03/31/2024
This little lady went home yesterday! She is doing fantastic, happy tails Miss Fiona.
Gert’s Ark Animal Care
- Home
- United States
- Sanford, ME
- Gert’s Ark Animal Care
I have trained dogs for over a decade,behavior modification, basic & advanced obedience, scentwork,
(6)
03/06/2024
Getting used to the vacuum and loud sounds. Building confidence when unsure in a situation.
03/04/2024
When your friends hear you are tired of having no working space because there are dog crates everywhere!
Thank you! YOU are amazing!
Yes there is a crate inside the crate. Unfortunately the divider grew legs and walked away and it's too big for effective crate training for a puppy.
Too big a space equals no need to hold your bladder or colon! Best birthday present ever!
03/03/2024
This week Fiona starts her training here. She is going to be trained as a service dog. We will be training her solely with hand signals as her owner has difficulty speaking!
02/28/2024
Our hearts and prayers remain with Oswald and his owner as he continues to recover from being super sick and his Service Dog Training has had to be put on hold with us for a bit. We hope for a speedy recovery and can wait to help he and his handler continue on their journey as an amazing team!
02/22/2024
One year old service dog in training Ethel did outstanding on an all day hospital outing. She did well at the hospital and when we stopped for lunch.
She was 100% on target for seizure response, seizure alert, and asthma response.
She still has a year of training left!
For safety the child's identity has been hidden behind emojis.
02/03/2024
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/UfmJ9EcxWPp68qRZ/?mibextid=WC7FNe
We’d Appriciate some help getting a service dog from our program become a calendar star. She is competing to be in a shepherd calendar. The most likes places in the order of number of likes!
01/15/2024
Sometimes dogs end up with us for various reasons. Koda stayed with us for a time, and got some much needed training and rehabbing, and then got fixed.
While all of that happened we searched for the perfect family. Congrats to Emori and her family. He fits in perfectly with their pack on 40 acres of land!
I wish our farm was sufficient for this boy, but they work best in pairs and it wasn’t our time, but I’m glad to say we were part of his journey to get home!
12/23/2023
It’s been crazy lately we apologize for lack of updates:
Oswald came for a day training with his handler and was here for his two week boarding training Oswald .
Hans- was here for training while his family was on a short vacation.
Willow- is back for another 2 week board and train
Ethel- continues her training as a service dog for seizure alert and ataxia response. Golden Paws Pups
Talon- is the ace of spades, she is a cardiac service dog, herds the animals and is soon to be bringing in the next line of amazing shepherds. She is due to be bred to Vom Rindahaus Shepherds Titus on Christmas Eve, reach out to them if you want to be on the puppy list.
12/21/2023
Well the time has come, for Talon to produce the next round of pups to help others who need service dogs, working dogs, or active family pets.
Oh she also herds amazingly!
Not sure we are ready over here!
Meet Talon!
This beautiful daughter of Axel x Varek has passed all her health testing(hips, elbows, heart, thyroid, DM clear) and is the newest dam in our program.
We are excited to announce she is in heat and we are preparing for a Talon x Titus litter due in February! This waitlist is already filling up quickly, so message us to reserve your spot ASAP!
12/20/2023
There has been question about how my dog alerts to cardiac episodes in the car.
This is the answer, a head on the shoulder and licking.
Still being fine tuned!
12/17/2023
This week has been some service dog training, for two young pups!
11/27/2023
My dog is not my child. My dog is not my furbaby.
I am not his mother, I am his trainer. The word trainer is not a bad word, it means leader, supporter,disciplinary.. and friend.
My dog is my friend. He is my partner and my companion. To treat him like a child, to infantilize him and make it seem as though he needs my constant coddling or protection, would be unfair to him.
He is an adult carnivore that I have brought into my human world. Because of that it is my responsibility as his owner:
1) To communicate with him in a way he can understand.
2) To provide leadership, discipline and mutual respect.
3) To understand his instincts and needs, and provide appropriate outlets for them.
4) To train him and provide him the skills to function effectively in our human world, including acceptable manners and behaviours including the veterinarian.
Our dogs deserve to be given responsibility and allowed to be adult creatures, not perpetual babies.
Please, don't try to make them tiny humans, they aren't and they don't want to be. Dogs are wonderful because they are dogs. Let them be dogs.
