Old Dominion Dog Training

Hi, folks! 👋🏻 It’s been...a while. What I thought was going to be a short break from dog training turned into an indefinite pause, at least in regards to taking on new clients. In the last couple of years, I’ve helped a handful of families with new additions or a “tune up” for dogs I’d already trained, but I’ve missed working with dogs and their people on a regular basis.

I’m taking things slowly, but it feels good to be training again! 🐾 In the last several weeks, I finished up programs with two new dogs — a handsome Golden Retriever/Australian Shepherd mix named Cricket, and a spunky little Russell Terrier puppy named Phoebe!

What do we have here? A calm Vizsla puppy? It isn’t magic — it’s balanced training! When I told Finney’s owners, Teri and Kimberly, their homework goal for the week was to have Finney hold a Climb command for the duration of a meal, I could see the skepticism in their eyes. 🤨 But they’ve already given Finney an awesome jumpstart with training, so during our first lesson, we were able to quickly build on that foundation. The Climb command is a rambunctious puppy owner’s best friend!

Otto, the 14-month-old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, is 120 lbs of enthusiasm! This sweet, smart boy is learning the importance of being calm, especially around guests and kiddos. 🐾 Building on commands he already knows, we focused on the Sit, Climb and Kennel commands during this morning’s lesson.

It’s rare that I get a photo with my dogs in training! Thankful for the opportunity to work this sweet pup, Bella, and her family. 💕 She’s learning all the on-leash basics in preparation for welcoming another Golden Retriever puppy into the family next month!

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This sweet little Lab puppy, Cash, is off to a fantastic start! His family reached out about training well before he even came home, so they hit the ground running with crate training and no free roaming. I knew things were going well when I arrived at the family’s home for our first lesson to find they’d handwritten flash cards for all of the ODDT training commands and taped them up above Cash’s crate. They wanted to make sure the whole family, kids and parents, were using the same training vocabulary. High five, y’all! 🙌🏻

The Collazo family took Bomber’s new training skills on the road last weekend, enjoying a family picnic while he held a Climb command close by. My favorite benefit of Climb? Allowing dogs to be included in social gatherings without having them underfoot or getting into mischief!

Do you have to use a raised dog bed for the Climb command? Nope! Climb can be used with any object that’s different than the ground — a folded blanket, a park bench, or even a kid’s chair (bought just for this cute little pup). Three-month-old Cockapoo Arthur learned some new leash skills this weekend, in addition to fine-tuning his crate manners. 🐾

Those eyes! Twelve-week-old Bomber started his Puppy Manners program this week. His family has a large backyard and 30 chickens, so we’re setting the foundation for future off-leash obedience. 🐕🐓

Very important conversations happening between 14-week-old Boon and his owner, Craig! 🐾 This handsome bird dog is working on puppy manners, learning impulse control and basic commands.