Hey folks!

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Yesterday was day 4 for Rocky. He has come a long way and I am proud of him. He has done pretty well off-leash. He still gets nervous and I have found the best way to handle him when he is scared and starts darting around a little is to tell him something easy to do. I have been using Sit and then Down to break him of his nervous headspace. Telling him exactly what to do calms him down.
His recall command has been getting better and better and, in some ways more importantly, his natural “check in” instinct has gotten better honed. Now when he is playing off-leash or going on a walk he checks in with me more than he had before. Every time he comes back on his own to visit or even checks where I am I have been heaping on the praise to encourage him to see his handler as “home base”. He spends a lot of time in his own head having Rocky thoughts and doing Rocky things and I’ve seen a great change in him by encouraging him to try to keep his people in mind while he is busy.
he is here for one more day and I hope to just build his good experiences and his confidence. He is such a good boy.

My sweet friend Rocky is back this week to introduce his remote collar. He is a nervous fellow and so we hope that this collar will allow his owners to communicate with him while off leash should something spook him. I will probably always recommend a dog like Rocky be kept on a leash during new experiences but the remote collar will allow him to enjoy off-leash experiences in safe places.
​Rocky is doing a great job. He has retained his obedience training well and he has taken to his remote nicely. He is very nervous when not tethered to his person and so I am very careful to practice where I feel confident he won’t bolt. He is coming when called very well and I am pleased with his Heelwork. It all needs to be cleaned up and we need to build his confidence but with how much Rocky wants to please I know he will do just fine. It’s so nice to have him back for a bit!

Murray is coming right along. We are using the leash less and less though I still bring it out for guidance if he needs it. He has been SO happy bounding around during his play time. I can tell this collar is going to give him so much freedom.
His commands are all in cleanup mode now. He knows them but he still gets a little sloppy now and then but practice and making obedience his way of life is the real trick here. It helps that he really truly wants to get the answer right and he wants to please so much. His Placemat is hard for him but he has used it for up to an hour so far. He seems immediately certain that he is going to be left out of all the fun when I put him on his mat but after a little while he does park it and stay put.
The goal now is just to keep increasing the distractions and difficulty and get his commands proofed before he goes home.

Murray has a big day today! Today I transitioned him to Off-Leash with his remote collar. This is a big deal for Murray because the remote collar is a very different correction. Using a leash correction can sometimes put part of the work on the owner. The dog gets corrected and redirected back to the owner’s side. The dog simply needs to stay in position to avoid another correction. The leash pop directs the dog’s action. However a remote collar asks for a lot more of the dog because the collar correction offers very little “help” and the dog must do all the work of getting and staying in position to avoid another correction and get their praise.
For a dog like Murray this is a game changer because he tends to be what I call “leash lazy” meaning he will let the leash do as much of the work as he can get away with. If his handler will let him pull he will pull. If his handler will hold him back in the Heel position he will let them. The remote collar forces Murray to do all of the restraint himself and thus he is doing a LOT more work and it has already made a big difference in his obedience. I’m excited for what the rest of the week holds in store for him.

Oh and being “off-leash” is a ton of fun because he gets to run in huge circles all over the yard and play fetch without being on a cord. So it was a happy day for Murray all around.

Gunner is doing SO well. So well I am taking it with a grain of salt. I think he still sees me as a bit of an unknown element even though we are friends now and so he isn't showing me his temper tantrums he throws at home. However, he doesn't have me fooled. As much as I am enjoying him and as sweet and snuggly as he is being I am guessing as he gets more and more comfortable here he will start showing me his meltdowns that spurred his owner to call me. If we get to the end of the week and his halo still hasn't slipped it won't all be for naught though. It will allow us to move forward with the understanding that he is capable of being an obedient and respectful boy who doesn't throw little fits when he doesn't get his way and so his owners can move forward and expect that good behavior from him. 

I have introduced his remote collar to him and he has been doing well with the corrections so far. Mostly I have been correcting him for barking in his kennel when Dana comes near and for messing with my house plants (he thinks he is a gardener) but he takes the corrections well and it doesn't upset him so far. 

His obedience is coming along fine and he has become fast friends with Murray, the golden retriever puppy sharing the training room with him this week.

Murray is coming right along. He is a head strong little boy but he wants to please and so it's not a difficult thing to tap in to his work ethic. He is almost ready to be introduced to his remote collar but I want his basic foundation to be a little more sured up before I change his correction style. His Heel/Autosit, Come, Implied Stay, and Sit are all really good. His Down is so-so and I haven't introduced Placemat. Once I am certain he at least understands really well what he is supposed to do with Down (even if he doesn't do it each time) I will move him to his remote collar and start getting him closer to Off-Leash. He has been a fun and bouncy student so far! Such a funny guy.

What’s not to love about a Golden? I just love them. Murray is a shy young golden who is here for two weeks of advanced obedience. Covid-19 has interfered with his socialization so he is a bit timid with people but he warms quickly. Mostly he just needs a better vocabulary so that we can tell him what to do when he is nervous as opposed to just telling him what he is doing wrong.
I let Murray take it easy today. We did some review of his Heel/Autosit and Implied Sarah and we started Down. The real work will start tomorrow. I wanted him to get his feet here and relax a little before throwing him into the deep end, so to speak.
Murray is my kind of dog and I know I will enjoy him these next two weeks. Welcome Murray!

Gunner is a very striking young Great Dane boy who is here for a week of training to address some basic obedience and also try to break his habit of throwing very mouthy temper tantrums.
So far he has been a prince and a very willing pupil. I hope that he shows me his attitude here soon but one thing is clear and that is that this boy CRAVES discipline and boundaries. So far he has done very well with basic commands on his prong collar and he is kenneling up with no fight at all. He needs a patient but firm handler who will let him take his time getting into position but won’t let it slide when he tries to blow them off.
He has seemed to enjoy the other animals here except the pigs who he does not understand or want around him.
I really like Gunner. He has a very soft personality and he has been fun to get to know. Keep an eye out on Instagram for his pretty face.

Rocky is a special guy. He is a healthy and young shepherd mix but he is a nervous fellow. It took him about 30 minutes of me sitting quietly and ignoring him for him to come up and sniff and then about 10 more for him to allow me to touch him. He enjoys his walks now and my company but yesterday was solely dedicated to earning his trust. So I am prepared for this to be a slow and steady week.
Rocky is a soft natured boy who doesn’t want to be reacting to things this way and so I hope that with patience he can start looking to his people for direction and his confidence will improve.