Jackpot Animal Training LLC

04/03/2025

Pet of the month for March is Ninja!!!!!

There was no debate. These guys came into the program and hit the ground RUNNING!!!!
Ninja and his handler have been squashing goals like crazy. Ninja came to us with some severe behavior issues and had been through multiple trainers. With the right guidance he's doing fantastic!!! Huge shout out to his handler! It's very clear that they are putting in the work and staying consistent. Kicker? His handler is a teenager!!! This young man is making us so very proud!!!! He and Ninja have such a bonded relationship now. Testiment that if you follow the program you WILL see results.
We are so incredibly proud of them.
Next time we see them they will get their prize.
Congratulations!!!!

03/23/2025

This week we had a consultation that just made us cringe.
This poor dog!
She's been through multiple balance trainers and the family picked up tips from certain " celebrity trainers."
They were utilizing the prong collar, alpha rolls, choking, and "leash corrections."
This consultation was being handled by the cheese lady since it's a "severe aggressive case."
The cheese lady, after taking notes and listening to the family asked everyone to leave the room. The family was able to watch her on camera.
Chris immediately took off all the gear except for the muzzle at first. She used treats to gain some trust. Within 20 minutes she had this "severally aggressive dog" laying calmly in her lap.
This dog isn't aggressive. She's unconfident and fearful. She needs support, not pain. It's clear that she was giving warning signs to the family and it was not only falling on "deaf ears" so to speak but being returned with pain and more fear.
We don't mention who you shouldn't follow, because we don't want to help their algorithms.
We will share who you SHOULD follow.
At this point this particular animal is considered a rehabilitation case. They have a long road to trust their family again. Will the family be invested? We don't know yet. We gave our recommendation and what we offer. Hopefully we get the chance to work with her. The cheese lady even offered a discount price just because she wants to help this poor dog so much.
Multiple options were given to the family and we gave our best recommendations.

03/21/2025

In the past couple months we've had a client that has puzzled us. We did ultimately figure it out. It's really important for clients to inform us of everything going on. Nothing is too small. We could have addressed this months ago should we have known. When we do a consultation and during training. Tell us EVERYTHING!!! WHAT are you doing, what's the animal doing. what does the behavior look like? When, where , how often? I literally could have addressed this months ago if I had known one piece of information that wasn't given to me until months later. Once they told me about it... FFS. HERE'S the problem. 🐾💡📝👀

03/16/2025

In the training realm there is a saying,...
Train the animal in front of you.
Just like with everyone, not one thing works for everyone. What works for one dog doesn't necessarily work for all. Any trainer you are working with should understand this.
Yes, we are using very proven methods.
Yes, have we had to tell a client, let me do some research.

Any trainer who has "all the answers" can be concerning.
At Jackpot we come across a lot of special circumstances. We don't pretend to know exactly how to handle each one right away. However, we have a very large education community who we often bounce ideas off of!
Each animal is an individual. What works for one, doesn't work for all of them. Just like with children.
We can promise to work on finding the best solution for the animals and their family!

03/06/2025

Today while working with a client the conversation of "alpha rolling" and "alpha dog" (which we ABSOLUTELY don't use) came up. So we wanted to use this opportunity to do some education.
If you are interviewing or working with a trainer and the world alpha comes out of their mouth? That is a HUGE red flag and you should probably run before they cause lasting trauma to your animals.
The theory of the alpha dog or dominant animal is a grossly outdated concept that was invented and later debunked by the creator David mech. He came out publicly long ago and debunked his own theory. ANY trainer that does continuing education will never use that terminology or methods. It's crazy outdated and in most countries considered abuse.
That's like treating a nonverbal child the same way they did in the 50's. Straight ignorant abuse.

PLEASE, while you are looking for a trainer ask many questions. Any trainer that uses that terminology should not be considered. Any trainer who isn't willing to sit down and answer any questions you have shouldn't be considered. Any trainer that isn't willing to demonstrate their methods, learn your family dynamics, and share their training history... Shouldn't be considered.
There are a lot of different types of trainers with a multitude of educational backgrounds.
Just because they have a bunch of letters behind their name, doesn't mean they have your animals best interest at heart.

02/21/2025

Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region

Multiple cases of Strep Zoo at the Colorado Springs animal shelter. They have a robust plan in place to ensure that they contain this bacterium that impacts dogs.

In many cases, dogs pass away from this infection, however, they have not experienced this.

Streptococcus Equi Subsp Zooepidemicus, also known as Strep Zoo, is a bacterium that is commonly found in horses, cattle, and pigs and rarely causes disease in these animals. Because it is zoonotic, it can be transmitted between animal species and (rarely) humans. When it affects dogs, it is highly contagious and can cause severe respiratory disease. It is a relatively new pathogen present in animal shelters and there are still many things they do not know about this bacterium.

Strep zoo is transmitted primarily by direct contact, contact with contaminated fomites and by inhalation. It can also be spread during the sanitation process and survives in wet environments.

This bacterium is effectively killed by deep cleaning, scrubbing, and power washing surfaces.

02/18/2025

Seriously good boy!!!

