Wild Canine, LLC: training the canine brain

Wild Canine offers group classes at Central Bark Mequon, and Community Bark in Bayview and Bayside. Classes are limited to six dogs to ensure a relaxed, low-stress environment and individual attention for each dog/human pair. Positive reinforcement helps build motivation, attention span, desirable behavior and is just plain fun. Wild Canine offers in-home consultations for dogs who are fearful, re

04/23/2023

Vinny loves playing mat games out in the world but carrying a GSD sized mat can be cumbersome. Today we played with reducing the size of the mat so that the mat is more like a “mark” for movie dogs. That way his human can bring a mat along in her pocket - how functional! We started by folding his big mat and quickly progressed to a dish towel. Expanding concepts is a cool way to broaden a skill set and see a dog’s brain in action. Also, it’s just fun 🤩

04/20/2023

I got to see Bondi in her home for her first transfer lesson. She did utterly fantastic on her walk when seeing other dogs and her human settled in to practicing their new skills. Board and Train works! 🤍

04/12/2023

If you have tried to leave me a voicemail in the last 48 hours, I apologize! Apple restored all deleted messages since February 😅 and my inbox was full. Please shoot me another call or text and I’ll get right back to you. :)

04/12/2023

Our beautiful Anatolian Shepherd, Simone Persimmon, is fourteen years old this year. She’s kind and safe to all in the house and is very effective at scaring (distant) coyotes away by barking from the deck. Isn’t she lovely in the morning sun? ☀️

04/11/2023

I received this lovely message today from BC mix Benji’s human regarding his improved behavior due to pattern games on his adventure walks with his dog walker 💗 Helping dogs relax and cope with the world makes for happy dogs and people. From Sarah: “I am so grateful for your knowledge and wisdom. It is exciting to see Benji mature into a new version of himself! From my dog walker: Benji is going to be a tired pup after his exciting morning! Practicing initial calm and focus when I came in was clearly a lot of effort for him, but he did a really good job moving into pattern games when we went outside. He had all sorts of energy on our walk too, and enjoyed playtime and sniffs. There was A LOT going on by the lakefront, and he did SUCH a good job with his look-at-that’s (dogs, joggers, bikes, kids, geese… he only barked at one dog out of all the creatures we encountered!) He is such an amazing dog and the hard work you’ve put in to help him stay relaxed and happy really show.”

04/11/2023

Sweet Rosie the Bernedoode is back for boarding while her family enjoys their spring break. We love having her here and I think her smile says it all 💜

04/11/2023

Rosie and new board and train Arlo (viszla) having a fun morning play session with the wubba bumble bee 🐝

03/28/2023

At night, board and train pups who are allowed on the furniture are free to snuggle with their person of choice during their stay. Here, Bondi snuggles with my daughter, Maeve ❤️

03/28/2023

Bunny’s loose leash walking is on point! 🐇⭐️🥳

03/23/2023

Once a dog can easily play attention games in new environments, then we move to more continuous movement using the 123 pattern game from Leslie McDevitt. This is harder generally, because every step forward is the potential for new sights, sounds and potential social interactions. Because of this, I start first moving just up and down one less busy block so the dog is able to be successful. If they catch sight of something (in this case a human unloading product for a store) I add in “I see that too” as a verbal marker and feed them for pointing out the change in environment to me. This helps them relax and know it’s still ok to be aware and process the environment during training.
Here Bunny 🐰 does a great job moving between games and maintaining a loose leash. 💗⭐️
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like your dog to learn loose leash walking and better comfort in public!

03/19/2023

The first game I play in public with board and train dogs who are here for loose leash walking is a simple attention pattern game. For most dogs, the moment they start to walk forward on a leash, they surge to the end because that is what they have done every day of their life. Even though I’ve already taught solid loose leash walking on the farm by this point, I know it’s better to start with something easier that creates focus and success. Here you see Bunny, who is four years old and hails from busy Chicago, learning to pay attention out in public on a leash. The game is simple: I toss a treat out and away from me and he goes to eat it. After he eats it he may continue to look around as long as he wants to or he can choose to re-orient to me and I will then toss another treat out into the environment, giving him a chance to visually process the scene. In this way he can gather information and practice staying connected to me not only physically by a leash but also mentally. This is a game he learned first in my home with no distractions so it is very familiar by this point. 🐰💗

03/14/2023

I have openings in both my board and train and enrichment boarding program starting in late April. If you are looking for your dog to learn some new skills in a safe, idyllic and enriched environment - reach out! I can help your dog brush up on basics or learn totally new skills. Lots of folks combine with a vacation so the dog can learn while you play!

Dogs must be dog social and human social and able to be crated or behind a gate if necessary. Dogs live in my home, integrated into my crew to the extent possible (no wild puppies on the couch during movie time ☺️)

Let me know if you would like more information or to reserve a few weeks for your pup’s education! All training utilizes positive reinforcement and is behavior informed. You can DM me here for r text: 414-943-3647. Can’t wait to meet your pup! 💗

Photos from Wild Canine, LLC: training the canine brain's post

08/09/2022

One of the sweetest cases I’ve had the pleasure of working ❤️

“After adopting a kitten our 12 year old Labrador-Australian Shepherd had a complete meltdown. Not only was he terrified of the kitten, but he refused to eat, would stay in our bedroom all day long and as visibly stressed. The sweet, easygoing and happy dog we’d have for 12 years vanished overnight and was constantly in terror mode. After almost a month of trying everything to abate his fears, multiple visits to the vet and a lot of sleepless nights we decided to call for professional help.

