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Tips for Camping with a Reactive Dog

September 22, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Camping with Reactive Dog

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.

Camping with a Reactive Dog
Kyro & Yasha

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. 

Camping with a Reactive Dog

🐕 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. 

Camping with a Reactive Dog

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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Filed Under: UPK9 Main Blog

Reactive Goldendoodle

September 21, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Reactive Goldendoodle

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)

Reactive Goldendoodle in Store

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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Filed Under: Testimonials

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.

Off-Leash Dog

“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!

Off-Leash Dog

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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Filed Under: Testimonials, Uncategorized

How To Find Time To Train Your Dog

April 26, 2022 By Duke Ferguson 13 Comments

Dogs Walking

In this blog, I am going to teach you how to stop taking an all-or-nothing approach to dog training and give you lots of tips on how to find the time to train your dog!

So many people are living life with out-of-control dogs. Correction, they are not living, they are surviving. 

Maybe you got a puppy and were not properly prepared as puppies require A LOT of time and effort put into training or you can end up with major problem behaviors. (Check out our Puppy Management Class for help with training your pup!)

Maybe you got a rescue wanting to save it from further trauma and hardship and you were not prepared to deal with its reactivity, anxiety, or aggression towards people or dogs. 

Maybe you were taught to believe by the media that if you just spoil your dog with endless amounts of free love, affection, food, treats, toys, and snuggles that they will recognize all you do for them and reciprocate by never doing bad things. 

You realized you are out of your depth and contacted your local trainer and signed up for a training package. That’s an amazing first step!! You should feel good you did that! 

You knocked on the door of dog training and guess who answered. Work. Lol, yup! That’s what dog training is. Work. Anyone who seeks growth and transformation in their life needs to be prepared for work and dog training is no different. 

I have conversations with clients a lot, especially during the pandemic, that they are stressed, tired, burned out, overwhelmed with their hectic lives and all their duties and they struggle to add dog training to their list. We live in world now where you are expected to hustle 24/7, drop everything to deal with others emergencies and maintain peak performance in productivity while sacrificing your down time and self care. Moms definitely know what I mean!

No wonder clients struggle to make time to work with their dogs and end up falling behind on their training or quitting not long after they start. In my experience, some owners tend to be all or nothing about training. They feel in order to do it right you need to set aside hours of your day to spend with the dog. This leads to guilt, regret, feeling overwhelmed which will cause you to avoid and merge into comfort seeking habits while continuing the old habit of  just putting up with the dogs behaviour. 

I can be the same way sometimes! I get in my head on occasion that in order to see real change in my life, I need to have hours a day to spend focusing on it but who has that? This way of thinking can make training seem to be a very large project instead of simple small tasks to move the needle forward. You then tend to retreat into stalling until…the perfect day, the perfect time, the perfect weather when all the stars line up and you are free of stress. 

In my personal experience that never happens. Life will continually throw curve balls, people who need me will continually make demands of my time. What works well for me is to stop thinking of the “big project” and start thinking of small, measurable goals and tasks necessary to complete the big project. 

Coach Sara’s Tips: Creative Opportunities To Work On Your Dog Training Goals. 

Here are some ideas on how to find time to train your dog. I do these while I also manage:

  • A full time 50 plus hour week job teaching and coaching wonderful clients. 
  • An 80 minute a day commute to and from work.
  • Living with 1 to 2 board and trains in my care most of the year in addition to my own two dogs.
  • Being responsible for all my home/property maintenance on my own as I live alone. 

Dog Trainer

1. You don’t need to train for hours a day. Science shows that dogs learn best with several short training sessions. I train dogs 3 times a day for 2-5 minutes. I can train up to 5 times a day if I have the whole day off. With some planning and scheduling, you can find 15 mins to engage and work with your dog every day. It’s like going to the gym. You work one muscle group for short sets. Then you stop and let them rest and work in a different group. There’s leg day then back and shoulders day etc. Short sets move you along your goal to the higher level of strength and fitness you desire for your whole body. 

2. I’m a weekend warrior. On the weekends I take dogs on adventures all around PEI to play/train and be socialized in new environments or environments we don’t go to often. Point Prim, Fort Amherst, Green Park, Confederation Bridge Park are a few places we roadtrip to. During the workweek, I do training, walking, hiking and games at home, and close to home designed to use their body and brain to burn off energy quickly and satisfy them – yet suit my busy schedule. Think about where you could go within a 5-10 minute drive from home to hang out with you dog. 

Dog

3. Incorporate obedience into your fetch and tug games. Before you say fetch or cue them to attack the tug, ask them to do commands- sit! down! Fetch! Heel, Place! Fetch! Mix it up and never let them guess what you’re going to ask them to do next. This encourages deeper thinking and will tire them out faster if you have dogs that never seem to get tired mindlessly chasing the ball over and over. You will cut down your time needed greatly and this is stuff you can do right at home.

Here’s a video to help you 👇

https://youtu.be/4QK2hxGIUI0

4. Treadmill training. Train your dog to walk/trot on a treadmill and you will eventually be able to let them have fun burning off energy while you are doing something else. Don’t leave them alone on the treadmill though! Be in the room. I trained my dogs to use the treadmill this winter and they legit love it. Some breeds are not suited for long outings in the heat of summer or cold of winter so treadmills are great for them. Also perfect for clients with mobility issues. 

