The Dog Days of August 

I don't have a whole ton of time, but I wanted to do a brief update to all of Rockstar Azul's Fans. As we search for the perfect Handler for Roz, we are getting well adjusted to having her at home. Roz can still struggle with over-excitement around my husband and totally loves to retrieve...everything she can find including Daniel's underwear for some reason.

The excitement of having another dog to play with day in and day out has faded a bit. While they do enjoy some backyard zoomies and wrestle sessions, they don't have the need to play non-stop when we have free time.  This is nice, because it helps to all be on the same page when we just want to relax. Azul was going to hide in the woodshed when he needed a break. It's cooler in there and Roz wouldn't bug him. But now he's back to laying beside my chair in the shade as Roz has stopped bugging him non-stop. Let's just say it's more peaceful now that the arousal level is going down.

It's still a struggle to take both dogs for a walk together. If it's a more focused, shorter leash walk down the sidewalk and around the block, no problem. A quick outing to go potty is typically fine having both dogs attached to my via longline. But the long hiking through the woods on a nice relaxed, longer leash can be a bit much. That means we simply are not hiking as much as I'd like to be. But we are getting out to sniff new environments a few times a week. And if I put them in Service Dog Mode, I can easily take them both into a public environment. I'm still only doing this in pet friendly places because Roz really struggles with her leash skills when Azul is heeling right beside her. Let's just say that's a work in progress.

As many of you know, I've been working on taking Roz through the Public Access Class training that we are teaching.  This week she's focusing on restaurant training.

Azul has a new sudden interest in joining in the training sessions, which I love! He's always just sat back and watched Roz train, but now he wants to have fun too. I have a couple of training videos where Azul interrupts Roz's game or Roz interrupts Azul's game. I think these are fun. When this happens I always try to include the interrupter or change to games both dogs can play.

The Dog Days of August Package of Craziness

I added a package that includes one 4 hour session and two follow up sessions for a total of 6 hours that takes place within 30 days. This is for my dedicated clients and those looking to make bigger changes and willing to put in the work. You can see the full package on my website. 

I love this package and dedicating time to those who want to learn and make positive changes. But it's made my schedule extra busy and downright crazy! I'm really excited that I have so many clients who are loving the idea of an intense day of focused problem solving and learning together. Many of my clients that have been working with one dog are using this package to begin working with another dog in their family. I can't wait to meet these new friends!

I have tons of great things happening in August, mostly work related since July involved so many vacation days. But I'm excited for the challenge. 

I've been getting tons of videos of movement puzzles which Azul and Roz are really loving. I'm sure you'll see them on my website or social media accounts. I'd love to have some of our fans suggest concepts or skills that you want to see designed into a movement puzzle. If you have something your struggling with, please email it to me at yooperpaws@gmail.com.

At the Training Center

I'm looking for a cleaning person that would come in once a week to mop my floors and clean the bathrooms.  I had a client trading cleaning for training, but she's at a point where she can't do it anymore. I've been trying to do it all myself, but my body is rebelling. I'm supposed to be mopping my floor today, but I couldn't stand up without my head exploding so instead I'm resting.

I'm also trying to start a new email service, but the set up time is simply killing me. Once I get everyone's address in there I will be sending a welcome to our new "Email List" email sent out. I've been working on this since June, so hopefully I can get it finished up.

I think I'm finally at a point that we have all the toys, games, and puzzles that I'd like to have at the training center, which is a good feeling. But I know that won't last long as I'll soon see something new I have to have. LOL  I'm just pleased that it only took me 5 months to get things up and running smoothly. Now I'm hoping to focus a bit more on my computer work, blogs, and virtual clients that I've been neglecting a bit these last few months.

Hopefully August will be a month of helping hands and helping paws as we all become better teammates together. I hope you all enjoy what's left of summer before the busy fall schedules begin!