100 Day Trick Training Challenge

A few weeks ago I watched a movie called Wild Horse, Wild Ride about the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge, an annual contest that dares 100 people to each tame a totally wild mustang in order to get it adopted into a better life beyond federal corrals.

This has branched off into an Extreme Mutt Makeover - 15 trainers - 56 days - annual event in Texas held every year in conjunction with the Mustang Makeover.

So we are doing our own version and you are invited to play along.

100 DAY TRICK TRAINING CHALLENGE
Utilizing Kyra Sundance's Trick Title system...

BASIC RULES:
All tricks must be new to the dog – ie. if your dog already knows Sit, you may not count it.
Handler will bring any props required for a trick.
A reward may be given after a trick is successfully performed, but food must remain in a pocket until completion.

SCORING:
All tricks should be performed on 1 command and/or signal.  Extra commands or signals will be a 1 point deduction.  Gestures, body movements, noises are all considered extra commands/signals.  Multi-part tricks are allowed 1 command and/or signal per part without deduction.

If a dog is unable to perform the trick after 3 extra commands and/or signals, they will receive 0 points for that trick.

[N] Novice Tricks are worth 3 points each.
[ I ] Intermediate Tricks are worth 4 points each.
[A] Advanced Tricks are worth 6 points each.
[E] Expert Tricks are worth 8 points each.
[C] Champion Tricks are worth 10 points each.

A full tricks list is available on request indicating the possible tricks and their difficulty level.

Anyone want to play?

Major Updates!

So we have been silent for far too long - things got really hectic at the farm and the property was actually being sold.  This put us into a big tailspin as there aren't very many places that will allow 12 dogs and the comings and goings of boarders and training dogs.

In the end, we found a place in Winston Salem and are truly blessed to have such a fantastic new space!

We are still putting the finishing touches on it and will do a full post on the before and afters of it all - but we are so thrilled with the potential here.  We have a training room, office, photography studio and are fencing the yard for an amazing play area, building a full size agility course and outdoor obstacle course.

THE OFFICE SPACE BEFORE:

THE OFFICE SNEAK PEEK:

Moving up here has brought us closer to some really great people who have come on board at Pawtential.  

Melissa Robertson has come on board as our Office Manager.  She is handling the day to day answering of emails, phone calls and appointments.  She is also studying in our Train the Trainer program as an apprentice.  

We also have Jeanene Ridge joining us.  She comes from a lifetime of stock dog handling and competing as well as almost 10yrs of grooming.  She has come on board as a program trainer.

We have tons of exciting classes planned for next year, Woof Weekends, Urban Dog Programs, seminars and workshops and more...stick around - we are only just getting started!

Jordan Lake Training Trip

As often as we can when the weather is nice, I like to get our Board &Train clients dogs out to the Lake.  Many of them haven't had a chance to run around rurally and if they have proven their off leash reliability they are allowed some doggy run time with our guys.  (If they aren't ready for that then we go with a 30-50' long line so they can still swim/run.

While we certainly want everyone to enjoy themselves, dogs included, it is important that they are still listening while there so we always reinforce good behavior - especially for the new dogs.  Here Tracy has a rapt audience...to be able to break them off from swimming and playing to recall and sit politely is always good practice.  

We always go to the very back of the inlet where it curves back on itself and we can give the dogs a little more freedom to roam.  Here we can see them all a little too far out and do a quick recall...

And who was the first one back - CHARLIE!!!




After about 45 minutes of hard play, water retrieves and obedience practice - Charlie and Ayla are done.

Time to round up the crew and head back to the farm!

BREAKTHROUGH WITH CHARLIE

Board & Train Charlie is one of the sweetest, most affectionate dogs I've had stay in a while but he has some serious resource guarding issues. He has bitten people over a tissue, including his owners. 

His preferred MO is to steal an object from a table and then run under a table or bed with it.  If you pursue and try to take it - he will get downright vicious about it.

If you tried to strongarm him or get physical about it, he has no hesitation in striking out.  This is why I LOVE positive reinforcement.

We have been working very hard on giving up low value items and have managed to create a semblance of a retrieve game but it is by no means full proof yet.  

