We have been running into a lot of shy, nervous, and fearful dogs lately, a little more than usual.  In addition to strong leadership, a solid foundation of obedience, and socialization, these dogs need some confidence!

One of our favorite ways to build confidence in shy dogs is to teach them to maneuver over the agility equipment.  Not only does it help them feel a sense of accomplishment but you can see them start to become more outgoing and willing to participate after their initial exposure to the different obstacles.  These experiences absolutely start to carry over into other aspects of the dogs’ lives as well!

Agility is not only good at building some confidence in these shy and nervous dogs, but it’s a ton of fun too!  Whether you have a shy dog or an outgoing knuckle head who is just looking for a job, find out more about our obstacle training and confidence course by clicking here.

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – We have THE BEST clients!  In order to show a small sign of our gratitude for all of your support, we will be breaking out some cold beverages and firing up the grill after group class on Sunday, July 18th.

We are inviting all current and past clients and their families to enjoy the afternoon with us, and of course well socialized dogs are welcome as well (no aggression cases)!

The small get together will be free of charge and will run from approximately 11am to 2 pm at our Leander dog training facility.  Food and drink will be provided and everyone is more then welcome to bring their own alcohol if desired.  Please send us an email or let us know if you plan on stopping by so that we can get an accurate count for food and drink.

Hope to see a lot of you out there!!

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We all know how important and useful the place command can be, and if you’re not practicing it at home – you should be!  Either during dinner time, movie time, answering the doorbell, or just relaxing, a properly taught and proofed place command can make all of the difference managing your dog around the home.

For a limited time only, we are making our placeboards available in a variety of choices when it comes to fabric and leg colors!  We are still going to carry the small placeboards as well as the long placeboards (and even our trick training and placeboard combo) but now you can finally have a placeboard that has as much character as your dog!

These placeboards are only going to be available for a limited time, then we go back to the boring blue boards, so head over to our online store for a complete list of color options!

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Have you ever tried to have your dog lay down while at a friend’s house, or told your dog to come at a new park, or introduced your dog to a stranger in a place where your dog has never been before?    Whether it be a delay in response time, a display of fear or uncertainty, or the overwhelming urge to explore the new environment, many of us get a much different response from our dogs in new places.

We all know that our dogs can be very easily effected by environmental factors that you and I take for granted.  Simple things like new smells and sounds can have a big impact on our dog’s behavior, not to mention the other more obvious factors that are present in new locations. In order to advance our dogs’ training and overcome location specific training, it’s important to expose them to new locations and bring them out of their comfort zones.  Here are some tips to help your dog become used to working in new environments.

• Start by finding the right locations to work with your dog, instead of taking your dog for a walk along the same route everyday, explore new parts of your neighborhood.  If you are an Unleashed Unlimited client who usually comes to our Leander dog training location, try coming to one of our Austin dog training classes for a change of pace, and vice versa.  Meet up at a friends home or a park that they visit frequently and do a little training in their favorite locations.

• If your dog is having a hard time in a new environment, don’t get frustrated or mark the wrong behaviors, remember to stick to the core concepts of your training program, don’t panic!  Instead, take a step back and practice something a bit easier and let them be successful, then return to more challenging tasks.

• Remember to keep moving!  Movement is a great way to dissipate stress in dogs and it can help them regain their focus back on you.

By working our dogs in new environments we can constantly expand their comfort zone and increase the dog’s confidence and skill level.  The world is such a better place when we have confident, obedient, and well socialized dogs!

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Your dog does not have to be very far along with their obedience to enjoy learning tricks; teaching your dogs new things actually makes them more receptive to learning!  Check out the Trick Training page for complete details and schedule of this great class.  If you don’t live in the Austin area and still want to teach your dogs some tricks, check out our Trick Training DVD!

When this installment of Trick Training 101 concludes, we will be starting the next level of trick training, so stay tuned!

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog. You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made. Also be sure to check out our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog. You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made. Also be sure to check out our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter.

As a part of National Pet Week, on Sunday, May 2, 2010, we will be kicking off Fit Dog Fit Nation Day by enjoying a hike with our dogs at Walnut Creek Park in Austin. Although Austin is known for having some of the fittest dogs around, the movement has a simple concept, it stresses the importance of fitness on both our dogs and ourselves as an entire nation.

Exercise is so important for our dogs and it’s great encouragement to get out and do something will benefit not only them, but ourselves too!  Fit Dog Fit Nation goes beyond only focusing on the importance of fitness for one day, but hopefully creating a chain of events that leads to more activities that benefit dogs and humans.  Stressing a the importance and benefits of a fit dog and a fit nation falls perfectly into this year’s National Pet Week theme, which is “Healthy Together”.

Please join us on May 2 for our Fit Dog Fit Nation event; the hike starts at 10:30 and we will be crossing the stream in a few places so please dress appropriately and bring a towel for your dog.  If you cannot make it to our event, please consider doing something else with your dog that promotes the very important message.  Hope to see everyone on May 2!

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For the past two years, Austin Fit Magazine has held a contest to find Austin’s Fittest Dogs.  All of the 18 dogs featured in the write up exemplify health and fitness and have an active and outdoor lifestyle; you know, all the things that dogs love!  Just like last year’s winners, there are some Unleashed Unlimited clients’ dogs in the on the 2010 Austin’s Fittest Dogs winners list!

So what does it take to be one of Austin’s Fittest Dogs?  Besides having an active lifestyle and a love for the outdoors, off-leash control is probably the most useful.  We all know that dogs really can’t have fun on a leash, I mean when was the last time you saw a dog catch a Frisbee, do agility, or go swimming while on a leash?  If you are looking for off leash dog training in Austin, contact Unleashed Unlimited, we can help get you and your dog off leash and having fun!

To see all of Austin’s Fittest Dogs, be sure to pick up the March 2010 issue of Austin Fit Magazine, and if you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

The Puppy Manual is composed of tons of useful training information that is aimed at getting puppies and their owners started off on the right foot.  It’s filled with pages and pages of useful training tips, drills, protocols, and scenarios that are geared at turning your puppy into the dog you want him to be!  Take a look at the video that provides a ton more details.

If you would like more information on the puppy training instructional guide or would like to purchase The Puppy Manual, you can visit The Puppy Manual page.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.