Summit Homestead Dog Training

08/13/2024

This post was inspired by a conversation I had with a first-time dog owner. Their family just got a border collie and not even one week in, they were having issues with the dog. The dog was herding their kids, nipping their hands and feet as they ran around, and becoming reactive at the windows at everything that moved outside.

When I asked why they chose a border collie for their tame suburban lifestyle, they blatantly told me that they “googled the most intelligent dog” and a border collie was the first thing to pop up.

As a trainer, I find myself working with many owners who get in over their heads with dog breeds they knew nothing about.

I hope this inspires more people to research what different dogs were bred for, meet breeds of interest in person to see what they are like, and foster various dogs to get a feel for the work that many dogs require us to put in.

Rehoming and returning dogs is far too common due to lack education and research prior to getting the dog.
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05/20/2024

Believe it or not, I get a lot of dogs in for training that have never gone on a hike before. It’s immediately apparent when the dog is ECSTATIC about all of the bushes, sand, smells, rocks, rivers, etc. and man does it open their world. Zoomies are inevitable for the newbies.

In my opinion, we owe it to our dogs to get them off the sidewalks and out into nature. The physical and mental benefit for both human and dog is worth it.

That being said, here are some tips to prepare for exploring nature on a hike with your dog!
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05/08/2024

Thank you to all who joined our client pack walk yesterday! So proud of all of you 🖤💛

03/13/2024

02/26/2024

February pack walk with some familiar faces; Murphy, Mavis, and Axel. Everyone practiced engagement, leash work, stationary commands, recall, and getting up on obstacles (benches)!

01/15/2024

The story of Ranger & Bouie, two regulars at Summit Homestead. I am so grateful to make connections with owners and dogs from around the country. Training changes lives!

https://youtu.be/FAdumquM5EQ?si=nv6z4VxcQwSfuu5R

Filmed by https://www.thisisgravy.com

Watch the story of two Colorado dogs and their owners who travel 1,300 miles to train with Summit Homestead.Filmed and Produced by: Gravy Media at https://w...

09/13/2023

Some backstory on “Winter” the black lab- she used to pull and get overly excited on the leash. Last winter she pulled her owner on ice and her owner had a major hip injury- making it even more impossible to walk her dog.

Fast forward a couple months and her owner enrolled Winter in a board and train with me for 4 weeks to address nuisance behaviors, improve obedience, and complete off-leash training.

This team is a great example of the kind of life many people could actually have with their dog if they invest time and consistency in training. It’s a great feeling to have this kind of relationship with your dog!

08/19/2023

Our August group of board and train pups! Poppy, Shadow, Winter, Ranger, and Bouie 😍

08/05/2023

Thank you to all who came to the pack walk today! If you are a past or current client and would like to sign up for our next pack walk, send us an email or message 😊

07/07/2023

I’ve seen a lot of dogs that are perfectly capable and have the athleticism to load into a car, but yet it’s still something they ”won’t” do.

First off, if your dog has ever tried and failed, and maybe gotten some bruises from falling or hitting their legs, that doesn’t make them want to try again.

Second, dogs are not good at jumping unless they’ve got some momentum behind it, so if your dog is halfway up like Kona is, don’t expect them to magically spring their b***y up the rest of the way.

Third, it’s in the way you teach it. If you’ve never taught your dog how to jump on rocks, logs, etc. and you just stand there and get frustrated when they don’t automatically leap up, that’s because there’s a missing piece to the puzzle. Now, if you hype them up, teach them to jump on various obstacles, and praise them like crazy when they do, that will translate into jumping into vehicles for you.

05/25/2023

If you want to know how we train a loose-leash walk, you’re looking at it! This is the basic foundation of teaching dogs the concept of yielding to leash pressure and engaging with their human. Go try it!

04/06/2023

Our dogs live a life of adventure, yours can too!

If you want an adventure dog, you HAVE to teach and train many of these skills. We can help, it’s our specialty! Here are the core foundations of what we teach our dogs in order for them to do everything and go anywhere with us:

-stay (in any position)
-heel (on and off-leash)
-free/break
-reliable recall EVERYWHERE
-agility and balance training
-confidence building activities
-ignoring distractions (cars, wildlife, other dogs/people)

Extras (for fun):
-tricks
-ski/bike joring
-horseback riding

DM to start training your adventure dog 😎

2 Likes, 0 Comments - Summit Homestead K9s 🐾 () on Instagram: "Our dogs live a life of adventure, yours can too! If you want an adventure dog, you HAVE to tea..."

