Grand Rapids Dog Wizard

Chapo and I beat the heat and went for a short trail walk this morning. He very quickly gets over stimulated by smells, so this was a great test to his obedience and leash walking skills. Awesome job, Chapo! #dogtraining #trailwalk #labradorretriever #grandrapidsdogwizard

Impulse control. Chapo lacked it when he first started training, but he's making great progress! #labrador #dogtraining #place #grandrapidsdogwizard

Chapo says it's always a good time for some wiggles and belly rubs! #wiggles #rollies #bellyrubs

For me, walking Chapo for bathroom breaks has felt like walking a charging bull. He's STRONG! We've been working on a structured heel and how we can communicate through the leash, and he's started to get the hang of it! #labradorretriever #heel #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

It was the perfect day for a boardwalk walk with Duke. We had noisy things all around with the wind flapping flags, water lapping against boats and the docks, and lots of loud vehicles. 3 weeks ago, this would have been scary, and she would have made a hard beeline back towards the car. Though there were a few things she was nervous about, she navigated them beautifully! Awesome job, Duke!! #dogtraining #heel #growth #grandrapidsdogwizard

Duke ventures to a new park!

You wouldn't know that Duke is a nervous girly from her play style. She loves other dogs! She's worked up to some off leash play in the yard and doing so great! #dogtraining #bestfriends #grandrapidsdogwizard

Duke works through a new challenge, loud planes from the airshow, showing how much she's grown in confidence and skill already! #confidence #structuredheel #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Gus tagged along to Aspen and Juniper's first distraction lesson this morning , and they all did fantastic. They passed lots of kiddos and people playing, fishing, and a mower, each on their best behavior! ##englishbulldog #goldendoodles #dogtraining #grandrqpidsdogwizard

Gus and I took advantage of the cooler weather to venture to the park today. He did such a great job staying on task in the midst of some distractions. Awesome work, Gus!! #englishbulldog #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Duke's leash skills are getting better and better each day! #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

This session started out normal. Duke was super excited to be outside and smelling all the smells. After a sniff walk and potty break, we started practicing heel and sit, she was nailing it. Off in the distance, we heard a dump truck empty, and the lid slammed shut. Duke panicked and instantly went to her usual coping mechanism, which is to flee to safety. With the foundational work we've put in with leash communication, I was able to get her to sit and allow her to take the time to regulate her emotional state in about five minutes, then start heeling again. It's not perfect, but it's huge progress for Duke in a short period of time! #focusontheprocess #heel #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

These guys! #friends #labmix #englishbulldog #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Piper rocked her outing, passing all sorts of people, pickleball players, bikers, and other dogs this evening! #labmix #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Gus is cruising through his obedience practice! #englishbulldog #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Today, we tested some off leash hiking with Ernie. He did a fabulous job checking in and not getting too carried away with the new smells. Awesome work, dude. #boxer #dogtraining #trailhikes #grandrapidsdogwizard

Pipes can get a little excited when seeing others on a walk. She's made some great progress walking past others and staying on task! #labmix #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Ernie enjoyed this beautiful weather with a walk at the park for his first big distraction lesson. We passed more people than we anticipated and found lots of ducks, geese, and water crafts to work around. He did amazing with all we encountered! #boxer #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

We've dialed up the challenge and dropped the leash today for Piper! She's proving every day that she's capable of slowing down to follow through with a task rather than anticipating every move. Great work, Pipes! #labmix #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard

Ernie had been very curious about the cats and mostly focuses on them when they are in sight. He's made great progress learning how to follow through with his task, even when more interesting things are happening around him. Awesome work, dude! #boxer #dogtraining #grandrapidsdogwizard