Clients' Travel Log & Photos
Whether you've got a new dog and you want to start off on the right foot to create an awesome relationship or you've got a behavioral issue that needs to be addressed, you might see a story below that either sounds like where you are or where you want to be.
These are a few of the dogs who have come through training and are now enjoying a life of inclusion with their owners... what could be better!
These are a few of the dogs who have come through training and are now enjoying a life of inclusion with their owners... what could be better!
Basic Obedience + Off-Leash Recall
These dogs arrived a little rambunctious but left knowing all kinds of polite behavior as well as a terrific off-leash recall!
HunterPiper |
7-month old black lab, Hunter, was all puppy. The problem was his body had gotten too big for that to still be cute!
He would rush up to people at the front door, including little kids who would cry in fear. He'd pull so much on walks that his mom's shoulder was out of alignment and some of his back yard activities included wild racing around landscaping that was more neurotic than fun. He finished training learning how to be calm and relaxed as a default state of mind. He also learned off-leash recall so when it's time to be foot loose and care free -- like at the beach!! -- his owners can call him back with complete confidence that he'll return. His owners learned about how to show him leadership which will be key to helping Hunter maintain his new good manners so they grow stronger as he grows older. 7-month old yellow lab mix, Piper, may have seemed like she needed more than basic training, but she's a great example of how a little structure, rules, and boundaries can go a long way for a dog.
Some of Piper's old behavior included pinning her 10-year old human to the wall, play biting that definitely hurt, running around the house at full speed (even faster when the kids were home), peeing out of excitement when pet by guests, and barking, jumping, and lunging to get out of the laundry room. Fast forward two weeks with me where she learned life skills of impulse control and how to be relaxed as well as developing rock solid obedience commands. Fast forward another two weeks where she returned home and she and her family went through "boot camp" where Piper learned that the commands she learned with me (Come, Sit, Down, Place) meant the exact same thing when her owners said them. Side note: that's never as obvious as you might think! :-) Trained February, 2015, Piper gets to vacation with the family, hang out in the house even when there's company, and helped welcome a new puppy brother in 2016. Since he and his family learned how to live a happy life together there was room for another dog! |
Aggression
Ranging from fear aggression to in-house dog fights, living in fear of the next bite or the next fight was stressful for these owners. Trying to manage the risk often meant they weren't able to include their dogs in their activities.
In-House Dog Fights
In-house dog fights might be the most difficult thing to experience; having dogs who live together fight is incredibly stressful.
In-house dog fights might be the most difficult thing to experience; having dogs who live together fight is incredibly stressful.
Rucca and Bentley |
Rucca and Bentley's owners were dealing with their dogs fighting for over a year before they worked with me. During that time they'd worked with other trainers and most recently their veterinarian who suggested removing Rucca's teeth, which they did, but it didn't stop the fighting.
Four months pregnant with their first child, the couple felt a sense of urgency to resolve the situation. With that urgency came a resolute commitment to make the changes necessary to create harmony in their home -- after all, there was a baby coming in July. After training with me for 3 weeks, the dogs returned home in March and for the next 3 months their owners changed everything about their relationship with each dog and between the dogs. I do not think they'd say it was easy, but I do know they'd say it was worth it. As often happens when you address a behavioral issue with your dog, you end up experiencing improvement in every other respect of your dog: calmer, more relaxed, listens readily, and simply more fun to be around. Rucca and Bentley are enjoying all the benefits of strong leadership from their owners, and vice versa! Trusting their dogs to move freely & unsupervised around the house was a big milestone for Rucca and Bentley's owners. This didn't happen over night but as their mom says, she saw small moments between them that helped build her trust that their state of mind was no longer one that would cause a fight.
|
Human and Dog Aggression
When dealing with aggression, it's important to have realistic expectations of the rehabilitation. Each dog, and frankly each dog and owner combination, is unique and greatly impacts how "far" the rehabilitation can go. That an aggressive dog could become "bomb proof", 100% trust worthy in any situation, is probably not the case. But it is fair to expect that an aggressive dog can be rehabilitated and live successfully and happily with his family as well as enjoy outings where his exposure to various kinds of pressure is well-managed.
