Louie D.• Meet & Greet

Louie is a lab rescue that has been with the family about 2 weeks. Board and train is an excellent way to introduce a new dog to you and your life. He is about 14 months old. He has strong food and ball drive. He loved foundation obedience. We bonded in a quiet area then perfected on our 6 plus acre facility. This is an exercise called Meet & Greet. The object is to teach the dog that he must sit for attention and affection. Once sitting I use the "off" command to keep him from touching with his paws or mouth. He then gets his chest rubbed and even a cookie. We use foundation obedience exercises to guide him to be the best the handler wants him to be. I would love to see Louie and his family in my intermediate group class.

Checkers• It's never too late• A Dalmatian @ 6yrs

Checkers is a 6 year old female Dalmatian. Mom and dad came to visit an intermediate/advanced obedience class. They were quite impressed with what could be expected from a trained dog. I had her for a one week board and train. At first we bonded practicing foundation obedience in a quieter area without distractions. Then we worked in more stimulating areas. She had aggression issues with other dogs. Once I get to know her it is easy to recognize when she is about to need some help. By observing her body language I can make adjustments before negative behavior becomes pronounced. I believe I can correct the thought which is before she initiates a negative reaction. We practiced in a lobby full of dogs and I was able to head off any potential issues before she misbehaved. Once I know with proper guidance Checkers can behave her parents just need to practice to let her know that is also their desire.

Ginger, the Kissing Pit Bull

How's that for unconditional love. Ginger affectionately known as the kissing pit bull is so full of love she can't stop kissing anybody she sees. That must be where the saying comes from. "My dog is so happy to have been rescued from the shelter." Ginger was featured on a live segment on the television show Inside Edition. She was one of the many dogs on that day on an Adopt-A-Pet segment which aired on Canadian TV. Ginger hooked up with a local Canadian dog trainer who was kind enough to work with Ginger to control her kissing ways! As cute as it is, Ginger was unable to stop kissing anyone once they came to her! Rumor has it Ginger now has a forever home, and has learned to curb her love!
As always for those of you who are local and in the area here I would love to be able to help you with any of your training issues you might have. I offer everything from Board and Train to private lessons.

PetTube.com....Now accepting training videos

Did your dog become a superstar in one of Best Friends training classes? Has he really learned some cool tricks on a private lesson? Show off his talents in his very own video on the Internet. (For those of you who have worked in Board and Train or private lessons, I might have already uploaded your work on the blog) PetTube.com, check it out today. Remember every dog is a superstar with positive training! I'll be watching!

Wally D.•Energetic Cockapoo @ 6 months

Wally is a blast. Full of energy. Just needs direction. A coupla private lessons followed by basic class, Wally ended up with me in board and train. He's still full of energy as with most 6 month old pups except he has the concept of working and following a human. He is still easy to stimulate and loves people but now he has learned how to make the leader happy and loves to make that happen. Positive reinforcement and good timing has made obedience a way to have fun with his human partner. He's having a blast. As a trainer I want him to work the most enthusiastically without going over the edge. Its a balancing act, my voice, my body language the noises I make all keep him interested and working with me. The owners plan to continue daily practice combined with intermediate group classes so that they can guide Wally to be the best they want him to be. See you in class!

Onslow CGC RL1•Pivot L&R/Pivot L&R 1 Step

RALLY CLASSES HAVE BEGUN AT BEST FRIENDS Saturdays at 11a.m.

Onslow R. is just a delight to spend time with. When his mom is out of town she prefers board and train. Mom has worked him regularly in group class and they have improved so much they have begun to compete in APDT rally. Rally classes have begun on Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Onslow•Obedience Pattern in the Lobby

Onslow is a delightful Goldendoodle that is fortunate enough to have a mom that lets him spend time while she is on vacation in board and train. Never would she have realized that his training would become a part of their life. There are private lessons while she is in town that she brings her 11 year old Great Pyrenees just to watch. There have been intermediate and advanced group classes. They have gotten so good a natural progression was rally classes which start for the public on January 9,2010. They passed in their first event. In one weekend they passed 4 tests and now Onslow•CGC•Rl1

Onslow CGC RL1•Pivot Left 360

CONGRATULATIONS to Onslow CGC,RL1{Canine Good Citizen/Rally Level 1}. He works with me around our 6 plus acre facility off leash. His mom says board and train is the only way to go. She works with him in my group obedience classes and in rally obedience class. He just completed his three legs, in an APDT trial on Nov. 21&22 in Schiller Park. They passed 4 trials in two days. In one trial they scored 204 out of 210 possible points. Not bad for her first trial and being a novice handler who never imagined this could be something she would do let alone compete at.

Onslow•Pivot Left 180

Onslow CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Rl1 (Rally level 1) Not bad for a wild out of control Goldendoodle. Started with board and train then intermediate and advanced group classes, private lessons and now rally obedience classes which will start Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 11 a.m. They passed twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday and earned a Rally level 1 title in their first try at an APDT event. Congratulations.

Onslow•Left 180 & Left About Turn

Onslow is a delightful Goldendoodle I've had the pleasure to work with. Here we are in the lobby where we are practicing obedience off of the leash. We do a tight u-turn to the left and a left about turn which is where I turn into the dog and he goes the opposite way. Onslow has begun to compete at rally obedience. He passed his first four APDT rally obedience events. Congratulations to him and his owner who never thought she would be proudly competing in dog trials.

Learn How To Speak Dog

Yes, I can train your dog. Dog training is my passion, I love to see the look in a dogs eyes when they have accomplished something. I love working with the owners, and helping them realize how easy and fun training your dog can be. I have taught people and dogs a lot of things over the years. However, teaching a person how to speak dog is not something I have done! Sure was fun to learn though! LOL! Check out the Petcentric website, you too can learn how to speak dog. If you ever need other training for you or your dog feel free to call me here at Best Friends!

The Whistling Puppy of Purina Animal All Stars

Click on this cute picture to see some unique dog training!

I thought I tought it all here at Best Friends, I missed this lesson!

Doggie New Years Resolutions

The Holidays are fast approaching! The new year is almost here and we all have a long list of resolutions ahead of us, I know I do. Why not let the dog have his own resolutions? Believe it or not dogs love to please their owners, they enjoy themselves more in a positive environment. While you are traveling this season, or enjoying your house full of relatives send your furry friends to me for Board and Train. This would be a great way for your best friend to start working on his new years resolution to be better behaved. I offer 1 and 2 week programs which include a discount on boarding. You can view the previous posts to see some of my best friends I have worked with in the past. Feel free to call me and we can discuss the options available to you. Together we can work on helping you and your friend have a bright new year!

Buddy L. Meet& Greet/off &take it

Here I am working with Buddy and teaching him how to interact with people. I have him sit. I use the leash to maintain while I praise him for doing what I ask. At first it is not necessary for people to touch if it causes Buddy to become overstimulated. Be patient. Work at the dog and handlers ability to do it right. I might remind Buddy not to touch first with food and eventually with my palm held in front of his nose. When this can be performed I have a stranger or family member repeat what I have done. At first distance is used to help the dog receive more praise and fewer reminders. If you cannot keep the dog calm with strangers at 4 feet away do not be in a hurry to get to 2 feet.