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Health & Fitness

Dog Obedience Class on the Chelmsford Common is a Treat!

Despite the rain, more than a dozen owners and dogs had a positively good time at the first dog obedience class held at the Chelmsford Common. 

Dog trainer Beth Logan, led the class and addressed a variety of the problems, such as stopping dogs from jumping up on people, reducing barking, and teaching dogs to sit, stay, and come.

Logan teaches a positive reinforcement dog training method which uses praise and rewards to get the dog to perform and learn.  With owners saying “good dog” and giving their dog a treat, dogs quickly learned to repeat the desired behavior and learned their new "trick".    

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Along with a positive approach, she stressed the importance of consistency, timing and patience.  “Dogs can spend all day watching and studying their owners, and can quickly recognize cues before an owner even knows they have given one” said Logan.  Because of this, owners can unintentionally send conflicting messages to their dog.  “So as soon as your dog starts messing up, it’s important to step back and say – did I teach this dog that command yet?” added Logan.

The Dog Obedience classes on the Chelmsford Common are being held every Monday evening from 6:30pm-7:30pm in July-August.  The $5 per class fee will benefit the construction of the Chelmsford Dog Park.  Dog owners are encouraged to drop in for one or more classes, and to bring a standard leash and collar (no retractable leashes), poop bags, and treats for their dogs.

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If you have a particular issue that your dog is struggling with and you would like our help, please let us know in the comments below.

If you have any questions about the training classes, CDA, or Chelmsford Dog Park, please email GoodDog@ChelmsfordDogAssociation.org, visit our www.ChelmsfordDogAssociation.org, or leave your comments below. 

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