Grateful K9 Training

Torvi Tip: Use a long waterproof line to allow them explore while keeping them safe! In this exercise I was working on alternating recall (Come) and rejoining me (Let’s Go) and reinforcing everything I liked (the criteria was very loose as this was her first time in a new place on a long line). Heavily reinforce in this stage. Having a Yes marker that means ‘excellent & engage’ results in a puppy happily racing to you the moment they hear it. Think of Yes as a snap shot... in time that marks the exact thing (or piece) of what you wanted from them. Don’t get in the habit of saying Come when that’s not exactly what you mean. If you’re going in the house it’s Inside, if you want them to walk with you then use something like Let’s Go or With Me...keep Come to mean come to you...initially that criteria can be come to your hand and then you can adjust that criteria to Come to me, Sit, and give me all of your attention. It’s important to keep the recalls with puppy fun and easy to be successful. I get my long biothane lines from @k9tacticalgear - choose a bright color, 3/8, 12-20 feet (maybe get two), with a handle (that can be cut off later), and a snap clip size that is the smallest & lightest choice for your breed. We want the line as light as possible, it’s there for safety & directional information. Don’t use green on green grass (wish I grabbed my neon pink for this...poor planning on my part)! @torvitales #puppytraining #puppylife #miniaussie #miniaussiesofinstagram #blacktriaussie #gratefulk9

The current crew! @torvitales @4legs4petscots #dogtraining #puppytraining #gratefulk9training

7 month old Hunter’s first time at the lake & in the water. He was so excited, bounced about, and then swam! I was very happy to see that when he crowded Kitty on the retrieve that he backed off nicely with her grumble response. Such a fun day! Thus is what e-collar training day can look like, FUN! #goldenretriever #goldenretrieversofinstagram #ecollartraining #gratefulk9training #offleashtraining

We took Kitty in to see Dr Leslie Baldner at @paw_chi_holistic.vet last week. Kitty has pronounced tendinitis, bursitis, and arthritis in her right shoulder and elbow. The appointment was very thorough and ...holistic! Dr Leslie prescribed some herbs and support for Kitty’s gut health and then did acupuncture & laser therapy to that shoulder and elbow area to help jumpstart some healing energy and provide some pain relief. Kitty was a very good patient and we’ve noticed that she has more pep in her step and is smiling more since our visit on Thursday. So happy to have a carrying, knowledge practitioner of alternative pet health care to go to. Hoping that regular visits to Paw Chi will help Kitty feel better, move better, and live the rest of her years better. #canineacupuncture #caninelasertherapy #holistichealing

Watch her slam her little puppy butt down to show me that she’s going to wait for permission to come out of the crate! So much learning has happened in the ten days we’ve had her! @torvitales #puppytraining #gratefulk9training #miniaussiepuppy

This was 7 month old Hunter’s first trip to the lake! We worked on not pouncing on Kitty (OFF), moving with us (LET’S GO), and recall to handler (Come). Layering in e-collar pressure at low level. He did fantastic! Delighted with his overall responses and grateful for Kitty’s tolerance as we work through his jumping & paw slapping of her. I also let him correct her but at the same time I want to establish that clear response to OFF as some other dogs we meet off leash might not be as tolerant or as controlled as Kitty is in her corrections. #goldenretriever #goldenretrieversofinstagram #dogtraining #offleashtraining #ecollartraining #gratefulk9training

Here’s Torvi 10 days in! Each element was taught individually and now we’re linking things together. Such a great puppy! @torvitales #miniaussie #miniaussiepuppy #puppytraining #gratefulk9training

Hunter’s first trip to the lake! Layering e-collar pressure into recall to strengthen his quick and reliable response to COME. We started this process the day before at home; in the backyard & front yard before we added the major distractions that come with the lake environment. He did fantastic! He also swam in the lake for the first time, a joyous day of discovery for him! #goldenretriever #goldenretrieversofinstagram #dogtraining #ecollartraining #gratefulk9training

This gorgeous 7 month old Golden Retriever boy Hunter arrived on Friday for Board & Train and we hit the ground running! Well not actually running; more like....hair salon, shopping, and pet store stop! He was stellar! We worked on polite approved of greetings, holding positions, and engagement with his handler (me) over everything else (not easy when every single person ohhhs and awwwes at the sight of him, not kidding)! Really delighted with where the clients have him in his training after two Private appointments. Looking forwarding to helping them continue to build upon his nicely started foundation. #goldenretriever #goldenretrieversofinstagram #gratefulk9training #dogtraining #puppytraining #sacramentodogtrainer

Happy off leash dogs! #bordercollie #vizsla #mutt #offleashlife #ecollartrained #dogtraining

Hello everyone! I’m doing some updates to my website & would greatly appreciate a review from you if I helped you and your dog live a better life. Please send me an email with your review of how I helped you and include a favorite picture of your dog(s). ... Thank you, I’m grateful! [email protected]

