The UPK9 Blog

Chocolate Lab UNLEASHED

February 14, 2011 By Duke Ferguson 4 Comments

Rolo is 5 years old and all things chocolate labs are supposed to be; hyper, fun, goofy, lovable, etc. But, he was also stubborn and unruly. We had tried puppy obedience classes when he was small, he pulled so badly we couldn’t get him into the classroom and inside, he was too distracted to learn anything. The classes didn’t seem to help at all and to be honest, I’m not sure we “passed” them. We had a private trainer in two different times over the years, we learned basic obedience, but Rolo was dominant and stubborn, it took him weeks to give in to the down command. I tried books, videos and searched the internet for help. We had different collars, leashes, halties and harnesses. Over the years, we’ve adapted our lives around Rolo’s issues. Moving across the street away from other people and dogs while walking, not taking him to places like the lake or the park, keeping him fenced in the yard because he’d run as soon as he’d realize he wasn’t leashed, and putting him outside or in another room when company came because he’d jump all over them. It was embarrassing to have people in, it was embarrassing to take him out. The last straw came when we had to take him to the vet and his behavior landed us in a private room away from everyone else. I was feeling desperate to have some control over my life and this dog, and found Unleashed Potential during one of my internet searches. The upk9 trainer came to the house and gave a demonstration, explained his methods and left all the information I needed. At first, I was very skeptical, I had tried a lot of things so far and wasn’t convinced this was going to work.

But, I decided to go ahead, and the results have been amazing.

Rolo now plays in the front yard while I shovel snow without a fence! He’s been skating with us for the first time and never once wandered off, not even when two large dogs showed up. He has been learning to greet people without scaring them, and has advanced enough to take him off leash in Point Pleasant Park. We still have a lot to learn, but I’m confident we can master it. We even made it to the vet without being removed from the waiting room!!

I am impressed on how quickly the results were seen with proper direction and support. I’m really looking forward to summer, cottages, lakes and beaches, Rolo is loving his new freedom!!

Holly Flemming
Halifax, NS

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Snow is fun!

January 13, 2011 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Yesterday (Jan 12 2011) we had a snow storm in Halifax N.S.

Snow storms only mean one thing for us dog folk in Halifax, get out and have fun with the dogs…. and so we did!

This is My dog “BB”, performing a Spred’em on a snowy day.

And again BB with his new toy he just adores.

I encourage all dog owners to get out and enjoy your dogs in the snow.

If you see us stop and say Hi! Let me know you read this blog post and I will give you a FREE tip on having fun in winter with your dog.

Ted Efthymiadis, Unleashed Potential Dog training Halifax

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Play Safe!

Dog Funny Voicemail of a Dog Trainer

December 18, 2010 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Dog Funny Trainer Voice Mail ( Funny )

Hello: This is the Magic Wand Dog Training Center, we are unable to
come to the phone but please press or enter the number for your
request, we will return your call as soon as possible.

Press 01 to tell me your dog has been asked to leave the local
obedience club because he won’t sit, wait, down or come when called
(even when on lead) so you thought you would try agility.

Press 02 if your Labrador is morbidly obese and you thought you would
try agility.

Press 03 if you want 30 minutes of advice and have no intention of
paying for it.

Press 04 if you describe your dog as ‘a little bit naughty’ when what
you really mean is that the b*st*rd bites … hard.

Press 05 if you want puppy training classes but your Boxer is already
12 months old.

Press 06 if you believe that just by turning up to one puppy training
class and doing no work whatsoever at home, your puppy will grow up to
be a well adjusted companion.

Press 07 if your nervous, aggressive GSD has bitten and hospitalized
Aunt Maude, the vet, and your child and you want me to re-home it.

Press 08 if you have three children under school age, an invalid parent
living at your home, a partner who works away, are pregnant with twins
and want your 8 month old Dalmatian that never gets a walk to stop
chewing every thing in sight.

Press 09 if you want to tell me my advice has not worked even though
you have not tried it yet.

Press 10 if you want to be dog trainer and behaviorist because you like
animals better than people.

Press 11 if you are 15 years old and want to do work experience with me
but would faint if I asked you to pick up dog poop.

