Better Friends Dog Training

19/09/2023

Hello! I am still on Hiatus from professional services as I focus on my Ghibli Poodles breeding program but I wanted to stop in and encourage dog owners to keep training their dogs!

Trick Training is so fun, mentally enriching, and a great way to build your bond with your dog which can also improve their motivation for obedience training!

In this video I am teaching my 1.5 year old Poodle to Do the Peekaboo trick!
The easiest way to teach this trick is with a food lure between your legs. However, Memrie did not like going under my legs and if she did, she would zoom right through them in a hurry, not pausing to look up while under me. Memrie has already been taught to nose target the red dot and paw target the blue square, so I got creative and came up with this solution to teach her the Peekaboo trick in 5 sessions of 5 minute each in one day! If you really enjoy trick training, AKC does have virtual trick title options and anyone, even mixed breeds can participate!

Last but not least, last I heard, Canine Karma has some spots still available in their Trick training class that is starting soon. I highly recommend Canine Karma !

02/09/2022

Puppy Preschool! Appropriate for puppies aged 8 weeks - 6 months. Tuesdays at 6pm. Sep 6 - 27.

And Puppy Kindergarten! Appropriate for Puppies 6 - 12 Months. Wednesdays at 6 pm. Sept 7 - 28.

Proof of first vaccines required. Class is one hour long and will focus on Socialization, HouseTraining Tips, Crate Training, and What To Do About All That Biting! Also will teach Attention, Name Recognition, Sit, Down, Come, Drop It/Give, Walking On Leash.

This will be my last session offered until next Spring.

Message the page to sign up! Classes located Evansport, OH.

07/08/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=183971437350191&id=100072120082650

Message the page for information and to sign up. 😁

01/08/2022

Better Friends Dog Training is still on hiatus through 2022 and 2023 as I focus on my Ghibli Poodles breeding program. My sister is offering training classes through her company Paws & Connect, LLC.

17/06/2022

Looking for ways to entertain your dog while indoors trying to beat the heat? Try a snuffle mat for mental enrichment!

Another order completed - this snuffle mat has a sort of "watermelon by the pool on a sunny day" vibe 😎🍉🏝️🌞

07/06/2022

07/05/2022

This is what the door of my freezer looks like. I have 4 dogs. They have about 35 rubber toys between them.
And none of them is a puppy ... they are 2, 4, 7 and 9 years old.
Dogs of ALL AGES benefit from chewing. I cannot say this often enough. It is incredibly relaxing for them.
Have a stressed and anxious dog? Let them chew.
Have an overexcited, hyperactive dog? Let them chew.
Have a dog who is bouncing off the walls when you get home after a long day and just want to relax? Give them a frozen chew toy when you arrive!
Have a puppy? Of course, you should let them chew as well 🙂
Your dog needs to eat every day in any case … instead of putting his food a bowl, stuff it into a rubber chew toy and freeze it.
It is so easy, so quick, and if you use it wisely it can make all the difference. For clients who are really struggling and have limited time, I often recommend to feed every single meal through frozen toys - often adding up to 1-2 hours of chew time a day.
The other week I saw a client whose dog was going crazy every morning watching workers at the business across the street arrive and load up for their day - giving her a frozen chew toy now has her relaxing instead of barking frantically.
Your dog already has the built-in calming mechanism of chewing. Use it to your advantage!
And a little video on how to fill the toys and which common mistakes to avoid:
https://vimeo.com/461971805/2cd78cffe3

Happy Chewing 🙂

What's your dog's favorite filling?

03/05/2022

When it comes to training: less if very often more. Most dogs have a relatively short attention span, and if we exceed their ability to focus well we can sour training experiences. And we run the risk that much of what they learned isn't retained! So keep it nice and short! While I will often suggest 5 minutes, 5 times a day, the truth of the matter is if you're short on time, or mental bandwidth, just five minutes a day can work wonders! And those five minutes every day will benefit the dog a lot more than trying to push a 30 minute session on them once a week!

06/03/2022

Guess the Breed / Breed Mix!
Answers and more below!
1. Lagotto Romagnolo
2. Poodle
3. Poodle
4. Poodle
5. Poodle
6. Poodle
7. Golden Retriever x Poodle ("Goldendoodle")
8. Poodle
9. Lagotto Romagnolo
10. Golden Retriever x Poodle ("Goldendoodle")
11. Wheaten Terrier
12. Poodle
13. Poodle
14. Poodle
15. Golden Retriever x Poodle ("Goldendoodle")
16. Toy Poodle

Did you think there were more "Doodles" than Poodles? Did you think some of the "Doodles" were Poodles? What about the Lagottos and Wheaten? Did you think they were mixed breeds?

Most people don't actually realize how much difference a haircut can make.

Poodles are lovely dogs and come in a huge variety of colors and sizes. I wish I saw more of these lovely dogs and that people recognized more in them than just a gene to make shaggy coats when mixed with other breeds.

If you're considering purchasing a doodle I highly recommend at least considering a pure breed like a poodle! Their temperaments and looks are much more predictable than mixed breeds and there are many wonderful, responsible, breeders out there.
.. and if you're attracted to the hypoallergenic coat of a doodle know that it comes from the poodles and in mixed breeds the "hypo" component can actually be much lower than a pure bred poodle if they inherit a hypoallergenic coat at all (which is not to be confused with "nonallergenic" which does not exist).

ETA: I have met some lovely dogs that are poodle mixes over the years, but have also met some whose families are struggling when they would have likely been happier with a pure bred poodle. I just wish more people recognized that poodles can be great dogs.

25/02/2022

My sister is offering Beginning Agility classes in Paulding. With her wonderful instruction my 8 year old daughter is training her first agility partner and doing great!
Contact her on her page, Paws & Connect Dog Training.