When dealing with aggression, it's important to have realistic expectations of the rehabilitation. Each dog, and frankly each dog and owner combination, is unique and greatly impacts how "far" the rehabilitation can go. That an aggressive dog could become "bomb proof", 100% trust worthy in any situation, is probably not the case. But it is fair to expect that an aggressive dog can be rehabilitated and live successfully and happily with his family as well as enjoy outings where his exposure to various kinds of pressure is well-managed.
BensonXing XingGeorge |
The Vizsla, Benson, arrived for training as a 2 year old fear aggressive dog to both humans and other dogs. Especially tricky for his owners was that his initial greeting seemed fine and then a moment later he would snap at the person or dog. His aggressive behavior towards the mailman got his family a federal letter of complaint... they were headed in the wrong direction.
To add insult to injury, this dog who loved to run couldn't be trusted off leash because he would absolutely not come back when called. With a 3-week training program followed by a 3-week boot camp at his owners' house, Benson's confidence grew by leaps and bounds. The anxiety that had plagued him earlier was certainly part of his DNA. But it grew strong and out of control in a home environment that gave him 100% affection without the balance of rules, boundaries, and structure. His training happened in February of 2015 and I'm still seeing updates of his new normal which allows him the freedom to be off leash with a terrific recall and the ability to be among dogs and people alike -- including the mail man -- without barking, lunging, or biting. This two year old Japanese Spitz arrived showing lots of aggression to strangers and since I was the stranger taking the picture, I got the brunt of it. The fact is as soon as the owners left, as is often the case with even severe behavioral issues like his, Xing Xing calmed down.
That didn't mean we didn't have a lot of work to do, but it did highlight that although very loving and affectionate with him, his owners hadn't been showing him leadership which would allow him to feel comfortable and confident around them. Leadership can be as simple as telling a dog "no" when he does something wrong -- which for Xing Xing might have been the first time he gave an uneasy, low growl towards a stranger. It's really just guidance, feedback on what's okay to do and what's not. He also developed strong impulse control while he was here. It's that impulse control that lets a dog think about their response to stimuli instead of just reacting. When a dog is clear headed enough to think they are able to listen to the input you're giving them and eventually they're able to make the right choice on their own. The final piece of the puzzle is giving the owners information on how to establish a new, leadership relationship with their dog. For Xing Xing, this was critical as the first two years of his life he was given lots of affection and soft energy but no rules and boundaries. His owners experienced the beneficial impact of giving him structure, rules, and boundaries, not only on his behavior but also his state of mind that allowed him to be calm and relaxed. Two year old pit bull, George, arrived with some serious dog fights under his belt. Not only was he getting into fights with dogs that were in his close personal space but he was charging across dog parks to attack dogs at the other end.
Before working with me, his owners had some success with other trainers and had invested in a lot of the same tools I use: prong collar and e-collar. However, what they hadn't tried before was getting George into a calmer, more relaxed default state of mind and at the same time creating a leadership relationship with him, This two pronged approach worked well for George and his owners. He learned solid impulse control which fed into his ability to be much more relaxed in all kinds of high distraction environments. His owners invested in changing their relationship with him. They embraced the notion that George actually felt better when they provided him rules and boundaries -- they certainly felt better about his behavior! |
Reactivity
Dog reactivity is perhaps the most common behavioral issue I see. The underlying cause plays a big role in the length of time needed to address it. Often it's from over excitement but it can also be caused by fear and anxiety.
Big Sir Franklin |
Big Sir Franklin, who goes by "B", was reactive to dogs on leash, and to men, and to high energy environments, and a little separation anxiety to boot. Underneath that reactivity was an anxious dog who needed more guidance from his owners to help relieve that anxiety.
