Matthias

Meet Matthias

Everyone meet Matthias! This stunning man is Teddy's brother ;) Matthias is a fairly stable pooch! He just needs a couple things 'cleaned up'. Some of the things we wanted to work on with this handsome guy are... cleaning up his meets and greets with people and dogs, (Matthias likes to run straight up to new situations full speed...which can be a bit intimidating for an on-looker) we want to teach him to 'un-zone' when in high stimulus situations, work on his re-calls, making sure when he takes treats he doesn't bite any fingers off (because fingers are kind of useful tools to us humans), manners and socialization and confidence boosting- in the right way of course;).

We think this man is great! and we can't wait to see the progress he makes in 3 weeks! 

Session 1 of 3

(Wednesday, January. 29th 2014)

Today we met with Matthias mommy! She told us all of the things that she would like us to work on, and expressed her concern over some of his 'lack' of manners in some situations. 

When we got Matthias into the truck, he was quite content! He seemed more excited then anything else. On our way to the dog park, he was an angel! Apparently he likes it to be known that he is 'watching EVERYTHING' in his mom's vehicle. (Another term for being vocal ;). 

At the dog park Matthias seems excited to see other dogs, and he was! He tried to drag us to the first dog he saw... he was so stoked! But he needed to learn that pulling full steam ahead would not get him what he wanted. The ground is treacherous this time of year! Not to mention that he is a BIG boy. So the first thing we worked on was his manners going into an exciting situation, and his focus on us. It didn't take long before this guy had it down! What a smart cookie ;)

The next thing we had to work on was his attempt at amputating our fingers from our hands, to get the treats. lol. He is just so excited that he really has no idea that he is even doing it. You could see his brain working when we were teaching him, just like a light bulb went on. We only had to work on this a few times though out our session! He is a quick learner!

By the end of the session he was keeping focus on us... just wondering what we were going to do next!

Looking forward to next week with this man! Keep checking back for more updates on the adventures of Matthias! (and don't forget to check out his video below!)

(A Big THANKS to Kona & Yoko for their puppy support)

Session 2 of 3

(Wednesday, February. 5th 2014)

Matthias you smart smart handsome man! We are just completely blown away by the dogs in this program.. and Matthias is at the top of that list. His recalls out of play and being distracted, manners with other dogs, learning not to run straight up to dogs and their people full steam, and his obedience have come leaps in bounds in one short week! Our hearts are ready to burst with love for this guy!

One of Matthias's biggest problems is getting amped up when his brother is around, or when another dogs is acting crazy. This is something we have had several opportunities to work with Matthias... and he is doing wonderfully. He had one hiccup when his mommy brought both him and his brother to the park... so we decided to avoid these type of situations until the Excel program is done. We want this boy to have the best chance at success.

We have taught Matthias that he gets rewarded when he 'un-zones'...and he seems to think this is a far better alternative. What a good boy!!!! now it just takes simple verbal cues to get his attention. He even earned some time off of his long lead!

Check out this video we did for Matthias! We think he will LOVE it! 

(A Big THANKS to Ricki with Little, Sarah with Roman and Kona & Yoko for their puppy support)

Session 3 of 3

(Wednesday, February.12th 2014)

Smiles smiles and more smiles! It wasn't just the weather that was making everyone smile! It was Matthias! Not only was he being Mr. Social, he had the biggest grin on his face! He sure is handsome with that smile!

Today Matthias could not get enough of the confidence boosting drills and games. He did everyone one of them, with tons of enthusiasm. You could also see him running around with one ear tucked back.. just waiting... listening... for a recall so he could run back as fast as he could to get a treat and some love. What an improvement.

Matthias's mommy is going to have to learn how to read different situations, and make sure that if its a 'bad' situation or the dog is uncomfortable that she gets his attention before hand. She will also want to work on backing out of certain situations to give Matthias an 'out' if necessary. 

We know Matthias's mom has her hands full ;) But if anyone can do it... she can!

We can not wait to hear about Matthias's progress!

Check out his video below:

(A Big THANKS to Ricki with Little, Vince with Ripley, Greg with Stella and Kona & Yoko for their puppy support)