Pupdates From Some Minor Dog Training

Pupdates From Some Minor Dog Training Updates for Some Minor Dog Training's Board-and-Train Program

07/04/2025

On the day of the 4th of July, we want to burn off that excess energy before the fireworks start. So, although we're still training, we're doing A LOT of play today. Lia LOVES tug. She'll play fetch, but her preferred game is tug, so, on the 4th of July, her preferred method of play can help make a positive association with the events of the day. 🐶❤️

When playing high drive games like tug, it's important to randomly take short breaks and ask them to perform some sort of impulse control behavior, like "Sit" or "Down." This is because done dogs and puppies will get so fixated on the toy that they seem to forget that there's a person attached to it. So they might accidentally nip our fingers, or jump on us. And for a dog as big as Lia, either of those situations can hurt haha.

But, if we periodically ask them to calm down and focus, we will build that impulse control, as well as their ability to focus on us during exciting situations. It ensures that the dog recognizes this is a game between them and US, and we're playing together with the toy, not simply a game between them and the toy. 🐶❤️

Happy 4th of July from Delilah! Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with the...
07/03/2025

Happy 4th of July from Delilah!

Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with their ID tags on. Those loud noises, bright lights, and changes in the atmosphere can really scare some dogs and puppies, so if they have a hard time, we want to start conditioning them on July 5th to prepare for the next firework holiday. 🐶❤️

Happy 4th of July from Lia! Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with their I...
07/03/2025

Happy 4th of July from Lia!

Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with their ID tags on. Those loud noises, bright lights, and changes in the atmosphere can really scare some dogs and puppies, so if they have a hard time, we want to start conditioning them on July 5th to prepare for the next firework holiday. 🐶❤️

Happy 4th of July from Maya! Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with their ...
07/03/2025

Happy 4th of July from Maya!

Remember that fireworks can be stressful for a lot of dogs, so keep them secure with their ID tags on. Those loud noises, bright lights, and changes in the atmosphere can really scare some dogs and puppies, so if they have a hard time, we want to start conditioning them on July 5th to prepare for the next firework holiday. 🐶❤️

Lia (Mastiff) and Maya (Husky) were sent to us because they've been known to get into tussles, so their owners wanted us...
07/01/2025

Lia (Mastiff) and Maya (Husky) were sent to us because they've been known to get into tussles, so their owners wanted us to work on their ability to simply be in the same room without issues.

One of the biggest things we say about introducing dogs to each other is "Neutrality Before Play." We want the dogs to learn how to be calm around each other and focus on the human before we allow them to interact. This is because every dog is different. Some are rough players who like to wrestle, while others are softer players who like to chase and be chased, and others don't like to play at all. Some dogs are social butterflies who will play with anyone, while others are more introverted and would rather get to know the other dog before playing. And there are so many other personality traits and behaviors that each dog doesn't know about the other one. So we want to give them a chance to get to know each other before throwing them in together to figure it out themselves.

We also need the dogs to trust us to handle anything that the other dog does. That's why we spent so much time working with them individually. Every time we ask them to wait at a threshold, or to walk nicely by our side, or any other rules and boundaries we put on them individually proves to them that we can control their environment, and that they can trust us not to put them in bad situations. Meaning that, if something happens that makes them uncomfortable, they're well aware that WE (the humans) control the environment, so they'll trust that we will keep them safe from anything that ENTERS their environment. This ensures that the dog never has to feel like THEY have to handle things on their own, which allows them to relax more.

Lia and Maya are doing great separately, so we've begun working with them together. Again, our goal is to get them to the point where they can ignore each other and focus on us. So we're doing a lot of neutrality exercises like this, we're doing a lot of walks together (when the weather agrees with us), and we're working on their obedience training while the other is around. Again, Neutrality Before Play. 🐶❤️

06/28/2025

Lia is here working on her loose leash walking, as well as her automatic "Sit" when we stop, and get Sit/Stay while I walk around her.

Lia is a Mastiff, so she's got a lot of weight to throw around. Her and her housemate have also been known to get into scuffles every now and then. So we not only need to build her impulse control, but we need her leash walking skills to be excellent. When we start working with them together, we need her to be able to ignore distractions and focus on us, as well as to be able to be led in different directions easily. Aside from that, an automatic Sit will help make her easier to manage, since she IS such a large dog.

She's doing great! She gets distracted pretty easily, so we're practicing this as much as possible. We're very proud of her! 🐶❤️

06/28/2025

Delilah is doing so well with her loose leash walking. She gets a little startled by certain loud noises, like cars getting too close, so we'll be doing confidence building exercises to ensure that doesn't turn into reactivity. But other than that, she's a rockstar! 🐶❤️

06/26/2025

Maya is here practicing her loose leash walking. You'll notice that we're doing this in the front yard, and that's because we want to build these habits (focusing on me and staying in position) while there are no, or minimal, distractions. We've been practicing in the yard, and now we're graduating to the neighborhood.

An important thing to keep in mind is that this is practice. We're not going for an actual walk around the block, we're not sniffing things, we're just practicing going back and forth in a small area. As she becomes more reliable, we'll add in more distance. But this is practice. And we want to practice as much as possible before we actually take the test. 🐶❤️

06/26/2025

Delilah is doing so well with her front door manners. This is an extremely important thing to teach our puppies, which is that an open door is not an invitation to go outside.

You'll notice that we're not doing this once or twice, but rather we're doing it repeatedly, in and out, in and out. And we do it with every threshold, whether coming inside or going outside. This not only teaches them not to run outside, but it builds their impulse control, and their focus on us. Since we're the ones they're waiting on for an invitation, it turns focus on us in the doorway into a habit.

You'll also notice that I'm not asking her to "Sit." That's because, in this particular situation, we're not simply working on obedience, but rather behavior. I want her to stop while we're in motion and wait. In the future, if the door is open and no one is around to tell her to "Sit," I still want her to know that she can't go out. And she's doing so well! 🐶❤️

06/24/2025

Tuesday Review Day!

Lia is also working on reviewing "place" and "come" but we are also working on building her confidence. Unfortunately, she has some nervousness and insecurities about being worked and trained with, she's hesitant when trying her best to be a good girl. So, her biggest focus today is building her confidence through working known cues and proofing them while having fun.

She is learning that working, training, is a fun and engaging experience that she can look forward to instead of being nervous about. We want our dogs to love learning, and enjoy the bonding experience that can come with training. No training is one-size-fits-all, and some training styles don't work for all dogs, Lia is no exception; finding the perfect balance for this sweet girl, so she can blossom into the confident, fun-loving but obedient dog she was born to be. ❤️

She's doing so well!

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