Just the two of us
It’s so nice to be able to get some fresh air, especially when it smells like Fall with the fallen leaves on the ground.
We’ve not been able to do much of this due to the excessive heat we’ve been experiencing this past summer. I’m very happy that it is leaving for the year.
Being outdoors and feeling the sunshine on my face and breathing the fresh air while being surrounded by the pretty scenery does a body good & helps to clear out the mind.
Ana went face to face with a 🐿️ but she didn’t lose her mind screaming at it. She actually came away with me to continue on our little journey. The second 🐿️ not so much 😂 I swear it was deliberately taunting her as it scampered on and off the path in front of us.
Where do you like to go with your dog to ground yourself & clear your head?
Short video on “Buddy’s” progress
When I see breakthroughs like I see with this guy, I just wanna yell from the rooftops! I’m so happy to see the changes coming from within him. It has been a slow and steady process to get this far. That’s okay, it’s what he needs. When I first met him, he would not look me in the eyes, much less anywhere near my face. He needed a large amount of distance to feel safe. Look how far he has come!
His humans are doing such a wonderful job with his behavior modification.
Forcing dogs does not get genuinely offered behaviors. You can’t tell a dog how to feel. You can’t make them stop feeling an emotion; that is up to the dog.
Having a fearful dog find the courage and will to trust a different species (human) & connect through communication is one of the most beautiful & satisfying things to see happen in a dog! It’s like a key that has started to turn inside an old lock. 🔏 I can’t wait to see what his future holds. ❤️
www.lakotaslegacy.com
#rescue #shelterdog #positivevibes #behaviormodification #positivedogtrainer #inspiration #friends
Went to work with “Mr. Beans” today!
Working with “Mr Beans” today. Boy he loves jumping 😆 He struggles making good choices in life & likes to embrace events with exuberance & zest! He struggles with new people, people approaching him, his walks, other dogs, and his self control.
To get him to understand what we need him to do for us, we have to speak his language. That’s exactly what we did in today’s session!
I saw tons of improvement from our last session & was able to touch and pet him with his invitation.
Happy National Dog Day! What are you up to today?
www.lakotaslegacy.com
#lakotaslegacy #positivedogtrainer #sciencebaseddogtraining #FortCampbell #supportlocal #montgomerycounty #clarksvilletn #rescuedog
Might not look like much but,…
when I started working with this client, this sweet boy would try to disappear. He has major fear of so many things that he would barely come off his safe space in the living room. He would spin in circles & bark, and there was no way to get anywhere near him without it causing him major panic and stress.
This guy needed kid gloves, a very gentle approach done on his terms. I don’t know what kind of crap life he had before that had him so afraid of people & things, that even going outside was scary for him. He got so lucky finding his new humans. They have been so kind, understanding and committed to helping him. And it shows.
Today I was able to walk in without him barking at me, running away from me, spinning in anxious circles or running to the safety of his safe space across the room. He was right there next to me. That has never happened before. I’ve spent nearly entire sessions just getting him to move from a distance of 15-20ft.
I am thrilled with his progress. It’s going slow but that’s what he needs! The changes have been huge! And most importantly, all on his terms! He is learning that maybe for the first time in his life, he has control over what happens through his behavior! 💜
What a darling dog he is. So sweet & gentle.
www.lakotaslegacy.com
So super proud of this boy and his parents!
Bubba is only one years old! He was very stressed out when we got to the park initially. He was barking, pulling, hackles up, digging the ground & even stress 💩. He was not able to take food. If we tried to stop his behaviors, what good would that have done? Absolutely nothing. In fact, it would’ve made it worse for him.
He was expressing how he felt felt. It was up to us to help guide him and support him through it in hopes of making him feel better without causing more overwhelm.
I believe that the relationship between dog and human is everything. When you have that, everything is so much easier. Relationships are communication, consideration, cooperation, and compromise. They are trust and safety.
His human dad called him twice. And each time, Bubba came flying back to him with joy. No fear, no shocks, no intimidation. Bubba was eager to come back to the safety of his dad. He felt empowered because he had control over what happened to him.
