Edit: Thanks, everyone, for the appreciation! I will continue to keep an eye out for a suitable, affordable property for sale in the area.
Wild Hearts will be officially closing Aug. 31. The dogs & I will depart for the lower 48 mid-Sept.
I will try to accommodate as much in-person training as I can before I leave, and after I leave, I will be available beginning around late Oct for remote sessions.
My dozen dogs and I will be creating some videos for educational and entertainment purposes... Message if you'd like to watch us.
I hope to return to Alaska in summer 2024.🤞
Video: preparing 11 dogs to walk
Black Lab Annie is setting the bar impossibly high for seniors. Go, Annie!!! 💕
Next Camp opening: Fri 4/14. Book now!
Camp is CANCELLED for tomorrow 2/24. Stay safe!!
Camp is CANCELLED for tomorrow, 2/10. Next Camp is Tues, 2/14.
Synchronized chewing!
Toys and chew items are common triggers for conflict. This video is the product of choosing dogs of the right temperament who have a long-standing relationship completely free of conflict and have never displayed aggressive resource guarding ... AND close supervision.
For resource guarders, pet owners should always work with a trainer to have a specific strategy for preventing the situation AND how to handle accidentally encountering the situation. While this activity absolutely COULD be set up as a training exercise, pet homes with resource guarders should SKIP IT. Your pet training time is better spent on less complicated, lower risk, more widely applicable training goals, like command responses such as recall and heeling.
For these non-guarding friendly four, if I can't maintain direct eyes-on supervision, toys get removed. If I won't be within hearing distance, dogs go separately into containment.
Next Camps Tues 1/31 and Fri 2/3 (Thanks for voting!)
Book early for priority if weather demands Jeep instead of van
Happy Holidays!!
BOARDING
Available after Jan 15, $60/night
BOARD & TRAIN
Next available Mar 1
PRACTICE
Free!! Message your availability to join. Scheduled weekly to accommodate most students possible.
NEW CLIENTS
Wild Hearts is accepting new clients who start with Board & Train. Boarding, Camp, and Practice for returning clients only.
Many December dates now have more interest than vacancies. Pre-pay will reserve your dog's stay!
For best results when managing mismatched dogs like big-little, wild-mild, old-young, new arrival-old pro, choose different rules for each dog, based on the pairing, the location, how aware of objects/background each dog is, etc.
Here, Hanzo's enthusiasm could intimidate or even accidentally injure Tula. His rules are to stay close to the floor, no lifting elbows or rump, while Tula requires no special rules for playing indoors with Hanzo.
If Tula were playing with a mini, senior, or disabled dog, she could need the rules Hanzo has here.
If one dog isn't too sure about the other, the confident dog should be asked to hold a down-stay, so that the less confident one can control the distance between them. No creepy crawly from the confident!
(And if there are two sled-dog siblings in the same crate in the same room, the one named Lana will get loud when she tries to start a parallel game with her brother.)
Camp
No Camp 11/25 Happy Thanksgiving
Next Camp Fri 12/2
Next Sunday Funday 11/27 (noon-3pm)
Got in 6-7" of fresh snow for Campers! Spaces available for Fri, 11/18
"Please play with me?" - Tula, doodle in pink coat
"No, thanks" - Iris, husky in fur coat
"I'm really fun, but ok maybe later" - Tula
For your dog's delight, we just got in a fresh shipment of snow... Sunshine is en route from the next ridge!
Go/no-go call for Friday Camp is 5pm Thursday.
Sunday Funday (12-3pm) go/no-go call is Sun 11am.
