Duke Ferguson

Reactive German Shepherd Training

February 7, 2023 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Lewis came to us as a typical reactive German Shepherd. His owners were in need of help and decided to enroll him in our Board and Train Program. This is where a dog comes to live with a trainer for a month minimum to get fully trained both on and off-leash!

Lewis has now finished our Board and Train Program and is living his best life! 🤩🙌

His owners have been loving having him back home. Here is what they had to say 🥰:

“This is Lewis my four-year-old German Shepard. I absolutely love this guy!

Lewis is your typical GS a loyal, loving dog to me, my husband, and my kids, I was shocked and dismayed how reactive he became and how he scared people with his fierce barking and lunging especially toward cars and strangers. I thought to myself, will he bite someone?! I had no idea how to change this behavior.

A friend told me about Unleashed Potential in PEI and there I met Sara Bryanton. In a few months under her amazing care and training, Lewis returned a changed dog. Now when someone new approaches us, Lewis will stay in a sit command and calmly wait while I chat.

How can this be the same dog?! I’m still shocked that he listens to me lol. I have been bringing him to work daily and continue to socialize him. He’s such a happy guy because he gets to go everywhere with me.

My heart is about to burst I am so proud of him and of the incredible work Sara did with him!

Thank you so very much. Our lives have changed for the better!”

– Owner Patricia

Thank you for the kind words! We sure will miss having this big loving fella around!

➡️ Looking to unleash your dog’s potential? Book your free consult to discuss all your training options with us: Click here _______________________________________________________________

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Tips for Camping with a Reactive Dog

September 22, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

TIPS FOR CAMPING WITH A REACTIVE DOG

I’m an avid camper and if I am booked for board and trains and want to go camping, I will usually take them with me. Sometimes the dogs I have in for training are reactive as is the case with my current board and train – Yasha, the 1.5-year-old sable GSD. We are camping right now at Green Park in Tyne Valley, PEI.

Having her along on this trip inspired me to share some tips with you on how to camp with a reactive dog:

🐕When choosing a campground, if possible, drive and scout out the best site for you and your dog prior to booking. Camp in the off-season when campgrounds are quieter. I’m the only tenter here right now and am enjoying lots of space and a decent amount of privacy. If you have a trailer choose a spot off by yourself as best you can.

🐕 Muzzle train the dog. If you are in training, still working on your dog’s issues, and don’t have full control yet, then for everyone’s safety have a properly fitted muzzle on the dog when you are out and about with them. A good muzzle allows the dog to eat, drink, and pant.

🐕Kennel train. Yasha is coming along well but I do not trust her yet to be tethered on my campsite unattended while I’m puttering around and not freak out at anything that passes by. Also, I’m friends with the staff and they sometimes pop by unannounced to chat. This sets me up for setbacks if Yasha loses control and lashes out and I’m not ready. Whenever I can not 100% watch her, I put her in her kennel. Times when I’m working online, cooking, cleaning up the site, collecting firewood, etc.

🐕 Walk the campground solo and see what kind of dogs are here. Make note of any that are sometimes not tethered or are in groups of 2 or more. Also, how secure are their tie-outs. Note if any are reactive themselves and whether owners try and do anything about it when they react. Avoid areas where you think there will be potential problems.

🐕 Train a bombproof recall. Before having your reactive dog in any lesser controlled environments, you want to make sure that they have a 100% reliable recall. IF I had Yasha tethered on my site and IF someone I didn’t initially see walked by and she reacts, I want to immediately call her to COME so I can diffuse the situation.

🐕Post a beware of dog sign at your site. People will appreciate having a heads-up.

🐕 Prevent what you can not control and control what you teach. For safety have all the proper management protocols in place at times when you are in uncontrolled situations. Always be in a position to reward or correct behavior the moment things happen so you can succeed at teaching the dog more desired behaviors. Don’t set them up to fail by getting slack on your protocols and assuming no one will come by, so it’s okay to have them off their tether this time. Assume nothing, plan for everything.

If you don’t feel your dog can handle the potentially high distractions of campground life, or you lack confidence in your abilities to manage and keep things under control – then arrange to have them boarded. This does not mean you are a failure. There are a lot of people who don’t camp with their dogs. And if you are living life with a reactive or aggressive dog it is ok to take some respite, board them somewhere and go camping, and have a break. Especially if you camp in high season where the campgrounds are teeming with kids and dogs. Some cases of reactivity take a while to fully get under control.

In the meantime prevention of out of control situations is paramount. If you are not at a point in training where you feel you can manage your dog then it’s ok to say you know what? We’re not ready for this yet and that’s ok. Let’s find you a place to stay and have fun and we’ll keep working on things so we can all camp together someday. Sometimes the best way to love your dog is to avoid having them in situations they find too stressful. But this does not mean you have to avoid those places as well.

