Boogie at Bootcamp!

September 25, 2009 at 7:29 pm Leave a comment

DISCLAIMER: This blog post was written in 2009. We no longer do Obedience Training using “dominance”-based methods. We no longer use collar corrections. These methods made Boogie MORE TENSE, MORE TRIGGERED and more prone to aggressive behaviors. We switched over to reward-based methods in February 2010 and saw improvements.

As part of Boogie’s Obedience Training package I get 2 weeks (10 classes) FREE Bootcamp. If you haven’t visited the ThankDog Bootcamp website & seen the video, go and check them out!!! Here’s another video on YouTube:

Basically it’s a workout bootcamp for humans, combined with doggie obedience practice. It’s such a cool and brilliant idea. I have been wanting to do this since I first read about it online and am glad I finally started! The human part of the bootcamp includes cardio stuff like running, jumps etc. and there are also exercises for arms, legs, abs involving weights. The doggie part is obedience practice for commands like Heel, Sit, Down, Stay, etc.

A few friends have asked me if it’s really tough and if it helps Boogie. It’s actually not as hardcore as it sounds. It’s very doable.

The hardest parts are:

1. Going to bed early and getting up at 5am (the bootcamp starts at 6am)
2. Wet grass!!!

I will admitthat at first I was really nervous that Boogie might misbehave or display aggression towards other (new) dogs… which is why I held off on doing the bootcamp for so long. But time and obedience training has proven that even though the Boogs is still a “problem child”, wow – he CAN be obedient. He CAN move at my pace, by my side for a whole hour (well, maybe he could run a little bit faster, but that’s ok…) I CAN control him in the presence of new dogs and people. This is such a confidence boost. And good discipline for the Boogs.

Yep, it would be more fun if Boogie didn’t have such a problem with wet grass. He HATES getting his feet and butt wet so he sits with his butt lifted off the ground! He won’t lie down on the grass at all. I bring treats in my pocket and these help make the experience a bit more “positive”. Here are photos taken after Day 5 of Bootcamp.

In his “place”.

“Look to camera, Boogie!”

Boogie is so weird. We always think that he is part “cat” or maybe it’s a Boston Terrier thing? Every morning on the drive home from the park – he meticulously grooms his entire body… licks each of his wet paws thoroughly, between every toe, back of his legs…

When at home he joyously plays with EVERY SINGLE TOY, eats breakfast, and goes to sleep for the rest of the day.