Drax is such a little sprite. He is so fun to work with. His vocabulary has improved so much over the past few days. He struggles to lay Down on command without at least one correction first but I think mostly he just doesn’t laying down when it’s not his idea. He knows the command just fine. He stayed on his Placemat for an hour today and only needed 2 corrections quite early in the exercise.
He is still struggling with jumping up. It’s a very ingrained habit and when he is in working mode he remembers not to but when he is celebrating or playing he still forgets and needs correction. The best correction is to stop the game or affection he is insisting on and ask him to sit before the game or affection can start again. It’s difficult to take the time to stop and do that as he bounces around while you’re just moving along with your day but it’s so far been the most affective response when he is not on his leash.
He is such a happy dude and he has enjoyed this training so far. He likes the challenge and his go-get-em attitude makes him a blast to work with and a funny bloke to have around.

Scout is suuuuch a puppy. She is so sweet but her attention span is still very short. You must keep a sense of humor with her as she grows up because there is still a very good chance that during a Down/Stay she will end up pouncing on a butterfly. But after she pounces the important thing is to gently correct her back to her task and make sure she finishes.
She is coming along well with her understanding of her commands. She knows her words and when she is on task she performs very well. We need to be patient with her around distractions and make sure to guide her back to work because once she is redirected she once again does very well! She enjoys training and she LOVES praise and so she is rewarding and fun to work with.

The girls go home tomorrow! We have spent the last few days working on their skills together. They walk in a heel together really nicely with no pulling and no lunging. They Sit when their handler stops almost every time unless Sydney sees something shiny and needs a little reminder. They lay down together on command but this lacks some dignity since they tend to try to lay down on top of each other but at least they end up on the ground. They are actually happier to stay and hold their Down command when they are together which isn't surprising but it tells me that their owners will want to make sure to practice the Implied Stay with the girls individually as well as together to make sure they keep gaining independence from not only their people but from each other. This is most important for Nadia who has very little confidence when she is solo.
Their house manners have been stellar the last few days. I worry that this is because Nadia is still so shy here so I will encourage her owners to call me and have me come to where Nadia is comfortable if she is a little brat when she gets home since I couldn't recreate her comfort zone here. But hopefully their good manners translate back home no problem and we just need to meet to fine tune or further their training.
One of the hardest things we have been working on outside of obedience has been patience at meal times. These girls LOVE their food and so just for fun I've been making them sit and wait until their bowls are all the way on the ground and not letting them eat until I say okay. They act completely tortured and I'm pretty sure Nadia actually thought she died at one point but they are getting better at it every meal! Any excuse to ask for self restraint is a good one so this is an exercise I will suggest her people continue at home if they didn't already. 
I loved training these girls. They were fun and sweet and they reminded me of a childhood dog and so they warmed my old dog trainer heart. I look forward to their follow ups not just because it means I can get some Nadia hugs or a subby smile from Sydney. They are good girls for sure!

So this is going to be an update from the weekend since my internet was being lazy and was making life difficult the past two days. The girls are doing really well. Nadia is still quite emotional and keeping her built up has been the biggest task. She learns quickly and loves praise so she is easy to teach but she gets so in her head about things that frighten her or make her nervous that it's easy for her to shut down. Sydney is also learning fast and she is so funny and silly that she is usually easier to tease into working happily. 
I've been working with the girls individually so far but today I am going to start working with them together to ensure that walks together can be calm and peaceful and that they can be on Placemat together without it becoming the Sydney and Nadia Show. Placemat has been more of a challenge than usual because for whatever reason poor Nadia still acts terrified of being inside and so while she does really well on Place I worry that when she gets home and is happy and calm, like she is when she is outside here, that she may need to be retaught a little. If that's the case we can cover it in follow-ups. Hopefully it all translates for her even tho she isn't super active here. Sydney is usually happy to just do whatever I'm doing and so getting her to sit still on Place and not army crawl to my feet has been a very endearing challenge.
I am pleased with how far they have come and we are gonna mostly be proofing the next few days. I adore these sweet girls!

The girls had a pretty straight forward day today. We didn't get a ton of work don't during the day because it was so hot but the work we did do they made decent progress. Nadia is still reluctant to move a ton and once she is in a sit or a down it is difficult to get her to move to another position but she is getting more and more confident every time. Sydney is just a blog of hugs and affection who oozes around with absolutely zero dignity but she is still making progress with her commands so I won't argue with her too much about being serious. I honestly don't think she can be.
Still haven't convinced the sisters to venture into the house so tomorrow I'm going to leash them and insist they come inside for a while. I think that once they have broken that seal and come in they wont be so hesitant. 
Other than that tomorrow is going to be another pretty standard work day. Tune in then for another update.

Oh my goodness these two young sisters are soooft. Not just their fur (which is super soft) but their natures are some of the sweetest and smushiest I've had in a long time. They are very sweet natured and very willing to please which tells me two things: 
1. Their feelings are easily hurt
2. They know exactly how cute they are and will use it for evil
I am anticipating a few softie manipulation tactics from these two, particularly Nadia who is the shyer more dramatic of the two so far but also seems the most enterprising. Sydney is mostly just after hugs from whoever will give them to her which is nice because love sponges are super fun and typically straight forward to train. I'm looking forward to getting to know these girls this week.
Today we avoided the heat with quick workouts out side and while I tried to get them interested in the house they chose to do their relaxing in the kennel room even though the door to the house was open for them. Hopefully they come in soon! If not I'll make them so we can practice Placemat. Today's work consisted of Heel/Autosit, Come, Down and Implied Stay. They both sorta suck at Implied Stay, especially Nadia. They both want to be on your shoes and will make absolute fools of themselves flopping and oozing or army crawling across the ground to get to them. But we will continue working on this as the week goes on. It's only day one after all. The other commands were fairly straight forward for them tho Nadia is not yet convinced it's necessary to sit every time we stop. I'm sure she will see my point of view soon. 
I like these dogs. They are my kind of pooch and their relationship and personalities are super fun. I hope they come out of their shells a little more tomorrow and we can get more work done in the house.

Dyson is one impulsive and energetic sweetheart! He is a young pitbull mix and he is busy busy busy. But once you get his focus he is actually extremely quick to learn which will make this week of basic obedience training fun and hopefully straightforward. He has so far been a willing and enthusiastic student. He is on a small pinch collar and that has helped him realize I'm trying to talk to him. Once he realized I was back there he stopped pulling and we learned to Heel, Sit when I stop and Lay Down on command. His Implied Stay is still a work in progress (give him a break. it's day 1) but he is trying really hard. 
In the house he has been polite but active until he finally tuckers out from playing with my other guest, a young Australian Shepherd.
He is a blast to train. He is a complete love sponge and so praising him is easy and he is sensitive to his collar so he takes only light correcting when he makes a mistake. I'm excited. He is a fun dog.