Real Life Rover Testimonial

Many owners only want the basic behavior for their dog and I always try to convince them that teaching real life manners is more important. Not only is your dog learning how to adjust to real life but as the owner you learn how to be confident and a true leader. Below is a story/testimonial that I received from a Certified “Gold” Real Life Rover team!

Sadie and I were out doing off-leash walking in Percy Warner park this morning when we came across a guy who had just crashed his bike.  I put her on a stay and proceeded to figure out what was going on with him—he seemed okay at first if a little mangled, so I helped him call his wife, got his bike out of the road, and found his water bottle, planning to stay with him till his wife arrived.  Then as I sat and started gauging what had happened and got worried he had a head injury (he hit head first), he got slurry and non-responsive and started having mild convulsions.  So I called Tom and then his wife and then EMT, and spent a while on the phone with them trying to direct them into where we were in the park.  By then the fellow was doing a little better again, more conscious.   I didn’t look at Sadie the whole time.  By the time I finally did look, she had inched her way about 3 feet closer, but never broke the stay.

Of course, she got nutty when the emt trucks pulled up—first guardy and then all excited and wriggly—I had her on leash by then.  So she’s not perfect but I thought that the long stay was pretty darned impressive.

Thanks for helping me get her there!

Dana & Sadie

If you feel like you’re ready to teach your dog how to behave in the real world, give me a call! You don’t have to do the Real Life Rover program to teach your dog what he needs to know, but you do have to give me a call!

Becoming a Foster Parent

There are so many dogs in this world that are in need of a temporary home, a foster home. Foster homes give dogs a chance to learn manners to prepare them for their forever home. However, foster homes are difficult to come by for some rescues. When rescues remove dogs from shelters they do so because they know they’re adoptable and that they can give them the chance they deserve. Most of these dogs come from the shelter with no manners and often times aren’t even housebroken. Being a foster parent means that you’re taking on the responsibility to teach a dog the appropriate manners to help him find his forever home. Being an exceptional foster parent takes a lot of hard work and time. You must have your own dogs under control and you must have some knowledge on dealing with particular behavior problems or at least have access to a professional.

Being a foster parent is very rewarding when your rescue finds his forever home and remains there. You’ll cry from sadness because you’ll miss him but you’ll also cry from happiness because he got what he deserved, a loving home of his own. I encourage you to check out one of your local rescue organizations to get involved with foster care. Many have foster orientation classes that will help prepare you for the task at hand. I also give an in-depth seminar on being a foster parent that will set you and your rescue up for success! Our next seminar is AUGUST 27TH, 7PM at Woof Waggin’ Board & Biscuit in Pegram.

New DogSpeak Employee

Meet Tall Oaks Dayin Dublin Ivey, the newest addition to the Ivey family and the newest DogSpeak employee. Dayin will train to assist our trainer, Nikki, in rehabilitating dogs and helping them to learn how to have appropriate manner when on and off leash. Dayin is a 7-week old Rottweiler and comes from the same bloodline as her older sister, TBAA. Dayin, like TBAA, will also be trained in search & rescue and will specialize in Human Remains. She’s fitting in nicely with our pack and we expect wonderful and amazing things from her! Welcome Dayin!