The UPK9 Blog

Boarding for a Reactive Dog

March 29, 2023 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Our Board & Train program is open for all dogs no matter their level of reactivity! Your dog will be boarding with a Professionally Certified Dog Trainer for a month minimum and become fully trained both on and off-leash. The trainer will work with them every day in all different environments and around many people and other dogs to better socialize your dog and, in turn, lessen their reactivity.

Meet Monty!

He is a year-old Poodle who has just completed our Board and Train program with Coach Isabelle in New Brunswick.

Monty’s family came to us after his troubled behaviors got him kicked out of doggy daycare. His family needed help with his excessive barking, protective behaviors, and tendency to bite.

After a month of boarding, Monty is much calmer and obedient – he is learning that the world isn’t such a scary place!

Check out this quick Before & After video of Monty

He is now home with his family who will continue to work with him to maintain his training and unleash his full potential further!

Here is what his family had to say:

“We just took Monty for his first walk since he came home. All I can say is WOW! We are so, so glad that we did the board and train program.

Isabelle’s results with Monty are amazing and we are enjoying our dog in a whole new way!

We were also impressed with her training facility. The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness of the training and kennel areas. And of course, the location; what a gorgeous setting for long training walks.

We were delighted to see how calm and happy Monty was while Isabelle was working with him. Clearly, she created a warm and affectionate working relationship with him.

Initially, I had worried about leaving Monty for a whole month and how he would handle the separation. However, the Monty that greeted us today was actually a calmer, more confident and happier dog than the one we left with Isabelle just weeks ago.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Everyone should know about this training – it works!”

– Owner Lori

➡️ Do you have a reactive dog? Looking to unleash their potential? Please book your free consult to discuss all your training options with us: Click here _______________________________________________________________

Looking for help with your dog’s training?

Sign-up for our Free Dog Training Mini-Series to get started!

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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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Rescue Dog Finds Comfort in Training

March 3, 2023 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Rescue dog, Goose the 2-year-old Lab/Staffie mix is finding comfort in his new training regimen!

“With starting at Unleashed Potential with Coach Sara, I was a bit hesitant with some guidelines; specifically the temporary no raised surfaces and no free lunch rules. I didn’t necessarily see how those guidelines would contribute to my dogs obedience training. But committing fully to the behaviour modification included in the E-Collar Program, I reluctantly pulled his bed and kennel out of storage and banned the couches and sleeping in my bed.

I was shocked on my first day as Goose quickly learned that his bed/kennel was his new couch and sleeping area and settled there a lot easier than I had anticipated and he’s very happy! An even bigger surprise was the changes I saw in Goose just from making these small adjustments to our human/dog dynamic.

Over the first week, I noticed Goose was already more receptive to my commands and had a generally more content demeanor. I often find him hanging out in his kennel and being the independent little man I never thought my clingy boy would be. I can see how this will help with his separation anxiety.

Being only two and a half weeks into the E-Collar Program, I feel so reassured in the process and that my dog loves being a dog just as much as he loves being my big baby.

We had an awesome training session the other day! We were outside training in the driveway and the Chocolate Lab across the street was out and barking at Goose. Goose would look over at the Lab but stayed seated and tuned in with me. We completed our session with no reactivity to the barking Lab! I was so proud!”

– Owner Destiny

➡️ Do you have a rescue dog? Looking to unleash their potential? Please book your free consult to discuss all your training options with us: Click here _______________________________________________________________

Looking for help with your dog’s training?

Sign-up for our Free Dog Training Mini-Series to get started!

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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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Reactive Lab Training

February 22, 2023 By Duke Ferguson Leave a Comment

Reactive Lab, Murphy, enrolled in our E-Collar Training Program (UPX) to help with his confidence, socialization, anxiety, and obedience. He and his family have been working hard and they are experiencing amazing breakthroughs!

Here is what they had to say about a recent outing to the groomers:

“Thanks to Sara, and a lot of hard work, we had Murphy in for his monthly nail trim today!

He walked in and went right up to the groomer, climbed on the workstation, and was totally relaxed.

After he was done, he wandered around checking things out! He walked up to her sitting in the chair and put his head in her lap!

My big reactive snarling boy is finally getting the message! He had his muzzle on and his e-collar but I had left the remote in the car – wasn’t even a thought.

Thank you for helping us get to this point! Still ongoing but my boy is getting better!”

– Owner Pam

Awesome work guys and way to go Murphy!!

Looking for help with your dog’s training?

Sign-up for our Free Dog Training Mini-Series to get started!

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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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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 _______________________________________________________________

Looking for help with your dog’s training?

Sign-up for our Free Dog Training Mini-Series to get started!

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_______________________________________________________________

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

Click here to explore: Dog Training Services

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!

________________________________________________________________

Looking for help with your dog’s training?

Sign-up for our Free Dog Training Mini-Series to get started!

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Need help with your dog’s training but unsure of what service we offer is right for you?

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