Kanine Freedom

Congrats to Julie and Bob for finishing their 6 week Baby Kanine Package with their puppy Cody! This pup is so smart that he picked things up really fast when it comes to learning the basic obedience. Of course he still gets very distracted around other people and dogs but we’ll be doing more training eventually so I’ll see them Cody again

Here’s a small clip of Lucy the Terrier mix and Lily the Portuguese Water Dog practicing their down stays towards the end of the class. When practicing stationary commands such as the STAY, it’s very important to add distance, duration, distractions, and different locations to have them generalize the command.

Congrats to my group class from last month in March in Santa Rosa and to my class in Sonoma that I finished with yesterday! Thank you all for your hard work with your dogs and I’ve seen the increase progression with everyone. During this time of Covid-19, it’s extremely important to start the training when young and exposing them to other dogs and distractions. Great job guys

Here’s a clip of Jordon and his dog Heidi training at the park practicing commands like staying in place. It’s very important that you practice/train with your dogs in different places/locations so that they can learn to generalize. Dogs aren’t good at generalizing so that’s where we come in to help. Just because your dog will jump through a hoop of fire at home doesn’t mean he’ll do it at a park or store.

Congrats to Claudia and Cosmo the Corgi for finishing their Adult Kanine Program with us! They worked very hard and made amazing progress. We’ll probably be doing more lessons with them but so far Cosmo isn’t pulling on leash anymore and his response to the recall command is improving as well! He’s still maturing but made a big step to being an awesome dog!

Here’s a clip of Miss Katie practicing her walking skills with her parents in her neighborhood block. I also brought Oakes who’s my roommate’s dog to socialize the pup to older dogs. So far so good, as she’s usually pulling on the leash like a lunatic keep up the good work!

Last Friday I had a free morning to walk with my good friends from Canine Excellence and talk about life and dogs. It was fun as usual to pick up lots of poop and lining up the dogs for the picture. I’ll try to walk with you guys more when I have my Friday mornings open.

Here’s a clip of my clients practicing standing to the side and keeping their dogs calm while a new dog walks by. Before training with me, these dogs would’ve exploded with reactivity. My clients have made so much progress and love getting this constant practice on Saturday mornings for the pack walks.

Here’s a clip of Sage and her mom practicing going on a walk as usually their walks aren’t as smooth. But with the help from me and using the Transitional Leash from K9 Lifeline their walks are much better! Like I always say, PRACTICE the walks instead of PRACTICING DURING the walks. Practice makes perfect!

Here’s Mr Bert the Beagle puppy that’s going to be going through the Baby Kanine Program with us. We’re working on his excitement around the kids, walking nicely on a leash, and coming back when called. Super fun dog to work with and is quite the chow hound haha

This is Rocky, he’s a 2 year old Malinois mix that has leash reactivity with people and dogs around the apartment complex. He went to a training facility for some lessons but it wasn’t a good match, so that’s when they got in contact with me. All his insecurities stem from lack of socialization and exercise. When you have a reactive dog and live in an apartment complex, it’s important to have a plan of action/escape routes in case you encounter someone in close proximity.

Here’s a clip of Helen working with her pup Finn on how to walk on a leash. We used luring with food to help keep the focus on following mom. Not only that we started easy and practiced back/forth in front of the house. She’s a nervous puppy so building confidence is crucial. If your pup can’t walk nicely in front of your house then it’ll be harder to walk in your neighborhood. Start easy for your pups then challenge them slowly.

This is Spur who’s a 5 month old German Short Haired Pointer that’s full of life and has an awesome life living the ranch life! This family has other extended family that has raised GSPs several times but haven’t had a puppy for a while. We’re going to work on improving recall along with basic house manners indoors. I love her derpy face and is very motivated to learn

Here’s a clip of our big puppy social from a week ago where we welcomed Petra who’s the chocolate lab mix. She had a heck of a fun time when she arrived and zoomed all over the field with the other dogs. This group has so much energy to control but in the end it’s worth to just let dogs be dogs. And everyone gets to bring tired dogs home to enjoy the rest of their weekend!

