GRADUATES! Say hello to the final classes of 2024 - such a gorgeous bunch! The Pre-Teens class on Saturday recapped on all the key outtakes from the last 4 weeks including trying out some long line walking skills for a bit more freedom and fun on walks! On Sunday the Advanced Pups Masterclass headed to the @hawkesbayfarmersmarket for their final challenge in a busy, high-distraction location. There was also a Dog Breed Show next door as well so plenty of potential challenges but they all did so well! Looking forward to a bit of a break over the holidays then back into classes again in 2025! #proactivecaninetraining
YODI! We’ve had a week of fun adventures with my two dogs helping him with some training goals. He really loves them both! We met tonnes of new dogs and people, visited Birdwoods Gallery which was really busy and even ended up in a classic car meet which would have been really scary for Yodi awhile ago, but he was amazing! We practiced his tricks (especially skateboarding!), did lots of recall practice and despite the fact that he used to be scared of wheels, he took it upon himself to jump into Storm’s wagon for a photo 😂🥹 Such awesome progress and so much fun with this handsome wee guy! #proactivecaninetraining
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS! We had a huuuuuuge weekend of gorgeous dogs with the Pre-Teens Class Graduation and two all-ages Winter Dogs Workshops! The rain forced us indoors for the Pre-Teens Class which meant a brand-new location at the Hastings RDA. They all did so well with the new environment and had a lot of fun wrapping up the key learnings from the last few weeks. Today the sun was shining thank goodness and we had two groups of awesome dogs for our Winter Dogs Workshops. From introducing the fundamentals of dog body language and how dogs learn to obedience, nosework and some fun agility training, it was a big day for every dog and their family. They all looked so happy and ready for a big Sunday snooze by the end of it. Love all those happy faces! #proactivecaninetraining
CLASS PUPS! Would you believe we had to postpone yet another week of Saturday classes but our Advanced Pups Masterclasses on Sunday were able to go ahead! We met at Napier Sailing Club for a fun session building on what we learned about body language and set-ups to help our dogs remain happy, calm and responsive in a busy new environment. We also tackled the ‘Floating Dock Challenge’ and our first group had a next-level addition with a large boat and buoys near a steep ramp. As always the objective wasn’t to force them to do it but read when they needed a break and support them to calmly move away so it’s not a scary experience - just building up their confidence in small, easy steps! It’s such a diverse group and so many awesome personalities which makes for a lovely learning opportunity for the dogs and humans alike! Look forward to seeing them all for Graduation this Sunday! 🧑🏽🎓🐕❤️ #proactivecaninetraining
JUDGE! This gorgeous boy is a 1 year old GSD who’s having some fairly typical teenage problems but it was awesome to see him respond to the training and games yesterday. His happy face was the best! He loooved the Flirt Pole, he was amazing at ‘Find It’ (possibly the best first time searcher I have seen!), he was awesome with the fun recall games and then after all of that, he was the best boy for some leash walking practice - so impressed! He is a big, strong, young boy with lots of energy but he is also very smart and loves his family. I think he will make so much progress with what we covered yesterday! I will hopefully see him in my next teenage classes - can’t wait! #proactivecaninetraining
WESLEY & POPPY! Enjoy a small insight into the chaos of trying to photograph 2 Dachshund puppies 😂🫣 They are 3 and 4 months old, sharing their home with an 8 year old Foxy X, 2 cats, 3 kids plus Mum and Dad. The big goal for today’s session was definitely reducing the chaos potential! We covered a huge variety of topics from teething to body language, what to know about raising two puppies of similar age, socialisation, genetics, development and more - phewf! They both loved the enrichment toys and they were great at the focus games. We even managed to sneak in a ‘Chin Rest’ as an alternative way for them to ask for attention versus jumping up, biting or barking. It was a big session but they did so well and to see them offering sits with a bit of duration for these pics was very impressive. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to hear how they progress! #proactivepuppytraining
CLASS PUPS! After a wet week and a full moon we had a lot of crazy energy to burn off on the weekend! Luckily it was ‘Safety Week’ for the Pre-Teens class on Saturday which meant lots of fun recall games and toy play to work on things like ‘Drop It’ and ‘Leave It’. On Sunday the Advanced Pups Masterclass headed to Cornwall Park to test focus around a huge number of distractions including vehicles, people, cyclists, other dogs, ducks, food, the playground and excited kids! They all did so well and I was really impressed at the choices people were making to help their dogs or re-focus them when things got a bit exciting or overwhelming. We’ll be taking a break for the long weekend but back for Graduation the weekend after! #proactivecaninetraining