Press 12 if your dog is aggressive with other dogs but you want to join
one of my groups because it will be nice for him to have some friends.

Press 13 if you cannot afford my private rates and want a discount
because you only have one BMW.

Press 14 if you are cancelling your lesson that is due to start in 30
minutes and have no intention of paying the cancellation fee.

Press 15 if you do not believe in rewarding a dog and know that clicker
training does not work because your friend Beryl said so.

Press 16 if you think your dog knows he has done wrong when you tell
him off and that he obeys you because he respects you and acknowledges
you are a superior being.

Press 17 if you want me to wave my magic wand over your
contacts/weaves/start line waits in just one session and will then tell
me it did not work when you go to a show just two days later with no
training in the meantime.

Press 18 if you have eleven Jack Russell bitches in a small flat and
you want me to teach them not to fight each other.

Press 19 if you already know everything about your breed because this
is the fourth one you have had and I cannot tell you anything new.

Press 20 if you want me to pick up your dear departed dog’s ashes from
the vets and keep them at my house because you are too upset to have
them in your home (true!).

Press 21 if you could not use a Gentle Leader, indoor crate, or harness
because they are cruel.

Press 22 if you will not put a muzzle on your deadly aggressive dog
because you do not want people to think he is nasty.

Press 23 if you want to leave an increasingly angry message for the
third time this week demanding an urgent call back and yet again forget
to give your name or number.

Press 24 if, having ascertained I am out, you wish ask my engineer
husband for behavioral advice about your pet.

Press 25 if you wish to fill up my answering machine tape with an
incoherent rambling message.

Press 26 if want your intact male adolescent dog to spend its days
lying patiently on your front step on your unfenced property because
dogs shouldn’t want to run away, should they.

Press 27 if you want me to teach your untrained border collie to play
with sheep because you think he will like it.

Press 28 if your dog thinks its name is “NO”.

Press 29 if it is before 8am or after 10pm and you want to ask how to
stop your 13 week old puppy from biting your 5, 7 and 9 year old boys
when they play fight with it.

Press 30 if you have taken trouble to socialize and train your pet and
want to make an appointment to learn even more fun stuff. No need to
hold, I’ll put you right through!

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 UNLEASHED

December 7, 2010 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Well, it’s hard to believe that our border collie Flint is now two years old. Time sure flies when you are having fun, and we are definitely having fun with Flint, thanks to Duke. Flint is a local dog, a Border Collie who was born and bred in Lot 16 and our daughter Maia was lucky enough to get first choice (the veritable pick of the litter) when the puppies were born. We were well warned in advance that Border Collies are very energetic and would demand a lot of training and attention, but this was not our first dog and we thought we were more than ready to face the challenge. I guess we were wrong. Flint’s herding instincts and strong personality soon had everyone on edge. His constant heel nipping, chewing and what seemed like bullying behavior were intimidating our 8 year old, not to mention the adults. There was no quit in him, and just when you thought he would be down for the night he would start up again. Finally we placed a call to Duke, and the next day had our first consult. Amazing… is the word to describe the change in Flint after applying the training techniques shown to us by Duke. Puppy Management was the answer we had been looking for. Almost immediately the heel nipping and aggressive behavior ceased, and soon after that there wasn’t even a hint of leash pull during our walks. For our family, the natural progression from Puppy Management was to Ultimate Obedience Training. Once again we learned skills that have made our relationship with Flint outstanding. We can take Flint anywhere and know that he will always be the best behaved dog. And it is pretty awesome for Flint too. He enjoys his morning walk unencumbered by his leash, and almost every day strangers take the time to tell us that he is the best behaved dog they have ever seen. He also enjoys fly fishing and although his technique isn’t very good he more than makes up for it with his enthusiasm.

Rob, Mo, Maia and Flint
Stratford, PEI

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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Dog Videos: Training in a Hurricane

December 2, 2010 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

This is how dedicated our clients can be.

Short clips taken from a group class Unleashed Potential PEI had during Hurricane Earl. The winds were not really 130mph here on PEI, I was just making fun of the day we had on PEI, it was not a bad day for a hurricane. I am glad we did not get hit like other places were. Scary stuff!

I wont quit my day job to become a reporter. I think I’ll stick to dog training.

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.

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