✨ Socialization ✨
When people think of socializing their dog most people think playtime with other dogs. To me, proper and meaningful socialization isn’t found at the dog park or play dates with puppy pals. Good socialization means exposing your pup to other dogs safely and productively through training. The goal is to teach him how to feel and behave in the presence of other dogs.
I waited to introduce him to Pompeii because I wanted to have a solid relationship with Zeke before putting him face to face with another dog.
Establishing reliable behaviors, like recall or name recognition, before meeting other dogs helps me control his impulses and keep him calm. I don’t want him learning that he can ignore me when he sees another dog. I don’t want him to think that as soon as he sees another dog he’s allowed to start pulling, jumping around, or getting excited. While all these look innocent enough when he’s a 5 month old puppy, they can translate to problematic behaviors once he’s older (and heavier). If not checked, the cute puppy behaviors grow into lunging at people or other dogs, leash pulling, barking/reactive behaviors as an adult.
As a 5 month old pup he’s learning how he feels about other dogs. Are all dogs fun or scary? Do I need to worry about other dogs or can I relax when I see another dog? Should I react or ignore? I want his interactions with other dogs to not only be productive but positive.
Of course we can let puppies play and rough house because it’s natural & fun for puppies to play but I want him to learn how to behave when other dogs are present. His most productive & rewarding playtime should be coming from me, not other dogs. His early experiences with other dogs should be as positive, if not neutral, as possible. This is the foundation of good manners so when he grows to be 80-90 lbs his owners won’t have to struggle to control him around other animals & people.
Leash walking manners. It’s just a thing of beauty. 😍
Changing the training environment on day 5. Regardless of the area, I want him to understand the rules of the game stay the same. Working on a little duration, impulse control and incorporating a little play in the session today.
Changing the training environment on day 5. Regardless of the area, I want him to understand the rules of the game stay the same. Working on a little duration, impulse control and incorporating a little play in the session today.
Teaching the “heel” Zeke has been doing great with the luring (following my hands) so today I’m introducing the “heel” position.
Teaching the “heel”
Zeke has been doing great with the luring (following my hands) so today I’m introducing the “heel” position. We start with the simple task of getting comfortable with the movement. It can be very odd for a lot of dogs to make a U-turn movement so I want him to feel comfortable with it. He did an amazing job for his first heeling session! He’s such a smart pup 🌟🌟🌟
Introducing the down today
Introducing the down today & practicing more recall. Mila makes a cameo and helps with distractions 😂
Training. It’s what’s for breakfast 🍳🥓🥞
Training. It’s what’s for breakfast 🍳🥓🥞
Meet Lucy! She’s staying with us for 2 weeks to learn some basic obedience while her parents get hitched! 💍💖
Today’s session with little Nellie focused on differentiating the differences between duration & terminal markers. She’s such a fun, bright pup! ❤️ P.S. who noticed the baby bump starting to show? 😜🤰🏻
Today’s session with little Nellie focused on differentiating the differences between duration & terminal markers. She’s such a fun, bright pup! ❤️
P.S.
who noticed the baby bump starting to show? 😜🤰🏻
LONG but totally worth the watch!
LONG but totally worth the watch!
Meet Bruin. A 1.5 yr old Pom who had some serious anxiety & reactivity challenges. He was the quintessential, yappy small breed who would bark at anything. I mean ANYTHING. Noises, smells in the grass, people, dogs, even when his owner would leave the room, just to name a few. Taking him to public places, like the mall or cafes/restaurant, were out of the question. His owners didn’t know what to do or how to help him so they enrolled him in weekly training sessions.
After months of hard work and dedication from his owners, following strict recommendations, training exercises, & staying committed to the goals, we started seeing a transformation in him. The journey had its ups & downs. Even a minor set back or two. But they were determined & did an amazing job keeping him on track.
Recently, he attended his first board & train with me where I was able to give him the consistent & continuous training he needed to REALLY dig into the most difficult challenges.
I’m SO proud to say he’s made such amazing progress during his stay! He’s a whole new dog. He’s more focused, relaxed on walks, calmed down to noises in the house, & so much more.
