Slow And Hurry! Self Control

In our classes we like to teach a "slow" and a "hurry" cue. It is great for a change of pace on a walk, teaches good self control, our theray dogs have used it and i use it when hiking! In the first pic I have given Joey and Glacier the slow cue. Joey is on my right side, a little behind my knee and Glacier is on the left. This hill was very slick going down, it is full of limestone and there were no trees to help us down. One good pull and i would have fallen. Both dogs did great all the way down kept good pace with me. In the other picture we are climbing a pretty steep hill. Our hurry cue is given and a nice pull helps momentum up the hill! Teach your cues and have a good play!

4 Bassets and a Journey!

We took the bassets out for a play day. It is always fun with the hounds! We worked on Loose leash walking! Here is the tip, always deliver the treat in the same spot and keep your distractions low! We also worked on just a chase game and once we stopped everyone got treats! I lost Millie though to flying grasshoppers! LOL! In the last picture we worked on stay! We practiced everything in a play and game fashion with meatballs as the reward! Your training sessions don't always have t be formal...a good mix of formal training and play is a good balance!

Loose Leash Walking!

Stay! One of these dogs is not like the others! Good stay sweet journey!

A game of chase and focus! We lost Millie through to flying grasshoppers! Too high of a distraction!

The Perfect Shot!

I am pretty excited about this picture! Seems like a simple enough shot but what I am really happy about is our Joey (red coonhound in the middle)! He has really come around in the last year in his focusing, self control and relaxation out on the trail. It was just a couple of years ago when we took him to a new area to hike he would need one melatonin to help him relax and even with that it was still a bit of a struggle. I would not of even thought about setting him up in this pic and dropping his leash a year ago. For those of you with high energy dogs that have trouble focusing, I want you to know that Joey will be 5 years old in November, it has been a long road of training but we are reaping the benefits now! Good boy Joey, Good boy

Hydrophobic Dingo!

We hiked Limestone Ridge Trail and our dingo will do anything she can to stay out of the water. We had this stream crossing today and she leaped instead of wading through! What a great girl!

Congratulations to Finny and Karen Baker! Finny is in our Puppy 2 class and has earned Leg one rally novice with a 94. Proud of Finny, accomplished this on his 6 month birthday!

Canine Game Night 2014!

We had a great time with our game night this year. Everyone played many games, ate many snacks, received great prizes and tested their skills! It was hard to declare a winner at times! Thanks for coming out and looking forward to our next one!

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What happens in puppy class stays in puppy class?

LOL! Nope, we had a great time in class today and as you know we also have Petunia in our class! Today little PJ and Petunia became great friends! PJ let her lick her face and nibble her ears!

This Says It All For Rescue Dogs!

Puppy class with Petunia, Our First Little Pig!

All the puppies did great in class today! It was their first day and they got to meet Petunia! The pups did great and Petunia liked the Pups! Everyone began learning their name, eye contact and so much more! Petunias fvorite was touch and recall!

Petunia! She is only 7 pounds!

So Cute!

Petunia loved all the pups and this one was really curious and nice to her!

The Counter Surfing Professionals!

Yep that would be a basset bottom during an episode of counter surfing! Those little, short, crooked legs don't stop them from doing anything! LOL!

A Nice Hike!

Took our group on a 4 mile hike and got many good pix last Thursday but I think these were my favorite! Banjo walked really nicely on the trail today. Used good self control but still had some problems relaxing. Overall he did good though. Glacier and Dixie actually found this turtle but he licked it and then walked away! Dixie also licked it and then recalled really nicely off of it. The second photo of Ferdi (our foster in training)because it looks like he is smiling and that is how he acted the entire 4 miles! he looked, sniffed and took in everything! We loved watching him! He was so tired tonight he really got grumpy, just could not settle. Reminded me of a small child in overload. We finally had to put him in his crate and cover it with a blanket. He was asleep in all of one minute!

Lets talk about reinforcers!

A reinforcer can be anything that your dog enjoys but also motivates him to perform and repeat a behavior! The key here is he enjoys it so no negatives. Most people use food however Atlas is a good example of a dog that enjoys a little bit of food but he will not continue to work for food in an entire session. He does like the game of tug, like to scent and he loves to fetch sticks! We use all of these in one session.So as we want to bring value to something like a bike rider, as he looks at the rider from a distance he is comfortable with we deliver a treat, he may play a game of tug, he may get to sniff a tree or he gets a stick tossed for him for a game of fetch. What is the trigger for one or all of these enjoyable things...a bike rider! After a while the bike rider becomes valuable to him instead of something that would make him uncomfortable. He will now look at the rider and then look at us for the reinforcer. I teach this game to many clients whose dogs get worried with things like skaters, joggers, strollers.... Remember always train respectfully and your dog will learn and bond with you at the same time!

This is how its done!

This is how you teach a senior Dane with bad knees and hips to stay out of the kitchen (he can't sit)... You give him his own chair to sit in!!! This is his version of mat training! Hats off to Cosmos's family for making adjustments for him to help him be successful! Love our clients!

"I don't give my dog treats. He works for praise". Science proves time and again, praise alone has little value unless paired with a primary reinforcer - such as food.

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Click the picture to learn more!

This is a great article that spells it out if you have a dog with "issues" Our clients with these dogs can relate here. My job is to teach you, keep you on track and continue to move you forward! Those that have accomplished their goals see how valuable it is! 

Click the picture to learn more!

Always a good reminder!

Understand how animals cope with triggers. Great reminder when walking with your dog if the dog is reactive to other dogs, people, bikes, squirrels...Thanks Doggie Drawings!

More Pet Savers Certified!

We had our second workshop of Pet CPR and First Aid Class this past Saturday! It was another great class and always amazed at how much information we learn! Glacier and Dixie were our helpers today! They always surprise me at how much they want to be a part of the class. They got so used to helping that anytime they saw people on the florr they came over to lay down, especially Dixie! They sure did not mind all this strange attention today! Haha!

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