The only thing better than watching a dog do a happy dance is watching a recently rescued shelter dog doing a happy dance. This is our new addition, Miss Emilie. I adopted her from a shelter a month ago, and here is a comparison of her shelter photo and her photo now.
When she arrived, she was still drying up from the litter of puppies she’d been nursing. God only knows where those puppies are now. Miss Emilie was exhausted and spent the first few days recuperating from her 2-1/2 year-long journey from wherever she’d been and however she’d lived to her new life with us. She’d been spayed by the shelter, and when I got her home, I bathed her for what seemed like the first time ever. She wasn’t thrilled with getting wet, but wash after wash finally got the grime and smell off her. A sudsy shower does help a dog feel pretty again.
The video below is Miss Emilie’s Friday morning happy dance. Though she does happy dances like this everyday of recent. She’s feeling light on her paws, very pretty, and her fun-loving personality is blooming as she’s discovering toys, security, routine, good food, care, and friendly dog playmates.
Emilie is learning a lot on her own and from me. She’s learned not to turn too quickly in the house or she bangs her head. Ouch! She loves to look at her beautiful reflection in the oven whenever she takes a drink. And lucky us! She’s quite the sloppy drinker, but we compromise with a towel spread and an extra one on the side to wipe up the puddles.
She’s not housetrained, and I doubt she’s ever lived in a house, so she’s undergoing our Housetraining 123 program and progressing very nicely. And she’s learning to retrieve. Dobermann are not natural retrievers, but I love teaching the retrieve, and Dobermann Emilie loves reward-based dog training, so it’s fun for both of us. All dogs love reward-based dog training! Emilie’s also found a friend in our little Poodle/Terrier ward, Sammie. They are quite the odd couple, and enjoy each other’s company.
Emilie had a great time playing with our most recent board-and-train, 6-month-old Bailey the yellow Lab. Emilie and Bailey ran all over our half-acre lot playing chase games, tag, and they even wrestled. This is a more demure play time between the two of them while Sammie, our board-and-train dog training ward supervises.
Outsmarting Dogs dog training has a program for most dog owners who need help with their dogs’ behavior. I love to train all dogs and puppies and my programs and training creates thinking dogs who respond because they want to, not out of fear or like robots. I have trained and owned rescued dogs since I was allowed to have a dog as a youngster (decades) and find them to be most grateful, cooperative, loving dogs who learn extremely well with kindness, food motivation, and a trainer who knows the craft and behavioral science behind humanely training dogs.
Contact me if you are thinking about board-and-train for your rescue dog or puppy. Our humane boot camps are extraordinarily fun, effective, and efficient for dogs. We never use force or shock. We outsmart dogs instead!
Helen Verte Schwarzmann
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Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC Canine Good Citizen/CGC and STAR Puppy Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for Fort Myers, Lee county, Naples, Collier county, and southwest Florida
