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08/27/2024

Today's training: Ruby goes to court.

We had to go to a court hearing this morning. Ruby has never been through a metal detector which is weird and loud. Then she had to sit quietly in the courtroom for about an hour. She was perfect, except a little whining when she got impatient towards the end.

08/25/2024

Super proud of Ruby today! She went to two restaurants and no one even knew she was there unless they saw us come in. She practiced being under the table while we ate breakfast and even ignored a piece of sausage we put on the floor in front of her. Then, at another restaurant we met up with some family and she got to practice crawling underneath a chair and staying there. It was a small table and lots of people so tucking under the chair kept her out of the way. We celebrated with a pup cup on the way home.

08/18/2024

I have put off this announcement as long as I could but Get Smart Dog Training will no longer be accepting any clients for the foreseeable future. Any previous clients will, of course, be supported. So if you've been a client in the past feel free to reach out to me with any Training questions.

I know people are going to want to know why this is happening so I'll address that. Most of you know I took a few months off the beginning of this year to recover from major surgery. During my recovery, my husband experienced two minor strokes. These strokes, coupled with his traumatic brain injury from a car accident in 2017, has brought on the early symptoms of dementia. I am now using my time to take care of him and do some activities while he is still able to do them and, hopefully, remember them.

I may come back to Training and creating Dog products down the road, but for now it isn't feasible for me. I'll still post updates about all the adventures of Madison, Nova, and Ruby so you can share in their lives with us.

Thank you for all your support and stay tuned for news all about the stars of the show, Madison, Nova, and Ruby. Here's a recent picture of me and Ruby on a training outing last week.

04/14/2024

Wishing this goofy, loving, and beautiful, little girl a happy 2nd birthday today. Ruby brightens my life every day and I'm blessed to have her. She is smart and affectionate and brings smiles to everyone around her.

To celebrate today, she got birthday cookies and opened presents. Then she got a special dinner of raw hamburger mixed with her dog food. And of course, her sisters got to have a birthday cookie, open a present, and have special dinner to celebrate, too.

Special thanks to Humphrey Retrievers for entrusting us with her. We can't wait to see what is in her future.

01/09/2024

Happy Labrador Retriever Day! Ruby, Nova, and Madison celebrated with a homemade "pup cup" since I couldn't take them to get one today. Ruby and Nova are both 100% lab, while Madison is a mix of breeds but about 25% of that is Labrador so she was included in celebrating the lab heritage.

12/30/2023

My favorite Christmas present this year....

12/25/2023

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

12/25/2023

Christmas Eve 2023

I got matching pajamas for the girls and I so we could take some pictures in front of the tree. Then I gave them bowls of whipped cream while I had some eggnog. It wasn't easy getting cute photos from this group, but worth it. Merry Christmas everyone!

12/22/2023

A rare, cute picture of my "Super Nova Of The Universe". She's not a fan of pictures so I have to snag them when I can.

12/21/2023

A VERY special treat today in the Christmas Advent Calendar.

12/14/2023

Day 13 of the Christmas Advent Calendar. The girls did excellent today.

12/12/2023

Day 11 on our Christmas Advent Calendar. The girls all did excellent today.

12/06/2023

Day 5 of our Christmas Advent Calendar. Ruby was the good girl today. Nova was impatient as usual. Madison was polite and waited her turn.

12/02/2023

Day 1 of this year's Advent Calendar for Madison, Nova, and Ruby.

11/27/2023

⚠️⚠️PSA for all dog lovers⚠️⚠️

This respiratory virus is serious! Please get treatment if your dog exhibits ANY symptoms or seem like they aren't feeling well. There are many confirmed cases in Oregon and other states.

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🦃🦃

11/21/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday!

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week. Please remember to keep your pets safe during the holiday. Don't feed them bones or fatty scraps. They can have lean turkey, unseasoned veggies, a small amount of potatoes, or regular sweet potatoes. Avoid the gravies, deserts, and chocolate and watch your holiday drinks and keep them up away from curious pets.

Ruby is looking forward to the after food nap. See you next week!

