Dear clients,
We are back to normal staff hours and yesterday all sessions that were missed on 9/14 were caught up. The extra sessions done on 9/15 for 9/14 will be labled “9/14” in your video folder, even though the write up on the blog says “9/15”.
MG
9/15 Jumps
Applesauce did awesome in this session. She was definitely interested in exploring the room, but also did a wonderful job giving focus when asked. She was a bit hesitant when first introduced to the jumps I had set up, but did very well with them as the session progressed. She is such a sweetheart! She was all about giving kisses and cuddles and is a joy to work with! Well done, Apple! Remy
Dear clients,
We are happy to report that so far the power in Raleigh has only gone out for 15 minutes, and is back on again. The dogs are being cared for, fed, and walked by our overnight caretaker, Michele B.
Unfortunately, no trainers were able to make it in today, but as soon as road conditions are safe, we expect to be back to training as usual.
We had a few tornado warnings here today in Youngsville, so I stayed at home with the dogs here. I am hoping to get in to Raleigh tomorrow, just to check in on everyone there in person.
If you have any questions, please email us.
Michele Godlevski
(owner, Teamworks Dog Training, llc)
9/11 Life Skills Walk
Freya did great with this. She was definitely was interested in the smells and distractions that being outside created, but was pretty consistent about giving focus when asked. I also used releasing her to smell (with her “O.K.”/release word) as a type of reinforcement. Well done and it’s great to see you!! Remy
9/12 leave it
Freya did really well with leave it today. We worked on a couple different scenarios with leave it, on the counter, dropped on the floor, etc. Freya did great with all of them! -Amanda
9/12 Buddy Walk
Freya did very well with this. Flynn, the doodle, walked in front of us. This made him a bigger distraction because he was directly in Freya’s line of sight throughout the entire walk. She was definitely distracted, but did a nice job refocusing onto me especially when I had Freya sit and focus VS trying to get her focus while walking. Overall, I was very pleased with the walk and Freya’s focus during it! Good girl! Remy
9/13 no jump
We started out working on choose to heel but Freya was really jumpy and mouthy so we worked on that. She made a lot of progress throughout the session and definitely had some rockstar moments! -Amanda
9/13 work for play
Freya did a really great job this session. She defended the ball a little bit but I just worked on not chasing her for it and eventually she was bringing it back to me and I was able to pick it up right away. -Amanda
9/14 stay and play
Due to the hurricane, we are in “stay and play” mode for all dogs. Michele B is staying with the Raleigh location dogs through the storm. All is well there. Here is a picture of Freya from today. 
9/15 Work for play/harness
Freya did a good job today working for play after she got focused. We also did a little bit of working on sitting for the harness instead of mouthing/grabbing it and she did a good job with that too! -Amanda
9/15 gentle leader
Freya did great with the gentle leader today! We worked on her keeping it on her muzzle for longer duration. -Amanda
9/15 Jumps/No Jumping
Freya did very well during this session. We worked on some jumps that I set out for her to practice. We also worked on not jumping. She did well during this session, although at a few points she did get a bit distracted. Remy
9/15 Gentle Leader
Well done, Freya! Freya did very well during this session. We used an extra high value treat (cheese wiz). Freya seemed very comfortable allowing me to put the GL on her. I was even able to put it on fully, and leave it on for about minute. She’s doing very nicely with this! Remy
9/16
Worked on get her attention in the first session. She can use more practice with this and we’ll see how the second session goes. I expected that the dogs would be a bit out of sorts because of the storm. – Joe
9/16
Worked on focus work, basics and leash skills in our second session. We also worked on the nipping. She will need lots of practice with all of these skills when she is home. She did well, but once more will need practice at home. – Joe
9/17 Mouthing, No Jump, Gentle Leader
Freya and I worked on several skills in this session, though we mostly ended up working on no jumping/mouthing. She would get especially mouthy/nippy when I was between her and something she wanted- I tried to get this on video but we were sometimes out of camera view. She is very persistent so it was important that I stayed consistent in not reinforcing anything when she nipped and only rewarding for polite behaviors. It took some work and we still need practice but it got a lot better as we went along. –Jenny
9/17 Gentle Leader
Freya did well. She did have a couple spells where she did some mouthing/jumping, but overall did okay. I was happy with her ability to respond to commands a bit faster than previously, even when she was obviously over-excited. The GL definitely will take a bit more practice and lots of high value treats (the cheese wiz worked wonders!!), but I was happy with how we ended today’s session! Remy
9/12 Get to Know
Fergus did a great job in our session! He rarely jumped and was super focused! We went over some basics like sit and down and also on recalls and collar grabs. Great job Fergus! -Amanda
