Rylee and Zoe
Rylee and Zoe have been practicing good leash walking skills together and learning not to jump on people out of excitement. Today we took a trip to Tractor Supply for a few things. These two just rocked it! Their mom is much smaller than them and wants to be able to walk them together, so we needed the perfect tool for impeccable leash manners. The side-kick by Heathers Hero's fit the bill and they are doing so much better!
Jack
Jack was such a big hit at Home Depot yesterday. He was on his best behavior and I am so proud of him.
Rylee and Zoe
Rylee and Zoe needed some help with leash manners. I decided to work with the "Side-kick" leash by Heathers Hero's. It is an excellent tool for this girls since they are very strong and mom is a petite sized lady. We have also been working on their greeting manners with guests.
Handsome Jack
Handsome Jack learning to wait patiently at the door and walk politely on leash.
Teddy
Teddy was a big hit at Home Depot. We made several new friends! We practiced his commands during our visit and he got a lot of love. He is truly a gentle giant but he can sure "git it" when he is in a playful mood!
Ellie at Home Depot
Today Ellie went to Home Depot with me to work on her leash manners in public and her greeting manners. Although she was VERY excited at first, once she sniffed around a bit and got acclimated to the new environment, she settled down. She has a tendency to jump up when she meets people, so as they approached, I asked that they please don't give her any affection until all four feet were on the ground. She is a young dog so to ensure this behavior doesn't remain permanent, it is up to us to correct her if she tries to jump on people and to be very consistent about not allowing it.
Bella
Down-stays with Bella.
Eleanor
Ellie has come a long way in just over a week. She is walking well on leash, waiting for things like going out the door and coming out of her crate, listening to commands and she is respecting boundaries. We still have a way to go but we are really gaining on it!! Great job Ellie!! She is such a sweet girl!
Bella at Home Depot
I took Bella out to Home Depot yesterday for some work in public. She was a bit excited/unsure of all the noises at first but she settled down pretty well and willingly listened to commands. While we are at that store, we normally are approached by people, which gives us a good chance to work on jumping up on people during greetings. All in all, Bella did very well at the store and we will be taking another trip in a day or two. It is so important to take your dog places if you want them well behaved in public and teach them how to deal with new things and strangers. Equally important is not expecting perfection when you first introduce your dog to new situations. Give them a few minutes to become comfortable in any new environment.
Teddy
Teddy's walk has gone from dragging humans to calmly walking by my side. We have had some nice distractions with squirrels, other dogs, people and vehicles. We will venture out somewhere more public very soon.
Cooper
Cooper has come a LONG way since the first day he arrived for training. A little "socially awkward" with other dogs and new situations, as well as being "barky" as a way of communicating that he wanted something or felt he needed control of a situation. He is now finally giving me so much heart. This is all you can ask for in a dog - and when you get it, the world is a better place for both dog and owner.
Oreo
A little field trip for Oreo to Tractor Supply today! What a good boy! Tomorrow is his go-home day!
Bell and Oreo
Oreo is just under 6 months old and Bella is 1 year old - both fairly young dogs but you can see Oreo is more interested in playing than doing commands! But he is hanging in there!! Great job to both of these pups! They are doing awesome!
Cooper
Cooper took a little longer to adjust to a new environment than most dogs but that is no big deal! We are good with letting him take his time to feel absolutely comfortable with us here! He was a bit shy with other dogs so we took it slow and now he is engaging in play and really enjoying being around them. One of Coopers issues was that he would run from his owners every time they dog the leash out (despite the fact that he LOVES to go for walk). So instead of chasing him to get a leash on him, I started by just sitting down on the sofa with the leash and letting him come to me, slipping a slip-lead over his head and rewarding him, then taking it off - over and over... once he got better with that, I began calling him to me with leash in hand. If he backed away, I would back up instead of moving forward to him - this alleviates the "pressure" he was feeling to be forced to have a leash on. It didn't take long for him to be OK with getting his leash on - then out for a walk which he loves.
Bella
Bella has been getting so much better at responding to commands during her first week of training. We had to peel back her layers to get to the good stuff. She is a young energetic Labrador Retreiver who can go from zero to a hundred in seconds. She loves her walks but sitting still is harder for her. Thats OK, we still have almost two more weeks with her so she is right on target as far as I am concerned! She is also have a blast with the other dogs here!
Birdie
Birdie is working on basic commands, the place command, housebreaking, socializing with other dogs, and leash manners. She is one cute puppy!
Oreo
This little fella has been hard at work. Week one in the books!
Lady
Miss Lady will head home today after two weeks of training! She is more confident about going into her crate, less scared of loud noises and with better obedience. She is really a very special pup. We took a trip to Home Depot a few days ago and she was a very good girl!
Lady
Lady is a sweet lab! We have been working on basic commands, loose-leash walking, off-leash recall (using a long-line for safety), sit and down stays during our walk, house manners and the "place" command.