11/15/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, let's talk about unwanted behavior management. Dogs have instinctual behaviors. They can come out in ways we don't like. Digging turns into digging up your flowers or yard. Chewing behaviors turn into ripping up pillows or furniture. Once we recognize the instinct our dog is trying to fulfill, we can find ways to meet it in a way that is more acceptable to us.

One of Ruby's behaviors is nesting. She likes to bunch things up like blankets and pillows and then lay on them and mouth them. She has been pulling the blankets and pillows off my bed lately and it's driving me crazy. I put fresh bedding on and it's destroyed the second I turn my back--sheets pulled off, blanket on the floor, pillows wet with dog drool. Rather than keep fighting Ruby on this, I gave her her own blanket in the living room. I allow her to nest her blanket and now she's not messing up my bed anymore. It's useless to try and ask her not to do something she's born to do without giving her an outlet for it.

Sometimes in order to figure out what our dog needs, we have to look deeper than just writing them off as being a "bad dog". Dogs use behavior to communicate to us and it's up to us to listen and understand.

11/08/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

Today, let's give a training tip. Having a "place" command for your dog (or dogs) is a very useful skill. What is "place"? Place is a consistent space like a couch, dog bed, rug, or other easily defined location that your dog is trained to go to and wait on until given another command.

For my dogs, "place" is the couch. They get onto the couch and either sit or lay down. They know to stay there no matter what is going on around them until given a release command.

How do you teach this skill? You start with no distractions and only ask your dog to get onto the spot. They don't have to stay there for more than 1 second. Work at that level for a while until your dog eagerly gets into place. Then slowly add more length of time you ask them to stay there and wait. Once they can easily do it without distractions, SLOWLY add in distractions.

How can you easily fit this training into your life? Carrying in groceries? Great time to practice place. Have multiple dogs and want to do a training session with one? Put the other dogs into place while you training the single dog. Guests coming over? Place. Knock on the door? Place.

Just remember to work at your dog's skill level. When Ruby was little, one person would stay next to her and offer her rewards periodically while I unloaded the groceries with the front door open. Now she can be left unsupervised for a moment but she still needs an occasional reminder. The older dogs, can stay in place for several minutes without reminders.

Don't forget to reward your dog for doing a good job. They need positive feedback more often than they need corrections. If you are having to do lots of corrections, it means you are working above your dog's skill level. Your dog isn't failing when this happens, you are. Our job is to teach, lead, and encourage, not punish. Make training fun for both of you and get creative in your training practice.

11/01/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday!

Happy Halloween 🎃

We hope you have a safe and fun holiday. Ruby dressed up as my "side kick". We had fun taking some pictures.

10/25/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, we are experimenting with "talking buttons". The dogs are being taught that they have buttons they can push to communicate and that mean things. Ruby and Nova have especially taken to them. Ruby's favorite buttons are "play" and "love". Nova's is "food" (shock and surprise there).

If Ruby pushes the "play" button, I will start a game of fetch with her. If she pushes "love" I will give her a snuggle and tell her she's a good girl. Nova will use "food" to try an elicit a treat from me or to find out when dinner is. I'm curious to see how these buttons pan out.

10/17/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, we're talking about having a multi-dog household. Those that follow our page know there are 3 dogs in our home....Ruby, Nova, and Madison. Many people get 1 puppy or dog and then end up getting another one in the hopes that the 2nd dog will be a playmate for the 1st. Here's some things to consider before adding another dog to your home:

-Does your first dog have any bad habits or behavior issues? Getting a 2nd dog will not fix them and often, you'll end up with the 2nd dog copying the unwanted behaviors of the 1st.

-Do you have the resources to exercise, feed, house, and provide vet care for both dogs? Everything doubles with 2 dogs and it adds up quickly.

-Plan ahead. Have a trainer help you properly introduce the new dog. It's very important to do this carefully.

- Give both dogs time to acclimate and make sure they have their own space. Don't expect them to be instant besties.

- Don't rely on the dogs to be each others constant companion and think it lets you off the hook from exercising, training, and providing interaction with your dog.

As you can see here, Ruby and Madison love each other. But it isn't always this way. They like their own spaces and while they play together a lot, they also play by themselves. They both get separate types of interaction that they enjoy and we incorporate both "group" and individual training. This helps them see that training and working together is beneficial to them.

