Digman Canine Academy

10/14/2024

Meet Sunny! Sunny went home this weekend after completing her Stay & Train and she made some outstanding strides! Sunny is a service dog in training. Her owner has a current service dog who she’s anticipating retirement for and she is training up Sunny to be prepped in the wings. Sunny is still young, but she’s now got a full scope of obedience skills, a solid brace command and is well on her way to working successfully with a variety of mobility aids. This girl is really focused when she’s working and with some age and maturity that will continue to translate to her less structured time. Way to go Sunny!

10/08/2024

Meet Ismo! He’s looking pretty majestic in this morning fog! Ismo just finished up his Stay & Train today and he was an absolute all-star showing his owners what he had learned. Ismo didn’t have glaring behavioral issues. He just had a lot of small behaviors (I.e. pulling on the leash, not coming when called, being irritating to the older dog in the household, being mouthy, jumping on people) that were making for some consistent and compounding irritation. Ismo has picked up a lot of useful skills and they just put the finishing touches on an already really awesome dog!

10/02/2024

Meet Chance! Chance finished up his Stay & Train today and we are so proud of the progress he made! Chance came in with his brain on fire and in a constant state of adrenaline and chaos. We spent our time slowing him down, building his focus and creating some practical skills that would help him and his owner live together with more harmony. Chance needs a lot of exercise, but that doesn’t mean that he needs to be moving 24 hours a day. If you know you’ve satisfied a their need for movement, you can ask for peace! Chance grew in his desire to please and he was looking good for his owner today!

09/26/2024

Meet Moses! Moses is just a pup, but a big one! It’s amazing how quickly big dogs learn to use their size to manage getting what they want. We affectionately refer to Moses as “a stinker”. He has no ill will, but sometimes he just wants what he wants - when he wants it! We’ve been working with Moses to introduce some practical skills, grow his impulse control and teach him to tap into that puppy brain of his. He’s done so well and we can’t wait to show his owners what he can do!

09/18/2024

Meet Moonie! Everyone fell in love with Moonie as soon as she arrived. This dog is sweet as can be and is so eager to please. Moonie is a recent rescue and she’s got some significant prey drive which has created some reactivity. Her owners want to give her the best start possible and we think they hit the jackpot with this girl. She’s catching onto the training and is enthusiastic and intelligent. She building some practical skills and growing in her impulse control around critters and other distractions. She’s looking good!

09/03/2024

Meet Remy! Remy is finishing up her Stay & Train this week with some skills added to her sweet nature. Remy loves to be loved and sometimes her enthusiasm results in a black eye when she greets you. She’s part kangaroo! 🦘This type of behavior obviously dampens your desire to be greeted by this sweet girl, so we have been working on creating impulse control as well as growing her confidence in new or challenging situations.

08/26/2024

Meet Finnegan! Finnegan took some private lessons with us a while back, but some life changes and reaching maturity had combined forces to result in a backslide in his skills. He came in for a tune-up in our Stay & Train program and he quickly showed us that he did in fact remember his training! We’ve been putting him through some paces to dial things back in and this goofball pretty readily stepped into his skills! We see some more relaxed walks around the neighborhood in his owner’s future!

08/20/2024

Meet Bayla & Bowie! This picture captures them well😆. These two are 3 years old, but for obvious reasons trainers are still referring them as “the puppies”. Bayla & Bowie are littermates and while taking two dogs from the same litter does not automatically create issues, it can increase the likelihood of developing a type of over-bonding that can be detrimental to a balanced temperament if the dogs aren’t doing some independent training/bonding with their owners. Bayla and Bowie have a lot of trouble being separated and were anxious little dogs. Bowie didn’t like other dogs to approach her or Bayla and Bayla’s nerves were on edge when other dogs were around as a result of that tension. Both dogs have made great progress growing in their skills and security. Their owner’s next steps will be important as she maintains and grows the balance between their individual growth and their bond.

08/19/2024

Meet Freya! Freya goes home tomorrow and as usual, we can’t wait to show her owner all that she has learned during her Stay & Train. Freya came in pretty standoffish, anxious and reactive towards dogs and people. She also was a pretty selective listener and was pushy and always jumping on and mouthing everyone in the home. Freya has gained confidence, steadiness and skill during her stay. She’s socialized successfully with other dogs and has been such a pleasure to work with each day as she grew and built trust with us and assurance in herself. One more sleep, pup!

