This is how the conversation usually starts at home when we talk about the winter of 2021-2022. The winter when our sweet little puppy, who had become oh so talented, suddenly turned into a real Tyrannosaurus Rex and all training seems to have COMPLETELY disappeared.
Maybe you have also tried something similar?
Oswald is our first dog, and the list of things he had to learn from the start was endless. I have been exposed to dogs and dog training since I was a child, so my own expectations for myself as a dog handler and for my sweet puppy were high, and I couldn't wait to get started on the training grounds.
And it went great with my sweet little puppy, who learned free-foot training, lots of tricks and all sorts of other skills. I also remember someone once mentioned that rowing training is also a really important part of a dog's training plan, but it was just like that part didn't really catch my attention, because god how boring it was to sit there and do, well, nothing?
But then it happened that the sweet little puppy became a teenager and a Tyrannosaurus Rex moved in, who had forgotten all about training and good manners. There was pulling on the leash, running to lampposts, leaves and bushes and whatever else was exciting, if you stood still and talked then Oswald could no longer sit nicely on his backside and if things got the slightest bit difficult, then you could always start doing tiger jumps and fooling around. Suddenly you felt completely lost as a first-time dog owner, and I was sure that we must have done it all wrong since our dear puppy was completely unrecognizable.
Maybe rowing training was a little more important than we had just realized, and maybe we had started in the wrong place and done it completely wrong?
Luckily, we were taken in by Rikke from RB Hundecentrum. She had a team that we just fit into: the trouble team. And although some might think it's a bit cheeky to call it the trouble team, that's exactly what it was. All the dogs on the team were between 1-3 years old and they all had one thing in common: they had forgotten all about good upbringing and had now become wild teenagers without much peace in either their bodies or minds.
The training took place outdoors on a large grassy field and it was one evening a week throughout the winter, where the focus was on QUIETNESS! Being able to sit still while greeting other people, being able to greet other dogs calmly, passing other dogs calmly, sitting still while things were thrown and being able to walk to and from the training area calmly. I don't think I'll ever forget how long it would take to get from the car to the training area - in fact, some days you barely made it there before you had to go home again.
We mixed the rowing training with some lovely Danish winter weather - so I think most people can imagine that it was a pretty cold and harsh session ;-) but slowly our troublemakers transformed into more sensible young dogs, and when spring announced its arrival, things were already looking brighter, although there was still a long way to go. It no longer took a whole training hour to get from the car to the site, and part of the training hour could also be done without a leash.
Fortunately, it also turned out that you hadn't ruined your little puppy or done everything wrong, you might have just forgotten an important part of the puppy's training.
And when the Tyrannosaurus Rex moved again around 1 1/2-2 years of age, all the good learning from puppyhood was still there - it was just temporarily out of commission ;-)
Today Oswald is 4.5 years old and it has become easier and easier to have a dog, but I often think back to that winter, and I have promised myself that when Oswald is going to be a big brother one day, I will also remember rowing training in the program. Because otherwise you just end up on the trouble team for another cold winter - and that is no fun! ;-)
About the blogger
Trine lives in Djursland with her husband Oliver, two old cats and the Labrador Oswald who is from 2020. On a daily basis, Trine works as a pedagogue and teacher at a local elementary school, where Oswald is a school/reading dog twice a week. In addition, they train tricks, dog dancing and rally, they have also just started sniffing out FCI rally. When Trine is not at work, her free time is spent with Oswald and the weekends are often filled with dog training and competitions.
Oswald is a big soft boy who loves everything and everyone - and preferably with all his 37 kg at once. He may be big on the outside, but he is sure that he was born to be a lap dog. He loves to sleep at the foot of the bed under Trine's blanket, and preferably on his back with all his paws in the air.
Oswald loves to go wherever the trip takes him, whether it's visiting family, a picnic, training or when he goes abroad on vacation.
If you want to follow their everyday life a little more, you can find them on Instagram under @oswaldthelabrador.