Such a spicy boy! Lox is on his way to being a lot less bitey and a lot more sweetie! #puppies #puppy #puppytraining #goldendoodle #gratefulk9training

Nice off leash walk out at the lake today with Kitty dog and alumni B&T girl Stella. #offleashlife #gratefulk9training #getoutside

Being silly here! It sure is nice to heel off leash past bikes, horses, and dogs with certainty. If you’re not very confident in your dogs reliability then leash them! #offleash #offleashlife #offleashtraining #ecollartrained #gratefulk9training

Update from 7 month old Roxie’s owner on day one after going home from Board & Train: Holding place nicely right next to me. Someone just came in the office and she didn’t move!! I have her right next to me trying to set her up for success and then will move her further away. Currently chewing on her bone. We will do a lunch time walk to help her burn energy to have a successful afternoon too. She’s never been out of a play pen or crate at work.... Soooo proud of Roxie & her owner Carrie! Well done!

Check our Stella’s new cot! So patriotic Stella! Thank you for the reminder to train and the value of having a lovely & well made target for Place. Speaking of being patriotic, remember to VOTE!!! #4legs4pets #place #stellaistgebest

Such a pleasure to be working with a reactivity case and realize I’m blocks away from an alumni training dog, Hazel! I texted Hazel’s owner and asked if I could grab her to do some work. One of the hardest things when working with a leash reactive dog is that every dog they see on walks and react to goes away...rinse & repeat. This becomes a pattern for the dog (postman response) and never do they settle or the handler learn how to guide them through their choices - it’s just... a lot of bark/lunge and trigger goes away. So it was very nice to have that trigger only go away when there was a calm dog & an in control owner! Grateful for the random neighbors with dogs who also came out to assist in providing calm & stable dogs. Great to see lovely Hazel and leverage her bouncy yet sweet nature to help Stella learn to cope with her feeling as her owner guided her through making better choices. #dogtraining #gratefulk9training #leashreactivity See more

Alumni boy Murphy is here with us for the week. He’s such a character. And no Murphy, the entire length of my couch is not your personal back massager & post meal face cleaner! #scottishterrier #alumniboardandtrain #terrier #gratefulk9training

This was such a fun group of 4! Kitty is TOP DOG #bordercollie #rhodesianridgeback #labradorretriever #mutt #offleashlife #ecollartraining #dogtraining

Practicing off leash responses with B&T 10 month old Lab boy Blu with the help of Kitty, Sawyer, and Stella. #bordercollie #rhodesianridgeback #labradorretriever #mutt #dogtraining #offleash #ecollartraining

Lake time with this awesome crew of 6 a few weeks ago! Trying to catch up on pictures! #weimaraner #labradorretriever #bordercollie #gsd #portuguesewaterdog #dogtraining #offleashlife

Chase buddies Stella & Emmy. It’s always nice to find friends who enjoy the same things and can keep up with you too! #offleashlife #gratefulk9training #ecollarfreedom #ecollartraining #ecollartechnologies

Yeah! 4 more cots from @4legs4petscots - I’ve always had 30x40 and 22x22. It’s nice to add four 30x30 to the fleet. So many uses and these are the best cots!!! Stella & Kitty approve #cots #dogtraining #cotsarebetter #Place #up #climb #resthere #zenhappenshere

Client update from Gretchen’s owners: Holding a good, calm down yesterday at a brewery. Meanwhile there were 2 giant German shepherds less than 10 ft away! She went from exploding at the sight of another dog...lunging, barking, and snarling to hanging out at the Brewery! ... Such process for Gretchen & her owners. Some gut wrenching honesty; this isn’t always the result. We can almost always work to get the dog doing better in these distracting environments but they still might not be brewery material at the end of the day. Work to get things better, to get best...but never loose sight of the fact that: - Other people are looking to enjoy themselves in these environments. - You can’t control what other people do or how they manage their dogs. - Your dog might ultimately never be that brewery dog...they’d rather have peace & space at home. Soooo proud of how far Gretchen has come. She is learning that she gets to do more with her people when she controls her impulses and is calm. ***trainer tip, bring a small blanket, little bed, or mat to help them be motivated by comfort to settle into and a clear boundary of space to be in.

The current crew! Kitty, Stella, Blu (B&T), and Sawyer! Such a great group to work Blu around. #bordercollie #bcmix #labradorretriever #rhodesianridgeback #gratefulk9training #dogtraining

If there was ever a puppy that reminded me of Birdie it’s this girl Roxie! She’s such a bright little thing with so much drive to work! I wanted to scoop her up ***scoop up is code for steal!

I can see the kids outside and I’m not barking! This message was brought to you by Boston Terrier boy Hunter, a former very gratuitous barker who’s in recovery. He’s getting lots of rewards for being quiet and is being held accountable otherwise.