The DogMaster

BUDDY (2yr American Staffordshire Terrier) began his Basic Obedience Course on Thursday. Mike rescued him 3 months ago and although he tends to be a good dog, he does have a major issues that need tending to. He is a jumper, nips, pulls on leash, lunges at other dogs, tried to grab a small dog, and resource guards. I am going to help Mike with the obedience part of the training but we have called on a dog behaviorist to work on the aggressiveness and pulling. We began with "Dogs 101". We then worked on eliminating the jumping and mouthing. We introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and added the hand signal to "sit". Buddy is fine with people, he just doesn't have any rule, boundries, or structure yet. But that is about to change. :-) And Mike is totally on board.

ELON (8mo Australian Shepherd) began his Puppy Basic Obedience Course yesterday. Sarah and her husband also have a 2.5 year old Jack Russell mix, named Hero. So she has a good background on working with dogs. She has tried training Elon by watching videos and such but now feels she has reached her capacity for dog training. She is going to be a good Pack Leader! We began with "Dogs 101". This gave Sarah a lot of good information on how to give Elon structure, boundries, and rules. We then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and "sit". They both did great!

ZOEY (3.5mo GSD) began her Puppy Basic Obedience Cpourse yesterday. Tiffanny and Chris made Zoey a part of their family when she was 8.5 weeks old. Although Chris couldn't be with us, Tiffanny will be sure to share everything with him, as they both want her to be a well-behaved puppy that they can take everywhere with them. She is already potty and crate trained and a very happy pup. She entertained herself while we talked and sometimes even listened to us. We began with "Dogs 101", then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and added the hand signal to "sit". She was very responsive to the training and Tiffanny did quite well herself, considering Zoey is her first dog!

LENNY (8mo Great Dane) began his Puppy Basic Obedience Course yesterday. Even though he is HUGE (eats 9 cups of kibble each day) he is still considered a puppy and acts like one too. Fawn and her family also have another GD, a 7.5 year old named Daisey. They get along well, for the most part, until Lenny gets too playful. Fawn has been working with Lenny with some of the basic commands but of course he doesn't listen or comply all the time. He still jumps on the children... (14, 12, 7, 4) and is still a bit skittish around other people, dogs, and loud noises. Because of this, along with the fact that he pulls on walks, he doesn't get walks. These are all things that we will be working on, along with teaching him rules, boundries, and structure. We began with "Dogs 101", then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and added the hand signal to "sit". Fawn will pretty much be the one working with Lenny but I am confident that she will share everything with the rest of the family. She has very good Pack Leader skills, they just need to be honed! See more

BENJI (6mo Corgi) completed his Puppy Basic Obedience Course yesterday. My goodness, what an improvement this guy has made. But only because Cassandra and her family have learned how to be stronger, more consistent Pack Leaders. When she originally called me for training, she said she felt they were doing everything wrong with Benji. And they were! But no problem, once they were taught the right way, Benji caught on ver6y quickly. Cassandra feels so much more empowered and knows exactly how to work/deal with Benji. He is also more calm and responsive because he now has structure, rules and boundries. Great job Cassandra and Benji!

COOKIE (11wk Cavachon) had her 2nd session yesterday. Since the first session last week was to answer questions, discuss potty training and a set feeding schedule, determine how to set up the house, for these first time pet-parents, this week was for learning commands. They were name recognition, "come"/targeting, "sit", "down" (pictured), and "off/on". Cookie did very well, she's a smart little cookie! :-)

OLIVER (3mo LabraDoodle/Lab mix) had his 3rd session today. Rachelle, Karl, and their daughters Livienne (8) and Jazelle (11) are all doing their part in training Oliver. He is beginning to be a bit more calm, listening better, and complying quicker. We introduced "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it" (pictured) and "drop it". We then began getting him used to his Sporn non-pull harness and leash. He wasn't having any of that in the beginning but began feeling a little more comfortable after awhile. The family will continue working on that so that he will be ready to walk outside after his last set of vaccinations. He shows us each week how smart he really is!

