06/09/2022
Bmo came to us to work on specific agendas; reactivity to fast moving vehicles, fear for unfamiliar humans, and building general confidence. Bmo lives in a dense neighbourhood with heavy traffic, tons of frantic dogs, fast moving cars, happening all at once the moment they leave their apartment. She also lives with an older skittish dog, and they tend to feed off each other’s anxiety. So even though her issues are considerably moderate, all things considered, we have an immediate need to establish an effective communication system built on a strong foundation of trust. The earlier the better.
Here in our Board n Train program, we believe that devil is in the details; nothing is more important than building a strong foundation. First two weeks is the reward-based learning phase, all dogs will master their 5 basic commands. Week 3 and 4 is committed to proofing what they learnt in real life environments, drills include 20 minute unassisted Sit Stays at the trains stations, unassisted Sit Stay in front of dog runs, loose leash heel walks in unlikely places like Orchard Road. Just to make sure your dog prepared for their new lifestyle back home.
Owners are heavily involved in the process too; there’s 2 two-hour sessions before handing over, month-long homework drills for owners to work on from day one of handover, and post BnT training during our weekly daycare program. It only matters if we can translate our skills to owners when going home, everything else is bragging rights.
Bmo and her owner have been enjoying stress-free walks since our BnT. We cant change the dog’s nature, but we can choose to reinforce either their strengths or weaknesses. Bmo’s mother is still doing drills on the regular, we are still proactively working on loose ends when they appear, the journey is ever ongoing. We’re very proud of Bmo for all she has achieved, looking forward to grow old with her! .of.a.doge