08/12/2024

Meet Soka! Soka is finishing up her Stay & Train this week. She is still very much a golden puppy. She is an absolute nut when given the opportunity and it’s endearing and a big part of why people love the breed. It’s also a big reason people pursue training 😆 It’s a great trait in doses 🤣 But most people want a dog that can relax as well as win the Olympics in zoomies. That has been our mission with Soka. We want to maintain her enthusiasm about life while also teaching her that relaxation and focus are desirable traits as well. She’s doing wonderfully and we can’t wait to show her owners her new gold medal attributes! 🥇

08/09/2024

Meet Jynx! Jynx is in the midst of his Stay & Train and he has been an amazing transformation already. Jynx is on his fourth home and his owner wasn’t able to walk him or trust him to be out in public because his reactivity was so significant. She felt out of her depth with him and unsure how to help him gain skills, confidence and control. Jynx has gained all of those things in spades! He’s growing tremendously and has quickly become a favorite with the trainers. He still has moments where he reengages poor behaviors, but every day is positive change and habituation of new responses. His biggest reward has been successfully playing with other dogs which his owner wasn’t sure was possible. Way to go, buddy!

08/08/2024

Meet Duke! Duke is a big boy and he was accustomed to asserting his size in order to get where he wanted to go…or not go… Duke has been doing well in his Stay & Train developing his skills, growing in his respect for people and other dogs and building a more agreeable disposition. His goofy, drooly self is increasingly easy-going and focused when requested! Big man is a Big gentleman in the making!

06/28/2024

Meet Kevin! Kevin has been training through our group class progression and his owners decided they’d like the put the cherry on top by finishing with a Stay & Train. We’ve been working on putting some finishing touches on his skills and expanding on his off leash behaviors. This guy is a really awesome dog and his owners are capitalizing on making him the very best version of himself!

06/18/2024

Meet Rio! Rio is finishing up his Stay & Train and he has made some amazing strides. Rio came in very nervous and very reactive. Rio was a quick study and once he figured out the structure and new skills, he was a very eager student and was eager to please. Rio still has a propensity to vocalize when he’s nervous (he’s a hound mix!), but he no longer finds himself in an endless loop and can be directed and corrected when being “too much”. Rio has become a quick favorite of the trainers and we can wait to show his owner all that he has learned!

05/25/2024

Meet Poe & Leia! These two came to see us to work on reactivity and gain some reliable skill sets. Poe settled in readily after some initial apprehension about the new environment and people. Leia took some extra time as she was both nervous of the adjustment and had no ability to settle her adrenaline. Leia has steadily caught up to her brother in focus and skills and both are now working around new dogs and people with confidence and calm. We also found that they both quite like the company of other dogs and play well with each of the dogs we introduced. We are excited for their progress!

05/17/2024

We will be hanging out and doing some demo’s tomorrow! Come on out and say hi!

Here is the link to the Bark In The Park segment on TV 10! https://www.wtaj.com/studio814/newry-lions-club-to-host-bark-in-the-park-benefiting-central-pa-humane-society-mending-hearts/

05/13/2024

Meet Kona! Kona has come up through our group class structure. He’s made steady progress all the way along and he’s finishing up with a short Stay & Train. He’s now rocking a reliable recall and is even more steady in his other skills. He’s also spent plenty of time winning over the trainers and being ridiculously cute and spunky.

05/08/2024

Meet Hank! Hank is a wild child! He came in bouncing off the walls, barking, lunging and just generally causing a ruckus. Hank had some significant reactivity stemming from having been attacked by dogs on two separate occasions. His owners weren’t able to socialize him successfully after those incidents. We’ve been working with Hank to develop his social skills, increase his confidence and create a useful set of skills to contain his crazy. He’s made a ton of progress in his skills and has made some canine friends who’ve taught him some lessons on appropriate social engagement. Hank is much more able to exercise impulse control and we let the crazy out during playtime 🤪