ARLO (3mo Miniature Poodle) had his 2nd session today. Cassandra, Kimberly, Eileen, and Andrea (four sisters) have all taken a very active part in training Arlo. The commands he was taught last week are great. Potty training, not so good. So we began with more recommendations and how to set up a "bathroom" area, since he cannot go outside at this time. They will work on that. We then introduced several new commands. They were "down", "focus", "off/on", and the hand signal for "sit" (pictured). Even through jumping is not an issue right now, we still covered it just in case. He is a very happy puppy and love to learn!

SIMBA (3.5mo LabraDoodle) had his 3rd session today. Gaurika, her 9 year old twin daughters and her husband have ben working with Simba and he is becoming a better listener. He is still full of energy but is calming down and will do better once he is able to go on long daily walks. We introduced several new commands today. They were "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it", and "drop it". We also introduced the hand signal to "down" and began getting him used to his Sporn non-pull harness and leash (pictured). He is such a good boy!

PEPPA (3mo Pug) had her 3rd session on Saturday. Sisters Lauren and Megan are doing all their homework with her and she is coming along just fine. She has already learned and follows several commands that we've taught her over the past two weeks. So we introduced several new ones on Saturday. They were "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it", and "drop it". We also added the hand signal to "down" (pictured"). She loves her trainer so much that she decided that she wanted to go home with her. :-) Unfortunately, Lauren and Megan wouldn't let her. Maybe next week???

RICO (5mo Pomsky) began his Puppy Basic Obedience Course today. Sandy, George and their two adult children made Rico a part of their family a month ago. He was advertised on Craig's List and they fell in love with him. Not long after they got him home they realized that he had not been socialized with people or other dogs. It has gotten worse. When I got there he immediately began barking non-stop and hiding behind Maranda. He was very fearful, nervous, and skittish. I...t was very difficult to speak over him so I explained that I couldn't do anything with him until he felt comfortable and trusting of me. So we all sat on the floor and I began to ignore him while tossing treats. I told them not to "coddle" him but to speak in assertive/confident tones. We would all throw his toys around as he brought them out of his crate, barking with them in his mouth. Well, after about 45 minutes of this he finally started coming over to me and taking the treats or toys from me, smelling me, and licking my ankles. I was actually able to cover "Dogs 101" during his quiet times. We worked on name recognition, "come"/targeting, and "down". It was a tough start but we made progress. This will be a "work in progress" as we begin to build his confidence and self-assurance. I didn't get a picture of him so Sandy sent me one of her favorites. See more

HARLOW (4mo GoldenDoodle) had her 3rd session today. Jaden has been working with her and as long as there are no distractions, Jaden told me she is good with all previously taught commands. So we introduced "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it", "drop it" (pictured), and added the hand signal to "down". Harlow is still very timid and shy around strangers and I recommended taking her to puppy socialization classes after she gets her final set of vaccinations. Jaden agrees.

BAILEY JEAN (7mo Rat Terrier) had her 2nd session today. Annette and Albert had a pretty busy and crazy past two weeks, with home improvements going on, but did have some time to spend with Bailey Jean. They have already seen a notable change in her demeanor. So they were anxious to teach her some new commands today. We added the hand signal to "sit". We then worked on "down" (not much success), taught her "focus", "off/on", and discussed techniques to eliminate jumping on the sofa, chairs, and them when they are seated. They will work on "down" more during the week and we should have more success next week.

CHEWIE (9mo Whoodle) began his Puppy Basic Obedience Course on Tuesday. Alina and her two sons, Max (9) and Andy (7), joined in the session. They had been working on "sit", "come", "down", and tried to eliminate jumping (which is very hard when you have two young boys running around). :-) We began with "Dogs 101". We then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and "sit". Chewie did quite well, as did the boys and Alina. They promised to practice with Chewie over the next week and will be ready for more new commands!

JUNO (4mo GoldenDoodle) completed his Puppy Basic Obedience Course on Tuesday. He has learned every command and the family has learned how to be strong Pack Leaders. We finished the course with teaching Juno how to "down" from a standing position, "sit/stay", "heel", "left and right shake", and "roll over". Juno is lucky to have such a wonderful, loving family. And they are lucky to have him!