Having a nervous or unsure dog, come off a fence with other dogs on the other side, and recall back to their human on the first call is beyond amazing. 🤩 Most dogs struggle really hard to do this.
Some people think that positive reinforcement training is all about pushing cookies. It’s so much more than that. It is knowledge, understanding, strategy, skills, and always doing right by the dog in front of us by setting them up for success. It’s not as easy as it looks!
This right here is what we train for! Believe it or not, we haven’t really worked on recall 😆
This is all a testimony of his relationship with his humans! ❤️ what a proud, proud moment!
#rescuedog #positivedogtrainer #clarksvilletn #fortcampbell
Let’s all make sure these animals are going into the right homes so they don’t wind up dumped or back in the shelter. We can do sooooo much better! #positivedogtrainer #lakotaalegacy #fortcampbell #clarksvilletn #MontgomeryCounty
Last month, the Montgomery County Animal Control had over 540 animals come in. That number is astounding!
Here are five considerations to take BEFORE adopting a dog. Let’s all make sure these animals are going into the right homes so they don’t wind up dumped or back in the shelter.
We can do sooooo much better!
#positivedogtrainer #lakotaalegacy #fortcampbell #clarksvilletn #MontgomeryCounty
I will take this EVERY SINGLE TIME!
Working in a new environment with Izzy this morning, without her brother. This is a totally new experience for her. She was a bit nervous at first. Who could blame her? Loads of strangers, walking around, different smells, noise, carts rolling by, car traffic in the parking lot.,… plenty to be nervous about if you’ve not experienced these things before.
We let her process the environment and then checked to see where her head was at. If the environment was too overwhelming, we would not have continued. I see a lot of people pushing their dogs when their dogs are overwhelmed. That is how you get a reactive dog, or one that is fearful, nervous, and lacking trust in their human. That’s not how we roll.
Your dog might be a rockstar at home with their behavior, but it can change quick fast and in a hurry when you take them to a new environment . That’s to be expected, yet I have lost count of how many times I see people trying to jerk their dog, scold their dog, shock their dog, or otherwise force their dog through these type of social situations. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Teaching our dogs ills to navigate our human world takes time, and understanding of our dog, and commitment. I commend these human partners for all the hard work they put into their young dogs.
Here we see a confident young dog who is engaged with me, focused, and joyful 😊. I am not forcing her, and I am not constantly feeding her. I am rewarding her for her hard work here.
I will take this EVERY SINGLE TIME!
Need help with your dog? Please visit www.lakotaslegacy.com
#clarksvilletn #positivedogtrainer #fortcampbell #rescuedog #puppytrainingsk
Buddy is a 3 yr old rescue. He was found in a Walmart parking lot and he is absolutely terrified of everything. From the sight of his leash to noises to people and just about everything in between. If he could be afraid of his shadow, I believe he would be. He didn’t even like to go outside.
His new humans hired me to help them with him. This guy was shut down so bad. If you ever see the ASPCA commercials at Christmas and see that little dog staring at the corner all cowered and trembling, this was Buddy. He didn’t really like to play much. He wouldn’t take food and wasn’t food motivated. He knew typical “obedience commands” (as much as I hate saying those words, they are what a lot of people think of when it comes to “training” a dog). He knew his sit, down, stay. Anything else would get a tremble, freezing, heavy panting or urinating on the floor. This guy can not handle pressure of any sort and I imagine if he could shrink himself enough to disappear, he would. Boy was he going to be a challenge.
When I first met him in person, he refused to come off what I call his “island”. His island is an area rug in the middle of the living room. He did not seem to like to touch the wood floors and somehow felt safe on his island, in a frozen state, creeping around, tight lipped, tail tucked underneath. There was no way I was going to be able to get near him without traumatizing him. He gave me very clear communication signals and I was absolutely going to respect that.
So for the next few weeks, his humans and I started working on Buddy. We are all determined to help him as much as possible. I have been video noting his progress. Nothing flashy and exciting here with this guy. Not at all. My goal is to not force this dog to do anything he didn’t want to. My goal is to get him to understand that he has choices about what happens to him and if he wants to opt out, we will respect that. I feel deep down inside that I want to do all I can to gain his
It’s been way too hot for walks lately, but this evening offered just enough of a break for a mild walk about. It felt good to get some fresh air & exercise!
