That’s kaapos hockey stick. His favorite thing in the world. He only gets it when we train or play. We haven’t busted it out in about a month. So when he saw it today his eyes about popped out of his head. That stick is his crack. You can notice a huge difference when we work when we use food, a ball, a tug or his hockey stick. A couple days of working with him and the stick and the sloppiness will fade away as he’ll focus more in order to chase and bite. Your dog has to have fun when they learn so instead of just throwing a ball back and forth give them simple commands and have them earn the ball throw. It’ll make a world of difference
I never go live but I think I’ll start doing it more often to show everyone every lesson isn’t perfect but with practice patience and consistency you’ll love the results
Kaapo
Quick training with Kaapo
Daycare
Waffles and ruger running around in the snow today.
Bang
This has to be one of my favorite things Kaapo knows. His freeze has improved so much! #dogtraining #rottweiler #playdead #bang #valentinesday #mybuddy
A client of mine teaching their dog pax to orbit around her! We had one lesson on this and they’re almost to just a verbal command! Great work!
Kaapo and I walking the back 18. Almost all cleared and it is bigger than I imagined. Can’t wait to start the next phase
Kaapo says he can run that course better!
Watch until the End!
🎥 Watch until the end!
After this morning’s pack walk, Kaapo and I got to work. This was our very first session learning how to shut the kennel door, and it’s all captured in a single, unedited 3-minute video.
In just 10 short sessions over the past week, Kaapo has already grasped the concept of opening and shutting his kennel door. This is less than an hour of work over the week.
While there’s still room to clean up his technique, this is incredible progress for such a short time!We’ll continue refining this stage until he truly understands it, but at this rate, it won’t be long before Kaapo is confidently running to the kennel and opening and shutting the door on his ownwithout instruction—
Training is about consistency, patience, and celebrating small wins. #DogTraining #PackWalk #RottweilerTraining #RottweilerLove #RottweilerPuppy #PositiveReinforcementTraining #ObedienceTraining #SmartDogs #CanineLearning
Tired but still putting in the work!
Even on days when energy is low, it’s important to stay consistent, especially when building drive and speed in training. Today, Kaapo and I worked on a fun exercise, and as always, we started by using his regular food to teach him the basics. Food rewards are great for helping dogs understand new concepts because they’re simple and accessible. Once a dog has a solid grasp of what’s being taught, I like to switch to something they’re really excited about—something that truly lights them up. For Kaapo, that’s his hockey stick, which is especially fitting since he’s named after a New York Rangers player!
In todays session, Kaapo was having a harder time focusing compared to previous sessions. The video is short but you can see it. This is because the reward I was using in our previous sessions wasn’t as high in value to him as his favorite stick. While this can sometimes feel frustrating for both of us, it’s actually an important part of the process.
Here’s why reward value matters:
• High-value rewards create motivation: When you pair the behavior you want with something your dog really loves, they start to work harder and faster to earn it. Over time, this builds drive and enthusiasm for the task.
• Low-value rewards build focus and patience: Starting with lower-value rewards helps your dog learn the basics without becoming too overexcited or distracted. It’s like a foundation—you build on it as they progress.
• Switching rewards can increase speed and engagement: By gradually introducing higher-value rewards, your dog learns that the faster they perform the behavior, the faster they get their favorite thing. For Kaapo, that means the sooner he opens the kennel and gets in, the sooner he gets to bite his hockey stick!
Short, consistent training sessions are key to success. With practice, Kaapo will connect the dots, and his drive and speed will continue to improve.
Training
Kennel reps
More reps sending Kaapo to open his kennel and go inside. Started working more distance. Tomorrow well start adding speed. Then all that’s left is having him shut the door. #goodboy #DogTrainingJourney #rottweiler #rainydays #dogsoffacebook #dogtraining #mybuddy #problemsolving
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