Have questions about adding a new dog to your home? Let us know. We can help.

10/10/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, Ruby shows off the toy she picked out at the store. I took her for a short training session at a dog friendly store this weekend.

Here's the basic rules for any outing we take:

1. Make sure your dog has been properly exercised and is in a good state of mind to learn.

2. Be sure the level of distraction is on par with your dog's skill level. Do not ask them to do things that you haven't laid the groundwork for.

3. Bring high value rewards. That could be treats or a favorite toy reward. For Ruby, she enjoys treats and praise.

4. Allow your dog the opportunity to potty before entering the store and always carry a clean up kit with you, even if your dog is well past the "accident" stage. You never know when your dog could get an upset tummy or some other issue. It's better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not have it.

5. Be your dog's advocate. No one is entitled to pet or interact with your dog without your permission. On this training outing, a couple little kids were deliberately trying to run by and tap Ruby on the head. I moved her out of the way. Then, someone with a little dog saw Ruby and the little dog started barking and pulling towards Ruby so we moved further away and I rewarded Ruby for ignoring the barking dog. We ended up leaving shortly thereafter since I didn't want to risk Ruby having a negative encounter with the kids or dog.

I let Ruby pick a toy she liked and we went to the car where she got half a sausage for her good job inside the store.

Stay tuned for next week's Ruby Tuesday.

10/04/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, we offer a comical post. Ruby likes to set "Dooby traps" (that's what we call them) all over the house. She'll find the pokiest dog toy she can and place it directly in the walkway so you're sure to step on it in the night on your way to the bathroom or as you stumble to the coffee maker in the morning. It's like stepping on a Lego times 10. I swear, she is secretly laughing and plotting her next trap when I'm not looking. This girl keeps me on my toes.... and hopping on one foot holding the other, at times.

09/27/2023

Out of the office this week while our household recovers from being sick. Check in next week for a new Ruby Tuesday.

09/19/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday!

This week, let's talk about resiliency in dogs. When we help our dogs build confidence and problem solving skills, they are more likely to explore and learn new things on their own without panicking or getting frustrated.

Ruby has never been taught how to crawl on her belly, go under really low objects, or find her way out of a tight place. But this week, she CHOSE to climb under a bed frame to get a ball she saw under there. We did not coax her to go under. Then she had to find her way out, which included crawling backwards. Because we've spent lots of time helping her learn to think through things and we've taught her that the world is a safe place, she calmly figured out what she needed to do. And just because it was so much fun the first time, she kept deliberately dropping her ball through the slats just so she could crawl back under to get it.

This is the value in spending more time teaching your dog SKILLS, not just focusing on commands or obedience.

09/12/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday.

This week, we give a quick tip on dogs who need to wear equipment like vests, harnesses, or other gear. We like to play dress up with clothes during laundry days or when cleaning out the closet. By doing regular exposure to wearing different things, it desensitizes them and helps them feel more comfortable. We play games, cuddle, and make dress up time fun....despite Ruby's pouty look. She was mostly pouty because wrestle time was over and she was sad about that.

09/07/2023

For anyone who might be interested in a future Ruby puppy or service dog prospect, get on the list NOW. Spots are quickly filling up. Ruby will undergo the last of her health testing in a few months and if everything goes to plan, she'll have puppies next year! We are so excited for this. We'll announce more info as we have it, but get in the list to be sure you don't miss any updates!

09/05/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday!

This week, we are featuring.... Madison. Ruby gets the bulk of the attention in these posts, but we can't forget about Madison The Magnificent Hound. She loves her picture taken and we couldn't help but share this adorable photo of her.

We hope you all are having a great start to your week.

08/29/2023

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday!

This week, let's talk about how dogs show affection and ask for attention. Dogs have many ways to show us affection: nudging your hand, pawing you or the air, licking you, or resting on or against you. Every dog is different and some are more affectionate that others. It's important to teach your dog when they are young how you'd like them to ask for attention in ways that are not annoying (ex. jumping or barking).