– Coach Sara Bryanton

Are you an avid camper who dreams of taking your currently reactive dog camping? We can help!

Book a FREE consult with us today to get started on your dog training journey!

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Reactive Goldendoodle

September 21, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Meet Mickey the 5-year-old reactive Goldendoodle!

Mickey’s family was at a loss on what to do regarding his reactiveness to people. After booking a consult with us to discuss their frustrations and overall goals with Mickey, they decided to enroll in our Board and Train program!

After several weeks of living and training with Coach Duke, Mickey has now completed boarding and is living his best fearless life with his family who are now having so much more fun with him!

Here is what his owner had to say:

“We were really at a loss before Mickey went to PEI to stay with Duke. We didn’t know what we were going to do.

Mickey was showing signs of aggression towards some people and even growling at my daughters. We could not take him anywhere off leash as he had no recall at all. We were limited on being able to go away because we had no one that could watch him. We couldn’t trust him.

We did try another trainer before UPK9 but had little success. Mickey had also had obedience classes from the time he was a puppy. He had the basic, sit, stay, down, but that was it.

Mickey spent 6 weeks with Duke on Prince Edward Island. We were so excited when he came home and certain people he didn’t like, prior to training, could now feed him from their hands. We knew we were on the road to success! (*Check out this quick video on one of Mickey’s amazing socialization outings: click here to watch)

We love how much Mickey loved Duke and how well he responded to him. We love that all the things he learned while he was there we can continue to build on at home. His recall is amazing and we love seeing how Mickey responds to us now at home!

If we had not enrolled in the Board & Train program, we would still be frustrated and really at a loss on what to do with Mickey.

If you too are interested in the dog training at Unleashed Potential – especially the Boarding program – we would tell you it was the best thing we ever did. The support we have received is amazing and we would encourage you to come to see Mickey and see how far he has come. We have friends that can’t believe the difference in him!”

– Owner Ruth Ann

Lawrencetown, NS

Thank you for the kind words and awesome job keeping up with Mickey’s training! He was a fun dog to have around and we miss him lots – reactive Goldendoodle no more!

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Hogweed Poisoning Dogs

July 13, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

There is a dangerous plant lurking in PEI woods called Hogweed. If you or your dog come into contact with this plant’s sap – it can lead to Hogweed Poisoning.

My dog, Kyro, went into the woods to potty and briefly explore for 5 mins before coming home, as he’s done for years and came out with two abrasions on his face. I thought he must had just hit a branch.

Within 24-hours, blisters and open wounds started appearing. I called my Vet right away and booked an appointment. By the day of the vet appointment, Kyro had blisters/burns on his nose, eyes, ears, skull, armpits and legs.

He is now being treated for Hogweed Poisoning and is on Prednisone, a steroid-topical ointment, and antibiotics.

The issue the Hogweed sap causes is called Phytophotodermititis – which is severe photosensitivity to sunlight. Once a dog has had a case of Phytophotodermititus, that area will be sensitive to sunlight for several years and he will likely have permanent scarring. So there will now be limits on when Kyro can be outside.

I will have to work to provide him shade and keep him indoors if possible during the sun’s strongest times of the day. I am going to research pet sunblock products and other remedies that might allow us some more time outdoors after the Hogweed Poisoning treatment. We will adapt though and make it work and still live our best lives possible!

Kyro is handling the whole thing like a champ! Nothing slows a Malinois/GSD down! His spirits and energy have not changed one bit!

Shoutout to the team at Southport Animal Hospital for the exemplary service, care, and attention!

If you suspect your dog to has been in contact with Hogweed – call your Vet immediately!

– Kyro’s Mom & Dog Trainer Sara Bryanton

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Off-Leash Dog Training 10 Years Later

May 3, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Cassie is loving the off-leash dog life! Nearly 10 years ago, Cassie and her family enrolled in our Ultimate Obedience program to learn off-leash obedience.

Today, Cassie and her family are still enjoying the benefits of their training! The work they put in truly shows and we are so proud and happy to see where they are 10 years later!

Read their story below.

“Cassie was the “wild child” dog. Very friendly but had no attention span, loved to run and returned when she wanted and was terrible on a leash.

Cassie was just over 2 when I brought her to Unleashed Potential Dog Training. All I can say is WOW! Even after the first session, she was a different dog. Still her lovely happy self but focused. It was like a light was switched on!

She was a sweet dog but after training, she is a joy to have with me. She can go anywhere, with no fear of her bolting. It is so important as now she is 11 and losing her hearing and the remote allows us to tap and she knows it means to come back.

She still has the joy of our hikes and I know she will respond right away! I am so happy I decided to take Cassie to Unleashed Potential.”

– Owner Beverly

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Would you like your dog to be an off-leash dog? Or looking to explore our other services?

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