Just doing a little sit/stay and recall work with Maple.
Giving our dogs off leash freedom is one of the biggest gifts we can give them. To do that safely they need a reliable recall. When Sunday first got here he would bolt after anything that moved. Now we are enjoying exploring in a leisurely way together. When I sent this video to his owner this was her reply
“I feel like I’m watching my kid walk for the first time- seeing him have freedom outside is a dream!”.
Bonnie recall
I took Bonnie to the park this morning to work on recall but she thought we were just there to play. With recall less is more. I called her to me 3 times in an hour and she succeeded every time so the rest of the time we just had fun.
Bonnie day 2 of her board and train
This is Bonnie and she’s here for 3 weeks. We spent the morning exploring at the park and getting to know each other better. The first few days are really easy going. Just want her to settle in and look forward to doing things together.
During our consultation with Finn the Bichon puppy, his owner let us know that Finn was very leary of her back porch steps and refused to go down them, into the yard.
Justin worked with Finn a bit, using a combination of food rewards and leash tension as encouragement to keep moving forward.
Sometimes food/treats alone are not enough. In Finn's case, the food was a bonus and helped build motivation, but the superstition he had about going down the steps was stronger. That's where the leash comes in. Justin used the leash to prevent him from retreating/running away from the steps, which would reinforce his belief that they are something to be afraid of.
Ultimately, Finn only needed a few repetitions of this before he got it down! He just needed to be shown he could do it. We have since been updated by Finn's owner that he's going down the steps on his own just fine now. 🙂
Hugo and his family have learned a lot in the past 4 weeks of Homeschool lessons. They’re doing a wonderful job. 👏
We’re excited to see Hugo continue to progress!
This is how we’re greeted each morning when we show up to do Hugo’s homeschool lesson. He is full of life and always ready to get straight to work!
In this video, I’m interacting with one of our dogs, Gemma, and we are playing with this big, empty box in a purposeful way. This clip is just 30 seconds long, but we are working on several different things!
Gemma can be very skittish when something in the environment is new or does not make sense to her. When she is uncertain, she can sometimes react in a fearful, flighty way.
So, my primary goals with her have been building confidence, trust in me to keep her safe, and more resilience to change in the environment.
I first gave Gemma some feedback that I liked how she was sniffing the box.
1. She made the decision to investigate the box on her own, which is a more confident thing to do.
2. A dog that is using their nose is utilizing a calmer part of their brain (rather than reacting to the sight of the box, she is sniffing to learn more about it).
I then ask Gemma to place her paws up on the box. This is something she’s used to me asking—we’ve practiced this a lot, but not with this particular object.
1. Calling a dog “up” onto things is a way to encourage them to explore the environment.
2. This builds cooperation/teamwork skills.
3. This gets a dog exercising their body instead of stuck in their brain (fear, uncertainty).
4. Asking this of a dog is an opportunity to build trust (if they struggle with this, you might help by placing your hand/foot onto the surface or standing on the object first, showing them it’s safe).
I gave her more feedback (with some pats) to let her know I really appreciate her working with me.
She has a brief moment of uncertainty (notice when her ears perk all the way up). She likely noticed the box move slightly or it made a noise from her paws being on it. However, she doesn’t flee from it, which is great to see.
I then invite her “off.”
She seems to be pretty proud of herself afterwards (in her own goofy way).
This is just one small example of how to consider your dog’s needs and work with them in
We heard that Libra has always had trouble jumping in their truck so we wanted to help her out and show her that she could do it! It was great seeing Libra's confidence build as she conquered something she wasn't sure she could do at first.
Casual exploration with Libra the GSD and our dog, Gemma. Libra and her owners have been working their tails off in private lessons. We brought Gemma to our lesson today because Libra can be very reactive, especially at the sight of other dogs. You can see in this video she gives a few glances at Gemma--she is a bit uncertain of how to be with other dogs. Libra became very accepting of Gemma's presence and was hanging out calmly near her by the end of our lesson. Very proud of Libra!!
Snickers making excellent choices!
