Looking for a wonderful family dog? He's right here, and currently adoptable through For Belle's Sake - Rescue/Rehabilitation!
Dutton is a young hound mix who is currently in foster/training with us to help him learn some basic manners and life skills while he gets ready to go to his forever family. So far he has been nothing short of amazing! His training has been a breeze since he LOVES to learn, he gets along well with other dogs, and has a great off-switch when it's time to relax around the house. Overall, Dutton receives five gold stars from us for being an all-around good boy!
AND, to help his adopters continue to build on the foundational skills Dutton is learning here, they'll receive 3 private lessons with his trainer and lifetime access to our monthly Polishing Classes! Honestly, this dog comes is the whole package and we want nothing more than to see him thrive in a forever home.
Interested in adopting Dutton? Head over to forbellessake.org and fill out an adoption application to meet this lovely guy!
Did you know our Board and Train clients also get to play in the water?? 🌊🐶
The Underwater Treadmill is a great alternative form of exercise for dogs, especially in the winter when long walks or running isn't an option. It's also amazing for dogs who need lower-impact exercise. It helps keep joints healthy while allowing your dog to burn off plenty of energy!
Our Board and Train dogs get treadmill sessions included with their stay, but Pro-Motion Canine also offers a 💲 discount for ALL of our Tandem Dog Training alumni! So if you've been looking for a way to let your dog burn off some energy this winter, try out the Underwater Treadmill!
Bestest boy Arthur holding a sit-stay with some pretty big distractions this morning. Garbage truck plus vet clients unloading pets across the street. I expect curiosity, but I also expect him to listen to me regardless of what's going on around us. He did a great job!
Crate training with Ella!
In less than 10 minutes Ella learned a few important crate training principles: 1) the crate is a good place to be, it's where all the treats are! 2) she can go into and out of the crate on her own and stay there of her own free will, and 3) the door opening is not a cue to bolt out like a crazy puppy. All of these are important because:
You should NOT have to pick up your puppy to put them in the crate.
You should NOT have to bribe your puppy with treats to get them to go in every time, especially every time. Do I toss treats in for puppies to get them in at first? Yes, but only for a few repetitions and then I quickly expect them to start going in before getting the treat.
You should NOT wait until bedtime or you leave for work to get your puppy into and used to the kennel. Only using the kennel at these times can create or increase anxiety around the crate and sets your puppy up for a negative attitude about the crate.
Doing short, fun, simple training sessions throughout the day or whenever you can allows your puppy to learn what is expected of them in the crate, as well as what they can expect from the crate. Add in mealtimes in the crate, and your puppy will learn to love their kennel in no time!
We are BACK! And off to a heckin' good start!
Who doesn't love some puppy enthusiasm (and Aussie tail wiggles!) after 6 weeks off?
Miss Lulu got started on the right paw this week with her first lesson of her Doggie Homeschool program, and it was all about the little things (pun intended)!
Even puppies as tiny as Lulu should start with training right away, but at this age it's not about flashy obedience commands or cool tricks. The first things I always recommend for the first few weeks after bringing a new puppy home are a solid potty training schedule, crate training, and starting very simple obedience like a Sit by following a food "lure" in your hand. All of these things build a foundation for successful training later on and help get the puppy started on a routine right away so they can settle into family life that much easier.
With tiny puppies, it can be so tempting to do everything for them by simply picking them up and putting them where we want them, such as into a crate, but this is counter-productive to training. It's important for every puppy, no matter how small, to learn how to do things themselves! That includes going into the crate on their own, walking out the door to go potty, and walking on a leash.
I started the video a little late, but we made a point during Lulu's lesson to show her how to go into her crate on her own instead of being picked up and placed there, and started learning some self control by teaching her that it pays to stay in the crate even with the door open. This teaches so many things: how to follow a food lure, that the crate is where yummy treats are delivered to her, that she isn't just being thrown in and trapped inside, that the crate doesn't always necessarily mean she's being left alone, and that the door being open does not equal automatic freedom. This is so important for young puppies to learn early on, especially if they've never been away from their litter mates and mom. Too often I see people only put the puppy in the kennel at night or when they're leaving, which can contribute to separation anxiety and distress in a puppy. Introducin
Bronx took a field trip to Oak Park this morning and it happened to be a Farmer's Market day. Bronx has a history of reactivity to both people and dogs so we decided to take advantage of the great training opportunity, and he was an absolute rock star!
He did so well walking around the park and through the crowd. He was even calm when a couple stopped to say how handsome he is. 💁♀️ This was a pretty big challenge for him and he made it look so easy! This guy has really impressed me, and shown everyone what a great dog he can be.
Sorry for the video movement, it was an impromptu video.
Crate training in five minutes.
Until last week, Sophie had never been in a kennel. As can be expected, she had been inconsistent with potty training and was still occasionally using potty pads inside. To solve that, my first recommendation was to get her a kennel ASAP and start using it strategically to prevent accidents inside when her owner isn't around.
However, there is still work to be done. I don't want to have to pick up and shove a dog into a crate forever, even if they're small enough to easily pick up. I want the dog to make the conscious decision to go into the crate so that it becomes less of an ordeal and more part of a routine and fact of life. It also gives the dog a chance to slow down, think, and have less anxiety about going into the crate.
