Lucky 7 Blossom
We're back with another update from one of our favorite foster pups, Blossom! Blossom has been in foster care with Lucky 7 Dog Rescue for over a year now and we seriously can not figure out why! She's an extremely friendly girl who loves people, plays well with other dogs, and does great with older kids! She's an adventurous gal who would love a walking or running partner but is also happy to get some snuggles on the couch. We also know she's an exceptionally great learner based on the progress she's made working with us these past 6 months!
Blossom's biggest concern when she entered the rescue was her reactivity. She had A LOT to say about people, dogs, and vehicles that she saw while out on a walk. Her reactions weren't out of aggression, she just really couldn't help shouting "HI" at everyone she passed! Blossom and her foster mom have had several sessions with Kailey working to teach her alternative behaviors to shouting when she sees someone new. And now look at her! She's able to look and pass quietly by helper dogs at a close distance in our practice sessions! What you're seeing in these videos was, frankly, impossible for Blossom to do a few months ago. But thanks to some behavior modification and the incredible dedication of her foster mom, Emily, she's made some pretty impressive strides.
Blossom would love nothing more than a forever family for Christmas this year. We're hear to say she's absolutely ready for a new home! When she's adopted, we'll be including a free behavior session with Kailey to transfer over everything she's been working on! If you are looking for a pup or know someone who might be, consider sharing this sweet girl so we can find her a home for the holidays!!
#lucky7gb #rescuerehomerepeat #adoptablepup #rescuedogsrule
Good Morning from Puppy DaySchool!
This is a typical day at Green Bay's BEST puppy program. Two puppies are off getting individual training time working on skills with their assigned trainer. The rest of the crew is enjoying supervised playtime and socialization activities. In addition to their skills training time, they get pulled for individual time with Kailey & Ally to work on handling and other rotating activities to introduce a wide variety of experiences and novel things.
Our crew is also trained to notice and discuss deficits, so our entire team can take extra time in areas that individual puppies may struggle. This information is also shared with owners so they know what to prioritize at home.
Don't miss your opportunity, limited spaces are available so we can ensure every puppy gets this much individual attention. Available for puppies under 16 weeks at start date.
More info, including pricing, is on our website.
#scenesfrompuppydayschool #puppytrainersofgreenbay #puppysocialization #bestofthebayfinalist
We're looking at more real-world application of our training skills in this week's edition of #SocializationSaturday. One of our sweet Puppy DaySchool pups, Tavish, has been presenting with some nerves when outside, especially when hearing the noise coming from the road. This is a concern we flag immediately because we want to tackle it EARLY, before it really starts to become an issue. Fear like this does not go away on it's own; it's very unlikely Tavish would "grow out of it". Sensitivity to noises needs intervention, and the younger we can get ahead of this concern, the more likely we are to reduce or resolve it.
When there are loud noises, Tavish can get nervous, stop eating, and try to run away from the sound. Our job is to change those feelings, using really good snacks to teach him that scary noise = really great things! We have the luxury of using our main road as practice when loud vehicles drive past, and can get as much distance away as Tavish needs to feel comfortable and safe enough to eat. While this training is often slow, tedious, and exceptionally boring, it does pay off with consistency. Already we've seen on field trips that Tavish is becoming more confident when he hears something new and far less likely to bolt in fear. We're thankful his family chose us for Puppy DaySchool so that we could intervene and start teaching Tavish how to feel safe in our loud and busy world!
#puppysocialization #gbpuppytraining #soundsensitivity #counterconditioning
Empty tissue box + treats = cheap & easy indoor enrichment for a hot Sunday.
*please monitor for box ingestion and rescue of stuck body parts. 😆
#sundayfunday #wisconsinsummer #enrichment #lifewithlittlejack
For #SocializationSaturday this week, we had an opportunity for some "real-world" practice! There were a few repairs needed in our Puppy DaySchool room, and we needed to use some loud tools to get them done. We decided to wait until school was in session so the pups could experience these noises in a contolled environment. In this clip we are using a drill, a noise most of the pups haven't heard before and one that can be very scary and surprising. We keep this game very simple for them: when the loud noise happens and they notice, the pups get lots of tasty snacks! This builds their comfort with the drill because it predicts great things for them! You can see that none of the pups are running in fear of the sound, but rather are excited and happy to chow down their treats. We love taking advantage of moments like these to teach all our pups that new things aren't as scary as they might seem!