Do you remember that winter?...
This is how the conversation usually starts at home when we talk about the winter of 2021-2022. The winter when our sweet little puppy, who had become oh so talented, suddenly turned into a real Tyrannosaurus Rex and all training seems to have COMPLETELY disappeared.
Maybe you have also tried something similar?
Oswald is our first dog, and the list of things he had to learn from the start was endless. I have been exposed to dogs and dog training since I was a child, so my own expectations for myself as a dog handler and for my sweet puppy were high, and I couldn't wait to get started on the training grounds.
And it went great with my sweet little puppy, who learned free-foot training, lots of tricks and all sorts of other skills. I also remember someone once mentioned that rowing training is also a really important part of a dog's training plan, but it was just like that part didn't really catch my attention, because god how boring it was to sit there and do, well, nothing?
But then it happened that the sweet little puppy became a teenager and a Tyrannosaurus Rex moved in, who had forgotten all about training and good manners. There was pulling on the leash, running to lampposts, leaves and bushes and whatever else was exciting, if you stood still and talked then Oswald could no longer sit nicely on his backside and if things got the slightest bit difficult, then you could always start doing tiger jumps and fooling around. Suddenly you felt completely lost as a first-time dog owner, and I was sure that we must have done it all wrong since our dear puppy was completely unrecognizable.
Maybe rowing training was a little more important than we had just realized, and maybe we had started in the wrong place and done it completely wrong?
Luckily, we were taken in by Rikke from RB Hundecentrum. She had a team that we just fit into: the trouble team. And although some might think it's a bit cheeky to call it the trouble team, that's exactly what it was. All the dogs on the team were between 1-3 years old and they all had one thing in common: they had forgotten all about good upbringing and had now become wild teenagers without much peace in either their bodies or minds.
The training took place outdoors on a large grassy field and it was one evening a week throughout the winter, where the focus was on QUIETNESS! Being able to sit still while greeting other people, being able to greet other dogs calmly, passing other dogs calmly, sitting still while things were thrown and being able to walk to and from the training area calmly. I don't think I'll ever forget how long it would take to get from the car to the training area - in fact, some days you barely made it there before you had to go home again.
We mixed the rowing training with some lovely Danish winter weather - so I think most people can imagine that it was a pretty cold and harsh session ;-) but slowly our troublemakers transformed into more sensible young dogs, and when spring announced its arrival, things were already looking brighter, although there was still a long way to go. It no longer took a whole training hour to get from the car to the site, and part of the training hour could also be done without a leash.
Fortunately, it also turned out that you hadn't ruined your little puppy or done everything wrong, you might have just forgotten an important part of the puppy's training.
And when the Tyrannosaurus Rex moved again around 1 1/2-2 years of age, all the good learning from puppyhood was still there - it was just temporarily out of commission ;-)
Today Oswald is 4.5 years old and it has become easier and easier to have a dog, but I often think back to that winter, and I have promised myself that when Oswald is going to be a big brother one day, I will also remember rowing training in the program. Because otherwise you just end up on the trouble team for another cold winter - and that is no fun! ;-)
About the blogger
Trine lives in Djursland with her husband Oliver, two old cats and the Labrador Oswald who is from 2020. On a daily basis, Trine works as a pedagogue and teacher at a local elementary school, where Oswald is a school/reading dog twice a week. In addition, they train tricks, dog dancing and rally, they have also just started sniffing out FCI rally. When Trine is not at work, her free time is spent with Oswald and the weekends are often filled with dog training and competitions.
Oswald is a big soft boy who loves everything and everyone - and preferably with all his 37 kg at once. He may be big on the outside, but he is sure that he was born to be a lap dog. He loves to sleep at the foot of the bed under Trine's blanket, and preferably on his back with all his paws in the air.
Oswald loves to go wherever the trip takes him, whether it's visiting family, a picnic, training or when he goes abroad on vacation.
If you want to follow their everyday life a little more, you can find them on Instagram under @oswaldthelabrador.