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SCHOOL DAYS FOR DOGS 'FIDOS AFTER 5': Thursday, Sept. 11, 5-9 p.m., Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond. The Richmond SPCA hosts owners and their leashed pets to stroll the gardens and enjoy wine-tasting, music, dining and shopping; 804/262-9887, lewisginter.org.

September 6, 2008 12:20 am

YOU MEET the nicest dogs at obedience school. Tiny pups step carefully into the training room with wide eyes that say: " Teach me! My curious brain is an unwritten book." Adolescent dogs stride in, comporting themselves with the confidence and brashness that only teenagers can demonstrate. Body language declares: " How strong I am! Have you seen anyone who can pull on a leash like I can? Let me show you other dogs how to take charge of your human!"

Miss Vivian Goldman arrived at class with "Honor Roll Student" shining from her watchful expression and in her "eyes-on-mother" stance. Vivian is a blue roan English cocker spaniel bred by Winfree English Cockers (winfreeenglishcockers.com) in Gloucester. Her trainer-mother, Reta Goldman of Stafford County, held Vivian on a short, loose leash, looking down with proud smiles and pats on Vivian's attentive head.

An obedience teacher immediately feels the "we-are-a-team" glow of a canine-human pair who work together with the grace and concentration of soul mates. The very best days at dog class happen when a teacher looks into the face of a new dog and thinks, "This one has something to teach me."

ASKING VIVIAN

Question: Many dogs as calm as you would not come to obedience class. Why did you sign up for school?

Vivian: My parents wanted me to have a foundation of good dog skills: watch mom, sit-stay, down-stay, walk on a loose leash, don't jump on humans, wait for commands when in unfamiliar surroundings and pay attention to the adult humans all the time.

The humans need watching. That has been clear to me since I was a puppy. Mom wanted me to learn to obey hand signals. I was born deaf. Since I cannot hear mom's instructions, I need to watch her to learn to read human body language. My mom says that I learn as quickly as any hearing dog. I am less distractible than many dogs who can hear! She quips, "Vivian's deaf, not daft!" (Read about living with deaf dogs: deafdogs.org, deafdogs .com and the book "Living With a Deaf Dog" by Susan Cope-Becker.) My dad, Dr. Jan Goldman, is a professor at Georgetown University, so he is very supportive of my dog education goals.

Question: What did you like most about school?

Vivian: I know I should say "learning," but my mom and dad treasure honesty and standing up for the truth, so I must admit I like the food.

Question: Could you expound on the use of food in dog learning?

Vivian: There are many levels of praise and use for offering a dog student something irresistible to eat. Food rewards help me pay attention, especially when I am trying to master new obedience behaviors. A delicious piece of chicken landing in my mouth the moment I do something right tells me that I should do that again!

The smaller the bite of food given for performing a task perfectly, the higher the probability I will keep working hard. I will work longer for 20 delicious morsels than for one big hunk of food.

Question: Favorite training foods?

Vivian: Salmon bits, dehydrated liver bits, cheese, pieces of roast beef and chicken. I have taught my human parents that while they may be vegetarians, I work best for real meat. The juicier, the smellier, the better!

To teach me to walk on a loose leash, mom smeared peanut butter on a long wooden spoon. She held this aromatic lure right in front of my nose. With my leash loose, she lured me up and down the kitchen. What a fun way to learn heel position! Lick. Step. Lick. Watch mom's left leg.

Mother knew when to give me a food reward and when to begin teaching me that I did not have to be fed every time I was asked to perform my obedience tasks. Dogs learn best from five- to 10-minute training sessions, several times during the day--longer than that, I do get really bored.

The downside to all this "you get a small food reward every time you perform a good dog task" is that my parents cut back on the amount of breakfast and dinner that I eat. I am not allowed to have more calories when I am in training than I enjoyed before I became an obedience student. My parents do not share their snacks or food off their dinner plates with me. A dog learns as she lives. I must live with manners all the time, not just when I go to school.

Question: What was your favorite lesson at dog school?

Vivian: I liked learning to "go to my place." My "place" is a Gallaudet University towel. My mom laid the towel on the floor in the kitchen.

I realized that every time I lie down on that towel and look at my mom or dad, I get a treat! Now my corgi sister, Yoda, and my Lab brother, Clue, rush to lie on my towel, too! They should have their own towels.

Question: What makes your mom a good dog trainer?

Vivian: Mom never bores me. She gives me her full attention. She builds, little by little, on a behavior she has already taught me. When I can stay in my "down-stay" for 30 seconds, then we work up to 40 seconds and slowly increase stay time from there. Sometimes we have to back up and return to an easier task when my mom realizes she is going too fast! Being trained takes time and patience, and your human must want to train a dog.

Mom and I work every day--several times a day--it makes us a real team. No talking on her cell phone--she saves that for later. We go on walks. I watch mom because she is the most important person in my life. She gives me her undivided attention because I am so important to her. We're glad back-to-school time has come. Have leash, have chicken. Higher education, here we come.

Sarah A. Ferrell of Spotsylvania County, author of "Devoted to Dogs: How to Be Your Dog's Best Owner" (available through abrohamneal.com or amazon.com), runs Dog Manners and Obedience. E-mail her in care of
Email: gwoolf@freelancestar.com.