Mutts in Motion

29/08/2024

Basic Obedience Puppy Training begins this evening!!

Come join us, everyone is always amazed at how much they learn.
Brad@Mutts in Motion.net

17/08/2024

I met with Bodie this week for his second session and we had a great time. Bodie is under 9 months old and is a Blue-Heeler. He is also a bit of a clown lol.

Bodie is already in displaying some really cool characteristics that every guardian would like to see more of as a puppy. He was raised outdoors so he has a strong preference for pottying outdoors and is comfortable being alone in the yard. When he is inside the house, he is either burying a toy in his blanket, chewing a bone, hassling his older sister, or using you as a toy. He is partial to being independent and gladly sleeps in his crate.

15/08/2024

So there’s Papillion dog in one of my classes and he is filled to the tip of his ears with fears. Keep in mind my classes are held outdoors there is some things to be worried about.

Bark bark bark bark bark grrrrr bark the whole hour of class. Given that it was the first class, his behavior was unforeseeable, but I definitely took note of it.

I spoke to the guardian a couple of days after class and explained that I wanted to help her with the barking Papillion and she accepted. I sent her an email explaining the cause of the behavior and instructions on how to fix it. So, the guardian started working on it. 👏

A week the guardian attempted to join the class but it was too soon, but you still need to try. She hung around and applied the instructions I sent in the email and little by little both guardian and dog were able to listen and learn from 30’ away, which was more than half the distance from when we started class. All to say, you can teach a mature dog new behaviors, they just need a loving guardian. I’m very proud of their progress. (no prong collars, shock/tens collars, choker collars, yanking, yelling, or rolled newspaper were used or in view during this process.

Learn more, Play lots, Love your pets unconditionally!!

14/08/2024

Just ended our third intermediate class and I got to say that I’m very proud of each team. As each team grows so does the dog's freedom.

02/08/2024

01/08/2024

I stopped in to help Daisy understand what her human wants from her when the human says “down”. Sorry human I gave you no notice that I was dropping in.

Daisy is a rescue pup and with rescue pups you have to read the dog for behavioral quirks because we don’t have reliable history about them. As it turns out Daisy did display a higher level of broken confidence, which was presented a problem.

When luring she would stop following the food if she was not able to take it as if she was not allowed. Another problem not related to being a rescue was that she would stand instead of laying on her belly. That was a quick fix done by adding milestones for her to achieve by bending her neck. So that bit turned into training her to remain sitting and stretch to get the food. As you can see, Daisy’s Mom did get Daisy to ‘down’. Nice job!!

30/07/2024

Mutts in Motion
No prongs, no leash popping, no shock collars, no rolled up paper bats, no shaming, no bragging, no time wasted. Clear, fair, high standards.
Learn more, Play lots, Love your pets unconditionally

28/07/2024

I received a text today from a dog whining their guardian needs training, if you know who the guardian is please send them my way 🙂

Learn more, Play lots, Love your pets unconditionally!!

27/07/2024

It’s my opinion that if a trainer returns a pain inflicting emotionally crushing response immediately (whenever) back to a dog is: Human
|
|
Trainer(down here)

I know of a city in Lake County that uses positive punishment as a method to train the dogs and you the client will be shamed in class if you don’t do it. Unbelievable!

If using tools or leash popping is what’s in your trainers toolbox and you don’t like it then stop and be the voice your dog needs. Learning theory does not suggest that shaping requires prongs, nooses, electricity.

Positive reinforcement struggles at times with some dogs and takes a little longer, but when it’s all said and done the dog has changed its way of acting in a natural manner, instead of changing out of fear.

If you don’t feel it’s good for you and your dog it probably isn’t.

Mutts in Motion

06/07/2024

I met with Gigi yesterday between clients. If you are doing the right things you will be awarded by receiving a hall pass (hall passes expire when you leave). If you do things that are beyond the dogs ability to feel safe you will be corrected and forced to leave - fail.

