The Really Reliable Recall at the “Tanner Park Walk Community Event”

I created a Community Event at Tanner Park (For those of who don’t know I now hold weekly community events where you train your dog, socialize, and have fun!).  No one showed for the event.  I checked into my body and realized I felt sad. I allowed that feeling to be there and loved it.  As a result, an amazing shift happened.  My dog, Seiki, and I created an amazing “recall” experience at the park today.

Seiki and I walked the trail on our own.  I was in open space, happiness and joy.  Some of you might know that Seiki loves to run and and run.  Boy can he run far!  The recall we created today was astonishing!!!!!!!  He came when called immediately 95% of the time and the other 5% he still came but was a bit slower.

Here are some amazing tips I learned:

I bought a special treat at the Dog’s Meow, Plato Salmon Strips (great salmon smell and easy to break up).  I have also been using cheese, turkey lunch meat, and hotdogs.  The variety helps and I only use these treats for his recall.

Reward your dog with at least 20 seconds worth of crumb sized treats for a great recall!

Practice practice, practice.  Seiki didn’t just improve on his recall over night.  I have practiced his recall on a long line at parks free of dogs, on wide trails, and during walks around the neighborhood.

We have also found fenced areas that are not very populated so the distractions are low. On Tuesday he came 100% immediately!

I gave him a jackpot (numerous treats one at a time) every time he checked in with me.  Checking in means that he came to me voluntarily.  To increase the number of his check ins I would run away from him when he was looking in my generally direction.  

For a border collie that loves to herd, his recall is amazing!  He even left other dogs, smells, and birds to come to me!

I enjoy recall training immensely and it is a must for most dog owners.  Create a great recall and come to the next community event at Tanner Park!  Also repetition and practice are a key.  The more community events you come to the better behaved your dog becomes!

For further reading on creating a great recall click on the Catalyst Article link and read the two articles “Huh Come?” and “Come … Again.”

Happy Recall Training!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Owner and Trainer of Four Legged Scholars LLC

It’s More Than Just Dog Training

Hmmmm…where do I begin? I am taking a wonderful course called ALC (Accelerated Learning Community).   This course is instructed by Annabeth Christie, Megan Sillito and Mary Tebbs.  Megan and  Annabeth are both life coaches for Life Works.  They teach amazing classes on Tuesday nights called Life Skills.  I am attending Life Skills as well.  I want to begin by sharing with you some amazing information I have learned through these classes from these wonderful people.

Awhile I ago I also began Life Coaching with Marinna Siri.  She and I worked together and we established an amazing relationship that shifted me in my life more than I can even describe in words.  I came to her with the intention of growing my dog training business.  I realized that there is so much more to this than just marketing.

What I learned and I am still learning:

Be present.  The past and the future are totally outside of our control.

Be authentic.  Express how you feel..verbally, through body language, through a dance, etc..  Give yourself full permission to feel what you are feeling.

When you are in a relationship with anyone a client, a lover, a friend take full responsibility.  Blame does no good.  Claiming responsibility without blame allows you to claim your power.  For example: “I am responsible for creating a fun and loving relationship with every single client I have.”  I have control over the way I interact with them and I value this lesson very much.

Keep your commitments, change the commitments that you didn’t really want to make anyways and recommit.  Double check in your body if this is something that you really want to do in the first place.

Commit to joy in your life.  When you move away from joy recommit.

Breath through your belly.  This helps your entire body to shift into a more resourceful state of mind.

Move your body.  Dance.  When you do this you give yourself permission to be creative and to formulate ideas.  A stiff body is much harder to create solutions from.

Know your stories.  It can be beneficial to know the stories that you have in your subconscious mind.  Realize that they are the past and commit to being fully within yourself in the present moment.  You are you and you are not your stories.

Here is a personal experience.  I had a story in my subconscious mind that stated “I fear people are judging me.”  This morning I formulated this story strongly in my head.  Then I became in-tune to every body sensation that I had (stagnant breath, tight belly, pain in my right ear, tension in my shoulders, etc.).  I became aware of what emotions were tied to each of these sensations.  They were anger, sadness and fear.  I fully allowed myself to feel every single one of these emotions.  I exaggerated each one.  As I did this, I allowed the emotions to shift.

Then I went farther and look at when this story was first created which was in kindergarten.  A girl named Lisa came over to me and claimed that this was her kitchen during play time.  I felted judged and that I must be quiet and allow myself to be controlled.  I also asked who in my life did I allow myself to formulate this story from.  The answer was my dad.  I truly know and believe that my dad is very loving. He did have a temper and would criticize me frequently.  

I allowed myself to put these stories in the past and recommitted to  being fully authentic in every relationship I have especially in groups of people (my fear seems greater when I am in groups of people).

As I write more and more and I realize that I write what I am inspired to write. I realize that some people may not understand what this has to do with owning a business or with training your personal dog.  I will keep it this answer simple.  

The more authentic and present we are with ourselves, the more love we can create in any relationship with ourselves, with other people, or with our dogs.  The more love we create in these relationships the closer we become and the easier our relationships become.  As a dog trainer it is important for my clients to understand that training our dogs is small part of a bigger picture.  If we practice the above exercises training is easy.  It is no longer stressful or controlling.

God Bless all of You!

-Johanna Teresi, Professional Dog  Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC

Community and Love is the Key

“The trouble was, I had been making my contributions form a sense of ‘me,’ not from a sense of ‘us.’  The shift changed everything in me.  Now I was committed to our world, not my world. -Gay Hendricks Conscious Living

As I continue as a business owner and love my clients very much, I realize the importance of listening and understanding my clients needs.

One thing I have found that I really enjoy doing lately is responding to each and every e-mail I receive from any past, present, or future client.

I could come from an aspect of you are no longer my client so I am just going to ignore you especially since I am no longer receiving $$ from you anymore.

I very much enjoy coming from a perspective of love.  I love each and every single one of my clients and their dogs of course!!  I want a client of Four Legged Scholars to be a client of mine forever.

As a result I welcome e-mails from past clients.  I get to share love with them and hear the wonderful experiences they are having with their dogs.

Four Legged Scholars welcomes any dog lover to share experiences with us!

May we build a dog community full of love and light!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Dog Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC