Bella• St. Bernard at 9 months in first week of board & train

Bella is a very playful St. Bernard that I had the pleasure to work with for a week in board and train. She has good food and ball drive. At first she was a little shy but soon wanted me to take her out every time she saw me. We started in the Canine College where I also hold obedience and rally classes. She caught on quickly so we were able to spend time socializing and desensitizing around our 6 plus acre facility. We practiced in the courtyard with dogs barking and being walked. We worked in the main building which is full of people working, dropping off dogs to stay in the hotel, or into grooming department. I asked Bella to "sit" or "down" and watch the cats play in the Young at Heart shelter in our lobby. Being able to practice in real life situations builds confidence in the dogs I'm working around strangers and new things and a lot of fears and aggression goes out the window as they learn manners and increase thresholds in social situations.

Beckham • Miniture Schnauzer 7 months

Beckham is a delightful 7 month miniature Schnauzer. I had him for a week of board and train. At first he had issues with socialization and quite a few areas he was afraid to walk. We started by bonding while working on foundation obedience. Luckily he has great food drive which helped to distract him in worrisome situations. When dogs look at me and take food I find they are in a calm state and can absorb stimulation without wanting to avoid or go to flight. Initially he had issues with heaters, shadows, fans, almost anything new. The more we worked the more easily he was able to keep moving. By practicing the things that were new became old and I watched him go from being shy to quite the opposite. It is easier to calm him down now that he is moving forward. Some people think when their dog does not come that they are being disobedient but if you look at the bigger picture you might be standing next to something they are afraid to be near. I've seen where dogs will not come in after going potty if the dominant dog is inside first. Or the opposite when a dog will not potty outside because the dominant dog owns the yard. I do not see being submissive or shy as happy and it is our job to help a dog get over issues allowing for a happy and less fearful life. I think there are more bites by shy dogs that feel cornered than by aggressive dogs. By helping to socialize we can keep problems from occurring. I'm happy to say Beckham's owner plans to continue in the group classes.

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.

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.

Sophie Rose @ 9 yrs It's never too late

What a delight it was to meet this dog. She came into the hotel on a harness and a retractable lead. Aggressive and very dominant for a tea cup poodle tipping the scale at 7 lbs. Full of energy and plenty of food drive. She has some orthopedic issues and waddles and looks like she has a ball between her back legs. Originally she had to be on a harness because she pulled so hard she would injure her neck. Her owner decided to do a two week board and train. We started in the Canine College for work on foundation and bonding. She absolutely loved the game of obedience. We eventually worked in food prep and a courtyard full of barking dogs. Perfecting took us to the main building where we were able to practice in the lobby. We used the elements of obedience to guide her to be the best dog she could be with dogs and people all around. I'm not sure who had more fun, her or me. Her dad had me do another week because he loved the work I had done and the constant observation she receives as I work and spend time with her daily.