SUPERNOVA DOGS

We just added a few Agility ring rentals to wrap up 2024 and kick of 2025! 🎉 Reserve online at supernovadogs.com 🐾

Brixy and the crew working those place skills at day school 💪

Getting the day started with group walks at #supernovauniversity 🐶 This is a great way for the dogs to get some fresh air, exercise, enrichment, training and socialization! 🐾

Happy 14th Birthday to the little man! 🐶🥳 We haven't posted an update about him in a little bit, we've been busy! He started PT at Pine Woods this week and we will be working on some exercises at home since we have all the equipment we need. Then he got to have a sleepover with his auntie @queenofcanines and his friends @gargoyleandthegremlin 🐾 On our way home we stopped at PetSmart and Petco for some birthday treats and a little adventure around the store for the first time. He had a great time and made some new friends in the checkout line. Had a bath and a walk with Nova before taste testing the birthday snacks 🍩 and finishing up the day with a snuggle. ❤️

It's been just over a week since little man joined our family and it's been an adjustment for everyone. Muttley is my mom's dog but after tearing his cruciate ligament just before Labor Day, we decided it was best if he came home with us. He has settled in pretty quickly and is enjoying a new diet, is wanting to play again, and is loving his daily "walks". He was badly in need of a groom so we got him cleaned up thanks to an in-home visit from @leonardexoticzzz with the help of @queenofcanines. Our vet at Thorn Avenue was able to not only confirm our suspicions about his injury but also get him in for a much needed dental cleaning and tooth extraction surgery. Thanks to @stephehandles we have a new harness which makes rides in the new stroller much safer and we got neoprene sleeves from @tailwindpets so he can get a bit of exercise with a little extra support for his knees.

Nova celebrated her 11th birthday this week! 🎉 We started the day adventuring with her bestie Sophia to complete some @outsidechronicles Urban Treks and then had a mini photo session with @unleashedinthestudio before enjoying some cake and opening presents 🐶🎂📸 🦖💜

What was Nova like when she was younger? A lot like she is now but with less patience and self control. Kind of like when I make her wait too long for her next throw 🤦🐶❤️🌊

As trainers that utilize positive reinforcement training techniques we sometimes get asked, "When can I stop using treats?". The answer, whenever you want...BUT, the question really is, when should you? Probably never. 👇 For my explanation. Behavior that gets reinforced gets repeated because the reinforcement makes it worth doing. Some behaviors your dog performs have intrinsic value while others may require extrinsic motivators. For many dogs, food rewards are a primary reinforcer and are very easy to use. When your dog is first learning something new, you will reinforce a lot to build up value for performing the desired behavior. Once the behavior is acquired, you can move into maintenance mode where reinforcement may become more varied and relatively infrequent. Sometimes that reinforcement is environmental and sometimes it comes in the form of a treat. I don't always carry food rewards on me, but when I do, it's because I'm rewarding behaviors that I want to maintain at a high level. Nova has prey drive for squirrels and rabbits and we spend a lot of time walking in a park that is practically a squirrel sanctuary. We have spent countless hours training what I consider to be appropriate responses to wildlife and I still reinforce on a somewhat regular basis to maintain those behaviors. Nova is reactive and while the majority of the time you would never know, it will always be something that she has a tendency towards. Food reinforcement is one of the tools we utilize to maintain behaviors in situations that would have previously resulted in reactivity. Nova spends a lot of time hiking and there are certain behaviors that are important for me to maintain at a high level for safety and control on the trails. So you will regularly see me hiking with a treat pouch and rewarding behaviors I need her to do every time she's asked. Reinforcement does not always have to be in the form of food, but behaviors that you want your dog to continue doing need to have

First swim of the season 🐕🌊

Team Hamilton! 👏🐶⭐

Louie had the entire Agility ring to explore and he chose to follow me. I didn't demand his attention, I didn't even ask for it, in fact I did the opposite, I told Louie he could go take a break. Louie said, no thanks I would rather work with you, and that tells me that the work we are doing together is achieving the desired results. It's not about commands and obedience, it's about relationship and engagement. ❤️