Duke Ferguson

Training A German Shorthaired Pointer

August 28, 2013 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Ina, my 3-year-old GSP (German shorthaired pointer), is an energy packed dog who will run around outside all day long and not crash until the sun is down. Since having her as an 8-week-old puppy, she has always been somewhat obedient, but I always knew she wasn’t reaching her full potential. Ina is easily distracted from everything to grasshoppers, butterflies, and especially birds. I always struggled with Ina focusing on me, no matter what environment she was in. I consider myself an active person and I have always enjoyed having her off-leash to play fetch or to go on long hikes at Kejimkujik National Park. However, Ina was very hard to control on a leash and I started to avoid taking her to new environments where I knew she would be easily excited and distracted. Trips to a new park or even to the vet were things I started to dread. No matter what I tried and how long our walks were, I could never get her to stop pulling on her leash. I knew that the obedience issues I was facing with her were taking away from both her life and mine.

I had always been on the search for knowledgeable and qualified dog trainers along the South Shore, but I never found anyone that came with raving reviews. By chance I stumbled upon Unleashed Potential . I loved everything! I read about their dog obedience services and opted to give it a try. Since I started working with Unleashed Potential I have seen a huge transformation in Ina. I am now able to enjoy my dog much more than I ever have before. The training was beyond my expectations. Heeling was something that I never thought I could possibly get Ina to do. However, I can now take Ina for a walk and even a run with her heeling, no matter what insects or animals are around, or who we come across. Ina is focused on me and will recall even with distractions. The dread of not being able to control Ina when she is excited in a new environment is now a thing of the past. Ina and I now enjoy trips to the lake and long walks together on and off leash. Ina is living her life to the fullest now that her potential has been unleashed!

Thank you Unleashed Potential!

Kaila and Ina

Do you have problems training your dog or dogs? Do you want help? No matter the size, sex, age or breed We Can Help!

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Testimonial “Elvis” the German Shepherd a Continued Success Story of A Past Board and Train

July 18, 2013 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Testimonial “Elvis” the German Shepherd

A continued success story of a past Board and Train.

It has almost been a year since my German Shepherd Elvis, a super submissive, non socialized rescue spent time with Duke Ferguson of UPK9: PEI

Elvis can now walk off leash, heel, is not afraid of the water or gravel, he is a joy to take anywhere.
Elvis continues to learn new things each day and is becoming a confident and relaxed pet.
Thanks for your early work and guidance.

NL Jones ( Elvis enjoying a day off lead at the beach).

If you need help with your dog email us Now at info@upk9.ca

Do you have problems training your dog or dogs? Do you want help? No matter the size, sex, age or breed We Can Help!

To find a UPK9 Trainer near you or to Book your FREE Demonstration and Consult Click Here

For more information on how you can purchase Dog Training Genesis and become a member CLICK HERE or on the photo of Duke and his dogs.

Learn More About Dog Training Genesis CLICK HERE !

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Border Collie given a new lease on life!

July 10, 2013 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Memphis is a fun loving, full of life Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. You would never know, looking at him now, that he has had a pretty complicated past. By the time Memphis was 6 months old, he was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. Memphis underwent two major surgeries just weeks apart followed by four months of strict recovery. By the time he was fully healed, he was just over a year old. He missed the critical stage in his life for developing social skills with other dogs. When we were finally able to walk him down our street, we noticed quite quickly that Memphis was very nervous of other dogs, becoming excessively vocal, and a true nightmare to the neighbourhood. We were extremely embarrassed passing other people and dogs as our sweet little boy would turn into a growling, barking dog. We had tried many things to get Memphis back on track with socialization, but it proved to be beyond our control. That’s when we made the phone call to Unleashed Potential in Halifax. After a few lessons , we were making progress. We could see a huge difference in the way Memphis acted. The methods have become a daily ritual in our house. With guidance, and a lot of homework on our part, Memphis was ready to participate in semi-private lessons. Before we knew it, he had graduated to group class! Now he’s able to play on and off leash with other dogs! We couldn’t have made it to where we are now without Unleashed Potential. It is an amazing feeling to have such control over your dog, and not worry about how he will react. Memphis has learned to focus on us and our commands instead of other distractions. We look forward to attending group class every Saturday. Memphis loves it so much. Thank you Unleashed Potential, for everything you have done. You have given us our fun loving sweetheart back, and now he can continue living the happy and healthy life he deserves!

