Mika update
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve given you all an update on our sweet, toilet hiding, pancake to the ground, low confidence and fearful, husky girl, Mika. Partly, it’s because rehabs aren’t quick - they take time, patience, and a lot of understanding. However!! She is continuing to take sometimes big, sometimes small steps of bravery into becoming a real dog! When she’s having those moments, her mouth is wide open, her body is fluid like a fox, and she hops like a bunny. She has so much joy tucked away in there and we’re not done digging it all out. 💙
This is the time of year we lower the amount of people in each class due to being inside! Class registration is now open for January! PM us to get signed up!
For those of you asking, we're looking at doing an Advanced Obedience as well. Comment here if interested!
Mika
After two weeks of hiding behind the toilet, this happened today! Brave girl, Mika!!
Mika
Well, we wouldn’t be us without a rehab, would we? Meet Mika. She’s currently completely shut down and doing something we lovingly call the “pancake”. This is normal behavior for a low confidence, terrified dog. They try to make themselves disappear to avoid any kind of confrontation or hurt. We did some dog swapping with Moffitt Animal Shelter today to ensure one dog was safe, so Mika is going to get all rehabbed up and you get to come along for the ride! The key will be good treats, routine, and a confident dog she can learn from (we have several around these parts). Welcome to your new life, Mika. Give us a couple months with you and we’ll get ya fixed right up! 💙
Treat time!
This is how we do treat time in our house! Each dog sits and I usually say their name before they get their treat (I had done this several times prior so I wasn’t saying it in this clip). This actually helps with their impulse to lunge after someone else’s treat, teaches solid name recognition, and in my humble opinion, helps them understand they all get the treat when it’s their time. Scarlett DID get treats at the end but she’s husky through and through - it’s been hard to even get her inside this weekend. Cold weather is their weather! Husky owners can relate! Also, could you imagine NOT giving Jack all the treats?! He’s sitting so nicely!!
Jack
“Guys! Rehab is so fun!!” -Jack probably
Oct Group
It’s that time again to enroll another obedience class! As this class has evolved over time, I’ve learned how to work with each client and their dog to work on things specific to them. If you have trouble with jumping and your class neighbor has trouble with focus, you each can work on different things! Learn the proper way to communicate with your dog and learn the “how” and “why” of dog behavior and communication and how to help suit your needs! PM us to get signed up today!
Scooby
We are partnering up with Moffitt Animal Shelter to train some dogs and we are SO excited about it! Tonight Scooby came to class and he did such a fantastic job! His leash walking and engagement was wonderful. He picked up on what Jenna wanted from him so quickly, too. Scooby is currently available for adoption and is said to be wonderful with kids and other dogs. I’ve found all my best friends in shelters (even Miranda and Rhi!!) and he’s ready to find his forever home!
Leash work
I’ll teach leash walking in a pack of dogs all day long thanks to a little thing called allelomimetic behavior (increasing probability of behavior you want based off behavior of others doing the same activity). Because Max is mostly leash trained, Oak is learning how to properly walk by watching Max. The first several blocks were a push but we got where we wanted eventually. We’ll make a proper dog out of oak yet! ❤️🌳
Oak
Meet Oak, he’s one of thre 29 that was taken from a local breeder. My family took Oak in a day after they were seized because he was extremely ill. He was showing signs of neurological and digestive issues - once we got that under control, he was neutered and we learned he had a yeast infection in his ears that never was treated. The infection went systemic and started showing up in his skin, making him extremely uncomfortable. He’s now been on meds for well over a week and the real Oak is coming out. If you’ve never watched a dog recover and then learn how to be a normal dog, you’re missing out. It’s one of the most joyful experiences. 💙
Leash work
Have you ever thought about your leash as more than just a tool to keep your dog tethered to you? A thought came to me this morning during a dog training session. If you own an Apple Watch, you know what is coming through your watch via haptics if it’s on silent. The movement from the watch can tell you if you have a text, phone call, calendar notification, etc. If you REALLY break down leash work, it’s using the leash and the collar to communicate through haptics. What they will feel around their neck is information and communication. When you look at it that way, maybe leash work won’t feel quite as overwhelming to learn. 💙
Lucky dog class
Let’s take a moment to pivot from the hard rescues to the incredible work! Not only am I incredibly impressed and pleased with how far Colette has come with Rudy (the two walking in a heel), but look at all the dogs quietly watching as they go! Rudy had never been in a group environment like this before and he really had some moments in the first class (which we always expect and are ready for). This is his 8th class and he has done so exceptional. Jonas, the pitbull lab mix on the left, came to us with very low confidence. His owners has worked so incredibly hard to train with him, teach him things, and build his confidence up. The other three came a very long way and they’re all under a year and a half old. Puppies man, they’re possible to train! What a wonderful group!