9/12 Buddy Walk
Fergus did great! I am super impressed with his ability to walk on a loose leash and stay so focused with major distractions (i.e. a new dog walking in front of him) present. This was my first time working with him and I’m so excited for our sessions to come! Remy
9/9 Get to Know – Place
Gordy and I worked on building a down on a mat cue for “Place”. We did not add a verbal cue yet, but Gordy did a good job in starting to build the pattern towards the down with stepping on the mat and then sitting on the mat. Gordy is such a sweetie and he did a great job! –Jenny
9/10
Life skills walk – no video
Went on a life skills walk this morning as a get to know you and to see where Gordy’s skills are. He did very well. We worked on some leash skills and focus as well. – Joe
Leash skills
In the second session we worked on leash skills inside. We worked inside in the second session to help Gordy focus and he did great. I started walking with him at my side, stopping and asking for a sit about every three step. He did so well that we moved to just his name and attention word. He did great, we moved outside for a few minutes and he did ok, but will need more practice. – Joe
9/12 Buddy Walk
Gordy and I did a buddy walk with Rooney today and he did great! He was a little distracted at first but refocused well and had a loose leash almost the entire time. At the end we even let them have a play session (on video). -Amanda
9/9 No Jump, Work for Play, and Building Teamwork
Blu and I got back into the groove of things working on some of his polite manners in exchange for some play time! I used a variety of toys but Blu decided the Jolly Ball was the most fun so we finished our session with that. We worked on building a pattern for Blu where if he offered a polite behavior he got the Jolly Ball. This builds the understanding that the fastest way for him to get what he wants is to listen to me and do something that I want. We still got some jumping but overall much more focus on me and even some nice sits in exchange for the ball. Way to go Blu! –Jenny
9/11 Life Skills Walk
Blu did well during this walk! He was distracted by some things going on outside, but did well with refocusing when asked. He seemed to do much better responding when I moved to grab his attention, rather than just making noises/saying his name. When I did get his focus, he seemed to more comfortable staying stationary. He had a bit of trouble keeping focus once we started moving forward. Overall, I think more practice would be beneficial, but also am impressed with Blu’s ability to focus when major distractions were around! Remy
9/10
Life skills walk – no video
Went on a life skills walk with Blu today as a get to know you. He did ok, but will need to work more on focus. We spent most of the time working on getting his attention back on me. – Joe
Attention work
In the second session today we worked on attention and focus. We worked on look, he will need more practice with it. He was picking it up, and I think he will have it down very soon. – Joe
9/11 Write-up on it’s way!
9/12 Motivation and Setting Up the Session – 2 parts
Blu worked on some some trial and error set-ups in our session today where we talked about and worked on minimizing distractions and determining and building motivators. These two factors play a large role in how well our dogs are able to perform and focus on there obedience or learning a new skill. Blu was very distracted in this session so we moved around the room and gradually removed potential distractions. When we got the point where we had as many things blocked off as we could, we then looked at motivation rewards (praise, play, treats) to see what value of reward or type of reward Blu would work for. We ultimately ended up with play with two kong rubber balls as our highest motivator in a low distraction environment. The more Blu practices in this low distraction environment we can then move forward with building up value for other motivators or using lower value motivators – we wanna keep the high value rewards for the high challenge activities. We adjust both the distraction/challenge and the value of treat/motivator as needed so that Blu is able to be successful. Good boy Blu! –Jenny
9/13 noises
Blu did really well with this today. We worked on quite a few different noises and he was a little unsure of some of them but did a great job of recovering for play/cookies -Amanda
9/13 Life Skills Walk
Blu and I went for a training walk today and worked on not pulling. He did really well when I used the front clip of his harness. We worked on red light green light where I reinforce him with sniffing for keeping the leash loose. -Amanda
9/13 Harness session
Blu was a little distracted initially in this session but he came around and did a great job of not pulling on the harness. We used a freedom harness for the session so you could see how it fits him and how much it helps on video! Please email us if you have any extra questions! -Amanda
9/13
Blu went on a life skills walk with me today and did very good…not videos due to the weather, but he did very good!-Cheryl
9/14 stay and play
Due to the hurricane, we are in “stay and play” mode for all dogs. Michele B is staying with the Raleigh location dogs through the storm. All is well there. Here is a picture of Blu from today. 
