Cherry from Tempe, AZ called us while she still lived in New York and had just purchased Ducky, her Yorkshire Terrier/Pomeranian mix. She was going to be traveling to Tempe for her traveling musical and was looking for help training Ducky while here. We had a video visit to discuss training options and make sure Ducky would be able to safely and comfortably travel all over the country. Cherry wanted Ducky to walk nicely on leash, listen to commands in a lot of different locations and socialize well with both people and dogs.
Cherry signed Ducky up for our Boarding School program and we were able to accommodate her stay as soon as she arrived. We were also able to schedule important follow up lessons before they left 6 weeks later. Ducky, being a puppy, needed help learning things like chewing only on appropriate things such as toys; good manners and commands. We worked on her leash skills so she started off walking on a loose leash next to Cherry, instead of pulling in front of her. Ducky also learned crucial commands such as “place” and “down”, so when she was in public areas she could calm down quickly and have a clear understanding of boundaries. We took Ducky to as many public places as possible, including coffee shops, Lowe’s and Home Depot, pet food stores and car washes as well as dog parks [only watching from the outside].
When Ducky went home to Cherry she had a great foundation of leash walking, commands and socializing with others. During our follow up lessons with Cherry we made sure she knew how to say commands correctly and at correct times, so Ducky could clearly know what Cherry needed from her. We also worked on how to handle the leash and use leash communication with Ducky, especially when verbal commands were limited.
Cherry and Ducky have now traveled to several states and they are in good sync with one another. They visit dog friendly places almost daily and have even traveled on planes together without any issues. Due to all of the hard work they both put into the training Ducky no longer needs much direction from Cherry to do things that are needed as she has a clear understanding of what she needs to do.
