Wasatch Canine Camp Newsletter

Today is Minka’s 23rd day here for my boot camp program, and she is just about ready to go home.  She is doing awesome here!  This week I am just touching up everything with her training to make sure she is prepared to go home and work with her owner.  The first video below is of her off leash on an entire walk around my neighborhood with Bullet (a dog I’m fostering) as a distraction.  Today was definitely hard for her on the walk, because Bullet just does his own thing (which I let him do as a distraction), and she just wanted to go off and play with him.  In the past I have used Sasha, which is very good role model for other dogs in training, and so Minka always did really well with her.  I knew I wanted to use a dog that would be harder for her to ignore to help teach her how to ignore dogs like him in the future.  The end of the walk was definitely where she did the best (at the end of the video I release her and let her run to my car on her own).

The second video of Minka is of me working with her and the blow dryer.  She is very nervous about the blow dryer and the vacuum, so I have been teaching her that there is nothing to be afraid of with either of them.  What I am trying to teach her in the video is that the blow dryer is a source of affection and treats.  If you notice, I will pet her with the blow dryer, and then when she is a little more relaxed, I will put the treat next to the blow dryer so that she is basically getting the treat from the blow dryer, creating a positive experience with it.

Here’s the off leash video of Minka, as promised.  She is let off leash the last half of the video.

Today is Minka’s 18th day here with me.  I have her here for dog behavior training and dog obedience training using the electric dog training collar.  I think she is doing really well here!  Her first week here she was a pretty hyper, excitable girl.  She was always looking for something to do, and was always wanting to do her own thing.  She is now to the point that she is more than content to just calmly hang out with the other dogs, or in the house with me while I am watching tv or cleaning.  I would say, 90% of the time she is very mellow and calm, and the other 10% is when I am playing fetch with her, or when she is playing with my dogs.  She is now getting all the mental and physical structure she needs everyday which helps her to be calm and content to lay down in the house and relax.  Of course, I know her owner would love to be able to provide the right mental and physical structure for her, but because of how unmanageable she was before, it was too hard for them to get her out and walk her.  Now that she is a lot easier to work with and be around, I know her owner will be very excited to take her out and walk her and work with her everyday.

I would say the main thing she is struggling on right now is walking beside me with either a leash on, or when she doesn’t have a leash on.  For her entire life, anytime she was outside, all she did was pull as hard as she could in the direction she wanted to go.  She now has to learn a lot of self control to be able to walk calmly by my side.  She is getting better everyday, but she definitely still requires a lot of correction and consistency in order to keep her on the right track on the walk.  Today she probably did the best she ever has out on our walk.  She definitely started off struggling (which is the part you will see in the video below) but near the end of the walk, she starts to get in the right state of mind, and I am able to take the leash off with her walking right by my side (which I wish I could have filmed, but the camera ran out of battery faster than I thought it would).  Enjoy the video below, and hopefully this afternoon I intend on getting a better video of her walking off leash with Sasha around.

Today was Minka’s 12th day in my Boot Camp program, and was also her second time in my Pack to Basics ™ class.  She did really well today in class.  She was very excited as people were coming in with their dogs, and was doing a lot of leash lunging, because of how excited she was.  But, as I corrected her each time she lunged towards another dog, she slowly started to calm down and relax.  By the time we started class she was in a much more relaxed state of mind.

I think she really enjoyed today’s class.  It was a really big class today, about 20 dogs were in the class.  So, she definitely had plenty of dogs she could play with.  When she first came to me for boot camp, she was social, but very rude when she played with other dogs.  She would try to do a lot of over the top behavior (basically trying to stand over the other dog as much as possible), and was a very rough player.  None of those behaviors are necessarily aggressive, but because they are so rude, they could lead to a fight.  She has learned since then how to play and interact with other dogs properly.  She is a lot more respectful, and plays a lot softer.  Every now and then she will get a little rough, but she is very easy to correct out of that state of mind, and clams down a lot easier.  Below is a video of today’s class.

Today is Minka’s 9th day in my Boot Camp program.  She is doing pretty well!  She had a few days where she was really struggling.  She just didn’t want to focus, was testing her boundaries a lot, and just didn’t want to work at all.  The video below is of one of her rough days.  I start her out on a Halti (a head collar) and a leash to help keep her focus a little better, because without it she was just a whole lot worse.  She does pretty well on the Halti, but then the second I take it off, she goes back to trying to test me and ignore me.  I eventually get her back on track, and she does really well after that.  I wish I had recorded the time I worked with her after I took this video, because she was awesome! She stayed right by my side really well, was focused almost the entire time, and even ignored a random German Shepherd that was being walked past us by their owner.  I was very happy with her!  Ever since then she has been doing really great.

Right now I am currently still working on getting her to walk a lot more consistently by my side off leash, I am working on the “place” command around distractions, and also teaching her “down.”  I think the thing she is struggling with the most right now is socializing properly.  She does pretty well around my dogs, but in Pack to Basics ™ she is very pushy and hyper.  I know she will do a lot better with that over the next few weeks, though.  I will continue to keep you updated on her dog behavior training and dog obedience training using the electric dog training collar.

A few days ago I got a one and a half year old American Bulldog for Boot Camp.  She is here for dog behavior training and dog obedience training using the electric dog training collar.  She’s a very sweet and friendly girl, but definitely has no manners and has no idea how to control her energy level.  She is a very active and easily excited dog, but is doing awesome with the training.  By day three on the electronic dog training collar, she was already able to work off leash.  She is already moving faster with the training than most dogs I’ve worked with.  I have really high hopes for Minka, and think I will be able to get loads of training done with her while I have her here.