In the video several milestones are successfully achieved and replaced with new milestones. The first milestone was permission to enter the pen without Gigi reacting. The second, not reacting to me (male, tall, facial features). Third, I was able to begin the learning process of positive reinforcement (You do that I do this) Fourth was able to continue building trust. By throwing treats far away and then near to me and then far away again is clear communication that I’m not trying to trick her into being caught.

04/07/2024

Please read, it could either prevent injury or save a dogs life.

In the last couple weeks there have been at least 3 K9s who have died due to heat related injuries during deployments. One of our trainers sent this information out to the handlers in his unit to help educate and remind them of the dangers of deployments in this heat.

Email content: I wanted to send this email as a reminder and training on the dangers of k9 deployments while working in this heat.

This summer is going to be brutal. Be prepared. Prevention and preparedness are key. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

-Keep 2 to 4 gallons of fresh water in the back of your car at all times, just for the dog. This is in addition to keeping cold water for yourself. I know it seams like a lot, but think about your dog being hot and pouring a gallon over his back, it won’t last long.

-Check his water bowl a couple times a shift. They are going to be drinking more than normal this time of year.

-Keep a towel with you. After a hot deployment you can wet the towel and lay it on your mat in the back of the car. The cool a/c in the car, mixed with the wet towel, gives them an extra cool place to lay on and will help cool them down after a normal hot deployment.

-Go buy a big bottle of rubbing alcohol and keep it in your car. It’s cheap and can provide a way to drop the dogs temp fast. If you can make it back to your car, lay them down and pour it on the pads of their feet. Alcohol will instantly get cold and provides fast cooling through one of the places they regulate their body temp quickly. Be cautious doing this if they have a foot injury. This is one of the first things they did to cool Kevin down when we got him to the vet. It works!

-If you find yourself on a deployment during high heat and humidity, remember if you're hot they’re very hot. They’re wearing a fur coat.

-Know and be familiar with the early signs of heat exhaustion and signs of a heat stroke.

-Heat exhaustion starts when their body temp rises above 103, they could exhibit some of these symptoms, heavy panting, excessive drooling, slow down and become weak, may try to p*e but not much will come out or none at all. They may become less responsive to commands and look like they're just walking aimlessly.

If there is any question at all, get them out of the heat quickly. Get to the shade and let them rest at minimum. Find a house or building close by and get them wet. Soak them. Not just for a minute, keep soaking them. Give it a good 10 minutes, at minimum. Take their harness off, put them in a down and SOAK them.

Even though the health of the dog should be priority, this will not prevent you from catching your bad guy. Communicate with your perimeter and have them hold what they got. You can get back on task as soon as he’s recovered. Add this to your training tracks. Practice stopping, get off your track, go lay him down and wait 10 mins. Then go back and reacquire the track. TRAIN IT

-Heat stroke is a real possibility when their temp gets over 106. This is very bad and they need to get to a vet ASAP!

-Signs of heat stroke include, eyes may glaze over, excessive drooling, a rapid heart rate, dizziness or lack of coordination, lethargy, collapsing, they may start having convulsions, vomiting or diarrhea, dark/black tar like stool, gums or tongue can turn blue or a bright red color, and of course loss of consciousness. This is BAD THEY NEED A VET FAST.

BUT... don’t just throw them in the car IF you have some options to cool them down near you first. If you just throw them in your car and go, they’re temp will more than likely continue to rise and you will loose a precious opportunity to bring down their temp before transporting, possibly saving them. Find a source of water to soak them ASAP. Carry them there, do not make them run or walk. They will most likely not drink once they are at this stage, don’t try to force them. Let them breath and pant, this helps with cooling. You need to soak them. If you can find a pool in someones back yard, a lake or pond...submerge them. You will need to get in with them to support their heads out of the water, they will be very weak. You need to bring down their core temp. While you’re cooling them down, make arrangements to get your car to you ASAP. Try not to use ice cold water, some study’s show this could send the dog into shock, some more recent study’s say this may be wrong. If it’s all you got use it. Hose water, pool water, lake water are all great options though. Once you have soaked them good and your car is to you, get them in a/c quickly. Soak that towel I mentioned above with water and place it on your mat. Lay the dog on the towel. Do not cover them with the wet towel, it only traps their body heat, preventing the cooling process. Get them to the vet as fast as possible, safely. Call the vet on the way and let them know what’s going on, so they can be prepared when you get there. If possible you call instead of asking the comm center to do it. They may have questions or give you different directions. Know where your after hours or emergency vet is located and have their number saved in your phone.