I teach this using a leash and a pressure/release reward system. When I want Sophie to move toward the crate, I add light pressure forward on the leash and wait. When she moves forward, even just a step in the beginning, I release that tension as a reward for doing what I asked. This gives the dog a clear choice: fight the leash and be uncomfortable, or go in the crate and gain some freedom (more on that in a moment). It sounds mean, but sometimes we have to limit the choices our dogs can make because of given any other choice they will choose the one that sounds best to them as a dog, not necessarily what the human wants. So, anytime she moves backward or avoids the crate, the leash stays tight. Notice, though, that I am not pulling her toward the crate. As mentioned before, it must be the dog's own choice to move forward, otherwise I may as well be picking her up and shoving her in. You'll see a couple of fits in this video because Sophie isn't used to this kind of decision making and would rather avoid the whole situation, but I won't let her do that.
Once she does finally choose to go into the crate, I immediately reward her by releasing all tension and letting her come right back out (the freedom I
Roscoe & Mochi wrapped up their last week with us, and got to take a field trip or two! It's always important to practice obedience and even just hanging out in different places and situations. It's the best way to ensure reliability and a well-rounded dog. It's even more important for socialization with a nervous dog like Mochi, so we got her out as many times as possible to see the world and realize it's not such a scary place. She did amazing on her outings, and I think that great things are in both of these dogs' futures!
Roscoe and Mochi wrapped up their first week of training today. Here are some of the things we've been up to! What a difference one week can make!
A little off-leash healing with Chow King this morning to test around more distractions and changes of pace. It's his last week here with us so we're fine tuning some of the little things he's still a little unreliable on before he goes home for the least time on Friday. This guy has been a fun little challenge, but he's thriving with consistent boundaries and clear communication!
Welcome Charlie!
Miss Charlie is here for the first day of her 2-week Stay & Train to work on her leash skills, manners, and settling down in the house. She has some bad habits, and one of the first ones we always tackle right away is pulling on leash. Charlie is a good example of how stopping when your dog pulls can make a big difference, especially when paired with other techniques which we'll be adding in later on.
With a dog who really leans in and wants to be all the way at the end of the leash, this is one of the first steps to teaching a nice loose-leash walk or heel. The conversation Charlie and I are having is "if you pull, we stop, but if there's slack in the leash we keep going." Keep it simple. I don't care about an auto-sit right now, I don't care about her staying next to my leg, I don't even care about eye contact. This is about stopping and creating movement in the direction the dog wants to go: forward.
To be clear, this is not the final picture I'm going for, and this is not the only technique I'll use with Charlie. It IS a useful tool for creating meaning in the leash and getting your dog to think about what they're doing instead of just powering forward on walks. It doesn't really matter what kind of collar you're using, the main point is that you do not move forward until the DOG creates some slack in the leash. Don't just settle for your dog stopping if they're still leaning on the end of the leash.
If you're struggling to get your dog to stop pulling, I hope this helps. Keep an eye out for more tips and videos featuring Charlie!
The dynamic duo is working together and learning to do as they're told regardless of what everyone else in the room is doing.
Their owners mentioned that Auzria had a hard time with place command when other dogs were in the same room, so this was a great opportunity for her to practice her impulse control while I worked with Opal, who is just learning about Place. This is also a good exercise for dogs to learn to only respond to commands when they are being addressed, which I make clear by saying their name before a command or with direct eye contact. It may not look like much, but Auzria is working just as hard as Opal is in this video, if not harder. Self-control isn't always easy, especially when someone else is getting food and praise!
Miss Opal was described as "bull-headed" and pushy by her owners when she was dropped off with us. She was a very strong puller, and didn't have a care in the world about the other end of the leash. Note the word "was," because Opal learned how to walk politely on a leash today!
Opal is a typical puppy who lacked guidance and boundaries. All she really needed was to be shown what the rules are and what will earn her rewards, which for now is her regular food. Once I showed her where I wanted her to stay on walks, which is behind me and to my right, she was happy to follow my lead. A little bit of clarity goes a long way!
Nikiski got a little walk in today, too!
I wish I had recorded some of Niki's initial introduction to the leash so you guys could see how big of a deal this is, but you'll just have to take my word for it. This girl had very little exposure to the outside world before the rescue took her in, so I want to get her out without putting too much pressure on her. That means simply moving together, with no expectations at all. The only thing I'm doing is encouraging Niki to keep moving forward and slowing her down when her flight reflex kicks in, which only happened a couple of times on this walk.
I want to show Niki that she can move through life without sprinting for small spaces or darting as far away as possible from things that make her nervous. Slowing her down with the leash is one way that I do that. For now, she's on a long-line so that I can give her more room if I need to while also slowing her down and allowing her to think things through instead of simply reacting on instinct. So far, we've already made leaps and bounds with little Niki this way. She even approached and let me gently pet her this morning.
Nikiski is adoptable through For Belle's Sake Rescue and Rehabilitation. If you think you can provide the calm leadership and understanding Niki needs to keep improving, you can submit an application at http://www.forbellessake.org/adopting-a-dog---application.html.
Nori's first walk!
Check out Nori's leash skills after only a couple of leash work sessions! Of course, we start with some leash pressure work inside where there are less distractions, along with spacial pressure at doorways to teach dogs to give space instead of pushing forward and looking for a way around me. Then, we apply those principles on a short walk, and voila!
All I'm looking for here is that Nori stays behind me and doesn't fixate on anything around her. If she tries to stop to smell something or pulls on the leash I give quick, short corrections and if she tries to cross in front of me I simply turn into her and use spacial pressure to move her back behind me. We don't move until she's respectful and behind me. As you can see, Nori quickly got the idea!
