Help us welcome Rory to our Board & Train program! This gal is already fitting in super well in Leann's household (and with the other Board & Train doggo, Mozzarella)! She will be working on a few specifics with Leann during her stay: Recalls, leash walking skills, mat work (or stationing), and an intro to baby stuff, since the family expanded the same day Leann picked Rory up!! We're excited to see her flourish in our program!
Help us welcome the newest Board & Train doggo: Mozzarella!! This cute stuffed animal, er, doggo is going to be working on a variety of goals with Leann: Less barking at things outside the window, wait at the door, less jumping on furniture and people, leash walking skills, and stealing things he's not supposed to have! Mozzarella has already settled in really nicely at Leann's house and we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks of practice and learning!
Miss Pearl went home after her Board & Train stay last week and, goodness, did she have a blast (and Leann had a blast having her)! Pearl absolutley blossomed during her stay, learning so much and getting along so super well with the other B&T dogs whose stays overlapped hers! She's a compact package of joy and fun and enthusiasm and we miss her already! Best of luck to Team Pearl as they continue their training journey!
Help us welcome back Riley to our Board & Train program! He's back for a Refresher Stay to brush up on his walking skills, Recalls, less jumping, fetching, and other enrichment games/tricks (like putting his toys away!)! We're excited to have him back and he's fit in really nicely with Pearl Jam!
Dixie went home after her Board & Train stay last week! It was a pleasure to have her back (this was a Refresher stay for her, her second time with us) and she truly blended back into Leann's household like she'd never left! Dixie and Leann brushed up on the basics and things they'd worked on previously, but, as you can see, lots of fun was had, as well!
Help us welcome Pearl Jam to our Board & Train program! She joined Leann's household last week for a stay with us and she's already settled in, warming up to everyone, and getting some great work in! Pearl Jam has joined us to work on some manners at doors/gates, Recalls, long leash/of leash walking for hiking, curbing some of her vocal behavior, and a bit of guarding behavior with certain resources! Pearl and Leann are getting to know each other and really hitting a good stride already!
Goose went home after his Board & Train stay last week and his goofy attitude is missed! He made big strides in progress during his stay and we could not be more proud of him! His family has already sent a couple of updates about their progress and what they're working on with him and we're delighted for all of them!
Sydney went home after her Board & Train stay last week! One of her family's biggest goals were her leash walking skills and were so proud of the progress she's made! Sydney had some not great associations with her head collar and, overall, she's such a sweet, sensitive soul, so there were some challenges to building progress with her; but, she made huge leaps in progress and we couldn't be more proud of her! We're so excited for her family and look forward to even more progress!
Help us welcome Dixie back to our Board & Train program! She came home with Leann for a Refresher Stay and, since this isn't her first rodeo, she's already settling in beautifully! Now that the temps are more hospitable this week, she's sure to have some fun outdoor adventures with Leann this week!
This handsome boy is Goose - help us welcome him to our Board & Train program! He's here to work on some of the usuals: Recalls, leash walking skills, Leave It, and counter surfing (or, rather, not counter surfing)! He's doing so well already and is true to his name - a silly, goofy goose!
Ozzy (or, as he became known in Leann's household, "Sir Ozwald Fluffy Pants" 😂) went home last week after his Board & Train stay! His most notable progress was made in his leash walking skills, which was super important to his pawrent (she had been pulled down by him in the past)! We're so excited that Ozzy and his human can look forward to calmer, more relaxing walks in their future!
Let's have a big welcome for Ozzy to our Board & Train program! He came home with Leann last week and is settling in beautifully (Kaya, our other B&T doggo, absolutely LOVES him)! Ozzy is staying with us for a bit to work on leash walking skills and polite greetings with guests, primarily, but Leann will be working on Recalls and some other basic cues! We're excited for this goofy guy to make some progress over the next couple of weeks!
Goodness, how time flies! I can't believe SideKick is already eight years old! It's been an absolute pleasure working with so many wonderful doggos and their humans! The last year has had us seeing a bunch of changes and I can't wait to see what the next year brings us!
Help us welcome Kaya to our Board & Train program! This pretty lady is staying with us to work on polite greetings, jumping in general, Recalls, and Drop It! We're excited to have her and she's settling in nicely!
Help us welcome Pickle back to our Board & Train program! She's came here for a Refresher Stay to brush up some skills while her pawrent is away! She's a ray of sunshine and always up for adventure, so we're excited to have her again!
Cooper went home from his Board & Train stay last week! As a young, energetic breed, we're especially proud that this boy made bunches of progress in his recalls, retrieving, and leash walking skills! We can't wait to hear updates from his pawrents in the weeks to come!
Lincoln went home after his Board & Train stay! What a lovely boy and a fun learner! We had fun hosting Lincoln and enjoyed watching his progress!
Tater went home after a lovely Board & Train stay! He was a quick and enthusiastic learner and we're so excited for him to mature into an even better doggo with his family!
Welcome to Cooper! He made sure Leann got a picture of his best side and his best Blue Steel, too! Cooper joined us for a Board & Train stay last week and is fitting in beautifully! While with us, Cooper and Leann will be working on a fair bit of the basics (that can be a decent struggle for energetic, adolescent, working breed doggos like him): leash walking skills, Recalls, Stay, and retrieving! We're excited to have him with us and....Also, fun fact: Cooper is the second doggo from the same household to come stay with us for Board & Train! His family reached out when he was just a baby puppy since they're super familiar with our program and Leann - and we're super flattered by it!
In this video, we are demonstrating a creative application for Leslie McDevitt's Pattern Game called "Look at That"!
Leann frequently plays this game with Board & Train pups from the comfort of her enclosed vehicle at dog parks - of course, when the dogs are ready for this level of trigger intensity in their individual training programs. Dog parks can provide a ton of variability in the dogs you see, including size, number, speed, vocalization, and proximity. Therefore, it must be said that this is definitely not the first training step we take - the level of unpredictability requires the dog to have some strong foundations in place already!
Notably, a very strong, positive, conditioned-emotional response to the sound of their marker word (a clicker, or other marking tool). Followed by some earlier applications of this protocol at much farther distances away, so that the dog can begin to learn the pattern of receiving reinforcement after noticing a trigger (a dog) in the distance.
If you are struggling with your dog's reactions to other dogs in public, feel welcome to reach out to schedule an Initial Session, and see how we can support you on your behavior modification journey with your SideKick!