SHOGO (1yr American Akita) had his 2nd session on Monday. Steven was able to join Aida and I this week and will be able to continue with the sessions. We introduced the hand signal to "sit", and then taught him how to "down", "focus", "off/on", and discussed techniques to eliminate jumping. We then started practicing loose leash walking techniques. Although, he already walks very well with Steven.

ROSIE (1yr Boston Terrier) began her Basic Obedience and Behavior Modification Course on Monday. Rosie became Christina's companion when she was 12 weeks old. They began training with a different trainer but Christina was not happy with the method of training. So she searched and found me. She wants Rosie to be taught using the Positive Reinforcement Method. So we began with "Dogs 101". We then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and "sit". Now, Rosie knew h...er name but did not always immediately give Christina her attention. She knew "come" but did not always come when called because Christina had used that command with negatively attached. She knew "sit" but was not consistent. She constantly jumped on Christina and visitors. We began working on every one of those issues. Christina will work on all of those and we will see how they are next week. See more

PANDA (5mo Old English Sheepdog) had his 3rd session yesterday. He is doing well on his previously taught commands so we introduced several new ones. They were "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it" (pictured), and "drop it". We also introduced the hand signal to "down". His habit of jumping is getting better, especially with Nancy (she is about 8 months pregnant. It's mostly with visitors now. Other than than he is very gentle and I think he will be very good with the baby.

SCULLY (4.5mo GSD) completed her Puppy Basic Obedience Course on October 10th. Fred called and wanted a follow-up session to work on loose leash walking and help with socializing her to the outside world. We re-visited techniques for loose leash walking and walked her around a lot of different outside activities. She did very good. Unfortunately there were no other dogs out walking so I did recommend that he take her to a puppy socialization class and or a puppy day care for puppy socialization. She is doing just fine, she just needs more practice.

HOLLY (5mo Golden Retriever) began her Puppy Basic Obedience Course yesterday. Amanda and her family was gifted Holly by her aunt who has the parents of Holly. Other family members have her siblings. She is currently an outside dog, along with her companion Hunter who is 7 years old. Amanda is hoping that once Holly is trained she will be able to spend time in the house as well. She is a very energetic girl and has a very, very large yard to explore and roam, along with Hunter. We began with "Dogs 101" while Holly was off, busy exploring. However, when it was time to train, she gave us her full attention! We began with name recognition, "come"/targeting, and fine-tu8ned "sit" along with adding the hand signal. I was pleasantly surprised at her full attention to us. while training. Good girl!

LOKI (4mo Toy Poodle) began his Puppy Basic Obedience Course yesterday. Priscilla and David have had Loki since he was 8 weeks old. They have just about got him potty trained and have been working on "sit" and "down". We began with "Dogs 101" which was very helpful since Loki is their first dog. We then introduced name recognition, "come"/targeting, and perfected "sit". Loki is a very friendly, confident little guy and has already been around other family members dogs (that are dog friendly and fully vaccinated). No issues with this little guy! Everyone learned a lot.

TEDDY (5mo Chow Chow) had his 3rd session yesterday. All previously taught commands are good and there is no more "fearfulness" of Rosendo when he comes home. (He began working/training Teddy more). We introduced "stay", "wait", "leave it/take it", and "drop it" (pictured). We also introduced the hand signal to "down" and began loose leash walking. The family continues to improve their leadership skills as they gain knowledge about dogs. Teddy is their first.

CHE (2yr GSD mix) completed his Basic Obedience and Behavior Modification Course yesterday. Eric and Denise rescued Che in July of this year. For the most part, he was a very mellow dog, except on walks. He was also a bit fearful and skittish around noises and quick movements. Over the past month, through training, he has learned all commands, has gained confidence, and feels much more comfortable in his new family and home. He still has a strong reaction to other dogs while on walks, if the other dog barks at him first. Eric and Denise have learned how to be stronger leaders and will continue to improve their own leadership skills. A follow up session will most likely come in a month or so. Great job!!