If you could give a blue ribbon for persistence we would have a winner!!!!
Maple tries and tries but can't figure out why this stuck up pup won't play with her. Every time she sees the statue...,puppy play is on. Just s little one sided!!
Somebody is definitely not taking his morning walk too serious!!!!
Mr Duke isn't too concerned with the -2 on the thermometer he is just making the most of it.
Silly pup.
Thunder Paws race track is now open!!!
My Hubby enjoyed the sunshine and played in "play land" with his orange beast.
Both Sheba and Ginger are testing it out making sure it's up to their standards.
Thanks so much "Boof" ❤️
Oh boy... Miss Mossy and me breaking trail this morning . She seems to enjoy that white stuff... me? Not so much!!!!
A huge thank you to all the Volunteers that came to visit Jack AKA the " Alligator".
When I first met Jack he had a lot going on. But the worst of it was his reaction to strangers or people in general. Anyone entering the owners house met the wrath of Jack.
So off to a quiet room Jack would go. This is pretty much what he wanted.
You see after blasting through his tough " I think I want to eat you" exterior he actually is a bit of a marshmallow. All be it a marshmallow with teeth!
In the past Jack pretty much got his way with most everything. He made his own choices and when he didn't get his way he dealt with things however seemed appropriate.
If he was put in a situation that made him uncomfortable he handled it like many dogs do. They use their bodies and this includes their mouth.
So we got to work and we have shown Jack that the world and people aren't always out to get him.
We have established rules and introduced boundaries as well as appropriate behavior for even stressful citations.
So now we are working with Jacks owner teaching her that she can be the awesome leader that Jack truly needs. He really is a good guy.... he just didn't know it.
So another heart filled THANK YOU to the volunteers from Eva Burrell Animal Shelter for taking time out of their busy life's to help a sweet brown eyed lab become a better dog.
Please stop in to the shelter and see all the awesome adoptees they have available.
Adoption is the most awesome option!!!
Hey guys..... for those of you that are in the "winter prep" mode.... please contact Thunder Paws Kennels. We have referral information on top notch local window washers that do an outstanding job!
Very reasonable rates as well!
Thanks Sheba for your assistance!!!
In the beginning Jack was a handful. He delt with things the way some dogs do....act first ask questions later.
Unfortunately he used brute force as well as his mouth to handle uncomfortable citations.
Jack was often banned to another room when visitors came over, not to mention ever being able to explore the world by taking a joyful walk.
So muzzle on and leash in hand we got to work.
Now you would think that this guy is as tough as they come, but oh contraire....he really is a gushy.... squishy mess.
When you don't allow a dog to react to things inappropriately or as they are accustomed to they totally get knocked off their game.
Jack tends to be insecure, so confidence building is s must, along with helping him deal with new challenges/stresses in new ways.
His awesome owners are on board and will be learning how to be steadfast leaders so Jack will be able to relax and look to them for guidance.
So stay tuned as we get "Jack on track"!!!
P.s. Sorry for the novice looking videos not exactly my strength( I blame the phone of course!)
Hitting the back 40 to check on a couple favorite apple trees and to make sure the bears haven't eaten ALL of my blackberries.
It was a beautiful night to practice some recalls with the "three amigos." Ginger our trainee did awesome!
Recalls look great, berries look yummy, apples are ready! What a great night!
Too busy to train? Sometimes you have to improvise! Here is an example of some passive training. While I bleach our kennel beds, sweet little Ginger hangs out and works on his "calm on command".
For some dogs this can be a struggle but in the end the benefits can be amazing.
Good job sweet boy...if only he could carry some of these buggers out!
It can't always be about the training sometimes ya just gotta have fun!
Mr Captain showing off his goofy side!! I must have only grazed him with the first shot!
As we gear up for Bleau to go back home and on to his new duties, We wanted to share this fun exercise he has been mastering.
Bleau has such a great attitude and a willingness to work and it shows. We have worked hard on focus because without it a pups mind will be out in never-never land.
Now We can't guarantee if a squirrel came running through the training room that we wouldn't have a bit of a struggle but we would be ahead of the game for sure.
Good job Bleau! Bring on the squirrels!
Catching up on cleaning and training can be done. Just a little creativity is all it takes.
Bleau did pretty good considering the added distractions of a couple of barking dogs. One being his cousin Schooner...
I crammed an hour of video into just over a minute.
Bleau came to see me twice. I actually called him off place to reposition him out of the way one of the times. Not bad for a young pup ( not quite 5 months old).
On to our next challenge!
My name is Nikki Kok and I graduated from The Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers in May of 2013.
