I've been so darn busy recently I haven't had time to update y'all!
I ended up posting some 600 pictures to the gallery so I'll do individuals and some of my favorites.
You can see them all here
http://dakonicphotography.smugmug.com/E ... &k=R2RCTNzRyan and PippinRyan did an awesome job with Pippin.. he practically had a competition worthy heel the entire time they were walking the track. They ended up getting the award for "Best Match"
(Pippin's name was previously Diesel)
Mikala and ScoutMikala is actually my cousin, and I'm so glad she ended up going to camp. She's expressed interest in dog training so the introduction/training in the use of PR/Clicker training is good for her.
(Previous name was Alejandro)
Scout... now, he's a little firecracker. He got off twice (I didn't see him get loose so I can't say how, other than the second time his collar was off. We use martingales) and both times went straight for Chance. (one of the most unconfrontational of all the dogs) The latter being during graduation... He's a very confident little fella, and LOVED being at the front of the group when we walked in line. lol
Grace and RubyGrace loved Ruby, she was always commenting about something positive about her. Ruby was the youngest in the group and was your typical puppy except on the calmer side. Very sweet, good natured little pup.
Tyler and EmmieI remember the first day he took Emmie out, she was screaming the entire time (a staffie-like scream), you'd have to completely remove the other dogs from view to take her out of a state of being over threshold. She almost didn't make it into the camp because she was so dog reactive but she improved
very rapidly with Tyler. He did a amazing job training her, within the first 3 days he was able to have her in the group instead of across the field. He ended up getting the award of "Most Improved" for the effort he put into her.
Reilly and SparkyBoth Reilly and Sparky had similar lighthearted, comical personalities. They went well together and had very little issues other than Sparky could sometimes be spacey. Which was nice, it gave me and the other counselor's more time to focus on the kid's with more challenging dogs.
(Sparky was previously called Musketeer)
We were sitting under the bridge, and he was watching the people above walk across it.
Calley and CopperAnother nice, easy going pairing, she did a great job with the little guy early on so we had little to no issues with Copper. He walked well on leash, was focused, sat for greetings, no surprise that he was adopted quickly.
(Previously called "Fox")
He didn't enjoy his bath
Amiyah and HenleyDuring Amiyah's first camp (last year) she got one of the "problem dogs" that took a lot of time and effort. She never once complained and worked with him the entire time. We joking say that Henley was her reward for all her hard work before. He's got your typical feisty terrier personality and liveliness, but we never had an issue. She was already well versed in lowering threshold and keeping attention due to her work with her first dog.
Max and AlexAlex was just.. dopey, ditsy, 10 month old puppy, not a serious bone in his body. And Max is the same way, even if he didn't want to admit it, Max and Alex had very similar personalities. Once Alex was walked and got his jitters out he focused well and learned quickly.
(Previously called "Axle Rod")
Devan and PorkchopThe first day out Porkchop just sat and barked and barked and barked... it was like he was doing a bark and hold on an invisible decoy. After the second day there were very noticeable differences, he was much calmer, and focused. He's naturally dopey/silly, like most labs I've met, but Devan did a great job getting him to calm down and focus. He'd be a bit crazy when he first got out, but after a lap or two he was great.
We jokingly called him "Prokcop" because of a typo Devan made.. twice. lol
Jordan and GunnerIt never fails, one of the biggest dogs in camps gets paired with one of the smallest. Gunner's a big harder to get to focus, not so much because he's distracted as much as it is he doesn't really pick up on human cues like most dogs, doesn't really give eye contact.. it's interesting. But she did a great job with him anyway, his pulling was still and issue but had improved greatly, he learned several tricks and became more focused.
Makayla and HezekiahMakayla helped Hezekiah come out of his shell, when before he didn't even want to put his collar on, he was bouncing and eager to get out the door and go for a walk. He also hated walking at first... He'd pick up his feet like they hurt every step, but by the end walked the whole river trail with all the other dogs.
(Formly known and "The Hulk" and "Holmer")
Collin and ChanceI can't say enough good things about these two, Collin impressed me. Collin was one of those kids where you never had to tell him anything twice, he caught on the first time and did it well. Chance liked to bark.. well, I take that back, he LOVES to bark. When he's walking, when he's sitting, when he's bored, when he's focused, I found it comical but obviously it's something that needed to be harnesses to increase his likelihood of adoption. Collin taught him something I never even taught my dogs, he did it in two days, and Chance was doing it with a high accuracy rate. (in fact I never saw him mess up) He taught him to bark and stop barking on command, if he barked when he didn't want him to, he'd look away and ignore him. When Chance stopped barking he'd get rewarded.
"Bark"
and the cue to stop barking
Megan and BentleyBentley was the male model of the group, he seemed to do everything with finesse. Megan had it easy with him, which she had earned with her past camps. She got a larger rotty mix who won "Biggest Diva" the first year, and a Pit Bull pup who was going through the troublesome stage her second year. Megan's a very nice girl who's another one that follow direction well and has good timing with her clicks.
Sophia and KinzeySophia was another one who had dealt with a really hard dog during her first year, and I mean really hard, she never stopped trying and made it to the end with her. So Kinzey was well deserved, she pulled a lot, but she's a lovely little gal who's also your typical terrier.
Lauren and TuckerTucker was this camp's "problem dog", he was very hard to keep focused around the other dogs, but she kept working with him, and never once complained. By the end of camp she could walk him on a loose lead in front of all the other dogs up to the front to give her graduation speech. Might be a small thing for some dogs, but for Tucker that was awesome.
Risa and ArlieLast but not least!
Some of you may remember me mentioning Arlie awhile ago (previously called Airlie), she was the spastic little pup we all thought was going to take a lot of work. But Risa did a fabulous job with her! I couldn't say one thing negative about her, her timing was great and she knew what to look for and reward. Arlie was always looking to her for guidance.
(She was absent on the individual pictures day, so someone else took her individual shot)
Aaaaaand some of my favorite pictures.
A Killdeer hatchling
Proof he's a dork
Burm hat anyone?
All of our great counselors, minus one (and the gal on the end is the trainer)
A Gray Fox kit
Alpaca that came to visit
Watching a spay
None of the dogs.. except Porkchop enjoyed their baths.
Gunner making rainbows
Arlie had a weird reaction to the water... she hates the water... but instead of bolting away from it, she leaped into it, then panicked even more. :dunno:
Ruby, Emmie, Sparky, Bentley, Hezekiah, Gunner, Tucker, Copper, and Arlie have all been adopted so far.
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by iheartmydog on Sat Jun 02, 2012 6:25 pm 
Things are quite hectic around my house at the moment. 
