Savvy Dog Training

Woo hoo! We are out of town until Monday playing Flyball with our team Jumpin’ Jax! This is Bindi’s Flyball debut and she is on a team for all the younger dogs called “New Kids on the Block. Flyball is Sydney’s favorite of the sports that we play and she is on a more seasoned team called “Muttallica”!! The theme for Flyball tournament is Welcome to Barkville so we are going to have a good time! It’s free to come and watch, so if you are interested, let me know and I’d love to see you there at the Baker County Fairgrounds!

I was dropping off my business cards to a grooming salon the other day and the owner of the salon asked quite bluntly, “What can a dog trainer do for me? Why should I put your cards out?” The answer is: Make YOUR job easier!!!! I explained that I have training and fear-free certification which gave me the education to help dogs be more comfortable with grooming and other husbandry tasks! This is a video of Willy learning about consent during grooming. He has bitten groomers in the past and is usually muzzled while getting his hair cut. We taught Willy that if his paws are up on the stool, he is consenting to having his hair brushed and being touched. When he gets off the stool, the brushing stops. When he decides to get back on the stool, grooming begins and treats are given! His most recent visit to the groomer was his best behavior yet! Counterconditioning things that your dog HAS to go through (grooming, vet visits, etc.) helps your dog to have a better experience and therefore receive better care! In this video, you can still see that Willy isn’t completely relaxed (stress pant and some fidgeting/head whips), but he is learning! And he has the understanding that maybe although he doesn’t love this, if he wants treats he can start the process on his own terms!! Reach out to me if your dog has trouble at the grooming salon or vet office so we can get started on consensual grooming/vet procedures!

I was dropping off my business cards to a grooming salon the other day and the owner of the salon asked quite bluntly, “What can a dog trainer do for me? Why should I put your cards out?” The answer is: Make YOUR job easier!!!! I explained that I have training and fear-free certification which gave me the education to help dogs be more comfortable with grooming and other husbandry tasks! This is a video of Willy learning about consent during grooming. He has bitten groomers in the past and is usually muzzled while getting his hair cut. We taught Willy that if his paws are up on the stool, he is consenting to having his hair brushed and being touched. When he gets off the stool, the brushing stops. When he decides to get back on the stool, grooming begins and treats are given! His most recent visit to the groomer was his best behavior yet! Counterconditioning things that your dog HAS to go through (grooming, vet visits, etc.) helps your dog to have a better experience and therefore receive better care! In this video, you can still see that Willy isn’t completely relaxed (stress pant and some fidgeting/head whips), but he is learning! And he has the understanding that maybe although he doesn’t love this, if he wants treats he can start the process on his own terms!! Reach out to me if your dog has trouble at the grooming salon or vet office so we can get started on consensual grooming/vet procedures!

The tropical storm has a name, “Nicole”! This means we are going to be stuck inside with some rainy weather coming up soon! Here is one of my favorite rainy-day-games: toss and go! Use a treat that’s a different color from your floor and ask your doctor to come, sit, lay down, or any of their other cues, and then toss the treat across the house down a hallway! Your dog will run, you can stay still, and they should be tired after a handful! View my saved story called “rainy day games” for more ideas of things to do when we’re stuck inside!

Beautiful loose leash walking - with a big dog and a small lady - accomplished with NO punishment, prong collar, or other aversive method. My team and I are committed to using positive reinforcement methods to help you and your dog learn to communicate and build good skills!

Handsome Tango learning how to navigate CPE Speedway hoops!

Remy the service dog in training is building some confidence skills and learning to navigate weird surfaces, sounds, and environments! He tackled this tunnel - so brave!