Hemlock K9 Training

Winston loves his mud puddles 😂

I love this boy so much! Theo doesn’t trust very many people, so to be included in that small circle makes me so happy 🥰 #dogtraining #dogtrainer #germanshepherd #gsd #trust #goodboy

Today we had two of our Reactivity Classes! It was the final class of the Part I Reactivity Class, and miss Gracie did wonderful! There were SO many dogs out this morning and she handled them like a champ! Louie and Cooper were our helpers (who are also working on reactivity) and I am so proud of how far they’ve come, it’s incredible. Then we had Part II of our reactivity class at the West Hartford Reservoir, and it seems like everyone was out on this beautiful day! Todays focus was on walking past other dogs - the hardest thing to do with a reactive dog! I am so impressed with how everyone did. It was a super busy day with lots going on, and everyone did amazing. I am so proud of all of these owners. I am so lucky to be able to work with such a dedicated group of people. Keep up the good work, and we’ll see you after the holidays! #dogtraining #dogtrainer #packwalk #reactivity #reactivitytraining #reactivedog #reactivedogtraining #reactivityclass #groupclass #soproud #elizabethpark

Jax went home yesterday! This big guy has come so far over the last 5 weeks, I am incredibly proud of him. Not only has he learned all the basic commands, but he’s no longer reactive to other dogs and has become the most well-mannered pup around the house and on walks, even with his baby human brother around! #dogtraining #dogtrainer #boardandtrain #boardandtrainprogram #graduate #graduationday #goodboy #certifiedgoodboy #pit #pitmix

Jax has a baby human brother at home, so teaching him how to be okay around all things baby is incredibly important. One of the best ways to teach your dog to be ok with young ones is to have them just coexist. Spend time in the same space, but not necessarily interacting (safety first!). A great way to do that is to go on walks together! #dogtraining #dogtrainer #boardandtrain #boardandtrainprogram #babybrother #bigbrother #dogandbaby #pit #pitmix

Today was our first Reactivity Part II class! Our focus today was teaching the dogs to settle around other dogs - and they did absolutely amazing! Zeke the Italian Spinone even took a nap 😂 #dogtraining #dogtrainer #groupclass #reactivity #reactivitytraining #reactivityclass #reactivedogs #elizabethpark #italianspinone #germanshepherd #mutt #shepherdmix #learningtorelax

Neutrality. Exposure. Socialization. These are all words you’ll hear a lot of dog trainers throw around, especially when you have a new puppy. Puppies have a critical time period (up to 16 weeks of age) where they need to be properly socialized and exposed to the world around them in order for them to become the most confident, stable dog they can be. Why do we harp on this so much? Because it will have a lasting impact on your dog for the rest of their life. Kaya here was imported from Europe when she was about a year old. Her breeder in Slovakia did an amazing job (in combination with great genetics) in properly exposing her to various situations and environments. As you can see, Kaya could absolutely care less about the vacuum. Seconds before I videoed this, she was monching on her candy corn toy without a care in the world. Then I started videoing and she wanted to know why I was interrupting her monch time 😂 But this is what proper socialization and good genetics gets you. A stable dog who is just neutral to the world around them. Not overly anxious or scared, not aggressive or reactive, not overly excited and hyper - just neutral. Content to just be there. #socialization #dogtraining #dogtrainer #exposure #distractions #vacuumtraining #couldcareless #neutral #gsd #germanshepherd

Off leash at Home Depot! Today was Murphy’s second time at Home Depot, and his second time doing off leash out in public. I am so proud of how far this little guy has come 💚 #dogtraining #dogtrainer #homedepot #minigoldendoodle #minigoldendoodlesofinstagram #ecollartraining #ecollar #ecollartechnologies #recall #placecommand #offleash #offleashlife

Ringing the doorbell Like many dogs, Murphy and his brother Wesley love to bark and run to the door when they hear the doorbell ring. It usually includes jumping all over whoever comes through the door as well. One of Murphy’s owners’ main goals was for their pups to learn some manners when that doorbell rings. So today we practiced! Personally, I love “place” for things like the doorbell and guests coming over. It gives your dog a designated spot to go to where they can’t be barking and jumping all over people, giving you the ability to open the door and greet your guests (without worrying about a dog slipping through your feet out the door either!). Murphy has been conditioning to the ecollar for about a week now, so today we decided to add it to the place command. Whenever he hears that doorbell ring, I want Murphy to run to his place instead of the door - and stay there until I tell him otherwise. The sound you hear in the video corresponds with when I’m using low levels of stimulation on the ecollar. The ecollar “pressure” turns off whenever Murphy commits to going back to his place. If he breaks the command, or deviates at all in his path there, the pressure comes back on. When he starts to fix it, the pressure comes off - and then he gets rewarded! This was towards the end of our session this morning, but Murphy is making great progress! Now to teach his brother Wesley the same manners! #dogtraining #dogtrainer #doorbell #doorbellmanners #nobarking #placecommand #ecollartraining #ecollarconditioning #minigoldendoodle #minigoldendoodlesofinstagram

Using play to conquer fears. Murphy here is terrified of going into the car. He doesn’t get carsick but he drools like you’ve never seen before. He won’t even go near the car if he thinks we’re going to get it in. Even for food, he will refuse to come. So usually it’s using leash pressure to get him near the car, and then picking him up and putting him in it. Now I don’t know about you people, but I’m too old to be picking dogs up 😂 No, really I just wanted to help Murphy overcome that fear and stress of car rides. And Murphy LOVES his stuffing-free Fox toy (which only comes out when we’re actively playing with him, so he wants it even more!), so we used play to get him more comfortable with getting in and out of the car. And I’d say it worked! #play #playintraining #dogtraining #dogtrainer #overcomingfears #strongerthanever #confidencebuilding #minigoldendoodle #minigoldendoodlesofinstagram

I cannot tell you how happy this little clip makes me. It may seem like nothing, but today was a huge milestone for Bella. Not only did she not try and go after me or the leash once, but she also didn’t redirect onto leaves or sticks. And biggest of all - she finally is gaining the confidence to go and explore (while still checking in with me)! Because Bella hasn’t been able to go anywhere, the outside world was too overwhelming for her - so she’d stick to my/her owner’s side like glue, never having the confidence to be independent. Today was honestly beautiful. It was the first time I’ve seen Bella carefree and happy instead of stressed and frantic. She got to explore and run free and it made me so happy to see 💚 We still have a ways to go, but the huge improvements this dog has made in only 2 weeks are just awesome. Keep it up Bells! #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #dogtraining #dogtrainer #calmmind #runfree #freedom #sohappy #recall #reservoir

Murphy working on his engagement and commands around distractions! This is a short clip of part of our training session this afternoon, and I have to say, Murphy did so much better today checking in with me even with distractions around. We also worked on holding commands as people, dogs, joggers and strollers went by. “People watching” as I call it 😂 is a great way to introduce your dog to different environments and distractions! Murphy also started conditioning to the ecollar today! Now that he has a solid understanding of leash pressure, the basic commands, and his “yes”, “good” and “free” markers, he’s ready to take his communication with me to the next step. I can’t wait to see what this little man can do! 💚 #dogtraining #dogtrainer #minigoldendoodle #minigoldendoodlesofinstagram #peoplewatching #distractions #engagement #focus #hemlockk9 #daytrain