From the second Jen walked in my door I had a feeling everything was going to be okay. She listened to all of our concerns, asked thoughtful questions and helped us formulate a plan to ease the situation. Her advice was centered around helping us understand our dog’s state of mind, and how to support him towards getting back to his normal self. Within days of following her advice our dog began to get back to his equilibrium. And less than a week later we found him cuddled up with the cat! Jen gave us the understanding and tools to make sure our pets can coexist in a happy / stress free way. We can’t thank her enough and would definitely recommend her without hesitation. “ - Laura M

07/07/2022

Dan Dan can now exit the house on leash without pulling and give offered eye contact with the whole wide world in front of him. He LOVES learning and can’t wait for his turn each day. This is a pup who scream barked and ripped his paw pads on leash just a few weeks ago.
Next is to add in operant attention shift leave its with stuffed squirrels and wildlife in the house for use outside with real animals. Stay tuned!

06/30/2022

⭐️At home Dan Dan does not always come when called out of his yard and into his house. Some of that is his excitement about wildlife but another component is practicing stopping what you are doing and running to a person. Here I am “re-installing” the basic motor pattern before also teaching a solid, R+ leave-it to combine for the two skills usually needed for coming when called! ⭐️

06/30/2022

⭐️One of Dan Dan’s foundation skills is the Up and Down game. Just putting his leash on raises his excitement so high that he needs help to calm down. Walking outside with him that excited would only be a recipe to practice old patterns of bark screaming!
This simple pattern helps him calm by offering both food (eating helps us calm down, don’t we all know!) and a rhythmic pattern which soothes his nervous system. Later we will use this outside with his triggers. ⭐️

06/28/2022

Handsome Whirlybird just returned home from his enrichment boarding stay. Dogs who are dog social, able to be crated or penned and want to play in a huge yard and rest on furniture with people while you are gone are welcome! DM for more info. ⭐️

06/28/2022

Little Dan Dan is here for a two week board and train stay. He’s a wire haired Daschund whose moms would like him to learn how to come when called away from exciting wildlife in his yard, how to stop barking and down regulate his emotions so he can listen and how to walk on leash without tearing up his paw pads. Stay tuned for videos of core skills to address these issues! 🐶⭐️🐶⭐️

06/14/2022

Did you know Wild Canine offers Board and Train and/or boarding?

Dogs can come for either formal board and train sessions where they learn new skills to take home and implement with their family OR they can come here for “enrichment boarding” where they just stay here on the farm and play with my dogs, run in our acre yard, do field hikes with my Koolies and enjoy serious couch and relaxation time at the end of the day.

Dogs must be dog social, crate trained or pen trained and human and toddler social.
If you or anyone you know is looking for a low stress, super fun and safe place to send their dog for training or boarding, I have some availability.
Kiddie pool available in this hot weather!
DM or text 414-943-3647 to get set up!

03/12/2021

Today Sheldon dropped off his brother Vinny for some ongoing training. Sheldon is very supportive and rode with him in the car and hiked with him when he first arrived in order to ensure a smooth transition.
Vinny will be continuing to work on loose leash walking, house training and general engagement in more complex environments.
Of course he’ll get lots of time to play with dogs, hike and hang out too! Welcome back, MCV!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

03/10/2021

Stella⭐️ Luna🌛is back for boarding while her family is on spring break. She fit right back in and we are loving spending time with her again. 💗

03/10/2021

Former board and train and current client, Vinny enjoying a neighborhood walk with his human utilizing techniques from Control Unleashed. Learning to navigate the excitement of other dogs, people, bicycles and cars is a process. This level of relaxation and engagement is !

03/01/2021

Well, it’s been nearly a year since the pandemic started and I’ve made some changes to my business model.
My main focus now is training your dog here at my farm! 🐶⭐️🌳

Options include:
1) Send your new puppy straight from the breeder (or smother them with love for a few weeks at home first) for a solid start on crate training, potty training, basic leash skills and dog social skills.

2) Send your pandemic pup ( 6 months and under) for 1-3 weeks of puppy sleep away camp. They will play with my varied and dog social dogs, go on hikes on our 100 acres, learn tricks in daily sessions and broaden their horizons.

3)Send your older (dog social) dog to learn to be comfortable with nail trimming, to brush up on their foundation obedience skills, or to learn foundational sport skills for obedience, disc or extreme hiking! If you can dream it, we can teach it!! ⭐️

4) Send your pup or dog here while you go on vacation. They will stay in the comfort of a home rather than a kennel and have constant supervision and care. 💗( Dogs must be dog social, have a recent clean f***l test and be up to date on vaccinations.)

All pups/dogs stay *in* my house and live as my personal family dogs do, sharing space, playing in my acre fenced yard, hiking on the 100 acres behind us and learning new skills indoors and out.
Owners receive video composites of their dog’s skills and virtual follow up lessons, or choose to have your follow up lesson here at the farm, (masked, naturally! )

Spring is coming and it’s time to get ready for a fun summer outside! Message me or comment below if you’d like to send your pup for an awesome experience!!