He is truly a Jeckall and Hyde in this moment - one second a wiggly, wagging, open mouth guy with soft eyes and a big grin and then a hunkered down, super tense, low growling ball of unsprung defensiveness - but as soon as the object is removed it is like he blinks out of it, looks at you, wags his tail and doesn't even know what happened?  There may be some neuro switching going on as the behavior seems a bit disconcerting to him as well.

I started by just being in the same area as him with this low value item then moved up to being able to be beside him with him remaining calm.  I just wanted to show him I wasn't going to try and take it - I am not even looking at him at this point - just coexisting peacefully.  So far so good.

When he was ready, we started with me resting my hand near him then on him.  He is okay with all of this.  I can touch his ears and face while he is chewing a bone and he is good with it.  Open mouth, no pause or tension at all, no hunkering down... His trigger is if you apply pressure to take it - then he feels he has to react.

We had great success with getting him to leave, drop and/or give eye contact away from low-medium value items - but never a high value one such as a hearty chew, antler or rawhide.  To avoid unwanted situations from arising - these things were simply kept out of reach and only given as crate rewards where he would not feel threatened.

So when I saw him heading towards me with a rawhide chew that he had taken from another dog's crate in his mouth, I was a bit concerned. 

But I kicked it into Game Gear and started cheering and applauding for him and he started wagging his tail and brought me the rawhide. I sat on the floor to encourage him to come closer and what he did next surprised me to no end. He dropped it in my hand! Not only did he drop it in my hand, but I was able to get eye contact and getting him to look away from his prize has been extremely difficult. 

He was charged and ready to play the game... he then retrieved this prize rawhide 10 times in a row always dropping it in my lap or in my hand! At the end of the 10 repetitions, I gave it to him to take back to his bed, and he grinned and walked away but kept looking back at me as if "what the game is over?" 

AMAZING JOB CHARLIE!

New fosters!

I got a call from the family we adopted Micah from a few months back. They still have 3 pups left, all males, 12 weeks old that they have asked me to take before they take them to the pound. 

Dad is a 18 month old pure bred Newfoundland... 
Mom is a 15 month old Chocolate Lab x Basset (?) or Standard Dachshund (?) - something with little short legs.

We picked the pups up last night and they are all happily playing in the yard this morning. They were all given flea baths, had their nails trimmed and ears cleaned - they all did so beautifully - not a fussy one amongst them - they even allowed the force drier with no problem. 

They do all have worms but we are taking care of that and they will be getting their health check and vaccinations on Mon/Tues. 

They have done fantastically with all the other dogs - they play really well. 

They have not been on a leash before and are at the bucking bronco stage. 

All of them are very sweet natured, real people friendly pups. What we have seen so far is this: 

BULL - Large w/ Most White - 29.8lbs - medium energy - reserved, somewhat more independent, is happy to entertain himself but enjoys attention. 

KNIGHT- Short Legs - 21.2lbs - medium energy - goofy, very people oriented, wants to follow you around but can play by himself as well. 

SHADOW - Mostly Black - 30.0lbs - medium energy - sensitive but not overly shy, listens very well, appears to pick things up quickly, would probably be overlooked as he is not as forward as the other two but he is going to be one to watch. 

They should be ready to go on Friday pending a clean health check.

PAWTENTIAL PROFILE: Charlie

Name:  Charlie
Breed:  Cockapoo
Sex:  Male
Age: 4 years

Duration: 2 week Board & Train

Reason for B&T:  Barking/Jumping


What we are working on during his stay:

OWNERS REQUESTS:
* Barking - sometimes he wakes at night and begins barking uncontrollably
* Jumping - jumps on/scratches people when greeting
* Loose Leash Walking- could use some fine tuning
* Reactive to Other Dogs - especially when on leash
* Resource Guarding - he has bitten over this

Due to his potential reactive issues - Charlie did an overnight with us to be sure he was not going to be overwhelmed by the dogs here - so far he is doing beautifully.  He is settling in and is taking it all in stride!

Coco and Cassie say Goodbye...

