Training Dogs in Rural Areas

Living in a rural area often means non-existent formal dog training opportunities. That wasn’t an issue for me when we moved from the Denver area to Buena Vista, a rural community in the central Colorado mountains. Our aging Labrador Retrievers Brew and Taz had their titles. They’d enjoy retirement by hiking, swimming and retrieving.

Three years later, Brew died and Taz needed a companion. Layla, a retired four-year-old conformation show dog joined our family. I wondered if she’d do well at Rally trials. Then it hit me. I was still hooked by the dog show world! Fortunately, I’d already run into a couple of people who were interested in training and showing dogs. We’d met after the Bark Valley Dog Club, a newly formed local organization, asked us to demonstrate rally at a doggie day celebration in a nearby town, twenty-five miles to the south. Then the club requested us to conduct a few obedience classes. Brew and Taz loved demonstrating their skills. The classes led to meeting more dog enthusiasts. Some owned mixed breeds, others purebreds. Our nucleus group was formed.

Now, our informal training group meets almost weekly, weather permitting, in public parks. All dogs and owners are welcome with two caveats: no aggressive, uncontrollable dogs and no handlers that give harsh corrections.

We meet as friends to train and have fun. No fees are charged. We draw on each other’s experiences and past formal training. Although we offer each other suggestions, we recognize what works for one dog may not work for another. But it’s fun to try new training techniques. The sessions provide socialization for humans and canines. Puppies also join in on the fun and train in obedience and rally as well as conformation. The number of participants fluctuate. Some people train for a short period of time and others only during certain parts of the year. One of our group, a teenager, trains with us in the summer to prepare for 4-H county and state competitions. We’ve learned that 4-H requirements are slightly different than AKC rules and adapt accordingly.

About half of our group competes with their canines at shows. We try to simulate ring experiences by creating distractions and setting up rings and/or courses. Sometimes distractions come to us: an occasional off leash dog wandering without its owner, kids running through the park, and humans, accompanied by their leashed canines, stopping by to watch. We take turns acting as judges and point out bad habits such as adapting to one’s dog when stopping or failing to use a loose leash.

Traveling together when possible to matches and regular shows helps relieve the monotony of long drives. We share expenses. At shows, our handlers and dogs have a built-in support system and a cheering section. Shows provide learning experiences that we bring back to the entire group.

Our informal group sessions don’t replicate formal classes conducted by an instructor with years of show and training experience. Sometimes, some of group members attend a training session or two on the Front Range and then share any new techniques. We do what we can with our geographical limitations. And we all enjoy our training sessions.

Can a group such as ours succeed in the show ring? Our number of AKC rally and obedience titles prove that it’s possible. Since we began training together, our dogs have racked up a total of seven Rally Excellent, eight Rally Advanced, eight Rally Novice, four Companion Dog and three Beginner Novice titles. Two out of the three dogs that earned their AKC conformation championships also racked up rally and obedience titles!  And, so far, our group’s furry friends have turned in three 100 (perfect), one 99 and six 98s scores in rally!

If you are interested in forming a group, either in a rural or urban area, here are some tips to help find fellow canine enthusiasts:

• If there is a local dog club in your area, find out if it sponsors canine events or activities. Then attend those events to meet other like-minded dog enthusiasts.
• Check with friends and acquaintances to see if they know of others who love to work with their dogs and/or exhibit at dog shows.
• Ask your vet and/or local feed store employees if they know of anyone who wants to train his/her dogs.
• If you attend a dog show, buy a catalog to look up addresses of obedience and rally exhibitors. The exhibitors may live in your hometown!
• As a last resort, take out an ad in your local paper to locate canine enthusiasts and/or organize a local dog club!

Remember that dogs of mixed ancestry can compete at many AKC events, including obedience and rally, if they are registered as a Canine Partner with the AKC. So search for potential enthusiasts from among owners of purebreds and dogs of mixed ancestry.

Once you have located a few fellow canine enthusiasts, pick the most convenient day and time to train at a selected location. We meet as friends in different public parks to acclimate our dogs to varied locations. If your training sessions are sponsored by an official group, towns may require a special permit and proof of liability insurance before allowing any organized training in their parks.

When you meet, make sure that everyone picks up after their dog. We scoop up canine and sometimes even deer poop before we start to train. Make certain that newcomers train with appropriate collars and leashes and can control their dogs. Experiment to find out what training exercises your group needs and likes. Group heeling often helps to focus the dogs. We practice the figure eight by using two dogs as posts. Random recalls, group stands for examinations, and the long sits and downs help steady our canines. We also practice specific rally signs and/or set up a rally course. Draw on each other’s experiences and share. Have fun with your dog as well as with your new friends, four-footed and two-legged!

I’d love to hear if this post was helpful and about other suggestions for training in rural areas. Please leave your comments below. Thanks so much!