Nibbler - the man, the myth, the legend 🥇 (Actually though, what a beautiful chain!)
HOW TO ADD YOURSELF TO A CLASS WAITLIST 🐾
Our new software has been amazing but the waitlist feature is unfortunately a little less intuitive than it was previously. Fear not, it's still there! Just hiding from you 🤓
This quick video will show you how to add yourself to the waitlist. This will...
1. Allow you to get notifications when a spot opens up
2. Let ME know that you're waiting! Waitlists help me know when we have demand for an additional class time so I can add it as needed and/or incorporate more of it into the schedule.
Any questions just shout 📢
Jess
We got a new toy 👀River tested out a small course for us today. SO fun for her. We had done a couple of short runs before we filmed this and she was pooped 😴If your pup has a prey drive and energy to burn, they will LOVE this! #wheresithappens #wshdogs #dogsofinstagram #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtraining #reactivity #rplus #oxfordct #woodburyct #southburyct #middleburyct #ct #newhavencounty #ctdogs #kpactp #swiftpaws
Nali, Jakey, Maple and Frankie had a lot of fun at Puppy Playgroup last night! Can you believe Nali (mix with dark muzzle) and Maple started off nervous? They’ve come so far!
Check out our friend Bella rocking her cooperative care routine!
Bella isn’t a big fan of getting her nails done… can you blame her?! But Bella and her mom attended a few of our cooperative care classes with Aubrey. She’s now at the point she very willingly offers hers paws and accepts the feeling of the Dremel no problem!
This team is well on their way to stress free nail time! Nice job 🩷
Bella Dremel
Check out our friend Bella rocking her cooperative care routine!
Bella isn’t a big fan of getting her nails done… can you blame her?! But Bella and her mom attended a few of our cooperative care classes with Aubrey.
Linda sent us this video update last week! Bella is now at the point she very willingly offers hers paws and accepts the feeling of the Dremel no problem!
This team is well on their way to stress free nail time! Nice job 🩷
Shay’s mom has had difficulties getting him in the car. He refused to get in and he’s a big boy… There was no way she was lifting him!
Training Assistant Jessie has been working with him to teach him how to hop in and out on his own. Look at his new skills!
Shay Car Cues
Shay’s mom has had difficulties getting him in the car. He refused to get in and he’s a big boy… There was no way she was lifting him!
Training Assistant Jessie has been working with him to teach him how to hop in and out on his own. Look at his new skills!
Need a last minute gift for the pet lover in your life? We’re freshly stocked with wine glasses, ornaments and more with ALL proceeds benefitting Seymour CARES. We also have training gift cards available!If you’re interested in either shoot us a message and we’ll make time to meet with you 😀
When you have many different dogs in the same facility, sanitation is SO important! We’ll share more about our cleaning routines but first things first - this is the gem that allows us to clean the floor thoroughly yet time efficiently. It’s a pretty sweet ride 😎
JJ
We received this video from JJ’s mom earlier this week.
He’s supposed to be going for his bedtime walk.
Instead, he took her to our door and is now very upset he can’t go in to play! 🥺
Happy, eager pups make our hearts happy 💜
Ever wonder who’s actually behind our emails? 🤭 #wheresithappens #wshdogs #dogsofinstagram #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtraining #reactivity #rplus #oxfordct #woodburyct #southburyct #middleburyct #ct #newhavencounty #ctdogs
Loose leash walking is one of the number one things we find people want to teach their dogs! When you break it down, it’s really quite simple but boy does it take a lot of practice! Which of these tips do you want to learn more about? #rcopetcare #rcodogs #rcopets #dogsofinstagram #petsitter #dogwalker #oxfordct #woodburyct #southburyct #middleburyct #waterburyct #oakvillect #watertownct #seymourct #naugatuckct #wolcottct #thomastonct #ct #newhavencounty #litchfieldcounty #ctdogs #dogtrainer #ctdogtrainer
We stopped for a quick water break during Sweet Pea’s reactivity training today. I decided we’d break it up a little for her so we challenged her little brain and taught her to go through a hoop 😆
She is too cute! 🥰
Rudy had a walk today to practice with his reactivity but it was sooooo hot we changed gears. We made him use that brain to learn how to conquer his fear of the Klimb (purple table) and he learned how to target a cone. He was doing so well we then shaped that into knocking it over!
So simple but so effective. Afterward he was exhausted and walked home on a beautiful loose leash. Once we got in he took a drink and settled down for a nap 💜
( PS - School is just about in session. Keep an eye on your emails for an update soon 👀)
We’ve got FLOORS! 😍
Rudy says they are zoomie approved ✅
💡Training Tip! 💡
Check out our new video about how we can use the rate of reinforcement when we are around triggers or something distracting (i.e a bowl of food!)
By upping our rate of reinforcement (how many times we are marking and feeding/rewarding over a period of time), we can make our dogs “forget” about the distraction that would otherwise derail them.
This is an excellent tool to use when you’re training loose leash, around triggers, or anything, really! Not only are we reinforcing staying with us but we are preventing the behaviors of lunging or pulling on the leash. As you’ll hear us say time and time again, prevention/management is always the first step to behavior change 🤓
We are hard at work writing class curriculum and oh my gosh we’re so excited 😍 I wish I had access YEARS ago to the puppy class we are cooking up!
Is there anything you would really like to learn about or teach your dog? Let us know below and you can help us shape your future classes 😀
🎥 - Jess and Owl at another facility learning scentwork!
Meet Red.
We initially crossed paths with Red when his mom adopted him from a not-so-great start to life. He is a sweet boy but was riddled with anxiety… like “oh my gosh where did my mom go I’m going to eat the wall” anxiety.
Red’s mom promptly called RCO to get him on a weekly walking schedule and asked about training when we realized the extent of what she was dealing with.
I met with Red and his mom around 3 months ago and observed a few things:
- Red would not settle. He paced the entire hour+ I was there and never laid down once. While dogs are often excited when I arrive, it comes to a point where I’m ‘old news’ while I discuss with mom and dad or they’re just tired from working and will plop down for a bit.
- He was VERY nervous about being in his crate.
- He was full of excitement and he showed it by jumping. A. Lot. He didn’t know what else to do with himself.
I suggested working on the some very basics - a solid “sit” behavior, capturing any type of calm behavior and how to stop inadvertently rewarding jumping.
I also suggested getting a camera to figure out EXACTLY what was happening when Mom left and when it was starting. With this info I was able to coordinate with Red’s mom, my training plans and his veterinarian.
Fast forward about 3 months.. WOW. Red:
- Has a SOLID sit cue which can be used to help so many things.
- Hardly jumped. Maybe once on me and once on Mom. ENORMOUS improvement over last time.
- Was able to lay down and hang out when we weren’t working instead of pacing and jumping at mom.
- Is feeling more comfortable in his crate. We plan to work up to having some more freedom but safety is the name of the game right now.
My favorite part is that Red kept blowing me off. I’d ask him for a behavior and he’d reorient to mom. This is huge because it shows me how hard they have been working together. His positive reinforcement history is already so strong with his mom he would rather look to her tha
Check out Rudy easily engaging and disengaging while watching a large dog have a reaction across the green.
When training reactive dog we want to make it look as much as possible like we AREN’T!
That’s not to say he didn’t have a reactive moment later in the session but were looking for progress - not perfection 💜 He was able to disengage and settle in half the time it took him a week and a half ago!