This has been a busy few weeks with doggy visits and training.  Cassie has been enjoying the wet weather - deciding she needed a spa day and promptly ordered up the mud bath treatment...you should have seen her feet!

And then there is our frequent flyer - Coco.  When Coco first came to stay with us - he was a bit of a curmudgeon.   He didn't want any other dog to touch him, look at him or interact with him.  We respected that and so did most of the dogs.  But over time he has really opened up and begun playing with a few of the dogs here.  We are thrilled to see his progress!  On this latest trip - he engaged beautifully with Rubix, the packs' latest addition.

Both of these guys are on their way home and Charlie will be arriving for his B&T stay tomorrow!

Pawtential Pals MEETUP

The first meetup of Pawtential Pals training group was a great success. We had 12 dogs of all different ages and breeds turn up. Everyone socialized well together, including Coco who isn't even really a fan of other dogs and then we got down to business. 

We discussed our options for working on Levels, Dog Scouts, Therapy behaviors, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Trick Dog titling, Rally and other options and most everyone is ready to just work on the basics and then go from there.

All the dogs were able to focus on their handlers and I think everyone went away with a plan for next week and a few new ways of looking at things. YAY! 

Phoenix missed out this time as I had Coco with me but she will be joining us next week!

Welcome Charlie!

Charlie has just arrived for his overnight to be sure he will be comfortable here before his family leaves him next week for a few weeks of Board & Train.

Lake Time!

If dogs that come to stay are trustworthy about being off leash or do well on the 50' long line - they get to enjoy our dogs favorite pastime - playing at Jordan Lake!

Cassie loves the water and it was warm today for the first time in a long time, so we headed out there today to give her a chance to strut her stuff and have a ball...

It's such a dog's life!

Welcome Cassie

This weekend Coco and Chiffy go home but we welcome Cassie, Ayla's daughter to stay for a week.  She is so like her mother - they even both do Down the same...

The dogs had to take a second sniff as she walked out of the dark...it was funny...

New FREE Weekly TRAINING GROUP MEETUP

We are starting a local group to meet Monday nights at 6:30 in Durham for people who wish to work on any of the following:

Sue Ailsby's Training Levels - (great graduated scale for family pets, sport dogs or therapy/assistance dogs)

Dog Scouts of America - we will be working towards earning the basic DSOA badge and then people can pursue individual badges based on what they enjoy.

Trick Dog Titling - Earn a Novice, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert level title with your dog.

Rally-O Foundations - for anyone interested in pursuing a Rally Novice title

There is no cost to this group - just come along and work with your dog whatever level you are on.

There are currently several pups ranging from 9-16 weeks, a few adolescents and several adults. All sizes are permitted but any dog that displays reactive or aggressive tendencies will be asked to work outside the enclosure or leave. 

There will be a social time before the group starts from 6:00-6:30.

All dogs must be current on vaccinations including rabies and bordetella where applicable.

To register for the group - just let me know here or by email with details of yourself, your dog and what you would like to work on.

Juni's all grown up

It's hard to believe that almost a year ago this gorgeous dog

was ever this small!!

Ellie's Back!

Ellie has been with us before as well - her family were flying for a short vacation so she got to come lounge around with the girls on the farm.  My bed barely has room for me in it anymore...LOL

Micah joins the pack!

Tracy, my cousin and roommate, just added another 4 legs to our group.  Micah is actually my dog Ayla's grandson - he is part Newfoundland, part Basset Hound x Chocolate Lab.  He is a BIG boy - weighing in at 16.6lbs at just 9 weeks.

He is a sweet wee thing but we have already noticed two major issues if left unresolved...he has some food aggression and is highly separation anxious...Tracy has her work cut out for her with this one...sorry for the quality - it was late at night...

Charley & Brooks are back!

Just stopping in for a few days while their owners deal with a sad loss in the family...Brooks who is normally happy to share his space only with the other Dachshund, Phoebe, actually decided he likes Phoenix as well now!

March Madness

This year has flown by already.  This month we have Boarding visits from three of our favorites - Ellie, Charlie & Brooks, Coco is back while his family are away on an emergency and we have newcomers Chiffy, Merv, Cassie and Shy coming before the end of the month.

