Sophie's Video

Sophie and I have had some obstacles to overcome in her time here, but she is doing well despite them. The day before she flew down, she got her tongue frozen to the door (she is from Wisconsin). So, needless to say, it took a few days for her to recuperate from her flight down as well as the damage that was done to her tongue. Bless her heart, the only thing I could think of was The Christmas Story when the boy got his tongue stuck to the flag pole. We did watch that movie together on Christmas Eve while Santa put together Mackenzie's rocking horse. LOL

Sophie's Training

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We have trained quite a number of toy breeds over the years, but by my estimate, Sophie is the smallest dog I have ever trained. She probably weighs 3 pounds soaking wet. Sophie is still very young and a little unsure of herself. After the first few days, Sophie started showing us more of her personality and she also found her voice. She gets along great with the other dogs and loves to chase Athos around the yard. It is hilarious to see this big German Shepherd playing with this tiny little Yorkie. Sophie has been learning several commands this week. She is starting to follow me on the leash, Sit, Down and go to Place. She is doing a great job with the Place command and will stay there even if I leave the room. I have done some training with Sit and Down using a table. This saves my back as well as keeps me from "hovering" over her which causes some submissive behaviors from Sophie. Sophie is a smart little dog and I look forward to seeing her progress with her training.

Introducing Sophie

SOPHIE
Yorkshire Terrier
Female 5 months old

Owned by Tammy from Wisconsin

Board N Train began on 12/13/08

List of Problems stated by owner:

Not completely housebroken
Overactive and doesn't settle down easily
Urinates when excited
Nuisance barker/whiner when owner is eating or doorbell rings
Play bites
Does not come when called consistently
Bolts through open doors

Stewart Unleashed

Stewart is doing very well with his training. I have put together a little video for you to see how he is doing. He still gets a little distracted at times, but with time and consistency, that will improve. At his age, he is like a little kid with a short attention span. However, he has greatly improved in the time he has been here and will only get better as he matures.

Stewart's First Week

Stewart has done excellent his first week here with us. He is a smart little guy and I am having a lot of fun working with him. He does great with his "place" command. He is also doing well with sitting and waiting at the door to go out or come in. He is having a blast with the other dogs too. He is 95% off-leash now. I rarely have to use a leash with him at all now. He goes outside off-leash, plays with the other dogs, and performs all of his commands off-leash. We are still working on more consistency with him, but he is still very controllable off the leash. Every now and then he gets a little spur in his rear and does a little "freaknik" dance around the yard, but then he will come back when I call him and sit at my side. The biggest challenge for you when he comes home will be working with his adolescence. You must be consistent and not let him get away with disobeying. You must always follow through with the commands you give him. Treat him like you would a child. You would not want an uncontrollable kid running around. Believe me, he understands what is expected here, and he is so smart that he can learn bad behaviors as quickly as he can learn good ones. Keep this in mind while you are waiting on him to come home. The hardest part of dog training, is training the owner.

I have also been working on the "speak" command and "wave". For "speak" I am using the German command "Gib Laut", pronounced like it looks. You can check out the short video clip to see these commands. We are still working on consistency with these commands, but for the short time we have been working on them, he is doing very well. I hope to try working with the frisbee later this week.

Stewart's Second Video

Stewart is doing really well with his training. He is getting more consistent everyday. His automatic sit is improving and so is his stay. He is learning the "down" command and the recall.
He is also doing well with his house manners, sitting and waiting before being fed, and sitting before going in or out of the house.

Stewart's first morning of training

Pete and Tessa, as you have described, Stewart is a very intelligent puppy. He has tons of energy and just needs a constructive outlet for that energy. Many of his "problem behaviors" are typical of a young puppy. So far, we have been working on behaviors in the house and teaching Stewart to follow on a loose leash, sit, stay, and down. We have also been working with Stewart on his "place" command, which he is doing very well, even under distraction. Rudy, one of our former students, is helping out with distractions in the photos. Mara, our German Shepherd, is helping out in the video. We worked on Stewart's "counter surfing" this morning. He learned very quickly not to put his paws on the counter even when being teased by a bowl of dog food. I have also been teaching Stewart to "wait" for his food. He is not allowed to go to his bowl until I say that it is okay. So far, I am very pleased with Stewart's progress. He is a very trainable dog and I look forward to watching his progress.

Introducing Stewart owned by Yankee Pete of the Ace & TJ Show

STEWART
Labrador Retriever
Male 6 months old

Owned by Yankee Pete of the Ace & TJ Show on 95.1FM

Board N Train began on 11/25/2008

List of problems stated by owner:

Overactive and does not settle down easily
Mounts people or objects
Urinates when excited
Jumps on people
Nuisance barker/whiner in the crate
Play bites or mouths
Chews destructively on shoes
Does not come when called
Bolts through open doors
Pulls on leash
Sniffs at or eats off of the counter tops or tables
Digs in the yard

End of another training day

Amy and Keeno are finished with another training day. Keeno is seen in these pictures heeling off-leash back to the house. Keeno is also waiting at the door to be let in which is accomplishing a great deal with his high level of enthusiasm.

Sunday evening training with Keeno

Keeno is progressing very well and has the makings of a great dog. He learns rather quickly and and is performing well off-leash at this time. Keeno is now allowed to run off-leash with the other dogs and recalls back to us as needed.

Keeno Learning the "Place" Command

Keeno is doing very well learning his "place" command. I was able to move about the house while he relaxed on his bed. It took him a little while to learn to relax, but after a few times of directing him, he settled down and fell sound asleep.

Keeno Starting His Training

Mark started Keeno in his training the other day. He is a very smart dog, and VERY energetic.
He is learning to walk on a loose leash, to do an automatic sit when we come to a stop He is also learning stay, down, heel and place.

Jessie and Thor Downtown

Jessie and Thor went downtown today and walked on the rail trail. They did very good although they were much more excited among the different distractions. They still listened to their commands but it took a little more persistence. When you walk them in public areas, start off by giving them several commands near the car. Get them under good control before you continue your walk into the more distracting areas. Above all, maintain calmness and confidence. Require that they obey each command you give them. If you are consistent in this, each time you take them into a public place, they will be easier to control.

Obedience under Distraction

I did some distraction work with Thor and Jessie. I let Mara run around with her toy while Thor and Jessie had to follow commands. They did very well under the distraction.

Thor and Jessie Off-Leash

Thor and Jessie are now training off-leash. I can put one dog in a stay or on their "place" and work with the other dog. I can also heel with both dogs at my side, although Thor will sometimes want to move to my right side because Jessie crowds my left. Nevertheless, they are both walking at my side without the constraint of leashes. They have also been around Mara and Athos, our two German Shepherds during their training. They are learning that they must do as I ask even if the other dogs are out and running around. Thor and Jessie are also sitting and waiting at the door before I let them come in the house or go outside. Overall, they are doing well with their obedience. The biggest challenge you will have when they come home is to prevent them from becoming confused by the stimulation since they are used to being on an invisible fence at home. Guiding them with body language and then additionally with the leash will help with re-enforcing your training at home.

Thor & Jessie