A Rock Solid Dog

04/08/2024

Lucy and Hugo - Wee Lucy has concerns/fears in and around people and Handsome Hugo has had a rough start in life. EVERYTHING IS EXCITING!

27/07/2024

Today was a P Day .......Posie and Pixie

03/07/2024

Meet Matisse the newest member of the Rock Solid family. Let just say Matisse sees the world as a very exciting playground

02/07/2024

Does your dog struggle with Triggers on a walk , in your house or even in a class setting?
Are you just holding the leash and hoping for the best as your dog does not even know you exist?
If yes, the there is a rehab program called Control Unleashed (CU) that may be of help for you and your dog. Through a series of games we will rebuild the focus and connection with your dog. There is no need for corrections or punitive methods. We build relationships built on trust
As Newfoundland's only certified instructor I may be able to help you, help your dog!
Have a look at this advanced CU video and reach out if you would like to start to learn the basics of Control Unleashed or if you would like more information

Does your dog struggle with triggers in their environment? (on walks , in class , in house) Does your dog struggle to have focus and connection with you in t...

09/06/2024

Teaching Drop is a dog that steals and guards items.
Have the dog on leash so that he can not run away and hide
Stop Chasing
Teach Drop
Reward AWAY from the guarded item (safety of all is important)
and of course reward if the dog does not try to steal the item
This is the end of a 10 minute session

Teaching the operant behavior of drop to a dog that steals and guards items

05/06/2024

Somehow you manage to escape to the outside during the constant rain and help owners with these 2 cuties

02/06/2024

I am very proud of this certification. Working under the careful eyes of Suzanne has taught me well. High five to me :)

So pleased to have Jennie Murphy as our newest Treat/Retreat Certified Instructor. Her outstanding work in this course set a high bar for thoughtful, aware and compassionate training. Brilliantly done, Jennie!

24/05/2024

3 different dogs with different functional needs. One is oh so shy and shuts down when presented with new people and environments. One guards his human and the other reacts to other dogs. I love the challenge of creating a plan or offering suggesting to my pet parents on how to work toward satisfyingly their dogs functional need

02/05/2024

BAT or Behavior Adjustment Training is a protocol for dogs who react to certain triggers in their environment. In this video the client was learning the basics of BAT with no triggers present (ideally) and her comments to me at the end of the walk sums up the beauty of a BAT walk for decompression. So even if we never add a trigger this dogs world has now been enriched

Often when our dogs have been rewarded well for attending to the owner due to obedience or using training games that promote focus( all very good skills to t...

28/04/2024

Does your dog struggle to enter his/her crate? Does she back away when asked ? Try this game where we reduce all pressure in entering and we work from a more choice based method. https://youtu.be/8_N4xH3XryU

28/04/2024

Spring certainly makes things busy!!! Some of A Rock Solid Dog canine friends

13/04/2024

Congrats to Eliz and Honey on completing A Rock Solid Dog 4 session one to one class where we teach you the Foundational Games of Control Unleashed. It will give you and your dog the skills to move forth in helping your dogs emotional response (barking /lunging/fear/reactive) to triggers in their environment. Thank you Eliz for all your hard work you put into this program . Click the video link to see some of the games we may play with your dog https://youtu.be/Z43EhWn9EZ8

28/03/2024

A Rock Solid Dog is honored to be mentoring dog trainer Janelle Binsfield for her certification to be a Control Unleashed Certified Trainer
There are over 25 videos (with different subsets) these mentees need to make.
I am one of several CCUI's that view and provide feedback.
The final stamp of approval is made by Leslie McDevitt -the founder of Control Unleashed
This fabulous video is the final part of teaching our dogs all about Voluntary Sharing - which is a great way to teach dogs that resource guard how to use their own behavior to give permission to share resources.
Hats off to Janelle for this awesome video and thank you Janelle for allowing me to show your skill. Well Done

A Rock Solid Dog is honored to be mentoring dog trainer Janelle Binsfield for her certification to be a Control Unleashed Certified TrainerThere are over 25 ...

16/03/2024

This is what Juno thought of her certificate. Thanks for training with A Rock Solid Dog Juno and make sure your owners keep practicing.