9/15 No jump
Blu did a good job not jumping today for me even though it was a little hard to keep him motivated. He’s doing a great job on his freedom harness too with walking. -Amanda
9/15 Puller toys
Blu did a great job today with the puller toys. We used two for the session and Michele went over the game of tug and rules to follow for train and play with him. He did a really good job with the pullers and I’m glad we found a toy that works well for him! -Amanda
9/15 Puller Toys
I wanted to work on Blu with the puller toys, as it seems to be a very productive way to get him motivated. This session was no exception, Blu did great! At times he became a bit distracted, but overall held nice focus. He did well dropping the pullers, although at times he did have a bit of trouble with that aspect. Very happy with this session. Nice job, Blu. Remy
9/15 Focus/Jumps/Basics
Blu did well in this session. We worked on a couple of jumps, but Blu wasn’t quite sure of them. We did a few stays throughout the session and Blu did very well with all of these. He also did a good job focusing. We used the puller toys again, for the majority of the session. The other portion we used high value food, and for a very short period a tennis ball. Well done today, Blu! Remy
9/16
Worked on attention in our first session today. Blu did ok, but with the storm and everything else going on he was a bit distracted. We’ll work on getting his attention a bit more next session. – Joe
9/16
In our second session today we worked on leash skills and focus work. He did so much better this time around, but will still need lots of practice. – Joe
9/17 Attention and Basics in Return for Toy Reward
Blu continued to work on his attention and basics in this session with a toy reward. He still liked to hold on to his toys, but did okay with trading them and was offering some good attention to get another throw or toss of the toy. We practiced sits, downs, stays, and recalls in addition to our attention work and Blu did a very nice job! We’ll keep practicing! –Jenny
9/17 Harness Calm – “Getting Dressed”
Blu and I worked on putting on his harness and building up the behavior or “getting dressed” or calmly allowing his gear to be put on. Blu has been practicing the same process in his room whenever he is taken out to play, potty, or train. I made a smaller area in the training room using some barriers and we worked on getting the harness and on and off. Blu still moved around a bit, but could not get to far away in the smaller space so we got some nice repetitions in, rewarding for each step in putting on the harness, and got no jumping, no mouthing, and Blu was still enough that it did not take too long to completely “suit up”. Way to go Blu! –Jenny
9/17 Drop-It
Blue did well during this session. We started off with the kong balls and later moved on to the puller toys, used in previous sessions. Blu did well with both, but was definitely a bit more excited by the pullers. Even during this excitement, he did well responding to the “drop-it”. A bit more practice would be beneficial, but I see progress! Well done, Blu! Remy
9/7 Get To Know // Agility
Echo did wonderful during this session. This session was primarily to get Echo adjusted to the environment, but we also did a little bit of confidence building, too! Echo seemed to feel extremely comfortable, and responsive. She did well with all that was asked of her. What a sweet, smart girl she is! I can’t wait to work with her more! Remy
9/7 Skill Review
Echo did awesome! She responded consistently and quickly to all that was asked of her. She didn’t have any trouble keeping focused, so I definitely believe added distractions will be beneficial. Absolutely loved working with her today! Remy
9/8 Mat
Ella did great with this. We practiced “stay” on a mat behind the front desk. Even with the environment being a bit more distracting, Ella did an awesome job of keeping on task and holding her stays! Very sweet, smart girl! Remy
9/8 Recall
We played hide-and-go-seek recall, and it was fun for the both of us! Ella did a great job coming consistently and quickly, whenever called! She also was an excellent “seeker” and found me, no matter where I hid! Such a lovely girl, and pleasure to work with! Remy
9/9 Life Skills Walk
Ella did a great job on our life skills walk! We worked on her focusing on me and keeping a loose leash. She was a bit distracted at first but after a couple rounds of come, sit, look she was a lot more focused and was responding well to my “good” to come and get a treat 🙂 -Amanda
9/9 Work for play
Ella and I did a work for play session today. She was really interested in all the toys I had and we worked on learning drop it so that toys can be used as an efficient reinforcer. She did great with this! We used a couple different toys and although I had to prompt her to drop it more with some of them she still willingly did even in the middle of tug games. I hope my explanation of reinforcement and all the things we can use as reinforcers is helpful! -Amanda
9/10 Mat Distractions
Ella worked on holding a down on her mat with the distraction of a tennis ball! We worked on holding a down with no distractions first and then gradually built up to bouncing the tennis ball. Ella did a fabulous job! –Jenny
9/11 Off
Ella did an awesome job with this today! I was so happy to see how confident she felt about climbing up onto the cinder block that we used for this session! She kept great focus and did wonderful responding to all that I asked of her! Remy
9/12 mat in office
We worked on mat with distractions and Ella did great! There were people and dogs passing, Remy even walked right past us and Ella held her down! I had to up the reinforcement a little but we worked on thinning this too! -Amanda
9/13 Come
Ella did a great job with this! She was jumping a bit initially but once she got her groove she had the recalls down no problem! -Amanda
9/14 stay and play
Due to the hurricane, we are in “stay and play” mode for all dogs. Michele B is staying with the Raleigh location dogs through the storm. All is well there. Here is a picture of Ella from today.
9/15 Loose Leash Walking
Ella did great with this, we worked on auto sits and on expanding the time between treats while also keeping her focus. -Amanda
9/15 Doorways
Ella did a stellar job on our doorways today! We went through the building and back a couple times before doing a demo/summary video at the end. Amanda
9/15 No Jump // Jumps
Ella did very well during this session. She didn’t jump at all throughout the session and we also worked, at times, with toys for reinforcement instead of treats. Always a pleasure working with sweet Ella! Remy
9/15 Up and Off
Ella did very well during this session. She did very well with all that was asked of her. She seems very confident with both “Up” and “Off” commands. Throughout the session, Ella kept great focus and was consistent in her responses! Such a good girl. Remy
9/16
Nothing in the notes about her training, so we did a bit of a get to know you session for the first one. Her skills are very good. We started working on a trick and we’ll work on that more in her next session. – Joe
Worked on recalls in our second session. She did very well, in fact she even came to me with a toy as a distraction. I think doing some practice outside on a long lead would be next, but with the rain it would be hard to do. – Joe
9/6 Skateboard
Ginger and I worked again on the skateboard and she did great! She was a little frustrated when I was fading my prompting and asking her to do more on her own but she figured it out and did an awesome job! -Amanda
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