Buddy

Meet Buddy

Everyone meet Buddy! This love bug went through The Ruff Life training but his mommy and daddy felt that the 'Excel Program' could "clean up" some of the things that they wanted to fix/change. ;)

Buddy is a happy man, if you don't believe us... then check out his nub. YES! that is right! I said his nub. This "Tail" wag's a million miles a second... and it is the cutest thing ever!!!!

Buddy's parents really wanted us to work on his manners in the vehicle. Buddy LOVES LOVES LOVES vehicle rides, and he makes sure everyone knows it! He is a cry/whine/screamer in the vehicle... which can be VERY distracting... and we have to admit... a bit annoying. Some other things they wanted us to work on were: his recalls, cleaning up some of his obedience, manners, and running/pulling straight towards another dog. This can be quite intimidating for an onlooker.... as he is a pretty big Rotti X ;) But handsome of course!

Session 1 of 3

Friday, February. 14th, 2014

Today when we picked Buddy up from his house, his mommy and daddy were not there. He HAPPILY greeted us at the door...but you could tell he was a little unsure as to why the 'Trainer' was there to pick him up. lol It must be pretty scary! Especially for a big sucky Teddy Bear!

This handsome man did wonderfully in the vehicle, we tried a few techniques to see if we could calm him during the truck ride...and voila! it worked! ;) (Its always GREAT when that happens). 

As soon as we got to the dog park, you could see the excitement in Buddy's eyes. Once we got him out of the truck he literally tried to drag us into the park... of course that was NOT happening. The ground is SOOOO slippery this time of year with everything warming up and melting. Buddy had to learn that going 100% into a situation was not a positive thing. He needed to learn quickly that pulling us off our feet was a no go... and that the rewards were greater if he stayed near us and walked nicely. Buddy is a super smart student... so this didn't take him long.

This handsome fella did so well! he is very responsive...

A few other things that were really important for us to work on, was his manners with other dogs. Buddy does not know his own size and he gets right up in dogs space.. which can lead to a negative reaction. This was pretty easy with this guy... he listens so so well to verbal cues! 

Buddy even got to meet Teddy and Luna... both are recent 'Excel your dogs training' graduates!

We really are so proud of how far this man came in one session... and we can't wait to see what other things we will be able to teach him!

Here is a video of Buddy's Progress!!!

(A VERY big thank you to Tammy with Hank & Nelly, Sabrina with Teddy, Raechel with Ty, Tiffany with Luna, and Kona & Yoko for their puppy support.)

Session 2 of 3

Friday, February. 21st, 2014

Today when we got to Buddy's house, he was SO excited to see us. He defiantly didn't have any reservations about hopping into the truck! What a good boy!

On our truck ride we didn't even have to say anything to Buddy, he stayed calm...well... he wasn't verbal in the truck! He tried so hard to contain him self. Check out his picture below... we just had to share. Once we got closer to the dog park he sat up, lied down, sat up...he probably did this about 12 times. So funny and sweet! ❤️

At the dog park, Buddy was a bit distracted at first. Matthias was at the park... Buddy's look-a-like and a recent 'Excel your dogs training' graduate. We could not believe how much they act like each other. Once they were able to meet, they both settled down nicely.

We have to admit Buddy seemed a little "off" at the park today.. he didn't want to play that much, and when we stood around he lied down at our feet. We finally put two and two together and realized that the day before this session Buddy went to Trail Waggers... so he was exhausted. 

So we had to be extra exciting today to get him motivated ;) 

By the end of the session Buddy seemed like he was perked up a bit.. he was interested in the dogs and recalling nicely. His confidence boosting drills put a HUGE smile on his face! What a handsome fella!

We can't wait to work with this boy next week! Perhaps we will see if we can space out his Trail Waggers hike a bit too ;)

Check out Buddy's video below...

(A VERY big thank you to Sabrina & Matthias, Sarah with Roman and Kona & Yoko for their puppy support.)

Session 3 of 3

Friday, February. 28th, 2014

Buddy did great today in the vehicle...not even one whimper. Such a huge change! We are so proud of you MR.!

At the dog park it was MUCH easier to recall Buddy when he was distracted, chasing, and playing with another dog! Such a smart smart man. This will need to be practiced on a regular basis to make sure that he doesn't loose what he has learned. 💙

We learned that Buddy LOVES to chase sticks in the snow... so we rewarded his amazing improvements with several throws in the Sunshine! He is so handsome when he smiles.

It will be so important that Buddy's mom and dad keep challenging his mind with things like confidence boosting drills, obedience and fun recalls! This will help keep him out of trouble, and help him to un-zone when there is something über distracting. (Yummy treats also help ;) )

We are so proud of you Mr! Keep up the great work! We can't wait to get updates on your progress!

Check out his video below! (So so handsome)

(A VERY big thank you to Dawn with Ipo, Greg with Stella, Randi with Callie, and Kristina & Chopper)