Honestly tho, if you know you know.
Isn’t there something extra special about kids and dogs? I just love seeing the bonds between them 🤎
In case you were curious on what our facilities looked like, here you go 🤎
Maverick is exhausted from working and playing. It’s hard work being handsome AND a gentleman 🤩 #bossdogs #rottweiler #pnwdogs
Max is a Place pro by now. He’s used place command in so many different environments around so many different things that it’s old news, BUT that doesn’t mean you don’t need to continue to practice. He’s in the training building here while I clean it. Does he know place? Yes. Does he know that the vacuum isn’t going to get him? Yes. So why am I doing this again even though he’s done it 173738 times? Because it’s an opportunity to grow. It’s an opportunity to continue to build my value in expectation. It’s an opportunity for him to continue to practice relaxing amongst chaos. Dog training isn’t a one and done kind of thing. It’s not a “send them away to be trained and the work is done for you” kind of thing. Training is another word for lifestyle. How do you want to live with them? Then do that. There’s a million opportunities during the day for you to build good or bad habits- don’t forget to incorporate your dog in them. 🖤
Bedtime around here isn’t too bad ❄️☃️ Anyone else’s dogs get crazy when the snow appears?! We’re playing hard before bed tonight!
🔊🔊🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨🚨🚨
I’ve been talking about changes coming to Bossdogs, and I wanted to make a video explaining some of them. This is just a heads up, and more details to come. Some changes are very exciting, and some make me sad. Either way, know that I love you ALL, and I’m forever grateful for every single one of you.
You can’t train out prey drive. It’s a part of dogs. Some more than others. You can however, manage it with boundaries and limits. Cody’s family has a farm, where he struggles with his impulsive behavior. He’s been working with the goats and piggy and chicks so he can be more involved in the farm at home. The trick is to give your dog boundaries so they can have more freedom 🤯🤯 #mindblown
Tomorrow he’ll be in the pen with me on place while I clean and feed! Stay tuned!
Bolt is learning how to be handled, despite NOT wanting to be handled. His view of the world is this, “ I do what I want, when I want, how I want.” And unfortunately, that’s creating chaos for him, his housemate dog and his family. He’s been guarding a space or person from the other dog, he’s put his teeth on his family if they tried to do nails, ear checks or moved him a certain way. It’s ok that he doesn’t LOVE nails being trimmed, or being held still for a second or asked to do something he doesn’t feel like- that’s ok he doesn’t love that. BUT how he handles being asked to do it anyways is more important. I don’t need a dog that jumps for joy at the sound of clippers, but I do need a respectful dog that allows me to touch, maneuver and clip/check if necessary. Your relationship with your dog is a two way street, ultimately built on trust, respect and accountability. All of those things are built in the small moments. In this exercise, we use pressure and release of pressure to communicate what I want from him (which is to lay down, calm down and relax) You see the first bit he’s a little stiff and fidgety, that’s ok. The most important part and is that I remain calm, clear and consistent until he reaches the point that I need him to be. I release the pressure, feed some dinner and repeat. The second time is much easier for him because he’s understanding the assignment. Progress is based on what you’re communicating. If I would have released pressure and gave in when he got wiggly or stiff, I would be telling him how to behave when he’s under slight pressure- essentially creating the habit of thinking he can protest or decide not to do what’s being asked. Instead, he caught on in 5 mins and totally kicked ass! This looks small to the untrained eye, but it’s such a big conversation happening, and everyone should be doing this with their dogs!
Journey and her nails!
Journey got another nail trim. Her nails are LONGGGG, and actually effecting the way she walks on her feet. Nail care is extremely important, and it’s extremely hard to do on a dog that refuses to let you touch their feet. Journey has worked really hard and here she proves how much she trusts me and understands what’s expected. A total of 7 mins is what it took to get a good session in with adequate trimming. She got a little squirmy, but we were fair in what we were asking of her, and made sure to follow through so she still understood the process. At the end, she gets released, shakes off the nerves and gets lots of love. Progress ALWAYS over perfection.
