Soulful Strut K9

08/02/2024

Dixie is here for her two week board and train!

08/01/2024

As most of you know, Rutabaga and Clash are my demo dogs. Rutabaga has gone to work with me for close to 10 years, but recently he has become too selective and is harshly over correcting my clients. Thats fair, he’s 14 years old.

All this to say, Rutabaga is tentatively retired from his “job”, and Clashy had his first “solo mission” last night with a new very reactive Boston Terrier client that has no problem making contact with her teeth. Clashy earned MVP of the week during that hour; he was fully neutral and extremely respectful of her space, offering neutral body language and making the choice to walk away while she was screaming and lunging at him. His temperament is to die for. I am so consistently proud of this dog and I’m so grateful that he has stepped up to take Rutabaga’s place. Definitely hard shoes to fill.

Pictured this morning at scent work class, where he went 4/4 actively searching and finding the odor very quickly!

07/07/2024

It’s carcass time

(He’s fine he’s just a sighthound)

06/27/2024

♥️

06/18/2024

Oorah the Doberman has some socialization issues. He’s been attacked several times and has now gotten into the habit of “defensive offense”, where he uses his size to intimidate and control the dogs around him. Today he was able to coexist with a friend without being rude! It may not seem like a lot, but Oorah is typically such a bully that he provokes other dogs into going after him. Very nice breakthrough!

06/15/2024

Mango had a bad habit of bolting out the door and into the street…he quickly learned that an open door is NOT an invitation!

06/14/2024

Franky suffered from extreme crate and separation anxiety. There is still work to be done but he now views his crate as a safe space and no longer screams bloody murder when his parents leave!
Franky deserves ALL THE TREATS for overcoming his fear!

06/12/2024

Willow is experiencing so many new things!
She rates:
learning recall 8/10 (“YAY FREEDOM”)
getting shrek nasty at the swamp 10/10
the bath after 0/10 do not recommend

06/11/2024

Board and train client WILLOW enjoying some cooler weather on the back porch. My B+T program is a fully immersive experience—your baby becomes my baby for two weeks! Minimal crating, fun adventures, and constant proper boundaries.

06/06/2024

Congratulations Team Ziggy for passing your CGC! (Substitute ribbon—real ribbon on the way!)
Ziggy struggled with severe reactivity towards dogs, children, and moving wheeled objects. His parents worked EXTREMELY hard with him for 8 weeks and now have such a solid citizen! He was always a good boy, he just needed some guidance. I am so proud of this Team and Soulful Strut K9 graduate!

06/06/2024

Puppy classes starting JUNE 18th!! Get your registration in ASAP!
Elizabeth has been a professional trainer for 10 years and is excited to offer a more budget friendly option. Classes will be primarily positive reinforcement based.

All breeds and experience levels welcome.

Puppies are separated by age group and will learn MANY things including (but not limited to) loose leash walking and distance commands. Play time will be offered after each lesson in a fenced yard.

Here is the link to the class and sign up information. Feel free to share a picture of your puppy in the comments!

If you are experiencing behavioral issues like reactivity, aggression, resource guarding, or separation anxiety please reach out for private sessions.

06/02/2024

Here is the link to the group class registration form! Please read carefully before signing. Thank you!

https://form.jotform.com/241535040102135

06/02/2024

I am now offering group classes! Feel free to message my personal page Elizabeth McNamara, text the number below, or message this business page. Your best bet for a quick reply is a text message!

05/24/2024

The National Beagle Club needs trophy sponsors!! Some available as little as $25, please consider donating our Fast CAT trophies and ribbons!

https://nbcspecialty.com/trophy-sponsorship/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2LjOoS6LZKcBbi-lodltoSQhkRzqPdj-98efBVzu2BYG3kjC3i7TVQdic_aem_AYRB_e5PPiooCfVTlEGwCqZPrUfije0uZCN3TJviiqSpQkA_YtaeRvLlYqz4j2ck5i_oxre2T88jhQ9LVDNRKv1G

Our trophies this year are decorative and useful and, of course, beagle related! This year, we have wonderful trophies that are being gifted to us. We will still have sponsors, but the acknowledgement will read “Gifted by _________, sponsored by __________.”