(As a bonus in this clip, look at how politely these sweet pups sit patiently waiting for their next treat! ❤)
#gbpuppytraining #puppysocialization #puppydayschool #realworldpractice
For this week's edition of #SocializationSaturday, we are introducing our Puppy DaySchool pups to recovery collars! Recovery collars (often referred to lovingly as the cone of shame 😉) are used to prevent our dogs from accessing certain areas of their bodies while they heal. Owners don't often think about this, but recovery collars can be terrifying to a dog. Imagine that suddenly something appeared around your neck and you could no longer see around you. You'd probably feel trapped and work as hard as you can to get that thing off. That's exactly the thoughts your dog is having the first time a cone is put on them. It's why it is so important to prep our pups to wear these devices, well ahead of the time when they actually need to.
Our first pup, Sheba, is in the early stages of recovery collar practice. We start by offering her treats through the collar, without the pressure of having to wear it. As she becomes more comfortable, she willingly sticks her head in further until she is fully wearing it. Then we offer a long and generous treat party for the duration that Sheba wears it, so that all she learns is recovery collar = lots of treats! With practice, these pups turn in to Annie. At the sight of the collar, Annie enthusiastically shoves her head in, fully anticipating some tasty treats. From there, we encourage her to move around or ask for easy behaviors, like sit. We want the pups to feel as comfortable as Annie does; happy to move easily around the room and focused on the snacks instead of trying to get the collar off. This practice is well-worth the payoff of having a dog who is relaxed during their recovery in the future.
#puppydayschool #puppysocialization #recoverycollar #cooperativecare
One of those most important lifelong skills that you could teach your puppy is being able to be crated. Whether you intend to kennel your dog in day-to-day life or not, there will still be moments in your dog’s life where they will be confined and away from you. Post-surgery, dogs are kept in a kennel during their recovery before they’re sent home. If your dog is boarded, they'll likely need to be able to spend some time in a kennel. If an emergency arises where you have to be away from your dog for a period of time or they need to stay somewhere else, a crate may be necessary to keep them safe for those longer periods. And for puppies, a crate keeps them safe by preventing them from causing trouble when their owner isn’t able to give them their full attention. All these reasons, along with countless others, are why it is critical that we introduce pups to confinement training early, so that they aren’t panicked the first time they need to be crated long-term.
Sweet Finley started Puppy DaySchool this week and isn’t the biggest fan of being crated (very normal for a young pup like him!). Owners are provided a crate training plan to work on this skill at home, but for these more sensitive pups, we spend a little extra time during DaySchool acclimating them to a kennel. In this video, Ally starts by getting Finley comfortable entering the crate and laying down. Once he’s in position we start building on two pieces: duration (how long can you hold still between treats) and distractions (can you stay while we close the kennel door). We build these at intervals that the puppy is comfortable with and don’t push them to a point where they feel might start to feel anxious. During DaySchool, we also have “nap time” mid-way through the day. This allows us to continue building on our confinement practice and also helps to keep the afternoon sassies away (puppies need naps, too!). By the end of their program, the pups are far more comfortable being kenneled a
A few weeks back, we showed off our puppies awesome response when we turn on a hair dryer. Now we’re back with a new group of pups to show off their great feelings about the vacuum. We hear it all the time: “my dog runs and hides when the vacuum comes out” or worse “my dog attacks the vacuum when we turn it on”. To dogs, vacuums are big, scary, often unfamiliar machines that make loud noise and move in unpredictable ways. When dogs are startled they have two options: fight or flight. Through our work in Puppy DaySchool, the puppies learn that there is a third feeling to have: excitement!! Over repetition, each pup knows that after the loud noise starts, the next thing we’ll do is reach over and start doling out snacks. It doesn’t take long for them to learn they should come hauling over as soon as the vacuum starts. Trust us when we say this old vacuum is LOUD, so it’s wonderful to see these puppies not only come running to it, but are willing to continue standing right next to it for their treat party. We’ve even seen some of our puppies perk up excitedly when they hear the vacuum turn on in another room! Our goal is that the pups will remember how great the vacuum is so that when it comes out at home, they are excited to see it, rather than fearful.
#socializationsaturday #puppytraining #puppysocialization #learningnewthingsarentscary
Many dogs we know struggle with interactions around young children. Kids move in weird ways and are usually much louder than adults, which often makes dogs uncomfortable. For dogs, “kids” fall into a separate category from “adults” and so require independent socialization as puppies to build confidence around them. Just because they've been socialized to like adults, doesn't mean those feelings will transfer to kiddos. Luckily, we have a few young helpers who love to come in and help us socialize our pups!