5. I know you feel guilty that your dog is home all day while you work but you have full control over what you choose to do with them before and after work. Set your alarm to get up minimum 10 mins earlier and now you’ve freed up time for a train/play session before you leave. Session #2 when you come home, session #3 before bed. 

6. If you are lucky enough to live with a partner or family then you have help with the dog training duties. (I have your back Mom’s! Make the spouse and kids help! This is not all on you!) Have a family meeting. Discuss why you decided to get the dog and why it’s important that you all work together to take care of them. Plan and delegate the daily tasks for the dog’s care. If you have small kids, you can work the leash/tools and give commands and the child can say “Break” and feed the dog. Put someone in charge of potty breaks, someone in charge of exercise, someone in charge of training. Then rotate the duties so the dog will learn to listen to everyone equally. Have a points system for all the duties and the family members can earn points towards prizes. 

Train Dogs

7. Potty break time can be training time. You have to take them out a few times a day or more to do their business. You are already geared up to be outside with them. Train them for 2-5 mins after they potty then go back inside. Or stay out and play. 

8. You can carve out more time than you think to keep the momentum going. Boiling water for pasta? Train the dog while you wait. Saucing up ribs on the BBQ? Train a dog, and brush the ribs. Scrolling around social media? Set alarms and allow yourself a set amount of time to scroll then go do something with your dog. (My screen time alarm says “Get off your ass and go do something!” Works!) Taking the garbage can out to the curb? Work on your dog’s heeling as you roll it out.

Here’s a video to help inspire you 👇

https://youtu.be/Ur4K9hQRoSM

9. Take your dog with you when you go get gas. Choose a station that has the thingy that allows you to pump hands free. (Esso and Petro Canada in Charlottetown) You just created 2-3 mins you can get your dog out of the car on a leash and practice some sits, downs, place on the gas pump platform, and jump in and out of the car on command.

Dog Training

10.  I often slip to my local country general store for a few things. You can buy systems to monitor your car’s temperature when you’re not in it and a live stream to your phone for further monitoring. If you dont’ trust your dog loose in your car purchase a car kennel. I train dogs in the parking lot, go get my few things, train for another 2-5 mins if time and go home. Bam! 1-2 sessions done! 

11. My parents have me over for dinner sometimes. Bring the dogs and train/play out in their yard then they can hang in the garage while we visit. (No dogs allowed in their house as it’s a B&B) Can’t be trusted loose on their own? Put your car kennel in the garage. 

12.  Have errands to do at pet-friendly stores such as Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Kent, and Princess Auto? Bring your dog!

Find Time to Train Your Dog

13. Need dog food at your local pet store? Bring your dog and train them in the store before making your purchase. Dog reactive and don’t want to take them in? Just train in the parking lot then. 

All this continuous short-term exposure to different environments/situations will go a long long way towards helping you reach your goals.  Best of all, now that your dog is spending more quality time with you, your bond with them will deepen and their drive and willingness to pay attention will improve!

Want a Coach that will help you further in your dogs’ training and help you find time to train your dog? Book a Free Consult with me (Coach Sara) to get started! Click here to book now.

 

Dog Training

Find Time to Train Your Dog

Dogs

Follow along my dog training journey on Instagram where I also give you lots of ideas on how to find time to train your dog! Follow – @unleashedpotentialpei

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Looking for help with your dog’s training?

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Filed Under: Sara Bryanton, Uncategorized

Training Two German Shepherds

March 22, 2022 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Training two German Shepherds is a lot of work to take on but our client, Myles, was up for the challenge!

We are so proud of how far he and his two dogs have come! They worked so hard to get to where they are now and we love watching as they continue to make progress.

Two German Shepherds

*Duke (left), Roxy (right)*

“When I first got my German Shepherd, Roxy, a co-worker of mine mentioned Unleashed Potential. I was excited until I saw the pricing. It honestly scared me. My co-worker then explained the training to me and told me I wouldn’t regret it. She is a good friend so I took her word for it. She was right!

The training was great, as well as the staff. I enjoyed the training and staff so much that when I got my second Shepherd, Duke, I enrolled him in the puppy class for the basics and socialization which was major! Then, like my first dog, we went on to the Ultimate Obedience (off-leash training) with my new pup.

German Shepherd Puppy

*Pictured – Puppy Duke meets Trainer Duke*

Unleashed Potential treats you like family. To this day I am very close in contact with Sara and Duke. At one point, my training had come to a standstill between no motivation with the dogs and me working so much. UPK9 helped me revamp the spark with the dogs! We switched their food to a better brand for them (Hurraw) and the drive instantly went up and has stayed up ever since.

Long story short is I think UPK9 can help with any problem or training you need! It may be quick or it may take more time but be patient, trust the process, and make the training fun for you and the dog.”

-Owner Myles

Training Two German Shepherds

Training two German Shepherds is possible! Congrats Myles on your success!

You can follow along with their journey – @myles_outdoors

 

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Looking for help with your dog’s training?

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Filed Under: Testimonials

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