Right now I am working on teaching her to focus on whoever is handling her.  With her owners, all she does when she is on leash is pull.  So, I am trying to build a foundation with her focus level so that she can start figuring out how much more fun it is to focus on her handler than focusing on something else.  She is doing so awesome with this part of the training, and is already able to do just about everything off leash.  This week I will be starting her on distractions.  It’s one thing to ask a dog to do something without a distraction there, but to have them do it when there is a distraction is the hard part.  I will slowly start working her around minimal distractions, and slowly build up the intensity level of the distractions until she gets to the point that she realizes that no matter what is going on, she still has to stay by my side and listen to every command I give her.  It will be a lot of work for her, but I know she has it in her to do it!

Everyone please note that the small breed and puppies Pack to Basics ™ class will be moved to 4:00pm starting January 23rd.  Mark this on your calendars so you don’t forget.  Sorry for any inconvenience.  Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

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For the past few weeks I have been training some dogs for an upcoming movie called “The Kane Files.”  My dog, Jake, and another German Shepherd named Harley are the dogs I have been training for the movie.  Heather Beck (the lady that certified me) has also been training her German Shepherd, Kia, for the movie.  It’s been such a blast working with the dogs and the actors.  All of the dogs are police dogs for the movie, tracking a guy on the run from the police.  Jake has the most scenes in the movie, and has a few close ups as well.  Below are some pictures of the set, and the dogs working during some of the scenes.  Enjoy!

This is Beto, a one year old Boxer, and this video is of him during our socialization class on Halloween.  There are five other dogs in class with him: two Lab mixes, two Dobermans, and a Pit Bull.  He definitely had a blast in class yesterday.  Enjoy the video!

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Yesterday was Sugar’s 18th day here, and she is doing very well.  Right now I am mainly working on her being able to focus on her handler when there are high distractions around.  She is struggling a little bit when there are distractions around, but each day she is getting better.  The main thing she is struggling on right now is the first 5 minutes around the distraction, whatever it is.  After she gets past those first few minutes her focus is amazing.  The video below is short, but its to show her focus around distractions once I have her focus.

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Today we had our doggy Halloween party.  For those of you who couldn’t make it, we sure missed you, but we still had fun!  All the dogs came in their costumes and we played a dog mummy game, hid treats in the yard for them to find, ate food and just hung out.  It was definitely a fun party.  Enjoy the pictures below!

Today was Sugar’s 12th day here on my Boot Camp program.  She is doing so well!  If you watch the video below you will see just how awesome she does off leash with just basic commands, and she stays right by my side.  As the end of the video I am teaching her the “place” command for the first time, and she really struggles with it.  I will continue to teach it to her so that she can perfect it.  After she perfects the “place” command I am going to start working with her around distractions, which I think will be the hardest for her to avoid.

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We are proud to announce that our female German Shepherd, Sasha, gave birth to seven beautiful puppies this morning.  They are doing great, and she is a very loving momma.  To see pictures of the puppies and to learn more about them, click here!

This is Sugar, she is a 2-year-old Golden Retriever who is here for board and train.  She is very hyper active and needs help learning focus and learning how to slow down.  Right now I am starting her on obedience and teaching her to understand the electric dog training collar.  Below is a video of her second day on the collar.  She is doing awesome!  Keep checking back to see her progress while she is here.

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You’re invited to this years doggy Halloween party! Instead of having socialization class on Saturday 31st we will be partying! You are encouraged to dress up your pooch for the party. We will be having games, food, contests and more! Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome.

If you have any questions about the party, please contact us at 801-735-1978 or email bbarnes@wasatchcaninecamp.com. Please RSVP to this event so we know who to expect!

Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Location: Where we have Pack to Basics
Street: 9808 N 4600 W
City: Pleasant Grove, UT

- Never adopt a puppy before they are 8 weeks old, or they will miss out on crucial development that only their mother and litter mates can teach them.

- Puppies need at least 18 hours of sleep a day until they are 8-10 months old, if they are being extra grouchy or hyper, then they need a nice long nap.

- Never expect more from your puppy than you would from a baby.

- Puppies start teething at about 4 months old, be sure to give them plenty to chew on, or they’ll find their own stuff to chew on!

- If your puppy is doing a behavior you wouldn’t want them to do when they’re older, then don’t encourage it!  I know jumping up is cute when they’re a puppy, but do you want a dog that constantly jumps on you when they get older?

- Puppies almost always poop after waking up and after eating.

- Puppies get tired after about 10-15 minutes of stimulation, and then they need a nap.

- Crating your puppy is the best way to teach them to hold their bladder, and to “go” outside.

- Never be harsh with your puppy.  Puppies need constant encouragement and positive reinforcement.

- If you are having trouble with your puppy now, chances are you will have trouble with them as an adult.  Do your research and find which puppy training class will fit you and your dog the best.

Please mark on your calendars that there will be no Pack to Basics ™ on September 12th.  We will resume class the following week on the 19th.  If you have questions, please let me know: bbarnes@wasatchcaninecamp.com or call me at 801-735-1978.  Thanks!

Today was day 15 for Della, the two-year-old Pit Bull that I have here for board and train.  She is doing awesome!  Right now I am working on her obedience training, teaching her sit, down, stand, and stay, all done off leash.  She is doing awesome with just about all of those, except stand.  She struggles with that a bit, but each day she is getting better.  Next I will be teaching her the place command, and also working with her to perfect all of the commands while other dogs are around.  In the video below you will see me going through each command, you will see her struggle at some points, and do perfect in others.