Blog - Katherine Ostiguy KPA CTP - Page 2 of 4

Restricting Water Intake: A Dangerous Housebreaking Trend

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2020-07-09T13:34:57-04:00May 9, 2017|Puppies, Training|

At Crossbones Dog Academy, we work with a lot of puppies! Over one hundred puppies come to us each year for Puppy Day School and group classes. As a result, we get to talk to a lot of people about puppy raising.

Over the past few months, we have noticed a very concerning trend. Some of our clients were deliberately restricting their dog’s water intake as a potty training strategy.

Generally speaking, most pet dogs have access to water whenever they are not confined to a crate. They naturally limit their […]

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AKC STAR Puppy Program

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-12-29T22:14:30-05:00December 29, 2016|Puppies, Training|

Are you a responsible puppy owner? The American Kennel Club’s STAR Puppy program is designed to reward owners who take their puppies to training classes. “STAR” is an acronym for the four critical parts of puppy raising: Socialization, Training, Activity, and Responsibility.

The AKC recognizes that well-trained puppies make better companions and are less likely to be relinquished to shelters. In fact, behavior problems are the #1 reason for giving up a dog to a rescue. The STAR Puppy program is an incentive program for […]

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“New & Completely Different” Flexible Group Dog Training Classes

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-08-09T21:53:41-04:00November 10, 2016|Group Classes, Training|

{{ UPDATE 2018: This is an old blog post! For the most up-to-date details and unbroken links, please visit our Flex Class page for everything you need to know. }}

We’ve held group dog training classes here in Providence for over two years now. We have always been interested in feedback from our wonderful students. Some of the things we heard back about our group class program included:

“They’re too early.”
“They’re too late.”
“That day of the week doesn’t work for me.”
“I’m going on vacation and will miss a class… or two… or three.”
“What if I get sick and skip a week?”
“I […]

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Product Review: The Honest Kitchen Nice Mussels

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-10-28T13:50:24-04:00October 28, 2016|Product Reviews|

This week, my dogs got to test out the latest freeze-dried product from The Honest Kitchen, and it’s definitely different from any treat we have tried before! Their latest and greatest treat is Nice Mussels. As the name suggests, they’re, well, mussels! (Full disclosure: we received free product in exchange for a review.)

Nice Mussels contain only one ingredient: mussels. Mussels are “rated by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Program as one of the most sustainable seafood products in the world,” according to The Honest Kitchen. […]

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5 Skills Your Dog Needs to Pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-05-09T22:07:19-04:00October 3, 2016|Canine Good Citizen, Training|

Loose leash walking is one of the most important skills to master before taking the CGC test, because it is a part of several test items.

In last week’s blog post, An Overview of the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test, I described the ten elements of the CGC test. Preparing for this test is key. There are a few specific behaviors that not all “well behaved” dogs know.

Preparing for the CGC Test

The CGC test is designed to reward well-mannered dogs […]

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An Overview of the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-05-09T22:09:11-04:00September 29, 2016|Canine Good Citizen, Training|

Every September, the American Kennel Club sponsors Responsible Dog Ownership Days. On that note, I would like to discuss the Canine Good Citizen program, which rewards responsible dog owners across the country. As an approved AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, I am often asked about the requirements for passing the test. What does it take to become a Canine Good Citizen?

Eligibility

First, the CGC test is open to dogs of any breed or mix of breeds. One of the most common […]

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Puppy Day School Success Story: Alice [VIDEO]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-09-27T00:57:37-04:00September 27, 2016|Training, Videos|

Meet Alice! She is a 9-month-old Border Collie mix puppy. Her owner enrolled her in our Puppy Day School program to work on her socialization skills around other dogs.

Alice missed her critical socialization period while waiting to be adopted. Then, shortly after coming to her new home, she broke her leg and had to be kept quiet for several weeks. She was nervous of new places, unfamiliar people, and most other dogs.

This is a typical outcome when puppies are underexposed to the “real world.” As […]

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How to Chop Dog Treats in 5 Minutes or Less

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2017-12-30T03:42:59-05:00September 7, 2016|Helpful Hints, Product Reviews, Tutorials and How-To Guides|

In our Day School program, we go through a lot of dog treats! During our busiest weeks, it is not uncommon for us to use 10 pounds or more. We’re always looking for the fastest and most cost-effective ways to prepare and store this much food in our training studio.

When it comes to food rolls, we have this down to a science. We recommend and sell Happy Howie’s treat rolls. Happy Howie’s rolls are way less crumbly than other rolls on the market, which is why they are our favorite. These are 1- or 2-pound chubs of semi-soft dog treats which you can chop up […]

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Product Review: The Honest Kitchen Proper Toppers

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-05-05T14:40:15-04:00May 5, 2016|Product Reviews|

It’s no secret that we are big fans of The Honest Kitchen, the only human-grade pet food company in the USA. A few months ago, we found out about their new product in the works: Proper Toppers, gently dehydrated “superfood clusters” you can add to your dog’s food. Or, better yet: you can give them as a treat! I knew I wanted to be first in line to test out this great new product. (Full disclosure: we received free product in exchange for a review.)

These Proper Toppers contain the five ingredients, pictured on the […]

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Capturing Your Dog’s Behavior: A How-To Guide

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-05-04T17:59:36-04:00May 4, 2016|Training, Tutorials and How-To Guides|

Over the last several weeks, I have written about shaping and luring here on Spring Forth Dog Blog. My next topic is capturing, which is a pretty simple, straightforward way to get behavior!

Clicker training allows you to capture a behavior, like this terrier’s adorable tilted head, so you can put it on cue in the future! (Photo Credit: Mike Weston)

Getting Started with Capturing

Simply put, capturing involves waiting for the dog to do the ENTIRE behavior you are looking for with no prompts from you, then clicking […]

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Product Review: Solid Gold Tiny Tots Lamb Jerky Dog Treats

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-03-23T19:24:11-04:00March 23, 2016|Product Reviews|

From time to time, we get an opportunity to test drive a new dog product. This time around, we were sent a bag of Solid Gold Tiny Tots, which are described by the manufacturer as a “lamb jerky” dog treat.

The first thing I noticed after opening the bag of Tiny Tots (which contains 10oz of treats – not bad!) was the smell. These treats have a very particular scent. I don’t know how to describe it, but it does not remind me of lamb at […]

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Luring Your Dog: A Primer

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-03-07T17:15:10-05:00March 10, 2016|Training, Tutorials and How-To Guides|

Last week I started off my series on “How to Get Behavior” with shaping. Now I’m going to explain a bit about luring and how to use a lure to teach behavior.

The term luring refers to the use of a desired reward to coax the dog into achieving the desired behavior. The “desired reward” is nearly always a food treat, but it is possible to lure with toys. Luring can be used to teach many behaviors, including sit, down, loose leash walking, and a lot of tricks.

How to Lure

I use food lures in my group training classes unless the owner […]

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