I met two new clients this week, one with an overexcited Heeler mix that does not like children and Ayla helped with a nervous Hound mix who isn't good with other dogs. 

We still have one Board & Train spot open for April - for either 2 or 4 weeks - let us know if you need it by March 31st.

Showoff!

Ayla was showing off in class today!

PAWTENTIAL PROFILE: HARPER

Name:  Harper
Breed:  Doberman Pincher
Sex:  Female
Duration: 2 week Board & Train

Reason for B&T:  Mostly boarding with an emphasis on getting a better loose leash walk and working on her dog/dog skills.

Harper can get a little overzealous in her play and sometimes that turns a bit nasty.  We introduced her to everyone here gradually and after the first day I have to say she has been very good.  



After a play session in the yard we took Piper and Harper to Tractor Supply to practice around distractions.  What better distraction than peeping chicks!  

She did some beautiful Stays, Looks and some great LLW as well!

Phoenix is coming along in leaps and bounds!

So Phoenix is definitely one smart cookie.  Just this week she passed her Novice Trick Dog Title and became on of the youngest to have ever done this - at 7 weeks!  To do this she needed to demonstrate she could do 15 tricks from the Easy list in front of a witness with no more than half needing to be lured still.

She did:

Sit
Down
Come
Stand
Touch (Hand)
Chase Lure
Puppy Push Ups
Follow Finger
Ramp
Thank You (Drop It)
Fetch
Head Tilt
Jump Over Bar
Kisses
Paws Up
Table (Pedestal)
Wobble Board


But she is also showing a more independent side now as well as a bit more of the Hound type personality comes through.

She is proving to be good with all sorts of dogs and people and training with her is a joy!  Plus she LOVES to play!

Better Lives & BFFs

At any given time, we will have 7-8 permanent residents, 2-3 boarders and 1-2 foster dogs.  We do this because we can, we have the space and the time and because I have wanted to help dogs since I can remember.

I know I can't save them all...and I know I am making but a small difference in the overall scheme of things - but you know, that drop in the bucket most definitely ripples out to other things.

We help these dogs have a better life, learn new skills that keep them out of shelters and in homes and they in turn they help their owners have a better life...and sometimes they go on to help other people have a better life by doing therapy or assistance work. 

Anytime I think - why am I doing this again - I remember dogs that just need a second chance like Luka and those that are tossed aside like Paige.  Not all rescues are horror stories but all the dogs rescued need a better life...and I love being a part of that.

Paige is doing beautifully.  She and Phoenix have paired up like long lost siblings even though at Paige is at least a month older.  They are most often seen by each others sides - very cute.  

Paige is taking a note from Phe and is becoming more confident and steady every day.  We just took all the guys out to the lake - even though the water was freezing cold and Paige had a blast!

New foster pup - Paige

Tonight a family came in asking if they could leave their new pup at the store - they didn't want it anymore?!?!?

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?!?!?

So apparently they were given the dog 4 days earlier and just decided they didn't want her.  She is the sweetest, calmest little thing ever...I believe she is about 10-12 weeks old and probably a Lemon Beagle x Dachshund.  She was filthy, scared and badly in need of some worming, flea meds and a hot meal...all of which she has now gotten.

The first thing she did when we got her home was collapse with relief and go to sleep on Tracy's lap...



Night night sweet girl - we've gotcha all taken care of now!

Blizzard becomes a foster...

BLIZZARD UPDATE:  

Blizzard's family have been holding out hope that an outstanding medical issue would be resolved but unfortunately - it has not and the diagnosis was just made more severe.  They feel they have no other choice but to offer Blizzard the opportunity to grow up in another home and to this end asked me to take him into foster.

Being a big, deaf, goofy adolescent could have posed a real issue getting him a placement but a client and friend who already has a deaf Pit Bull we are working with in Therapy dog training has taken him in.

We did an initial meet and greet and the two get on like they are best friends.  They adapted their play styles to each other and it wasn't long before Zoomies ensued.

I took him down to Petco today to give him a bath and do the handover to his new foster family.  We will keep you updated with how he goes!