I wanted to challenge and test Ana’s skills and our relationship so I did something that I’d not done with her in this environment & that was to drop the lead. Especially in a space that is wide open with wildlife all around. if she decided to make a run for it, I can simply quickly get the line.
It’s also very warm so we are keeping the walk short and easy.
Sometimes we get in our head that our dogs “can’t” do something so we don’t even try, or give up entirely. To me, that’s a sad mentality. I would never start her training journey here in this space. It’s just too much. It has taken us a long time to get to this point. if you have a reactive dog or not entirely sure what you’re doing, do not try this.
She has seen deer out here plenty of times and knows they are out here. At any given time she could bolt off for an adventure.
I gave her trust with verification and she did not disappoint. She did absolutely fantastic!
If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong. If the dream you have isn’t working out quite like you had planned with your dog, don’t give up.
Check out www.lakotaslegacy.com & see how I can help!
Short little session with Ana
Finally cool enough to do a little training session outside with Ana ❤️ I wanted to test her a bit to see where she was at. Or where her head was at as there are lots & lots of distractions around of the furry kind. 🐰 🦌 🐿️
This is my husky. You know, the dog that is labeled “stubborn” & “won’t listen”. No shock collar on her, nothing in my hands. 🙌
This is the power of our relationship. I do my best to set her up to succeed & support her when she struggles. I was ready to, but I didn’t have to. She nailed it!
Get out there & just have fun with your dog this weekend!! If you want to build or improve the relationship with your dog & you’re tired of living with your dog’s behavior struggles, reach out to me, or visit www.lakotaslegacy.com I can help you get this.
#lakotaslegacy #dogtraining #clarksvilletn #positivedogtrainer #sciencebaseddogtraining #reactivedog #fortcampbell #supportlocal #ilovemydog #husky
Mr Beans update
This is the young rescue cattle dog whose trainer reached out to me for additional behavior help. Sometimes it takes a village! I got to meet him about a week ago in person.
He has major stranger danger, and trust issues. he doesn’t allow anyone to get too close to him, including his family. He hardly allows them to get a leash on.
His parents have been working on the strategies and skills outlined in our behavior consult. 💪
A dog exposing their belly puts them in a very vulnerable position. The dog can be saying, “I mean you no harm. Don’t hurt me.” or, they could be saying, “hey you! Scratch my belly please.”🐾🐾🐶😀
At the end of the day, you just don’t know what the dog will choose to do. When I work with dogs that struggle with their behavior, I truly feel that they do their best. I know when they are digging down deep and trying. When we are able to help them, guide them and support them while teaching them skills, we show them that they have options. We show them that they are safe and their choices are respected.❤️
Had to share this video his trainer sent in yesterday. He is a work in progress but just Wow! Unbelievable! 🤯🤩
If your dog is struggling like Mr. Beans, please visit www.lakotaslegacy.com to see how we can help!
#reactivedog #rescuedog #positivedogtrainer #sciencebaseddogtraining #clarksvilletn
When Ana is cussing me out for leaving her & telling me she loves me at the same time 😆 love ❤️ this girl #husky #ilovemydog #iloveyou #happydog #siberianhusky #positivedogtrainer #lakotaslegacy
When Ana is cussing me out for leaving her & telling me she loves me at the same time 😆 love ❤️ this girl #husky #ilovemydog #iloveyou #happydog #siberianhusky #positivedogtrainer #lakotaslegacy
Changed the scene today
Decided to meet my client with his adolescent boy away from home this morning. I want to be able to test the skills both of the dog and the handler. I want to be able to give them a bit of a challenge, but not overwhelm them. We had a perfect blend of distractions, including other dogs that were very well behaved.
I can see how wonderful the relationship is between these two and how much trust has been built. My client has come a long way since when we started and I love to see this! ❤️
Great session!!! 🥳
#rescuedog #clarksvilletn #ftcampbell #positivedogtrainer
