# Hoolie CGC testing :)



## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

Tomorrow Hoolie will do a CGC test at the end of his classes LOL! I dont think he has much chance of passing the test but it should be interesting. Right now he isnt steady enough on his stays or recalls.... but then sometimes he has a good day  We should have a lot of fun though... there are a couple more adult dogs in the class that will most certainly pass and a few, one shy nippy one and one that is so attached to mom he will never get through supervised separation, that are there for socialization and may not even test. We will get pictures taken so Hoolie is getting groomed up for the occasion. Our goal is to do therapy work in schools and nursing homes . Our trainer says it may take a couple of years for him to get there ( he is 15 mos old now) but she thinks he will be a steady, happy therapy dog when he grows up a bit. Now if the CGC test involved jumping/walking through Hula Hoops, his new favorite thing, he would pass in a flash! I have been teaching Tizzy to do this and Hoolie , who used to be scared of the Hula Hoop, wants to play too LOL! Tizz is doing great!!! She flys through it and I have started adding just a little height.. We dont have her do a lot because she is 6 mos old and dont want to do anything hard on her growing bones


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I hope Hoolie surprises you and earns his CGC tomorrow. If he doesn't, he can always join the circus and do his hula hoop trick! I trained Chagall to do it too. At first he was afraid of the hoop because his lights up. But now he thinks it's just another door to fly through! Good luck and, as you know, at 15 months Hoolie is just a young boy, so he however he does, I'd give him an "A" just for taking the test.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Good for you Feathersprings! Sending you and Hoolie good vibes for tomorrow. Therapy work is so rewarding. You're going to love it and so is he_.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Best of luck with the CGC testing! Please let us know how it goes...


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Best of luck today as Hoolie goes for his CGC!
(Ruby actually starts her CGC classes today!)
Any pointers would sure be welcomed! 
Do they make Cliff notes for this class! LOL!!!


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

Hooray!! I truly didnt think he was ready to pass but he did just fine. Thanks for the good thoughts and vibes... Hoolie has a problem with attention and just in the last week he seemed to catch on a bit.  We , of course, need more work to make he more reliable but I was very happy with him today. I will send pics when i get them. Hopefully something turned out ok, He kept turning around to me telling me "this was good, right!!!" LOL! 

Good luck to Ruby in her classes. Th only pointers I can give is to really practice daily. When we didnt it showed. One of the things I was least prepared for were distractions such as an umbrella opening, A person on crutches, and a loud dolly rolling around with a big box on it. While he was curious he wasnt scared of them... The only other thing is to make sure you both are having fun!!!


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

YAY! Congratulations!!!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Congratulations on Hoolie passing! I think in class it is easy to focus on what your dog is doing wrong rather than all that he is doing right. Hope you will pass on some tips when Swizzle takes the class. Swizzle always does fine it it me that needs the training.


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

CTGirl, I think that is often the problem.. handler error LOL! I found with Hoolie that he just in the last week of classes sort of caught on  That along with some added lessons helped us get through the test that I was pretty sure we werent ready for. Thanks for the congrats!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i need to work with temperance more. she's been a real teenager. congrats on the cgc~


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

Faerie, so is Hoolie, and i love his happy little self.. I really didnt think he would pass the test.. but he surprised me and stayed focused. We are looking forward to his next class where we will be doing lots of fun stuff... not just basic obedience.


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## Underpants Gnome (Oct 12, 2009)

Congratulations Hoolie and Feathersprings, that's a huge accomplishment for both of you!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

A great big* CONGRATULATIONS* to young Hoolie and you!! Isn't it great when our "kids" surprise us with what they can do?! I'm so pleased Hoolie got to show his stuff, it shows what a good job you did with training him.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both!

The best advice is what has already been offered. Practice every day faithfully. Repetition, repetition, repetition! Always high value treats for performing correctly. Lots of praise as well. 

If you have not brought your dog to PetCo or some other store that allows dogs, I would highly recommend it as long as all shots are up to date. Also attend street fairs and anything else you think your dog can handle safely. This is where we worked our dogs to get them used to all sorts of activity and noises going on around them. We also frequent famer's markets on the outskirts where people naturally navigate toward the spoos. Bring a brush. Have your dog sit/stay and have someone pet/brush the dog and then treat it. 

You want to desensitize your dog as much as possible so that it isn't frightened by the obstacles that are going to be presented at the test.

A good down/stay or sit/stay is really important. Also, set up a situation where you have someone you and your dog trust where you can leave your dog with that person while you walk out of sight of it. You want to make sure that you can walk out of sight without your dog becoming frantic. It is okay if your dog is curious or gets up and looks around. 

Best of luck to you. You have a lot of work to do....: )
_


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