03/10/2023

My mom taught me how to properly put on a dog’s slip lead when I was little. We would show Dobermans, Bull Mastifs, German Shepherds, Yorkies, Chinese Cresteds, you name it. All of the dogs in the show ring wear a slip lead of some kind, and if you have yours on backwards-it’s a rookie mistake 😅

Now, as a dog trainer, I can understand the reasoning behind the placement.

The purpose of a slip lead is to tighten when pressure is applied, and loosen when pressure is released. If you have it on incorrectly, it will not loosen. The release of pressure is essentially the reward for the dog and is fundamental in leash training, so it is very important that it releases precisely when we want it to.

If you pair proper technique, and correct placement of your training lead, you are set up for success 🙌

02/28/2023

I am beyond proud and stoked for this owner and her dogs. Raven, the black/tan GSD, had issues with anxiously and excitedly barking and whining out of control for just about any stimulus that passed by. Her owner had already laid the foundation of great obedience but was hitting a wall with how to improve these outbursts.

In short, we practiced durations (stay, door manners, place time) to slow her mind down a bit. We held her accountable for the things we asked, and gave the word "No" some meaning with follow up corrections and guidance from a leash. All of this was done in the house and in her neighborhood first; where the issues start.

Sometimes introducing some boundaries and structure is all it takes to change a dog's way of thinking. Raven is incredibly smart and her owner is very dedicated to following her training homework. With that combo, these two are destined for progress and success.

I am so happy for them and the progress they made in just 2 weeks, this is the best part of my job!

12/12/2022

These snowy days are a mood.

10/17/2022

Things that I did not mention in the video:

-Always start “stay” training with a leash so that you can immediately catch and reset them as needed.

-You don’t “have to” have a pad BUT it is easier and helps them learn not to move from a spot more efficiently. This can also be called “place” which means-go to the target spot.

-IF and when they break, reset them quickly and on the same spot!! Think of the reset as a correction, which needs to have quick timing for the dog to make the connection of what NOT to do. If you don’t put them in the same spot, they are essentially getting away with moving away from where you started.

-When they break and you reset them, restart with a smaller distance/duration again and reward for the small duration they achieve. If you go too far, for too long, and they break every time, they are not ready for that much of a challenge yet and you need to take some steps backwards.

-ALWAYS end on a good note of progress-when they achieve a bit more duration and distance, that is a great spot to end 😊

Stay tuned for part two where we will build duration, distance, and introduce distractions!

10/10/2022

Hello to all of my new followers! Since there’s so many of you, I’d love to dedicate this post to getting to know you. I’ll go first!

I’m Michaela 👋 I have a pack of 5 dogs (3 Aussies and 2 Beaucerons) and a horse. I love to explore big mountains 🧗‍♀️ and deep oceans 🤿 and I try to bring my dogs everywhere I go. Hence, why I’ve invested a lot of time in training them to handle anything, anywhere.

This year I started Summit Homestead because I think everyone would like the ability to take their dog everywhere with total control and zero stress, and that’s what I’m here to teach you!

Your turn! What kind of dog(s) do you have? What’s something they are good at, and something you’d like to improve?

09/23/2022

Ruby’s “go home” day was presented with challenges and successes! I worked all week with her on a lot of obedience that needed some follow through; heel, recall, stay, place, and leave it. With a good foundation, I could start exposing her to more distractions and dogs that might trigger her. While with me, few dogs set her off like this particular bernadoodle that lives in her neighborhood.

Ruby lives in an area where fences aren’t allowed, so all homes have invisible fences for their dogs. This can be really confusing for a leashed dog to see another dog charging across a yard with -what seems to be- no barrier.

It is now up to Ruby’s owner to take control of these situations as a confident leader, implementing Ruby’s new foundation of obedience, applying corrections when needed, and rewarding desired behaviors.

They both worked hard to find common ground here and once it was found, the results where wonderful. I have great confidence in these two moving forward together!

Remember: training is a journey of progress, and these two have DEFINITELY made progress!
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09/13/2022

Take a quick tour!

09/08/2022

This was Thor’s first bike-ride. I practiced some heel on a leash walking next to my bike first for a few minutes and he nailed it. Then I got on my bike and kept him on the leash heeling slowly in the driveway without distractions and he nailed it.

So I put his e-collar on and rode the gravel roads by my house and he heeled off leash perfectly 👍 I used the vibrate on the e collar once to recall him to a heel and he came back in a split second and from then on it was all voice cues.

This boy really learns fast and tries so hard with everything I teach him. This is the kind of relationship I’d love to see everyone have with their dog, and I can help you build that!

Follow for more training tips or book a consultation to start your journey to an off leash adventure with your dog 🙌

P.s.. Puzzle is already a veteran at bike ride etiquette so she didn’t get the spotlight in this video but she’s still my #1 girl 🥰