Teach them to be good ones.
Katherine Carter 4/8/19
"Dog Trainer Unpopular Opinion of the Day:"
11/20/2023
11/18/2023
Two is still a puppy for a GSD, their brains develop more slowly than a small breed dog for example. Like people all dogs are different and develop at different rates. Some days we work on just being in the same room without interacting because they really want to play all the time. Without practice ignoring in home it’s hard to ignore in public.
11/06/2023
It seems everyone now a days wants a German shepherd.
1 liter of bubbly water next to just todays hair pile. Yesterday was the same and the same the day before. Not to mention they stay a four legged toddler for most of their life…
11/05/2023
11/02/2023
Here is what you have been waiting for!
The name reveal of The kittens!
We have Herald (as in hark the heralds- F)
Juniper (F)
AllSpice- (F)
Mulberry- (F) and my favorite
Last but not least the odd man out
Tater (M)- Reserved
They will be fixed (we hope), with first shots, and ready to go home by Christmas.
10/30/2023
Meet the kitten of the day. Tater- as in a sweet pa tater! He is chunky and sweet and reserved. He is also the only boy of the litter it currently appears!
10/30/2023
Sometimes Service dogs don’t really like the gear they have to wear for the safety of doing their jobs. It takes short stints and patience. Oswald is not thrilled.
10/25/2023
A friend of mine has GSD puppies ready to go home. Best part is I got to visit them and spend time with them today!
I got to spend time with the big doggos too.
Retired Mom Mia
Current Mom Axel
Future Mom (who lives with me Talon)
And handsome Dad Titus.
Autumn- sport dog prospect to service dog, you would have to purchase her from silver pines pups, and then I would be happy to discuss my service dog training program if you decided to do that.
Zester- happy to please, but also loves the tug!
Chai, sweet and sour, mostly sweet but really wants to please her people.
These are the 3 puppies left!
Contact silver pines pups today!
10/22/2023
Stay tuned for tomorrows update on names of our 1 week old kittens!
They will 8 weeks old the Sunday the week before Christmas!
10/17/2023
Today Cinder welcomes 5 new babies. She did really well.
5 healthy orange 3/4 Maine, 1/4 bengal.
Stay tuned for her kitten baby names.
10/16/2023
Cookie Dough is looking for a pet home. She is so sweet. If you flip her on her back and scratch under her Ching she holds your hand with her paw as she falls asleep.
She is definitely as sweet as her namesake!
10/10/2023
Awesome place to work on Sercice Dog in Training Talons public access skills. Staff were great about not interacting, which is greatly appreciated! No issues at all with access today. We will be back.
On how Talon did. She did well but did not appreciate that when she alerted and I was already sitting down, I refused to lay down.
Sometimes handler preference trumps SD preference if I am comfortable and safe. She got a “good alert, but I am okay, and I’m not laying down.”
Firefly Pottery LLC
Address
Sanford, ME
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 5pm |
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Videos
This little lady went home yesterday! She is doing fantastic, happy tails Miss Fiona.
Confidence & Desensitization
Getting used to the vacuum and loud sounds. Building confidence when unsure in a situation.
There has been question about how my dog alerts to cardiac episodes in the car. This is the answer, a head on the shoulder and licking. Still being fine tuned!
This week has been some service dog training, for two young pups!
A friend of mine has GSD puppies ready to go home. Best part is I got to visit them and spend time with them today! I got to spend time with the big doggos too. Retired Mom Mia Current Mom Axel Future Mom (who lives with me Talon) And handsome Dad Titus. Autumn- sport dog prospect to service dog, you would have to purchase her from silver pines pups, and then I would be happy to discuss my service dog training program if you decided to do that. Zester- happy to please, but also loves the tug! Chai, sweet and sour, mostly sweet but really wants to please her people. These are the 3 puppies left! Contact silver pines pups today!
Today Cinder welcomes 5 new babies. She did really well. 5 healthy orange 3/4 Maine, 1/4 bengal. Stay tuned for her kitten baby names.
Cookie Dough is looking for a pet home. She is so sweet. If you flip her on her back and scratch under her Chin she holds your hand with her paw as she falls asleep. She is definitely as sweet as her namesake
Can you groom your dog without a fight? With complete calmness to the point of falling asleep? This is trust. Hair cut, nails done.
