Blondie and Blackie

Blondie and Blackie
They came from the local shelter at 3 mo old. They were found in the "drop off kennel".

Male Lab mixes, approx 6 mo old

Owned by Susan from Shelby, NC

Board N Train began on March 9, 2009

List of problems as stated by owner:

• Overactive / Doesn't settle down easily
• Jumps on people
• Nuisance barker/whiner (Blondie)
  
• play bites
• Chews destructively on dog beds, etc
• Sniffs at or eats off countertops and tables
• will try to escape the fenced in area

Main goals owner wants to achieve:

• No cat chasing
• give owner personal space
• come when called
• learn how to be in the house and a part of the family
  

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Frank LOVES to go for car rides. Today I was working on him riding in the back of the vehicle without having to be put in a cage. The last several times I have put him in the car, he would always jump over the backseat and want to sit on the seat. Well, I could not have him doing that because Mackenzie's car seat is on the backseat. So my goal was to get him to ride comfortably in the back of the vehicle without being restrained or having to put the cage back there. The first few times we worked on it today, he wanted to jump to the front. After a couple of times, however, he decided it was best to stay in the back. He did great and rode free in the back all the way to the park. He would also lay down when I told him to. He was very pleasant to ride in the car with. He will also wait at the car door until he is told it is ok for him to get in.

Frank at the Park

I took Frank for a 2 mile walk with me and Mackenzie and a friend and her daughter. Frank did very well. He got a little excited when we first got there, but after a couple a taps with the collar, he was walking perfectly at my side for the entire 2 miles. After our walk, I let him drag the leash around behind him and we walked through the play area. He did excellent with everything. I was very proud of him today.

Frank in the Snow with Mara

Frank got a chance to get out in the snow today and run around. We let him out with Mara, our female Shepherd. He did really well with her. At first, he ran up to her, not really knowing how to exhibit his "doggy manners", but after a quick tap with the collar, he approached her in a more appropriate manner. They had a good time in the snow and Frank LOVED running around in it!

Frank Unleashed

Frank started working off leash on Monday. Now when he goes outside or he is in the house, he no longer has to drag a leash around behind him. He is very responsive to the training collar and doing very well with all of his commands. I worked with him the other day using the jogging stroller. With you having and young baby, I felt this would be useful to you when you wanted to take Frank for a walk. He did very well with the stroller on the leash as well as off the leash.

Frank is doing very well with sitting at the door before going in or going out of the house. He has also gotten much better with the stay command and letting me walk around him. Before he never wanted to let me cross behind his back. He has gotten much more comfortable with that.

We are continuing to work on some of his "dog aggression issues". He seems to be getting better. He has definitely accepted our smallest dog, Dona. He no longer has any issues with her whatsoever. I will continue to work through this week with Frank and our other dogs and hopefully we will see great progress. Already, I am very pleased with what we have accomplished so far with Frank.

Testimony from Yankee Pete of the Ace & TJ show on KISS 95.1

"Amy not only trained Stewart to obey, she took the time to do her research and customize a training program long before the actual training occurred. And during his 2 week visit, we got regular updates through pictures and video. Excellent training and even better customer service. Special touches, continuing education when needed, and life-long training...K9 Command is the best there is!"

More from Yankee Pete:

"Amy, has anyone else told you today that you're brilliant?! I appreciate the quick reminder lesson with the training of Stewart! Not only did you MAKE my family's Christmas, but you make life with a dog so much more structured."

"I'll do any testimonial you ever want to use. 2 weeks with you is magic for a dog. Here's one for you: You can throw away money on Cesar's DVD set, or you can actually go TO Amy. She's one-on-one and puts the owners in their place more than the dog. Yes, I know! It's our fault our dogs act the way they do!"


Stewart's Blog started on November 25, 2008

Frank Working on the "Basics"

Frank has been working on his "basic" commands this week. We have worked on Sit, Down, and Stay. He is also learning Heel and the follow me command, "come on". In addition, he is learning to sit at doors to come in or go out. Frank is a very smart dog and is very responsive to the training. Frank did get a little aggressive with the other dogs the first few days, but I feel a lot of this stems from his own insecurities as well as not knowing how to properly "speak" dog. He gets excited when the other dogs are around and to him this translates into the aggression. By preventing his over excitement, I feel that we will be able to manage his behavior better with the other dogs. This has already worked one on one with him and our German Hunt Terrier, Dona. However, you have to always be ahead of him looking for things that will over excite him. Prevention is the key. Learning to know what triggers his behaviors will help you manage his aggression and other bad behaviors.