His mom & dad are now able to take him to public places (cafes & restaurants) without fear of an embarrassing outburst. He can just lay under the table, relax, & be a part of the family. He’s able to observe people & other dogs pass by without reacting.
It’s truly an amazing thing to witness his growth & progress over the last few months. I’m also SUPER proud of his owners for staying committed to the training! They remained patient and confident that I would guide them in the right direction. I’m so thankful that they trusted the process & my abilities as a trainer. 🙏🏼
If humans acted like dogs
😂 😂😂
A peanut name Penny
This little chunk of cuteness is learning a little recall and practicing her “Sit.” Someone please remind me I don’t need another puppy esp since I have another baby on the way 😂😍 #ILoveHer #ILoveMyJob #Frenchies
His energy gives me life! 😂 Kobe is a ball of hyper-active fun! Working on some recall today adding distractions and distance with a long line. If only all the dogs I worked with could give me this much energy & enthusiasm all the time! 😂
Meet Pompeii! We’re starting his training off at 8 weeks old. Today’s lesson included introduction to leash pressure and luring. We want to make sure he understands the leash pressure is a positive thing so he’s more willing and enthusiastic about following on leash rather than being pulled or forced to follow. He’s already shaping up to be a great student! 🤩💙
Watch Kobi’s leash walking tranformation! 🤩
Karlie & Kobi: This mama has a spirited (6 yr old) lab who loved to lead the evening walks. Despite his lively personality it didn’t make for a very peaceful walk for the family. They wanted him calm and collected so they could enjoy the family stroll through the neighborhood. With a little bit of direction and making use of his high drive for food reward, we were able to get him to relax and enjoy the ride. This is just the beginning of his transformation but he’s made a HUGE step towards success! 🏆🌟Karlie Barge
Pompeii trying to reach his daily step count goals 😂
Pompeii trying to reach his daily step count goals 😂
Loading the marker
Meet Dante! One of Marinai’s very own...Sigonella Stray. He was something like 3 or 4 mo when we started training together? Hollie 😋 look how small he was!!! 😍
We started his training with loading the marker and laying the foundation work for engagement. The lesson today was simple: Make eye contact. Get paid.
YouTube Lessons
I got lazy so I decided to let Pompeii learn something from YouTube instead 😂
Desensitization to the Doorbell
About 3 months in, Pompeii started developing a bad habit of reactivity to the doorbell. He was turning into the stereotypical yappy small dog! 😓 We had to stop it IMMEDIATELY before it got worse.
The initial part of the training was so frustrating that I didn’t even want to record or watch what I felt like I was failing at. I still continued the exercises despite the feeling of not getting anywhere though. As we repeated the process of desensitizing him I noticed he was actually making progress! I’m glad I was able to capture SOME of his before behaviors though. After seeing him progress at the door, I recorded the doorbell sound and started playing it at random times of the day, in random areas of the house repeating the marker training. It. Was. Tedious. 😂 But anything you commit to makes it was worth it!
Some people ask how long it’ll take for the process to work or get frustrated & give up because they don’t see progress. Trust me I lose patience too! 😂 but stick to it. Make it a priority and find time to practice! I did a lot of these reps while my daughter sat and ate her lunch or played with her friends in the front yard. There’s time. You just have to find it and take keep trying. 😊
Restrained Recall
Please excuse our make shift obstacle course 😂 but when you want to train you make it happen! 👍🏼
Working on the restrained recall with Pompeii. Chris held him back while I gave the recall command “Ditto” (“here” in Tagalog). Once Chris felt Pompeii was fighting hard enough to get to me he released him and I marked for Pompeii’s decision to come to me. We eventually added the barriers & changed the angle of which he was facing to challenge him and simulate real world scenarios. Barriers and not having a clear line of sight to me increase the stress on him to get to me and forces him to figure out a way around/through them if he wants what I have badly enough. In this case, he’s incredibly food motivated due to the foundation work we laid down from day one. 💪🏼