When he first arrived to stay with us, he would blow up at any person, dog--really just anything he was uncertain about, without hesitation. We have been slowing him down in every aspect, making him think (develop impulse control), and also exposing him to these things in a way where he can observe and learn.
We encounter all kinds of things when we are out exploring with dogs. A few things Snickers has been exposed to this week: tennis players, kids on swings, construction workers/noises....and a surprise armadillo! 😜
Board & train Mozart practicing recall at the park with Justin
Meet Duke.
Duke is a very fearful dog we have been working with. He was likely feral up until a few months ago. He was caught along with three other dogs he was roaming with (probably his littermates). It is unknown whether Duke and his siblings were born outdoors/lived a feral life or if they came from a puppy mill situation. Duke is probably 2-3yrs old and we would guess that he has had very little interaction with people until recently.
A nice couple adopted him and contacted us for help. Duke, like most feral dogs has a very strong urge to flee, trying to run away even on leash. He would instantly defecate & try to run or hide if something made him uncomfortable. Essentially he was living in survival mode, under a lot of stress. He had a new life with good people, but it was all different than what he had known. It all made no sense to him.
Duke has been with us for about 3 weeks now and we wanted to share some moments we've had with him throughout his stay so far. The work with Duke is all about teaching him how to navigate his new life--to trust us and his humans to guide him through the unknowns.
Duke still has a long way to go. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year (or more) before an extremely fearful/feral dog goes through real rehabilitation. It takes time.
He will be staying with us a while longer and his owners will receive continued support & training after he goes home. We are proud of Duke for the progress he has made so far. It's is important to notice all of the steps, however small they may seem, because they took a lot of courage on his part.
Elle (tan) is with us for dog reactivity and anxiety. Her two biggest stressors: other dogs and storms. She's had lots of practice around both of these things the last few weeks.
Elle's owner has been shocked seeing how well she is doing around other dogs. It's common for people with reactive dogs to think their dog must be aggressive towards other dogs, but this is often not the case. Elle has been very friendly and polite with every dog we've introduced her to.
Justin has been taking Elle on walks between all the storms the past few days. Getting her moving and feeling good with training work before or after a storm and having a kennel as a safe place to decompress while its storming is helping her cope during these times.
Stray at the park
The other day we were at a park and noticed a stray dog running around. There’s a shelter in the park so many dogs get dumped and run loose here.
He stayed far away, but would occasionally come in closer to bark at us. We could tell he was conflicted—really wanting some kind of connection and safety, but also afraid.
Justin spent over an hour with him and was able to leash the dog and get him to a safe place to stay.
He now goes by the name Jasper and is being fostered by a sweet friend of ours.
Jasper had been running loose for at least a few weeks, we learned. His picture was taken at the same park uploaded to a local lost pet page at the beginning of March.
We’re happy this little guy is now in good hands and will be on his way to a new home.
To work as a team, encourage impulse control & spend mental energy in your dog, add some structure to play. In today's private lesson we started to teach this in fetch (dog was asked to stay before the ball was thrown, then released to go get it).
Bloopers included--the cat wanted in on the play.😁
Why do we practice asking dogs to jump “up” onto things?
Many dogs we work with are apprehensive about jumping onto unfamiliar surfaces. Any time you can help a dog through uncertainty and show them what they are capable of, you’re building confidence and trust.
The first clip of this video is from yesterday. This was the first time Justin asked Honey to jump onto the concrete pillar. She was pretty unsure about putting all 4 paws up there until Justin used his own foot to show her it was safe.
The second clip is from today. Even though she was a little clumsy about it at first, she was sure she could do it this time. The tail wags and licks say it all.
The last clip is us loading into the car after today’s lesson. It took a while before Honey felt comfortable jumping into the travel crate in the back of our 4Runner, but having her practice “up!” in other areas made the car much easier.
Minnie Week 1
A glimpse into Minnie’s first week:
Heel/walk practice
Doorway manners
Learning some new obedience commands (down, come, up, off, place)
Exploring new environments
—and playing in the sand. 😎
A clip of Arthur at the end of week 1. We’re now in week 2 and moving on to busier environments.
