Last weekend we were in a pretty bad car accident on 101 at 3:30 am. A driver in a car fell asleep and hit us
totaling out our 1 ton dually pickup and our enclosed trailer. Rico was in the back seat thankfully. We all walked away
with no injuries. Rico was totally shaken up but was so well behaved as he sat with us on the side of the road for 2 hours
and then layed on the floor in a Mcdonalds for 4 hours until we could rent a car to come home. All the highway patrol officers were saying
What a great dog Rico was. It’s a time like that that I thank god I came to you and did the extra work to make him such a great dog.
Thanks for all you do!
Trial Results for Elite K9 Solutions Teams
2/1/15 Vixen picks ups some wins toward her grand championship
1/19/15 Sheila got her last leg for her Rally Excellent title on Saturday!!
1/19/15 Miley picked up two leg in AKC open Obedience this weekend and Mattie picked up some Conformation points!
12/28/14: Sheila got her second pass at NW3 with serval top 3 placements! One more ass to get their Elite Title!
11/8/14: Tess, Penny, Miley and Mattie passed their ORTs for Birch, Anise, and Clove today! Way to go teams!!
9/21/14 Vixen Finishes her United Rally Obedience 1 Title getting a 4th place and earning her first total dog award!
9/21/14 Vixen Finishes her conformation Championship.
9/21/14 Vixen Finishes her United Weight Pull Title!!
9/20/14 Cisco finishes his United Rally Obedience 2 Title taking High In Trial for both shows and earning his first total dog award.
9/20/14 Cisco take Reserve Male in his first conformation show.
9/19/14 Cisco finishes his United Weight Puller Title by pulling over 8 times his body weight.
9/6/14 Cisco Earns is NW2 title with a 4th overall place out of 33 dog, and a first place on the exterior search!
IntCh CA UNJ UWP URO1 GRCH Lore’s Vivacious Vixen @ Cantina
UKC Titles: Coursing Aptitude, United Novice Jumper, United Weight Pull, United Rally 1, Grand Champion
IABCA: Internation Champion
Charlie was adopted from a shelter in southern CA and was supposed to be trained to be a service dog. With into 24 hour of adoption he had chewed though drywall of her parents home, scaled their 12 foot wall and would not come back for hours, and attacked the neighbors dog. When the shelter was notified about his behavior the family was told that they could bring him back and he would be put down. Nicole stepped up and committed to training and brought him home to live on the central coast. She called me right away and we got to work.
We had 4 weeks until she started collage to get Charlie in shape. Charlie was not food motivated, did not like toys outside of the house, was very dominate with dogs, and had horrible separation anxiety. Nicole booked 6 sessions and we got to work. By the end of the month Charlie was going to parks and the beach off leash, slept quietly when in a crate, took every command the first time asked, was playing with toys outside of the house, was no longer reactive to other dogs, and was a loved member of the family.
Charlie is a great example of how important it is not to get stuck with cookie cutter training systems. I created a program that was both fair and easy for the dog to understand, easy for the owner to follow, that produced results when we needed them. It saved Charlie’s life and gave him a forever home.
Bellow is a note from their last trip together.
Charlie and I are doing wonderful, I haven’t had any problems with him since his training ended. I have even been able to teach him a couple new tricks which was fun. We went to big bear this past week and he was great! Thank you again for all your help, you complete transformed him!!
\I would highly recommend Ericka to anyone looking for a highly qualified dog trainer with a fantastic understanding of dog behavior. When I first met Ericka my German Shepherd, Sheila, was a very smart girl with nice toy drive. Unfortunately using other training methods, Sheila’s enthusiasm for learning new behaviors and training to compete was not there. Our training sessions weren’t very fun and Sheila gave me very little focused attention. Being a first time competitor in dog trials I felt maybe competition wasn’t for us. Thankfully Ericka showed me how to make training fun for Sheila and I and we have already obtained Sheila’s Rally Novice Title and 2 legs toward her Rally Advanced ( Off- Leash! ). Also Ericka has helped us with Nosework and I would highly recommend her classes if anyone is considering trying out this new, fun dog sport!
Marina and I wanted to express our greatest thanks for all of the had work you spent with us and Karlie. We wanted to give you a quick update as to how things are going.
