Howdy, amazing Frederick community! Nicole here — your dedicated canine behavior consultant. At GRIT, our programs include a mix of 1:1 sessions, drop-in’s, and group classes.
The results aren’t just a polite companion 🐾; it’s a transformation for the lives of all involved.
Now we're thrilled to announce a new adventure: a 5-week GROUP CLASS focusing on the essential skill of Come When Called for Outdoor Adventures. This is an opportunity for teams to gain confidence, enjoy freedom, and ensure safety in any outdoor setting.
But, we need your help! We're searching for an outdoor space to host this transformative class.
The ideal location would be a versatile area that includes both an open field and wooded sections.
This space would serve as a training ground, starting with basic exercises in open field/grassy areas and progressing to more challenging scenarios among the trees.
Notes:
- It would be GREAT if the space is near or includes farmland with contained animals. This would provide an excellent opportunity to work with teams on gradually acclimate dogs to recall around various distractions (i.e. significantly improving their recall skills in diverse environments)
- Cannot have “free roaming” animals residing on the property that could enter the training space randomly. The class is going to need to work up to distractions so this would be too much of a distraction to start.
- Wooded areas will also be used for shade during class — so a space with only an open field would not work.
- Class will meet once per week for five consecutive weeks. I’m looking to get something scheduled for this topic class ASAP!
The class is open to clients enrolled in an ongoing training program, teams who have completed a class evaluation, or a graduate. This selective approach allows us to create a safe, tailored training experience that caters to each participant — and safety for the community involved.
If you know of (or own), a space that could be
Longer Clip of Intro to “Harness is Good”
While helping a dog learn to be comfortable with gear, I want to keep things as below “threshold” as I can.
When your dog is past a certain stress threshold, they can no longer think — however, some stress is good! We want to help them work through this. How can we do that though?
A big part requires not doing what they are fearful of you doing. Example: Zoe is scared of the harness being put onto her. If I put the harness on her at any point during this training session, I’m reinforcing that fear and teaching her to continue to expect this. Meaning we will get nowhere for behavior modification.
Instead, we break down the final behavior into much smaller pieces to work up to that goal. For this dog, lifting the harness is too much right now. We will quickly work up to conditioning that portion, but we start with the item on the ground instead.
This is from less than 5 minutes of training at the end of an hour long evaluation.
The critical part as we progress is not using this specific gear — or any new gear — with force. This doesn’t mean she can’t go for walks; it just means we’re using the “broken” gear for those moments to help her learn this new gear is special.
Questions? Drop a comment or send me a DM.
Check out the link in my bio to schedule a free discovery call! Happy Training! 🤠🐾
Summer starts in 80 DAYS my peeps. The warm weather adventures are on the way! Do you dream of FUN summer adventures, but leash walking, recall, and the art of doing nothing — are struggles for your canine companion? I can help!👋🤠Most clients see drastic changes with their dog’s behavior inside the home, within the first 7 - 10 days of applying techniques. However, it can take ~18 - 21 days for you to really start reaping rewards in more difficult settings. This means if training began TODAY - you’d likely start to see the dog choose more ideal behaviors (on their own 😎) somewhere around the first week of March. AKA - we’ve got time, but don’t waste it. Link to website ⬇️ https://gritdogtraining.com/ Curious to learn more about man’s best friend? 🐾 Follow @nikki_grit for more!#dogtrainersofinstagram #dogbehavior #dogtrainingadvice
I am a big advocate for owning your mistakes, being accountable, and choosing to do better. I refuse to waste time arguing with people who aren’t interested in learning. Y’all are so drunk off the suppression juice 🧃 — you’re unreachable at this point. I’m here for the ones who are curious. For the people who are questioning their current methods. The one’s who have a gut feeling, thinking: “this doesn’t feel right”— during certain training protocols. I’m waiting with open arms, ready to support — but only when you’re ready to learn. ❤️🩹Training is a commitment — I’m not lying to y’all when I say that. But food for thought… Can you tell me one relationship in your life that doesn’t require you showing up to do your part? If you’re not ready to challenge your mindset— that’s ok. I’ll be here - ready to help, when you’re willing to change. Curious to learn more about man’s best friend? 🐾 Follow @nikki_grit for more!#dogtrainersofinstagram #dogbehavior #dogtrainingadvice
This is for the “professionals” I see take advantage of dog guardians, who don’t know any better. I never judge a client for using tools that a professional told them to use. However, I will 100% judge the professionals that prey on clients who want help. Giving clients a collar that they have to rely on for the rest of the dog’s life — is not a solution. At least, not a humane one in my opinion. Note: I will add that there are a plethora of issues with trainers claiming to be 100% force free, then crank the dog with a front harness/head collar - or only hand feed; but that’s for another post. 😘 If you’re a #balancedtrainer who looks at the bigger picture — and don’t have the remote glued to your hand 24/7– this isn’t about you. 🕊️ Even when I was an ecollar trainer using the tool — it was understood that some POS trainers were amongst the group, who would use the collar much more harshly. #dogtrainersofinstagram #dogbehavior
