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Addison Addison is a Chinese Crested/Miniature Poodle mix and was quite the little diva at home. We had some fun when she showed up with pink toenails, bows in her hair and a nice flowery pink collar. During her 5 day residency program she was very fearful at first, but learned her basic commands well and by day three made her breakthrough and became much more confident. She started mixing it up with our German Shepherd in the house and never chipped a nail.
Bailey This girl was a total Rock Star! Sometimes you think that the little ones can't do everything the big dogs do and then they prove you wrong. Coming in at a whopping 4 pounds and most of that, hair; Bailey did very well in her basic obedience and just knocked out anyone that met her.
Bear Bear was so much fun to work with. When you start with a Golden/Lab Mix puppy you know they are going to be smart but what else are you going to get? Well this guy was energetic, fun with the other dogs, snuggly in the evening in addition to learning commands far beyond the basic program in just 5 days. We just knew he would be testing his family as soon as he got home to see if they could keep up.
Brea One of those dogs that is hard to pin down what their breeding is without a DNA test; it is obvious that there is a good slice of American Pit Bull Terrier in Brea. This girl is solid as a rock and she definitely knows how to use her size. She was a bit stubborn and shy but obedience training helped her build confidence and learn that completing commands is a good thing with positive rewards.
Charlie There are so many great breeds to work with and a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix was bound to be very trainable and high energy. She sure gave her classmates a run for their money at play time. In this pic she seems to be asking; can I do that to my humans too? Please?
Cole Some dogs are a real challenge and Cole certainly put us to the test. Training many dogs forces us to adjust to each individual to achieve certain goals, and we've gotten good at it, but sometimes we struggle to reach one. This boy learned his obedience begrudgingly but we were successful in achieving basic goals and he is on the road to being a happier dog.
Dexter We had a heck of a time trying to nail down the breeding background of this dog, and when the owner showed up with a DNA test, we were completely wrong. The bottom line is that this dog was totally awesome! Dexter is the dog that everyone wishes they had and it just goes to show that a pedigree isn't everything.
Jada We wish we could bottle what this Lab-Pit mix has running through her veins. With the permanent look of a puppy, this girl is high energy without being truly hyperactive and super trainable as her Lab/Pit breeding might suggest. She literally jumped and dived into all the various commands and would learn something new after being shown only once. We can't wait to get our hands on this little dynamo again and see what she will do on some utility pieces.
Jake Tag team partner with his bigger pal Alex, Jake showed some of the stubbornness many people associate with Schnauzers, but on the other hand was the less aloof more snuggly of the two and we couldn't help but love him. He did fine in the training albeit really didn't like doing his stays...did them but didn't like it. This boy really loved walks out in the field, alert and active as opposed to being shy and mellow in the house. We're not sure that is how he behaves at home, clever boy.
Jerry The larger half of the Ben and Jerry tag-team weighing in at 6 pounds; Jerry is more outgoing than his partner and learning commands and carrying them out seemed to come easy for him. These guys really taught us how good the toy dogs can be.
Max Max was about to get his last chance. Dad had had enough of the peeing in the house and giving him up for adoption had been mentioned. We introduced him to a disciplined schedule with crate training and constant supervision so that we could catch him in the act. Never happened. After a week with no accidents we turned to educating the owners about how to implement the same policies. Obedience training? Oh that was a no brainer, and everyone loved this dog. We had four homes lined up for him if the owners wanted to give up. He's still at his first home.
Mona Mona pants non-stop at a high rate. She doesn't seem to be anxious as much as wired tight at all times. She pants so much that even though she drinks a ton of water she rarely has to pee. A little bit of hyperactivity but nothing obnoxious, this German Shepherd/Husky mix trained well and should make a better family dog with good communication from her owners.
Piper Pit bulls and mixes get such a bad rap. Guess what, there are nasty individuals of every breed of dog. Just a few minutes with this sweetheart and only the coldest most closed minded person wouldn't fall in love. We trained her when she was pretty young, she did very well and we had a lot of fun. Come back soon Piper.
Sadie Its one thing to know some neat tricks, but Sadie is one tough girl and she needed some real work to do as well to learn discipline. Ed and Rhianna did the right thing and got her some education so that they could take charge and maintain a comfortable balance in their home. She was solid in obedience training and she's a bully beauty in the bargain. Now teach me some more tricks Dad!
Simon Sir Simon was protecting his mom a little too much from visitors, delivery people and the mailman. As a Great Pyrenees mix he has a good slice of guard dog in his breeding, but for us the challenge was the fact that he is deaf. Obedience training took on the added challenge of not being able to use verbal queues or praise. So we came up with hand signals for praise and correction to go with those we typically use for giving commands and he responded well just like any dog with normal hearing. With ongoing socialization, exercise and work we know Simon will improve around strangers and yet still remain Merrie's protector when needed.
Walter Walter is proof that you don't have to have a fancy pedigree to be a great dog. Happy-go-lucky and a little mischievous, he always seemed to treat obedience training as something that wasn't quite fun enough. Counter surfing, garbage cans and any other dog to play with were much more interesting. He got through the training just fine though and we started addressing his manners in the kitchen. Walter has the softest coat you have ever touched.
Zoe Zoe absolutely stymied our ability to identify her breeding. We were sure there was Border Collie, maybe a little Pit Bull in her but no...American Eskimo Dog, and even some Great Dane? One thing for sure, she is a total sweetheart with a super soft coat and she is very smart. Ed and Debbie knew they were spoiling her and it was leading to some inappropriate behavior in the house, Zoe wanted to make up the rules. But they are committed to changing that with some training and it is working. Keep it up, Zoe!
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