The backpacking trip was a huge success. The collar was a great tool to have especially when the trail was wide open or when in camp. It stayed charged for entire trip. Also, we worked on using the command “back” for her to walk between myself and Marina when we wanted to contain her speed down the trail.
Additionally, yesterday Marina took the dog out for the first time when she went riding on her horse. Marina said she needs to be a bit more horse aware (she doesn’t understand that the horse could kick her), but on a bigger note she didn’t wander or need any collar corrections even when there were distractions of atv’s, other horses, and walkers.
At home, since the backpacking trip, she really enjoys staying close and when she does wander a little she comes back when called every time.
Anyway we look forward to working with her more and more and look forward to what additional training programs we will attempt. Also we can’t speak highly enough of your skill and abilities. We tell everyone proudly about you and give high recommendations whenever we can.
Finally here’s a pic from the trip.
My dogs and I just love Ericka AND her dogs. She has improved our quality of life tremendously. Amiga, my black Lab, is a rescue from Animal Services. When I adopted her at 9 mos., she loved everyone. Thinking I was socializing her, I took her to numerous dog parks on a regular basis. And on a regular basis she was attacked by other dogs. I realized I needed to stop our visits but by then I had a fear-based, aggressive dog.
I began agility lessons with Ericka, not sure if we could ever go beyond the basics and go “off leash”. I had some private lessons with Ericka who helped me ‘read’ Amiga and helped me to see certain behaviors and know what to do. Since then Amiga has titled in AKC Novice Rally Obedience with perfect or near perfect scores (99 to 100 out of 100 is her norm). AND she is relaxed with other dogs. She is focused in any dog sport we do and relaxed with other dogs.
Ericka has been a part of giving us much greater quality of life. Amiga is now free to feel confident in Agility and Rally Obedience, without fear of other dogs. This is a gift. And I appreciate Ericka’s (and her dogs) input in our lives/training.
Rita had various nicknames (Relentless Rita, Rude Rita & Rapscallion Rita) before taking Ericka’s Manners 101 and Tricks class.Her biggest problem was while on leash walking, she pulled and lunged at other dogs or anything that caught her eye.
Ericka has a keen understanding of dog behavior and Rita’s breed.K9 Manners and K9 Focus taught me how to handle these problems and the Tricks class helped to mentally stimulate Rita, while having fun at the same time. Both these classes enriched our relationship, making our daily routines less stressful and more fun. Rita has come very far in the past 6 months.
Rita and I look forward to our next class with Ericka.
Through training you will get a dog that is respectful, confident, and behaved. You can only achieve this level of training with an understanding of how dogs learn and communicate. These are stressed in all of my programs. Whether your training goals include basic manners, more advanced obedience, Rally-O, NoseWork or you would like to teach your dog some complex tricks, I can create a program that will produce results. My programs are especially important for dogs who are dealing with fear or aggression. These dogs need clarity of expectations and clear direction. With both Personal Training and Group Training programs available I can mold training to your needs and schedule. All breeds, mixes, and ages welcome.
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Exercise for your dog is a basic daily need just as eating and drinking are, and if it is not adequately provided, serious consequences may occur. Many dogs are referred to as “Hyper Active” by their owners, however when you take a look at the dog he is often times simply under-exercised. This pent up energy that is in your dog will come out one way or another. If you channel that energy into something you would like your dog to do such as going on a long walk or teaching him a new trick, your household will be more peaceful than if he chooses to expend his energy chewing on your new couch.
As if making time twice daily to exercise your dog wasn’t hard enough, you also have to make sure he is getting appropriate exercise. Here are some things to think about:
The chemical make-up of arousal is the same for excitement and aggression.
Dogs playing with each other without supervision and interruption can get out of control quickly.
The same is true of dogs who do not know how to play with their owners and toys.
Unsupervised playing dogs can learn:
Their owners will not protect them- they are responsible for their own safety
They do not need their owner nor do they have to obey anyone
Reinforcement (play) is not under their owners control
Inappropriate social behaviors (horrible greeting behaviors, bullying etc.)
There are many good exercise techniques, here are a few:
Good old fashion walking. Walking your dog on different routes daily will help to keep him mentally engaged. He should walk by your side and not be pulling or lunging at other animals or cars.