05/16/2024

New client BIGGIE really really likes my treats! Can’t wait to work with this big handsome boy.

04/19/2024

I get fast results for a reason!

There's a famous story of Pablo Picasso.

He was enjoying a meal at a restaurant when a man interrupted him, handed him a napkin and asked:

“Could you sketch something for me? I’ll pay. Name your price.”

Picasso took the napkin, pulled a charcoal pencil from his pocket and started sketching. Using only a few strokes, he drew a goat that was unmistakably a Picasso. He held it up for the man to see.

The man smiled and reached to take the sketch. But Picasso withheld it.

“That will be $100,000.” Picasso said.

The man was astonished. “$100,000?! You drew that in 30 seconds!”

Picasso crumpled up the napkin and stuffed it in his pocket.

“You're wrong.” he said.

“It's taken me 40 years to do that.”

Know your worth.

04/12/2024

Emergency car appt means Clashy gets to teach our board and train girly how to relax and just people watch! She’s almost 5 months old, Clashy is the best puppy babysitter ever.

03/06/2024

ARE YOU WORTH COMING BACK TO?

I often cringe when I watch people trying to get their dogs to come back when they call.

They call and call and get increasingly angry and frustrated as their dog keeps ignoring them.

When their dog eventually does come back, or has been chased and "captured” by the now really angry person, they get screamed at, yanked about, smacked or punished in some way for taking so long and not listening.

Why on earth would a dog want to return to someone who does this to them!

Genetics may play a big part in this when an environment is far more stimulating and exciting.

Coming back to you is often the last thing a dog may want to do when genetic instinct is triggered.

An exciting scent or seeing something to chase can all override a response to recall.

Genetics aside, the most common reason that dogs don’t come back when called is because it’s not a positive experience.

Make coming back to you worth it by always making it a rewarding experience and keep practicing this throughout a dog’s life.

Have a little patience if it takes longer than you would like, let your dog finish what they’re doing before calling them, practice in different locations and environments and never reprimand or punish them for coming back.

There is never a guarantee of a perfect recall each and every time, but making it a rewarding experience will greatly improve the rate of success.

02/19/2024

The boys had the BEST Florida trip ever!

Under honorable judges Jason Hoke and Michael Canalizo, Clashy went BOS and BOVOH Friday and Saturday for a 3pt and 4pt, and BOVOH today under Jan Paulk with a OHG4 under Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine. The ribbons for this cluster were absolutely stunning.

Mallori Seifert took Rutabaga in for scent work and completely nailed it, with 2/2 Q’s in container and two 1st place wins! Just look at those times ❤️ Roo also had fun in fast cat with two more Qs, thank you to Kara Hite for helping wrangle! His reputation preceded him all the way down to Florida, where we heard several times “oh that’s THE Rutabaga!”
Shot out to Sarah Brown for helping with the chaos and being so much fun to hang with.

Danny had fun getting completely soaked today. Tomorrow we go to Legoland!

02/10/2024

Amii Illustrates

02/10/2024

Man it’s so hard being so stressed all the time

02/10/2024

Come visit us at New Realm today! We’ll be here until 4 pm and have free Mardi Gras bandanas and treat samples.

02/07/2024

02/05/2024

Clash when harasses strangers for cheese

02/04/2024

Oakley learning place! She likes to elicit attention from her family when they just want to relax, so we’re teaching her to settle on command.

02/04/2024

The boys had a super fun time at barn hunt this weekend! Rutabaga finished his RATN title and got another Open Q with a second place.

Crashy came along, and I entered him just because and he ended up getting his first Novice Q and a FIRST!! He’s never seen a rat before and honestly has no idea what’s going on so that was very lucky lol. We’ll take classes with E because he was VERY excited to be involved and seemed to love it.
They also got super cute leashes and crate pads!

02/02/2024

Client #4 today was a very 🌶️ spicy🌶️ lil Corgi named MANGO! He’s one year old and on his second session. We’ve had to teach him that learning and boundaries can be fun, and he’s working on making better choices (aren’t we all).