Discovery Dog Training

Last call!
Brain and Body class starts this Friday at 2:15!
Register here: www.discoverydogtraining.propetware.com

During certain seasons, it can be hard to get outside to give your dog the mental and physical stimulation that he needs in order to thrive. In this class, you will learn a variety of exercises that can be done in a relatively small area - perfect for indoor engagement when outside is not an option!

Book Online at Discovery Dog Training

A few of the cute faces that have graced the shop over the last several weeks! 🐾

These photos represent a wide variety of needs and services: temperament testing, puppy preschool, basic obedience, confidence building, leash manners, reactivity issues, and more!

Group Classes are live on the website!

We have two classes open to the public - Scent Class and Brain & Body and several evening Basics Boost single classes open to previous clients!

*For those who received our email last week - the Brain & Body class start time has been moved to 2:15 on Friday afternoons.

Details — Discovery Dog Training We offer private lessons year round on a flexible schedule for your convenience. While some dogs and owners enjoy and thrive in a group setting, others find that private instruction best suites their needs. Private lessons allow flexibility, and when appropriate, we can add or subtract material fr

Well, “they” were right. After doing one scent work trial, we signed up for another!

I was really proud of . Despite some challenges, she qualified on 5 of 8 runs, earned two novice element titles, and took a first and third place!

One of my favorite moments, however, was actually as we were walking back into the hotel from a potty break. We don’t often get to see ourselves and our dogs from an outside perspective in real time - but the reflection on the hotel door allowed just that. As we were entering one side, we spotted a few dogs exiting out the other. The dog who would have exploded at that proximity a few years ago immediately whipped her head up to check in with me to make sure I saw them - and I got to see it in the reflection. 🥰 We’re not perfect, but we’ve grown a lot.

And yes, if you’ve zoomed in you will notice that this was with the Dalmatian Club of America… 😂. She was one of only a handful of non-spotted dogs in attendance - and the only GSD so far as I saw. This also meant that we (the humans) found it a bit comical when a fire alarm at the hotel meant that the firefighters rolled up to a parking lot full of dozens and dozens of Dalmatians!

It was also really wonderful that the trial was close enough to our TN Search and Rescue friends that we could meet up for lunch! I consider Suzie my first dog mentor, which began 19 years ago when I was working on my senior exit project in high school. 🫣 They’ve spent decades volunteering their time, and dogs, to help others.

Did you know…
A little bit of training is really exhausting when you’re a baby!

These two *giant* cuties are only 5 months old. Their humans have had many pairs of Great Pyrenees in the past, but when they realized that these two weren’t like the others, they reached out for help!

One of the things we often see with littermates (or just two pups of the same age) is that they can become over attached to each other and one usually is less self confident than the other. These owners did a great job at their lesson of helping these two begin to learn that they can do hard things - both with and without the other one. 🐾

(In general, we recommend one puppy at a time to avoid potential issues associated with littermate syndrome.)

Y’all know the drill! Just catching up on sharing the cute new faces of the last several weeks! 🐾❤️

We had a great time this weekend at a Scent Work trial hosted by the CDTC in Rock Hill, SC! I’ll admit I was incredibly nervous to try something new - but everyone was really nice and helpful and Ellie handled it all so well!

I was hoping we’d at least qualify on a few of our runs, but Ellie qualified on all four and got one 4th place and two 2nd place ribbons!

You might remember Opie from a previous post about very cute pajamas…

Jack and I happened upon Opie and his humans at the park earlier this week. Right as we were approaching, Opie was having words with a Bernedoodle. You see, Opie has concerns about the world - which seems fair since he weighs less than a bag of flour.

His humans are new to him and they’ve been doing a good job of working hard to build trust and help him see the world differently. But change takes time.

When I walked over with Jack, Opie lunged and barked his head off like he was going to kick Jack’s tail. I corrected him, Jack just looked at him, and off we went on our walk.

And for the next few dogs we passed, I put Jack between Opie and the other dog. And then we shifted to Jack out in front and Opie behind. Not surprisingly, Opie had a lot less to say and was much easier to handle.

Why?

Because Jack was trustworthy and safe. His behavior was and had been consistent. He didn’t crowd Opie’s space or beg him to be friends. He didn’t react at the other dogs. He walked with confidence.

Dogs always speak dog better than we do. So while we are working to help Opie understand that his humans can and will protect him, it was nice for Opie to have a walk with a trusted bodyguard of sorts. This is why I ask my clients to act more like (stable) dogs and to lead by example.

Keep up the good work, Opie! 🐾