The day that K9 Kevin had his heat stroke it was In the mid-70s and he was in the shade the majority of his track. So it does not have to be scorching hot out for this to happen.

Again, being prepared and having a plan can save your dogs health and career, possibly his life.

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE!! Both of you! I can’t say it enough!

29/06/2024

I met with GiGi today for the first time and things went very well. Gigi lives in a shelter and is being held back from being adopted because her compass needs adjusting.

Overtime (not long) GiGi will come to realize that people are not the enemy nor are they going to hurt her.

Follow her progress and you see for yourself how I go from standing 15’ away from her to hopefully playing and going for walks.

25/06/2024

Seven 1 hour sessions to be held once per week.
To be held at Ferren Park in Eustis
July 23rd at 6:30 pm

You will learn how to train your dog to:

Heel/With me
Place
Stay
Up-Sit (dog moves from down position to sit position)
Strong Recall (Come) Around Distractions
Long Stays with Distractions
Focus around Distractions
….and more.
Payment for the class is due on the first session

You can find my form "Intermediate Training" at: https://form.jotform.com/240244875656161

21/06/2024

Problem: A shelter has room for 14 dogs, but of the 14 only 6 can be adopted. The remaining 8 need their compasses readjusted before they are ready to be best for show.

Solution: One by one each pup will spend time with me and while together we will learn to change and get a new perspective.

Dogs are generally good at being open-minded and accepting change but they are not good at picking the right path.

When change is on the horizon, like humans, it needs to be done strategically to ensure it sticks.

Learn more, Play lots, Love your dog unconditionally!!

21/06/2024

The free training for rescue dogs class came to an end last evening, the weeks flew by. Every team (guardian and dog) put in %110 and will continue training on their own going forward. I don't foresee any of the dogs being rehomed in the future, but I see do see strong bonds developing. Congratulations to all!!

16/06/2024

What is a trainer to do?

My social responsibility is to give back to the community. My personal mission is to provide support to those who have adopted dogs and make sure those adopted dogs stay where they are, NO rehoming. With that said, how do I qualify the next round of FREE recipients? Is it based on age? Is it based on their time confined?

Your decision will impact all dogs in shelters, take your time and think this through, your dog could be next.

15/06/2024

Training a recall is so simple and so unappreciated.

The free training for rescues class this past week started working on the recall cue “Come/Here”. They all did well and are on their way to learning a reliable recall provided a lot of time is put into it in a consistent fair manner.

15/06/2024

Good to know, please share.

14/06/2024

Ember the firecracker, her guardian, and I had fun today!! We did a couple of things that will prove to be important for the rest of Ember’s life.

Being able to recall your dog may save its life one day and to be transparent, it takes work. A lot(minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months) of time goes into getting a reliable recall depending on the breed.

Accidental learning is when a behavior is reinforced unknowingly. For example, you walk in the door and your dog jumps up on you and you acknowledge it then you have reinforced the behavior. When a dog is barking do not respond to it wait until there is a break between barks. If not, be prepared for a life of barking.

07/06/2024

Ember was not like this when I arrived today she is generally very excited to see me. She loves to learn and loves her food, but not very much barking.

Today she learned a very important skill, Leave It! What makes this skill so valuable is that Ember is also learning NOT to be food-aggressive. When learning ‘leave it’ the dog needs to make a decision; turn their head away from several pieces of food and hold off for something much more tasty. Very difficult for a puppy. BTW - she nailed it. Katherine Haack

07/06/2024

The free obedience training for rescues class went really well tonight. I don't know if the students see what I see, but there was much less chaos in the class and much more engagement between guardian and dog. We started the class with a pretty cool exercise that teaches a dog to slow its brain down and for guardians to be reminded of how much we influence our dogs. The final result was 4 out of 5 dogs laying down calmly, no words, no hands, no eye contact, nothing. From excited to lying down in under 5 minutes. Great skill to learn.

