Nothing is more special than a dog like Ani trusting you enough to fall asleep on the couch beside you. ❤️
Today I challenged Ani’s fear more than I have since he arrived and tonight we’re taking a fun walk in his favorite spot in the neighborhood so he can blow off some steam and have fun! This is the happiest and most confident he’s been. He even wants to play with Dizzy!
Just a little before and after video of Clark. The first one was the day I picked him up, the second one was this morning.
Clark went home on Sunday so the second clip is just shy of one week at home.
I think it’s super important to show what happens after they go home.
The success board and train depends not only on the 4+ weeks a dog spends with me, but the true test is what happens when he goes home!
It shows if I truly made an impact on the root of the problem and if he feels better. It also shows if i can teach others how to help their dogs.
I couldn’t be more proud of Clark and his owners! This little firecracker can enjoy life without the stress of blowing up every time he spots another dog. Not only that, but he’s starting to make friends with other dogs!
Second lesson with Leo the Lion! He’s a 7 month old Shiba mix rescued from Korea. He started learning his heel command today and is doing great!
This is probably one of my favorite comparisons and makes it so clear why working on a game teaches so much more than we realize!
Scout desperately wanted to play but in his own way all the time. He would rather bite and tug the leash vs. chasing a ball.
If they stopped the leash biting he went for their arms
or hands.
Instead of fighting and suppressing these natural drives or teaching "calmness," we worked on controlling and guiding him.
In learning the game both owner and dog learned how to understand each other, how to cooperate and
teamwork.
The best part is the bond created through this will last a lifetime.
Got to work with a really cool border collie in foster today! His name is Prince and he’s available for adoption through @rescuecity This boy is super motivated, loves to learn new things and great drive! He’s got a great foundation and is waiting for the right owner that wants to take him to the next level!
Hefty took it to the next level today and was able to play in a super distracting environment. We probably got 5-10 minutes of nice play which doesn’t sound like much, but for him it’s huge! He’s nervous of loud noises, some strangers, dogs and people running or biking in close proximity. He barks defensively to create space so this is really exciting to him learning he doesn’t have to worry about all these things around him.
Beautiful Lami the husky/jindo rescue from Korean K9 Rescue strutting her stuff in busy Columbus Circle!
9 1/2 years old. Walked 6 miles with me today, helped a puppy during a session and managed to be fabulous at the Met. After all that, he still wants to be play with me. ❤️
Hefty Started a brand new program with me today! I’m now offering an in-home boot camp where I come to work with your dog 3-5 days a week and teach them the skills and commands they need to know to meet your goals! Each week we then have a session including the humans teaching you what you need to know to be successful!
Here’s a very short clip of Hefty’s first session. We are working on waking up his retriever genetics and reminding him how to do it!
I told Rolo he could go back to sleep while I learned something…
@queens_bigpoppa is one special dog!
Had our fourth and last session today! Biggie went from playfully biting his owner and jumping all over her to playing tug and fetch with toys.
He went from dragging her down the street to walking nicely.
He now has a reliable off-leash recall and is looking forward to many future adventures!
#jointhecollective
All smiles today! @fosterdawgsofnyc
Morning off-leash run before a busy day!
Morning off leash run for Diz before a busy day!
For those that don’t know Rolo, this is an amazing step for him to initiate play with a large dog.
He was always the terrified pup that placed himself in a corner and avoided contact with dogs outside his small circle.
Since coming to live with us, I’ve really been working on building his trust and confidence and he’s come so far.
The trust comes when I advocate for him and support him when he gives an appropriate correction. In the past he was afraid to correct another dog. He would eventually become so overwhelmed he would over correct and then be punished. He has such a sensitive and soft nature that he eventually gave up to avoid getting corrected (by humans).
I’m not usually a fan of dog parks (because I don’t know the other dogs) but on a rainy day there were very few dogs there and after observing for a little while I decided it would be alright for Dizzy and Rolo. I’m so glad I did!
On a side note, Diz still has a tendency to try to be the third dog in, and I don’t allow that. I usually try to catch it sooner, but I didn’t want to shut Rolo down by calling Dizzy out too soon.
#dogparkfun #rehabilitation #dogbehavioralist