Dakota got to come out today and show off his skills. He's been working hard on his job and multiple other things. Dakota is our working dog in training. He's our peer dog, assistant, demo dog, and working on service tasks.
After he helped me work on a reactive case I took him out to work on his stuff. He went to big R, office Depot, pet smart, the eye glasses place,.... And Walmart!!! He was virtually perfect the entire time. At Walmart there was a little Yorkie looking dog in a cart. 🙄 We are not fans of people who take dogs into places they shouldn't be, let alone put them in a cart where people put their food. 🤮 The little dog saw Dakota and lost it's mind. What did Dakota do?
He quietly sat down and looked at me (the cheese lady)for direction. Not once did he make a peep. I told him to wait. We let them pass, then I told him to "let's go" and we started to walk another direction.
A couple people clapped and one guy yelled out "great service dog! She did perfect."
People often mistake that Dakota is a girl when he pulls off pink so well, Our business color, And that's ok! I don't correct them. I just give them a smile and concentrate on my dog. Dakota's vest is clearly marked "working dog in training. Ask to pet. " Today I gotta say EVERYONE respected that. I even gave props to a dad with a toddler. The toddler said oooh doggy!
Dad quickly grabbed her hand and said no touchy. That dog is working.
Good for him!!! Children should be taught early that you never approach a strange dog. Just like you never talk to strangers. 😉

Dakota did amazing today. The main tasks we worked on...
Walking loose leash heel.
Ignoring people and animals around us while working.
Right, left, around, wait.
Staying focused around a lot of moving distractions.
Down and stay while talking to strangers (cashier's, random people, employees.)
Staying on all fours unless otherwise asked. (Big R let's him put paws on the counter to get a cookie if he's been a good boy.)
Staying down and calm when strangers ask to pet him.

Would you like to see your pet do amazing things too?
Just give us a call!!!

01/31/2025

We are so proud of Boomer!!!
He's January's pet of the month.
He's been diligent about keeping appointments, doing his homework, and squashing those goals!!!
Here Boomer is practicing his doggy yoga on a snowy day.
That's right! Not only do we work on behavior issues but we do fun things too!!!
Tricks, enrichment, agility, and YOGA!!!
COME HAVE FUN WITH US!!!!

01/16/2025

Here in Colorado springs we are approaching some very cold temperatures this weekend. Like crazy, stupid cold. Let's keep our pets safe. Outside time should happen more often but much shorter. Basically they potty and come back in. Frost bite can happen quickly. Make sure they have access to water and a warm area.
Do NOT put blankets in dog houses! They will freeze. Straw only.
Provide enrichment activities for them in the house to avoid boredom that can lead to destruction. Lick mats, puzzle boxes, stuffed kongs are some good ones.
This is a great time to practice basic training cues! Even if your animal is advanced! Going back to basics are fun for them and reinforces those skills. Come warmer weather? Your animals will be better at those basic skills like: recall, heal, wait, leave it, sit, down, off,.. we could go on.
While you're curled up with a movie on a bitter cold day, practice your table manners! Those that have been in our program know what we mean by that.
For those of you with huskies, or breeds alike ,malamute, Pyrenees.... Like the cheese lady, our thoughts are with you while you try to get them to come in. 🤣

01/07/2025

This is a long but important one so bare with us.

Today we had a consultation that we want to share.
Today we did a consultation for a dog in foster care with the potential adopter. The potential adopter claims that the dog "has a mind of his own." They would like to work on basic skills and manners.
When I came into the home, (cheese lady here) I noticed that the dog was considerably calm and curious about me and the environment. During consultation I learned a lot about the animal that they really don't know anything about. Because he's a shelter rescue from New Mexico and that's all they really know. I learned within minutes that he is crazy smart, food motivated, and wants to please. He's super calm with guidance and doesn't react to typical triggers.
I spent a few minutes making friends with him, which wasn't hard because I came armed with nitrate free hotdogs and dog friendly peanut butter cookies.
Once I got the animal to accept me I sat down with my notebook to ask questions and take notes. The potential adopter stated that he has a mind of his own and doesn't listen.
"I can tell him no, don't, heal, stay, and he doesn't do it."
That's where I had to ask "how long have you had the dog in your care? 3 days.
In those 3 days did you teach him what the cue means? Or did you assume he just knew?
You could see the light bulbs going off in the room. Not only was the potential adopter there but so was the foster mom.
The local foster moms for the local humane society are starting to talk about us. The cheese lady in particular.
So I started to demonstrate some things. This dog is crazy smart, food motivated, and respectfully calm.
Honestly if he could pass my temperament testing, which I didn't do, I'd pick him up as a potential service animal.
So in 10 minutes I just taught him to... Sit when approaching someone, not jump on me, come when I call, and lay down when I ask. The behaviors that you are asking? He hasn't learned. Can you solve a math equation that no one has taught you? You can't expect a shelter animal 3 days in to know place, stay if you haven't worked on it and built it up. You just can't. Can he eventually do it? Oh I'm confident he can. Keep in mind rule of 3. I'm not a huge fan of the rule of 3. Each animal is different but the sentiment is the same.
It takes TIME for them to decompress. It takes TIME for them to learn your schedule. It takes TIME for them to become comfortable with you.
To expect a new Mexico rescue shelter dog, that you know nothing about, to know your cues, and do the things? In 3 days? You're setting him up for failure.
When I bring a new animal into my home they don't often meet anyone for days. They aren't allowed on furniture, in the kitchen, definitely not interacting with children. They are in decompression mode. I establish a schedule. This is feeding time, potty time, and training time. I'll often keep the newbie either tethered to me or in eye sight. They don't know the rules of the house! Because they just got here!
Can I get Charlie to eventually do the things? Absolutely! No question in my mind. If Dad doesn't adopt him, id consider turning him into a service animal.
Don't expect too much and don't set them up for failure!!!

01/03/2025

Pet of the month for December is Tako!!!!
Tako's family did a fantastic job at keeping appointments and practicing homework. The entire family is consistent with training and participation. They take direction well and ask great questions. Today we saw Tako after the holiday break and he was right on track!!!! We were able to advance to harder tasks and he hit it out of the park!!! Tako is smashing goals.
A perfect example of how much improvement can be made in a short time with positive reinforcement, consistency, and PRACTICE!!!
WAY TO GO TAKO!!!! You'll get a special prize when we see you next week.

12/31/2024