13/03/2024

https://www.facebook.com/seespotlearn/posts/809631541172873

07/03/2024

As yet another winter storm is approaching, we will unlikely be able to go out and walk the dog! This fun hunting game might just be the game to play. The dog in this video is an expert hunter/seeker/untying knot pro!!! You may have to start easier with your own dogs. Perhaps just rolling up the facecloth or towel and/or starting to hide in easy places (perhaps even letting the dog see where you hide) . If your dog likes to chase you might even toss the towel -tap into what your dog enjoys.

Inspired by this dogs owner , dog trainer Nancy Tucker, A Rock Solid Dog filmed Benni"s lunch prep and subsequent hunt for his lunch.

03/03/2024

The Power of Predictably/Structure/Commitment and Control Unleashed

Meet Poppy whose owner proactively and without punishing methods tried to help her dog remain calm and focused on walks. It became frustrating for both hum...

26/02/2024

Only 5 more days to financially help a young lady who was in a serious car crash. She was seriously injured , one dog passed and another survived . A Rock Solid Dog has donated an item up on tickets. Plus there are some other lovely dog related prizes from Nl and Atlantic Canada https://www.facebook.com/groups/355154107308242/search/?q=tricia%20lunn

21/02/2024

Poppy is excited to read his recent purchase of Control Unleashed .

19/02/2024

So many signals given by this dog. Totally unavoidable - thank goodness the dog showed some bite inhibition.

15/02/2024

This was not a lightbulb moment for the dogs understanding -she was 100 percent understanding our desired goal - i.e. the behavior to give in order to earn reinforcement
This was an OWNER lightbulb moment
Part of my job as a behavioral consultant is helping my clients understand the principles of learning
Have a watch to see how the lightbulb goes on in these wonderful pet owners heads!!!!!

This was not a lightbulb moment for the dogs understanding -she was 100 percent understanding our desired goal - i.e. the behavior to give in order to earn r...

11/02/2024

A GSD after my own heart

07/02/2024

HAND TOUCH FOR ERRORS
We all make errors with our dogs as much as we try to set up for errorless learning.

Some dogs are more resilient than others and will keep trying again and again

Other dogs are very sensitive to not receiving reward for what they thought was the correct response OR better stated for putting forth effort to our ask.

My dog Ben falls into the more sensitive side. I always aim to teach him tasks in small steps.(as one should for all dogs)

In this fun training set up my goal is for him to retrieve the item and place it in the basket. He has played this many times with different objects and understands his job.

He tries 3 x but the item is not placed successfully in the basket. I do not want more than 3 failures -if I get 3 failures I need to change something in my training plan - which you will see me do.

Each time he tries to place the item in the basket , in order to keep his motivation up I ask for a hand touch as a means to immediately have a way to reward him. It puts the dog back into a positive mindset and can minimize frustration for the dog and handler.

Whether your dog is resilient or sensitive, I highly recommend after 3 errors with an incorrect response to your request you change something in your plan to create success and the opportunity to reward your dog

We all make errors with our dogs as much as we try to set up for errorless learning. Some dogs are more resilient than others and will keep trying again and ...

04/02/2024

What a cutie of a puppy - have a look to see how he went from jumping uncontrollably to keeping four feet on the ground for several seconds

All behavior serves a function in a dogThis pup doesn't understand our silly human rulesIt is our job to show him in a kind ethical non punitive manner that ...

26/01/2024

A shout out to one of my in person clients. We are working on a variety of skills and one is the ability to leave the house via front or back door with sanity :) She is working very hard on this skill and is seeing the benefits of doing ones homework-

Is the back yard /front yard/out of the car/entering a training facility/seeing a person an exciting event for a dog , one in which he can focus/listen/respo...

02/12/2023

Yes we had this much fun. My clients smile says it all as she finished up 4 weeks of puppy fun with Gilbert. The beauty of privates is we can zero in on specfic goals and it is tailor made for you! Congrats Team Gilbert . ( and this was one of 10 tries to get a sensible picture )

27/11/2023

Congrats on your completion of a FOUNDATIONAL introduction to Control Unleashed . Helping your dog learn a better more socially appropriate way to have their needs met