Hi community! I just wanted to let our neighbors know that Gert’s Ark Animal Care and Dark Horse Ranch in Lebanon are hosting a fun run, crash course Agility for Dogs Fundraiser for Gabe. It is open to the community. If anyone wanted to dip their toes in the water to see if they would enjoy this event, it’s a great opportunity to try and support a great cause. We do require that dogs that attend are not aggressive! Hope to see you there! Please reach out to Gert’s Ark Animal Care if you plan on attending so we can get a head count. The event is June 3, 2023 and it starts at 11:30. It is NOT an AKC event so rescues and mixes are allowed to join too! 61 Lower Guinea Road Lebanon, ME 04027 A UTD rabies vaccine is required and copy must be provided to participate.
When do you know when puppies are crossing the line and how do you break up a fight. Here we train in home settings always. We have a pack order, it’s me. I share it with no other dogs. Watch the video and listen to when I step in, and how quickly they correct. I will never ever recommend two puppies from the same litter. I always recommend 6 months difference. A lot of professional trainers won’t personally adopt two dogs within the 6 month time frame due to littermate syndrome. It changes to be neurological pathways, behavior issues bonding with the pups instead of humans, dependance and aggression. As a professional trainer it still takes a lot of time, commitment and knowledge to avoid it!
Talon’s training debut and service dog expo was amazing today! She was the perfect epitome of a service dog tasking with a way too many distractions, and showed what a well bred, well trained, confident dog could do. All of these obstacles were introduced brand new today! Thank you Dark Horse for the venue, it was nice to pair up, with you and silverpinespups! https://www.silverpinespups.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5dqgBhBNEiwA7PryaMrrDGuMNAfSE610Q71BTcRdnaIfazXe_rnSEKW40bFC6vtmgCu9jhoCeTcQAvD_BwE If you are interested in adopting a solid family dog, or therapy dog prospect, they have some puppies available to go home as of March 28th!
Dogs are only as good as we allow them to be. We need to help them become the best dog they can be!
As a trainer, I hate when people can’t manage a dog, and as a result label dogs as Dangerous. A 3.5 month old puppy, who accidentally gets your hand when you are playing tug of war is not VICIOUS, or a danger. It is a puppy that has yet to develop an understanding of the world around them. It is a puppy (a baby animal) that cannot yet tell the difference when adjusting its mouth playing with you, their favorite person, the difference between your hand and the squishy fun tug toy. They have not been taught yet, or had the experience yet to know, all of this, but do you know what happens when you bring a “bite risk” to a shelter, as is threatened? No matter how young a dog is, it gets put down. This dogs 1/2 sibling met that fate because during the critical learning phase he was still in, he didn’t get taught what he needed to know to succeed. We rescued this one his name is Kilo, I’m sorry we missed saving your 1/2 brother before the same story they dished about you, they also said about him, but we didn’t hear about him, and he lost his life before it got started. I’m sorry your owner failed. I got Kilo as an emergency placement, and this is what we were given. The breeder that he came from has given the same guy two dogs. Doesn’t want them back but has no problem letting babies be put down. Kilo is scared and unsure but already growing in my household. He is learning confidence and has quickly picked up routine. He has now since his drop off at 9:30 pm Sunday learned the following. Sitz Platz Oust Leave it Door (to go back inside) He is going into the kennel without trying to fight his way back out. He’s learning to play with other dogs. He is an amazing dog, who almost lost his life due to a human error. I am glad we were able to save him. He will be looking for an experienced home and you can apply to MAD Malinois Rescue.
Training session with Willow today
Excuse the house it is a mess. Between being sick and the holidays…. Anywho. Obedience session with Talon today.
How is it our time is coming to a close? Tomorrow you take after your name and take flight. I will post some post bath photos and handler turnover before this guy goes off to Arizona to continue manner training, basic and advanced obedience,and tasks as a service dog in training. I cannot wait to follow your journey! Show everyone the dog I know you are, being a puppy, that has barely started his journey in life, you still have a long way to go, but I know you can do it!
Training with New Sights, New Sounds, and New smells
Finch continuing to work on leash manners but I decided to make it super hard. Super busy down town atmosphere. Never had been around any of these sights or sounds. Besides giving a fire hydrant a “bring it” bark outburst he did amazing.
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