeal was about a year old and a blank slate. This dog didn't really know how to play
with toys yet, or even how to take a treat out of my hand. I could literally place a
cookie on his tongue and he'd struggle to hold onto it. That's right, he'd let it roll right
out of his mouth. He's come a very long way since then.
Zeal is a fun-loving, super-snuggler that will take any opportunity to visit with a new
human friend. Playing with him is really terrific. Training him presents an array of
challenges (many of the ones most performance-oriented dogs tend to have).
Zeal is highly aware of his surroundings. When he first got to my place I noticed how
sensitive he was to noises, and how he picked up on any form of movement.
Immediately we began making an association between noises and wild play. I showed
him how fun tugging is and made sure he could easily "Give" on command. A default
"Down" behavior saves me some time whenever I could use a moment to think. For
many, many months, we focused on play, attention, and graduated his ability to think
while riled up.
Seeing as Zeal would like nothing more than to chase something, working in an arena
with a farm full of animals present (including cats) really tested my ability to focus his
attention. A dog like Zeal will not let food or toys trump a live "chase-able". There have
been times on our daily walks when he's really put my training abilities to the test.
Such a different temperament than Tallah, Zeal needs more work on things like:
self-control, manners, dealing with frustration. While that requires a lot of thought,
training some skills almost seems too easy. There are moments when a dog like Zeal
can make a trainer look brilliant. Needless to say, we've have tons of fun working
together.
Zeal will soon begin competing. He's joined me on ventures to sites, and it seems he'll
enjoy the trialing environment (a whole lot more when he gets to run courses instead
of just training around the trial site). A couple of developments in my training (for
which I have Daisy Peel (and her instructors) to thank) have changed my approach to
certain obstacles and behaviors. With these new insights I've found training to be
even more enjoyable.
So, I'm grateful to every instructor, student, and (especially) my dogs for teaching me
so much. Hopefully you, like me, have a lifetime full of play to look forward to!
sensitive breed with the potential to develop obsessive habits if not well guided, I
didn't take bringing my next dog home lightly. I adopted this wonderful kid from
PNWBC Rescue.
Zeal was about a year old and a blank slate. This dog didn't really know how to play
with toys yet, or even how to take a treat out of my hand. I could literally place a
cookie on his tongue and he'd struggle to hold onto it. That's right, he'd let it roll right
out of his mouth. He's come a very long way since then.
Zeal is a fun-loving, super-snuggler that will take any opportunity to visit with a new
human friend. Playing with him is really terrific. Training him presents an array of
challenges (many of the ones most performance-oriented dogs tend to have).
Zeal is highly aware of his surroundings. When he first got to my place I noticed how
sensitive he was to noises, and how he picked up on any form of movement.
Immediately we began making an association between noises and wild play. I showed
him how fun tugging is and made sure he could easily "Give" on command. A default
"Down" behavior saves me some time whenever I could use a moment to think. For
many, many months, we focused on play, attention, and graduated his ability to think
while riled up.
Seeing as Zeal would like nothing more than to chase something, working in an arena
with a farm full of animals present (including cats) really tested my ability to focus his
attention. A dog like Zeal will not let food or toys trump a live "chase-able". There have
been times on our daily walks when he's really put my training abilities to the test.
Such a different temperament than Tallah, Zeal needs more work on things like:
self-control, manners, dealing with frustration. While that requires a lot of thought,
training some skills almost seems too easy. There are moments when a dog like Zeal
can make a trainer look brilliant. Needless to say, we've have tons of fun working
together.
Zeal will soon begin competing. He's joined me on ventures to sites, and it seems he'll
enjoy the trialing environment (a whole lot more when he gets to run courses instead
of just training around the trial site). A couple of developments in my training (for
which I have Daisy Peel (and her instructors) to thank) have changed my approach to
certain obstacles and behaviors. With these new insights I've found training to be
even more enjoyable.
So, I'm grateful to every instructor, student, and (especially) my dogs for teaching me
so much. Hopefully you, like me, have a lifetime full of play to look forward to!