Play groups can be effective if all owners are supervising their dogs. You should interrupt the play when it becomes too rough or vocal. The dogs should share roles. One dog should not always be chasing or pinning, they should be equal.
Dog sports (like agility and flyball) are a great way to exercise your dog and build communication and teamwork.
A game of fetch or tug works well as long as the owner is in control. The dog should bring the toys back, release them on command, and sit or lay down before they are allowed to play again.
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House training a dog or puppy requires time, vigilance, patience and commitment. Training your dog to eliminate outside (in the area that you would like him too) includes both preventing accidents to the best of your abilities and rewarding success. Following these guidelines will help you to minimize accidents, but remember that no one is perfect and every dog will have a few.
1. Feed your dog on a schedule- He will eliminate on one too.
2. Keep his diet simple- avoid table scraps and canned foods, a high quality dry kibble will produce less waste.
3. Chose an area (about 10 square feet) outside where you would like your dog to eliminate. On rainy days or when you are in a hurry you will be glad that your dog does not have to take a walk to the tree at the end of the block to eliminate.
4. Take your pet out on leash to this area, pace back and forth (movement promotes movement), and chant an encouraging phrase like “go potty” or “do your business.”
5. Do this for a maximum of 3 minutes:
If he eliminates praise, play, and treat
If he doesn’t eliminate keep him on leash and go indoors, if you cannot keep him on leash and watch him confine him to his crate.
6. Try again in an hour. Eventually your dog will eliminate appropriately and you can praise, play and treat.
7. After each success allow 15 minutes of freedom in the house before placing back on lead, in small area, or back in his crate. Your puppy should not be allowed to roam free in the house until he is older and has learned some control.
8. After 3 consecutive days of success, you can increase freedom by 15 minutes.
9. If there is an accident decrease freedom by 15 minutes for 3 days.
10. You want to slowly build up the amount of time that your pet can “hold it.” All puppies are different but a good rule of thumb is you take the number of months old your puppy is and you add one. That is the number of hours that your puppy can “hold it.” So if your puppy is 4 months old he can “hold it” for 5 hours. So if you are not available every 5 hours to let him out, make sure he has an area large enough to sleep in and also an area large enough to fit some puppy pads. An exercise pen works well in this situation. It must be tall enough so he can not jump out. Most puppies will begin to sleep through the night or only wake you once fairly soon after housetraining begins
11. Adult dogs can “hold it” for the night and usually for 8-9 hours once they get on a schedule.
12. If you catch your dog in the act of eliminating in the house interrupt him and take him to his potty place. If he goes then praise, play and treat.
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At some point your dog may start to display behaviors that you may not like. Some dogs are born more “pushy” than others. Some have learned that these behaviors get them attention. Whatever the reason may be, this exercise will help most dogs perform these behaviors less often.
Refusing to get off your bed/furniture
Demanding that you pet him by nudging and pawing at your hand, leg, or arm
Dropping toys at your feet when he decides it is time to play, then barking if you do not respond
Playing the keep away game when you call him
Changing some of your everyday interaction with your dog and making him “Work For It” will help these behaviors become less frequent. In addition, it will also help you get the upper hand and develop the necessary leadership skills to have a happy, healthy relationship with your dog.
“Work For It”
Many breeds of dogs were originally bred to have a job of some kind, from herding sheep to controlling rodent populations. So they are built to learn and work. When they are not given a job they will often create their own. So follow these steps and give them a job you would like them to do.
First, you must teach your dog some basic behaviors like “sit”, “down”, “stay” and “release”. I recommend using positive reinforcement methods to teach your dog. He will learn faster and will be less likely to develop fear toward you.
Additionally, you may teach your dog some fun tricks, like high five, sing, and spydog.
Now you can put these newly learned behaviors to use. Here is a list of things that you do with your dog on a daily basis. Now your dog must work to get some of his daily pleasers. Withhold what your dog wants until he performs the behavior that you ask for.
*Make sure that your dog fully understands his commands before you start using them in this exercise*
Dogs that are fearful and unsure will also benefit from this exercise. Knowing what is expected of them will give them confidence.
If your dog becomes aggressive at any time, you should seek help from a professional.
