Bunker at Made in MN
Bunker like most boxers loves everyone but had the bad habit of jumping up to say "Hi", using his big body to rub up against you, and because of his size just being a little too pushy in his greetings of people, espeically kids or older adults. Here Bunker is working on being gentle at greeting an older lady who came up to visit him at the Made in MN event. Having him on the place bed in the down position helped ground him so he could learn that he was still going to get the attention he wanted but now in a more appropriate way.
Bernie Desensitizing to Gentle Leader
One of the goals for the owner was to be able to walk Bernie with a gentle leader and not have her scratch or bother it. Here Laine is working with Bernie on getting her used to putting her nose in it as well as walking around with it on. Through practice and over time Bernie will not only readily put it on but be looking forward to her daily walks after it is on.
Using the Doorbell for Potty Breaks
Here is a quick video of Tuk Tuk using the doorbell to let us know he had to go outside and potty. Both dogs were having accidents in the house and at times the owner didn't know who was doing what. So with a schedule and routine, close supervision, and teaching the dogs to ring a doorbell we were successfull at solving one of the problems the owners were having at home. Tuk Tuk learned very quickly how the doorbell worked while Raya never fully would use it. Raya did start signally her owners in other ways once she got home that she too had to go outside to potty partially by following Tuk Tuk's lead.
If you are in need of help with basic obedience and manners for your own dog please contact us at [email protected] or call at 320-316-3787.
Raya Off Leash Recall
Here is Raya towards the end of her stay working on off leash recalls. Raya loved being outside and playing however coming back in was sometimes a game of "catch me if you can" especially if there were large distractions around. The owner states that both dogs are doing well and now come when called.
Murphy Cart Confidence Building
Here is Murphy working on her cart confidence building at a local Fleet and Farm store. We try to make these adventures fun for the puppies as well as help them gain confidence while out in public. Murphy is a little bit higher drive than Thor and is super smart and only wants to work on her terms many times. Thus with a dog like Murphy we need to make these exercises funner than anything else around her which is why Laine needs to be so animated compared to Manda in the last video. Sometimes we need to up our game to get the pups in the game. 😉
Thor Home Depot
Here is Thor working on a rolling cart at Home Depot. When working confidence building exercises with the pups we always want to make sure that the objects we are using are safe and we have control of the situation so they don't get hurt. However using things like these carts helps the dogs learn that being on something that moves is not scary and nothing bad is going to happen to them. This will help them in the future from panicing if they need to be in a moving object.
Sophie Recall on Long Line
In this video we are in the beginning stages of working with Sophie on coming when called. Sophie already knew the command but just decided when she wanted to do it and when she did not. So in order to help reinforce the "Come" command we put Sophie on a long line so that if she decided not to come we would have a way to enforce it. One of the things that can happen is if you have a dog that is doing well on a shorter leash we take off the leash and expect them to still do well. For most dogs however they need to have some practice with a longer leash that allows them to get further away from us but also allows us to control the situation and have the upper hand. Most people miss this step in training which can allow the dogs to learn that if they are far enough away from the humans they no longer have to listen.
Bernie Progression of Leave It
This video was taken later in the week after Laine had worked with Bernie a number of times on "Leave It" in different situations. As you can see Bernie is doing great at understanding the concept and walking away from the object he is not supposed to touch, even if it is food. Over time this command will become second nature and the owners will not have to worry about Bernie getting into anything that might harm him.
Bernie Learning Leave It
Here is Bernie learning the command "Leave It". This command is super important for all dogs but especially puppies that love to put everything in their mouths. These are the very beginning stages of rewarding any and all movement away from the object we have told them to leave alone. In a later video you will see some further progression of the work Laine has started here.
Gus Come with Chicken Distractions
Here is Gus working on coming when called with high levels of distractions. Like we talked about with Jimmi initially we start with very few distractions and work our way up to higher levels of distraction. I would say chickens running around the yard is a high level distraction for most dogs, especially those with play or prey drive. Gus is doing great however at turning off of them even in the middle of trying to engage with them. Nice work Gus!
Jimmi Nail Trim
The other thing we do here at Prodigy Pups for many of the dogs is work on learning grooming skills. Jimmi is a breed of dog that will need to go in for haircuts and all dogs need to have their nails trimmed at some point in their lives. Here is a video of Laine working with Jimmi on getting her nails trimmed. As you can see we take our time, give treats, and belly rubs as needed to make sure the puppies are not scared by the nail trim itself.
Jimmi Recall
Here Jimmi is working on her recall out in a park. We work the recalls in many different locations starting at home with very few distractions, then working in different environments with very few distractions, then working in different environments with lots of distractions. By increasing the amount of distractions slowly over time it helps the puppies be successful especially at this young age.
