Junie Goes to School: Day Academy Training

With preschool behind her, our Brittany pup Junie was ready to run with the big dogs at Day Academy here at Dog Training Now. With her lunch packed and her leash ready, J had some advice – and extra love – for her on her first Monday morning. He kissed her paw so that she wouldn’t be too homesick, told her to listen to her teachers and to meet new friends. And off to school she went, pulling on her leash and wagging her tail the whole way.

Our Day Academy training is serious business, and Junie learned quickly. When her owners came to pick her up after the first day, they got the lowdown on her new training collar and the commands that Junie had been introduced to. While Mom was ready to try out Junie’s new “let’s go” and “heel” commands on an evening walk, it was clear that Junie was too beat to hit the pavement. Trading in their usual 2 mile evening walk for some sleepy cuddles on the couch, it was safe to say that Junie’s first day was exhausting for everyone.

Junie had, in her first 4 months of life, gotten into the habit of pulling and lunging on her leash. Besides being awful manners, pulling on her leash was not going to work too much longer if J decided to hold her leash or if Mom wanted to take her for a run. Since Junie was such a puller, Trainers Judy and Nick decided that a mix of praise and wearing a training collar would be best suited for this little ball of energy. While Mom was just fine with Junie’s new training necklace, everyone was surprised to hear that Dad was a bit more hesitant and worried.

“It’s common for owners to get a little nervous when we introduce training collars,” says Trainer Nick. “Without

proper education on the psychology behind the collar, it can seem intimidating.” Junie’s Dad was calmed after testing out the collar on his own wrist and seeing that there was nothing to worry about. “The collars mimic the type of correction dogs would be getting from their own mother or in their own pack,” continues Nick. “Junie doesn’t speak English quite yet so we need to help her understand what we expect from her – the training collar helps us do that.”

Trainer Judy has the education and years of experience to be confident that a mix of training collars and positive reinforcement not only yields quick results, but also sets clear expectations for the dog in training. “Training a puppy to perform for only treats isn’t going to pay off when you are out of treats. Using a combination of physical praise when puppy is performing well and a training collar to communicate boundaries and expectations is the best way for Junie to learn what pleases her family.”

In the first week of Junie’s school, she learned and practiced leash commands like “let’s go”, “heel”, “sit”, and “wait”. With just a week under her belt, Junie and her family hit the trails for her first major weekend excursion and test. Avid hikers and explorers, the family grabbed Junie and headed out to Waterfall Glen trails for a 2 hour mosey throughout the woods. There were a few times when Dad wanted to take the training collar off, but Mom stuck to the plan and had confidence in Junie (and her training). We are happy to report that Mom was right – after only 10 minutes of minor corrections, Junie settled into her hike without pulling. She was still having a great time sniffing and exploring, but this hike was peppered with commands that she needed to listen to and obey. When she obeyed her commands, she got plenty of petting and hugs from the family. Junie was confident, obeyed quickly, and relished all the extra attention she was getting. All in all, it was a hit – Junie passed her real world test with flying colors and her family was proud to have such a well behaved pup.

Day Academy Training is intensive and Junie was ready for an early bedtime all week long. During her time at school, Junie had four training sessions per day, along with rest time, lunch, walks, and even recess with a potty training puppy. She was actively learning and concentrating all day long, but the process paid off – she was able to stay calm and vigilant while still having fun with her humans on her hike.

Won’t you stick with us and stay tuned to hear all about how Junie’s humans went on vacation and left Junie for a week with Trainer Nick? You’ll want to hear all about her adventures and who she was most excited to see when the family returned home.