The Montgomery County Fair and Rodeo is April 11th through the 21st at the County Fairgrounds in Conroe. This year, families will enjoy seeing the Extreme Dogs Stunt Dog Show, which has three shows daily from April 12th to the 16th. Extreme Dogs is North America's premier touring stunt dog show, showcasing the best canine athletes around.
For dog owners who would love to have a "canine athlete" of their own, we went to a local dog trainer to get some tips. Aaron Tolman of Sit Means Sit Dog Training in Conroe graciously agreed to share some of his secrets.
"The secret to dog training is to focus on telling your dog what they should do instead of what not to do," Tolman said. "Instead of correcting bad behaviors, we are teaching good behaviors."
Tolman primarily helps his clients with dog obedience and focus. The first step to any dog training, whether it is your pet or a show dog, is to get the dog to come to its owner when called.
"To get a dog to come when called, we start on a leash so we can eliminate the opportunity to run off. Once the dogs are doing well, you add distance and distractions at speeds the dog can handle," Tolman said. This is the foundation.
Tolman emphasized that obedience is essential when the commands are used in everyday life. Commanding your dog to walk with you, to stop, sit, and stack (for show dogs) is the focus of the training.
"In a dog show, there are other dogs, hundreds of people, loud noises, and dogs need to focus and ignore distractions," Tolman said. "A distracted dog isn't going to win a show or perform well. Once they learn manners, obedience, and focus, then a trainer can help with the specific skills needed for dog shows."
"Your dog needs to learn to respect you and also that you respect them. Be consistent with training!".
"Focus on telling your dog what they should do instead of what not to do,”