Introducing… Koda

Say hello to Koda!  Koda is a male Newfoundland/Border Collie/Labrador mix owned by Lauren and Mark, and their brand new baby, Miles.  Canine client Chispa is currently boarding with them while her people – Rio, Ben, and Georgette – are out of town.  Rio contacted me about doing some refresher work with little Chispa while they’re away, as well as helping Lauren and Mark with Koda.  Koda has a barking problem and they hoped I could give them some suggestions.

On Monday, I went to visit with Chispa and put her through her basics refresher. Lauren brought out the treats, and I began my work. At first, because he didn’t know me, Koda took a protective stance in front of Lauren and watched me work with Chispa. But curiosity and wanting in on the treats motivated him to approach me and ask to participate in the exercises.  I allowed it, and inside of ten minutes, not only was he executing the exercises really well, but he was quiet about it, too. He even gave me a nose bump after the session was completed.

Yesterday, I went to work with him and Chispa again – and this time, we went for a walk. Lauren told me he pulls a lot on the leash, and because he’s so big and she’s physically light, she couldn’t enjoy the time with him or even relax just a little.  This is the result of Koda’s first training walk. After the session was done and both dogs had been released from the exercises, Lauren told me that they’ve had Koda work with other trainers, but had little to no success. She was very surprised at Koda’s transformation:

Koda has a few minor issues going on that can be resolved fairly easily just by giving him calm, assertive leadership and consistency in that leadership. It’s my pleasure to be asked to be a part of this family’s journey with him, and I look forward to working with them in the near future.

Have a great day and a great weekend, everyone. Remember to stay calm and lead on.