As much as we can, each puppy receives structured sessions with kids while in Puppy DaySchool. These sessions include a few different phases. First, when they enter the room they receive tons of tasty snacks each time they notice the kids. Once they’ve shown they are comfortable being in the same room, we allow them to briefly approach and investigate (if they would like). Then we move on to the hard stuff: movement! Children often run, skip, jump, and make all sorts of crazy actions, so we want our pups prepared for everything. The kids are instructed on which movements to make, and the puppies receive treats each time they do so. As long as they are confident with the kids, most end their sessions with some snuggles while the child is confined to an adult’s lap. Most of the puppies warm up beautifully and are happy to accept pets from the kids. For the shyer pups, we work through these steps more slowly and take note if they show signs they’re feeling unsure. We never force an interaction and allow them to set the pace. These structured sessions ultimately do wonders for our puppies in building their confidence and comfort around kids of all ages.
#socializationsaturday #puppysocialization #gbpuppytraining
Oftentimes when we talk about socialization with our puppies, we think about actively training, moving around, and exploring new spaces. And while that is all absolutely a piece of the puzzle, sometimes the best socialization is as simple as sitting down and allowing the puppy to watch the world go by.
Four of our puppies took field trips last week to practice this skill: Evelyn, Fergus, Fiona, and Mochi! Training in this way has a ton of benefits! For one, it allows the puppy to take in the world around them and observe new things without the pressure of having to go up and explore. As adults, our dogs aren’t able to go up and check out every new thing or say hello to every person or dog we see, so sitting and watching helps to set the precedent that sometimes we observe without greeting. It also makes it easier on the handler; we don’t have to worry about where the puppy is going or who we might get in the way of. We simply sit, watch, and reward when the pup notices something new. For our more reactive pups, it's a great opportunity to practice seeing people or dogs without barking and teaches them to settle in place in new environments. While this may not seem like much, watching and taking in new things is exhausting for these puppies. Every one of them was asleep as soon as they were back in the car. Training and socialization doesn’t have to be intense, regimented training drills; sometimes it can be as easy as sitting back and allowing the pups to take in the world around them.
#socializationsaturday #puppysocialization #puppytraining #watchtheworldgoby
One of the benefits of our Puppy DaySchool program is our ability to recognize, modify, and prevent problem behaviors, even before owners recognize them at home! One of our biggest problem prevention focuses is on resource guarding. Guarding takes many shapes and presents differently for every dog. Some dogs guard food, toys, locations, or people, while others never do. We have no way of knowing which pups will become guarders, so we begin prevention for everyone right away!
Our focus in this training is to convince our pups that us moving towards them is great news for them! This practice is done with several different objects to be sure we cover all our bases!
The first two pups shown are Doodski and Evelyn working with Connie. These two fall into the prevention category, meaning we haven’t seen them present with guarding, so we are taking the steps to avoid it popping up in adulthood. Doodski is practicing with a licki mat while Evelyn is working on a Toppl full of treats. Our goal is that even though they have something they really want, they are still excited when they see us coming their way and therefore less likely to guard.
The third pup is Mochi, who has already started to show some guarding at home and at our training center. With her, our strategy is a bit more careful since she has guarded her food bowl at home before, resulting in a small injury to her owner’s hand. This means we needed to prioritize her training to work on modifying this behavior as efficiently as possible. As you can see, after many, many practice sessions, Mochi knows just what to do when Kailey approaches: sit down next to her bowl while its removed to add even better goodies! This isn’t something that we could do on day 1; it took multiple sessions, building up to the point of removing the bowl. Without this training, it’s likely Mochi’s guarding never would have gone away and could have continued to escalate with the possibility of more damage. Instead, she now has a
Today’s #SocializationSaturday is all about wearing clothing, specifically sweaters! Now that spring is here, most of us have tucked our pup’s sweaters away and won’t be thinking about them for several months. But, if you have a young puppy who you plan on having wear sweaters in the future, it is extra important to socialize them to wearing things now while they’re still young. Often we see owners attempt to put sweaters on their dogs for the first time at 9 months old and the dogs are not fans; either completely avoiding having it put on or standing “frozen” and unable to move once it is on them. That’s why we introduce them now as puppies, so that when winter comes in 6 months, our pups will feel comfortable in their new gear.
Our first clip shows the process of putting on a sweater with Hank! This isn’t his first time wearing one, so he’s already fairly comfortable with the process. We pair the sweater with tons of treats so the pups learn that clothing predicts good things for them. Once the sweaters are on, it’s time for playtime! We dress all the pups up and let them run around to help them desensitize. Usually play is exciting enough for the puppies that they forget they’re wearing anything at all. This takes the discomfort away and they become used to the feeling of a sweater without any negative feelings.
While we certainly aren’t eager to hop back into winter, it is important to prepare for it while our pups are young to avoid any concerns about wearing winter gear in the future.
#puppytrainersofgreenbay #puppysocialization #winterprep #socializationcantwait