Ruby here, likes to put her paw on her favorite people or rest her chin on you. No, she is not displaying dominance, she is literally reaching out wanting contact. Most of the day, she is following me around the house and will lay down quietly near my feet when I stop for a bit and put her paw or chin on my foot to let me know she's there. She loves it when I reach down and give her a scratch here and there. We communicate with each other and I've shown her the best way to get attention from me is to behave in ways that are polite and non-intrusive. Since I'm meeting her needs for interaction, she is more than willing to signal me in ways that I've shown her.

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A VERY special treat today in the Christmas Advent Calendar.

Day 13 of the Christmas Advent Calendar. The girls did excellent today.

Day 11 on our Christmas Advent Calendar. The girls all did excellent today.

Day 5 of our Christmas Advent Calendar. Ruby was the good girl today. Nova was impatient as usual. Madison was polite and waited her turn.

Day 1 of this year's Advent Calendar for Madison, Nova, and Ruby.

#dutchbros #pupcup #labradorretriever

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday! This week, let's talk about resiliency in dogs. When we help our dogs build confidence and problem solving skills, they are more likely to explore and learn new things on their own without panicking or getting frustrated. Ruby has never been taught how to crawl on her belly, go under really low objects, or find her way out of a tight place. But this week, she CHOSE to climb under a bed frame to get a ball she saw under there. We did not coax her to go under. Then she had to find her way out, which included crawling backwards. Because we've spent lots of time helping her learn to think through things and we've taught her that the world is a safe place, she calmly figured out what she needed to do. And just because it was so much fun the first time, she kept deliberately dropping her ball through the slats just so she could crawl back under to get it. This is the value in spending more time teaching your dog SKILLS, not just focusing on commands or obedience.

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday! This week, we're doing a little video! Quick training tip on introducing something new that your dog needs to wear.....

Had a great training session with Ruby today. Take a look at the things we worked on.

🎆🧨Happy 4th!🧨🎆 The girls got a special holiday dinner tonight since we BBQed. They got a slider patty, a hot dog, and a piece of bacon. But.... they still had to follow the rules of waiting patiently while the food was brought out and for their name to be called. This is a routine we do every day without fail. It doesn't matter who feeds them, the rules are the same. We don't reward bad behaviors like begging, jumping, whining, barking, or trying to swipe food. They eat near each other without being snarky or guarding their bowl. This quick training routine doesn't add any extra time to my day, but it allows for the practice of several training skills all in the span of less than 60 seconds.

Quick 3 minute training with Ruby and Nova today....

Saturday Video 5/13/23: Cooperation, Compliance, and Coercion in dog training. Normally, these videos are for my private training clients, but I thought this lesson was one everyone should hear.

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday! This week, let's talk about enrichment. Did you know that 20 minutes of brain games like this is the equivalent to a 45-60 minute walk? Every dog will enjoy enrichment activities, but it's especially great for puppies and high energy dogs. When doing activities, it's important to help your dog learn the game and make sure you're both having fun. There are tons of options out there. This is a new one for Ruby.

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday! This week is a training tip for recall. Recall is a very useful, but challenging skill to teach. A good way to teach it is to set up the scenario to ensure your dog has no option but to come to you and then you reward them. This last weekend, we practiced in a store by going to each end of the aisle and calling Ruby back and forth. She loved it and we set her up for success!

Ruby working on her Service Dog skills tonight. I'm so proud of this little girl! Not quite a year old yet but her birthday is soon.

The girls got some plain vanilla ice cream tonight as a special treat. They all had to patiently wait for their turn. It was messy but fun!

Ruby's first medication retrieval. We've been working our way up to this for a few days. We started with Ruby learning to pick up the bag. Then hand it to me. Then bring it from a few feet away. Now it's across the room. Still needs some polishing on this skill for sure, but she's learning.

A cool little product for those that use Kongs and other fillable dog chew toys.

Coming soon: custom tumblers with cute dog designs! Have a request or idea? Contact us!

Puppies are easy they say! They are just cute little fur balls! While they aren't wrong about the cute part, puppies are a handful. But we still love them. Some Ruby antics for laughs. #cutepuppies #dogtraining #puppyantics

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