After a 3-week board and train where he developed strong impulse control and the ability to relax even in high distraction environments, B was ready to go home. Once there, his owners leveraged those new life skills of his as well as his newly acquired rock-solid obedience to establish a new, leadership relationship with him. Just two weeks later, they were confidently walking B past other dogs in busy downtown Los Gatos with the narrow sidewalks and lots and lots of dogs. Fast forward five months later and I'm still getting updates from B's owners: B at work with his dad, B on a hike with a friend -- his owners weren't even there! Common thread is that B is included in his family's life and activities because he's reliably calm and relaxed in any situation... and still has his charming personality! |
Separation Anxiety
From property destruction to incessant whining and barking, separation anxiety ranks high on the list of dog behavioral challenges and the stress they can create. Whether the anxiety stems from a bratty, demanding place (the majority of cases) or is caused by deep-seated anxiety, either from separation or with the crate, you can expect great results.
Sam |
Two weeks after adopting this adorable Shih Tzu mix, Sam's mom contacted me about his separation anxiety. For Sam, this behavior was definitely not due to a relationship issue with his owner but some real issues he had with being alone and on top of that being in the crate. In an attempt to help him calm down, Sam was left loose in the house which resulted in destroyed trim around the front door.
We worked tirelessly helping him develop really strong impulse control -- that was going to be Sam's best chance at getting better. He didn't need help relaxing -- something that I've seen in a number of true S.A. cases, the dogs are actually very mellow. But he did need help understanding boundaries and the obedience commands helped him on that front. Finally, his owner was amazingly committed to his success. Anyone who is willing to work through his separation anxiety issues after just having him for two weeks is a special person, which describes his mom perfectly. Sam continues his anxiety-free alone time and with the biggest pay off imaginable now enjoys being a therapy dog in the hospitals around his home town of Sacramento. I couldn't be happier for him, his owner, and all the folks who get to love on him throughout the day. |
What Does Leadership and Discipline Look Like?
In the photos below you'll see dogs practicing discipline in all kinds of scenarios. Sometimes their job is as simple as holding a Sit on a busy street corner. No matter how simple the task, the impact of practicing discipline is similar to the psychological benefits we get from our work. It stimulates their minds and gives them a sense of satisfaction. The job doesn't need to be as complex as running an agility course (although that's a lot of fun if you get the chance!), you can infuse work into every day tasks like putting him in a Downstay while you get the kids off to school. These simple changes to your every day routine will significantly improve your dog's overall behavior.
One of the things I see owners struggle with is differentiating between love and affection. Love takes many forms and only showing it through affection is shortchanging your dog. Giving leadership and discipline are powerful ways of showing your dog love that will also greatly improve his behavior.
I encourage you to shift your thinking from training as a finite activity to something more akin to how children are raised. Kids are expected to do a myriad of tasks every day -- from sitting respectfully in class at school, to sitting politely at the dinner table, to getting their homework done. Expecting equivilant behavior from your dog provides him discipline and structure. Just as we reinforce our expectations of our kids' behavior, we will have much better behaved dogs if we both expect and reinforce our expectations of their behavior. Having a well behaved dog is practicing little acts of leadership and discipline every day. It's the little things, and they're cumulative.
One of the things I see owners struggle with is differentiating between love and affection. Love takes many forms and only showing it through affection is shortchanging your dog. Giving leadership and discipline are powerful ways of showing your dog love that will also greatly improve his behavior.
I encourage you to shift your thinking from training as a finite activity to something more akin to how children are raised. Kids are expected to do a myriad of tasks every day -- from sitting respectfully in class at school, to sitting politely at the dinner table, to getting their homework done. Expecting equivilant behavior from your dog provides him discipline and structure. Just as we reinforce our expectations of our kids' behavior, we will have much better behaved dogs if we both expect and reinforce our expectations of their behavior. Having a well behaved dog is practicing little acts of leadership and discipline every day. It's the little things, and they're cumulative.
Photo Album
Travel Logs
|
Cody -- A 7 month old Labrador Retriever puppy whose adorable antics were getting less cute the bigger he got! Jumping, barking, mouthing, and nipping were starting to get him into a little trouble and causing his family a little pain -- literally! This clip is from our first session and shows his new & improved walk!