Frank Learning "Place"

Frank has been learning the "place" command while in the house. He is doing EXCELLENT with this command. Place is a great command because it keeps him out of trouble and in an area that he is comfortable staying. There can be different "places" in each room. However, if I leave the room, Frank knows to remain on his place no matter how long I am gone. He is very secure on his place. He is also not able to find things to chew on or other ways to get into trouble when he is on his "place". Management is the key to preventing Frank's "bad behaviors". Frank has been very manageable with place around the baby and our terrier, Dona.

FRANK

Frank
Male Black Labrador, 3yrs old

Owned by Jason and Heidi from Morganton, NC

Board N Train began on February 14, 2009

List of problems as stated by owner:

• Overactive / doesn't settle down easily
• Jumps on people
• Aggressive towards other dogs
• Aggressive towards owners two daughters (one is a baby)
• Nuisance barker/whiner
• Chews destructively on kids toys, etc
• Doesn't come when called
• Stresses easily with the baby
• Pulls on the leash
• Sniffs at or eats off countertops and tables
• Jumps on furniture
  
• charges at the door when someone knocks or rings doorbell

Main Goals owner wants to achieve:

• Walking on leash
• Being able to be near other dogs
• Not getting so stressed with the baby
  

More Training with Lucy

Lucy is doing well with her training. She is about 90% off leash now. She is very responsive and will perform all of her commands. We are now working on better consistency with Lucy. I still use an occasional treat with her, but she does not need it to follow her commands. She does excellent with her "place" command and will sit at the door before coming in or going out. Here "heeling" is very nice and she will also stay close when we are casually walking around the yard. She still gets excited, but she is much more controllable. Here are a few more pictures of Lucy.

Lucy's First Week

Lucy is doing well with her training. She has learned the "place" command as well as working on Heel, Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and "come on". We started incorporating some food into her training and she really seems to enjoy that. I was not pleased at how she was progressing and that is why I decided to use some food in her training. She will not need this when she comes home. However, it is a good treat for her to use food every now and then with her training.

I walked Lucy with Mackenzie yesterday. We walked to the mailbox. She did really well and sat and waited while I got the mail. She is doing much better with her "stay" command.

Lucy

LUCY
female Boxer 8 months old

Owned by Ben and Joan of Wilmington, NC

Board and Train began on January 30, 2009

List of problems as stated by owner:
-Jumps on people
-Overactive and doesn't settle down easliy
-Nuisance barker/whiner
-Play bites
-Chews destructively on things left on the floor
-Doesn't come when called
-Bolts through open doors
-Pulls on the leash
-Sniffs/eats off countertops and tables
-Jumps on furniture she shouldn't
-Digs in yard

Jackson's Video

Here is a short video clip of Jackson's training.

Photos of Jackson Off-leash

Jackson is now obeying his commands without the assistance of a leash. He is doing very well responding to the collar and the commands. Consistency will be key when he returns home. You must give him definite rules and guidelines to go by at home. If you don't, he will define his own boundaries. He is a very smart dog with lots of desire to do his "own thing". He will need firm, loving guidance to keep him on the right path and preventing him from reverting to his old ways.

Jackson's Training

Jackson has done very well with his training. He is a very smart dog, although he is a bit on the stubborn side. He gets easily excited, but is doing much better with his commands through consistency. He has been learning to hang out on "place" in the house as well as heel, sit, down, stay, come, and also wait at the door. In the beginning, we used a long line with teaching him to heel by our side. As he became more consistent, we were able to let him drag the line behind him, then eventually, move to a six foot leash, and now he obeys his commands with no leash attached. He can still get distracted, but now it is much easier to regain his attention. He is much easier to control now.

Jackson Begins

JACKSON
German Shepherd mix 2 yrs old (uncertain)

Owned by Tom and Nanci from Mooresville, NC

Board N Train began on January 18, 2009

List of problems as stated by owner:

Jackson was a stray and his history is unknown. Tom and Nanci have only had Jackson a short time.
-Not housebroken
-Jumps on people
-Overactive/excited around other dogs
-Nuisance barker/whiner
-Play bites
-Chews destructively on anything
-Doesn't come when called
-Bolts through open doors
-Pulls on the leash
-Sniffs/eats off countertops and tables
-Separation anxiety