Ryan, Ashley & Memphis

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Do you have problems training your dog or dogs? Do you want help? No matter the size, sex, age or breed We Can Help!

To find a UPK9 Trainer near you or to Book your FREE Demonstration and Consult Click Here

For more information on how you can purchase Dog Training Genesis and become a member CLICK HERE or on the photo of Duke and his dogs.

Fotor111122448 — Learn More About Dog Training Genesis CLICK HERE !

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We train small dogs too!

June 20, 2013 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

BB and Dax with a recent board and train, Bella.

Is your small dog pulling on the leash constantly while you’re on a walk? Does it suffer from separation anxiety? Is your dog still using the bathroom indoors? Let us help! Unleashed Potential has lots of experience with dogs of all sizes, breeds and behaviours. We will figure out exactly what it is your looking for, whether it be crate training, barking, biting and nipping, leash aggression or any other type of unacceptable behaviour, and give you a full understanding of why your dog is acting this way, and how to correct the behaviour properly. Call and book your free demonstration today!

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If you know someone who needs help with their dog then show the love and share this with a friend!!

Do you have problems training your dog or dogs? Do you want help? No matter the size, sex, age or breed We Can Help!

To find a UPK9 Trainer near you or to Book your FREE Demonstration and Consult Click Here

For more information on how you can purchase Dog Training Genesis and become a member CLICK HERE or on the photo of Duke and his dogs.

Learn More About Dog Training Genesis CLICK HERE !

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A Tired Dog is a Good Dog!

June 19, 2013 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

A lot of people come to us with questions about tiring out their dogs.
First off, we will put in place two distinctions: if your dog is worked up in a comfortable/familiar environment this signals pent up energy that needs to be exerted — If your dog is worked up in an unfamiliar environment this is normal, more exposure and training might be needed!

Regardless of the surroundings, mental stimulation is key to tiring out a dog; making them work for the things they like as rewards would always aid in such stimulation. I have something the dog WANTS, he must work to get it!

Think of it this way: someone who goes to work and does mental work with numbers all day or a student who studies all day would come home completely wiped from using their brain all day – even though they didn’t move much or perform physical tasks – mental exhaustion is just as tough if not tougher than physical. Compare this person to a marathon runner who can get in a mental zone and keep pushing their body. They would come home feeling pretty good about the run and not totally drained. Give this person math questions to do while running and the run is MUCH more tiresome! This is what happens when playing fetch, just running after the ball will tire a dog out briefly, but they always want another!!Instead, we balance the play – a little mental work and a lot of fun can go a long way! Once obedience is instilled we can call up on it for play time and tire a dog that could normally fetch a ball all day in twenty minutes. This is why mental stimulation and forcing the dog to use their brain and think is important and our GO TO technique for a dog with pent up energy. Check out this facebook video of Roxie and Becky Herman (South Shore NS, Trainer) for a perfect example on mental stimulation and reward fetching!

When time is lacking for mental stimulation we can call up on other techniques to tire the dog (just to name a few) :

– teach your dog to play tug! A firm out command is a must as well as certain rules to the game!
– resistance training with a harness and weights, old tire: check out this video: Facebook Resistance Training Video or this one Facebook Resistance Video
– heeling dog while you jog, run, bike or walk
– teach the dog to “find” their toys
– teach your dog to “hunt” for their food
– swimming for their toys
– resistance training in water

There are so many options out there for owners and their dogs to experience life together, have some fun and get out with your dog!
If you or anyone you know has a dog that is need of some excess energy burnoff, training or additional techniques please don’t hesitate to contact one of our certified trainers!

Do you have problems training your dog or dogs? Do you want help? No matter the size, sex, age or breed We Can Help!

To find a UPK9 Trainer near you or to Book your FREE Demonstration and Consult Click Here

For more information on how you can purchase Dog Training Genesis and become a member CLICK HERE or on the photo of Duke and his dogs.

Learn More About Dog Training Genesis CLICK HERE !

Follow us on FACEBOOK and subscribe to us on YouTube

Duke Ferguson

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