Here’s a clip of our recent group class where all our puppies are practicing walking on leashes calmly through using the transitional leashes from K9 Lifeline to help make the walks easier. Start your pups right before they do things wrong in the future. I’m glad I got to record this because I’m usually so busy managing the whole class to record videos.

Congrats to Sadie the Goldendoodle and her family to finishing the 6 week private lesson program with us! This family was very nervous when taking this girl out on a walk because of her intense leash aggression around other dogs. With the dog’s background of being in a backyard for several years with no socialization is a huge factor to her aggression. But after several lessons and patience/perseverance she’s walking much better on the leash around dogs. Great job guys!

Here’s a clip of Apple playing a game of chase with Girdy after our training session. Some dogs love to express themselves through running, chasing, and other ways. It’s like how we express ourselves through hobbies or activities to make us feel good. Find some time to discover what makes your dog feel fulfilled. Running in a big field is definitely Girdy’s favorite thing to do!

Congrats to Marge and her pup Gertrude (I spelled it wrong I wrote Girdy for short lol ) for finishing our 6 week puppy program! After the training Girdy is able to walk on leash better, come back when called, and reacts better around other dogs! She still has more things to work on, but training your dog is a lifelong process like in any relationship. You guys worked hard and very proud! Good job guys!

Here’s Truckee who’s a 3 month old Labrador Retriever that’s learning all the basic necessities like potty training and not chasing the cats. She’s super cute and I love to work with lab puppies. Looking forward to making more progress with this pup!

Here’s a clip of Maxine who’s a Countryside Rescue Adoption Center alumni that’s learning basic commands like Stay with her new dad. We start slow by taking a few steps back then returning to the dog and rewarding with food. It’s important after adopting a dog to establish rules, structure, and start training after getting to know the dog. Don’t wait for the dog to misbehave to start the training.

Hazel is learning how to be more confident through climbing on objects at our local Home Depot during her Kanine Adventure Program. During this time of Covid-19, you should still have some field trips with your dogs so that they can adapt to different environments and stimuli. If you don’t take your dogs out often and expect them to behave with no practice you’ll have a longer time getting those results. Field trips can be short and simple, 10-30 mins practicing good life skills like walking, being calm, and basic commands.

Here’s a clip of Grizzly practicing on walking on a leash out in a public environment like the outdoor area of Friedman’s. It’s all part of the Kanine Adventure Program, where we take dogs to field trips along with several training sessions at the home. Let us know if you’d be interested in having your dog in this program!

Here’s Miss Stella who’s a 1 year old Shih Tzu who needs to work using her inside voice because she’s very insecure and reactive to other dogs on a leash. She’ll be doing a couple of private lessons with us to help view dogs in a neutral state of mind and to trust that her mom can keep her safe. Small dogs can be more reactive because of their size and most things are bigger then them. Most people tend to baby them too much and can also give them a big ego as well. Provide structure and reassurance to dogs no matter size/breed. That’ll make things a lot easier both dogs and humans.

Here’s a clip of Beau practicing being around the kids while they’re running around having fun and being very excited. Having the kids run around while I do a training session with a puppy can be tough at the beginning but the more times you do it, the better results you’ll get. I also like to drain the dog’s energy with exercise before I practice activities like this. This pup did great as I was able to call him back to me while he was chasing the kids and was very responsive. The kids also had fun playing Simon Says as I’m training the dog haha. Make it fun for both kids and dogs.

Mr. Murphy is a 11 month old Pitbull/Boxer mix that loves to play and to enjoy life! However he likes to drags his mom when he’s on the leash especially when when he sees dogs. So with the 4 lessons of the Calm Kanine Program, we’ll be working on his excitement around other dogs and harnessing/channeling that overexcitement in a healthy way. Such a handsome boy!

Here’s a clip of Hazel practicing the Place command out in the parking lot of Home Depot as part of her Kanine Adventure Program! After a week of training the dog at home, we can start taking the dogs to field trips as part of the program. It’s a great outlet for dogs that need mental/physical enrichment while parents are at work or attending school.