Tonight they all did excellently, but if I had to award one dog as ‘most improved’ it would be Daisy (not in the photo). Last week Daisy spent a portion of the class behind a concrete wall to help her calm down, which I’m not really sure it helped. However, this week I was able to use her as my demo dog and demonstrate to the class how to get and maintain a loose leash walk. Daisy made her mom proud as she sat calmly by my side as I discussed some theory.

We also worked on learning the ‘leave it’ cue among other things that will prove beneficial for the pet guardians.

That's Aspen in the background and Piccalo upfront learning to leave it.

Learn more, play lots, love your pets unconditionally 🐾

31/05/2024

It's been a minute since I’ve had the pleasure to do a midday drop-in for these two. A mid-day drop in is when I go to the pups house and let them out or simply do a health check. Today it was about catching up and letting them out. Chihuahua Min-Pin mix.

31/05/2024

The free training class for rescue dogs started this evening and I’m very excited about how I’ll make a difference. The pet parents and dogs who showed up for class are great. Not one dog is like the other, which makes training this group a lot of fun and interesting. Below, is a picture of our little group.

23/05/2024

I hope I don't see the day when I can no longer help 😔.

20/05/2024

“Don’t use food unless you are luring your dog into a new position” That comment carries just as much weight as “Don’t install screen doors on a submarine!” If you find yourself using food to get results from your dog then you have literally undone the dog's training. The money you spent - gone! The work you put into training - gone!

“YOUR DOG IS TRAINING YOU AND THEY DID NOT PAY SOMEONE TO SHOW THEM HOW!! 🤯

Some of my past customers may remember me mumbling to their dog “You do that, I do this”. What that means is when I cue the dog they will receive something positive if they present the correct response. If I reverse the saying “I do this you do that” is my way of making it very clear that there’s a consequence to making the wrong decision.
407-590-1452

19/05/2024

Human kids are wrapping up the school year, and with any luck, their parents are able to break away from work and the entire family can do something fun.

Evie, who is a 9-month-old will NOT be going anywhere except summer school 😖.

One of the many great benefits of obedience training is freedom and in Evie’s case, she is slowly losing her freedom. Part of my job is to set you and your dogs up for success and that includes squashing undesired behaviors before they become a problem. Don’t wait for behaviors to become a way of life.

….but she is SO cute!! 🤗

18/05/2024

To be honest, I don't go to work to improve my social media numbers, but I am aware they are somehow important. I don't love to ask for reviews either, but these days it's important. Whenever I think about asking for a review from a client I always ask for an honest review, meaning, write it the way you experienced it. Below is an honest review and it’s almost spot on to my mission statement. Very grateful!!

“I’m very thankful that Brad was able to help remedy my golden retrievers excited jumping habit. He worked with us one on one with a fun down to earth approach that worked well with my dog. He also explained why my dog was doing what he was doing and made it easy to understand. His methods are already working with my dog just after one session. I highly recommend using Brad for training that is easy to understand and gentle on the dog. No pinch collars or tugging but gentle training that works.”

18/05/2024

No words….adorable

12/05/2024

I met with Kona this morning and I’m really pleased with the decisions Kona is making and how far along she has come from last week. It's crystal clear that Mom had made time to continue what we started last week ~ force free swimming lessons. Kona is 18 wks old so, she’s a puppy and everything is new to her, including human relationships. Every precaution was used in order for Kona to be as confident as she was in and out of the pool today. It's my opion that a well-thought-out compassionate plan builds trust and promotes bonding secondary to the main objective, which was loving the water and having fun at the same time. It must be fun!!
Call me (407) 590-1452 Brad
Lori K. Brenneman

Learn more, Play lots, and unconditionally love your pets