Character Sheet

🐶 Session Focus

• Integrating Bella and Bruno’s play and routines

• Building polite manners and reducing over-excitement for Bruno

🐕 Key Takeaways

• Playtime & “Bitey Face”: Bruno tends to escalate during play, especially with ear and leg biting. Continue supervising their interactions closely. If he starts to overdo it, calmly interrupt — either by collar grab and leading him away, or by calling Bella away and rewarding a calm settle before play resumes.

• Jumping & Biting Prevention: Use a treat scatter when arriving home, greeting, or clipping the leash to help redirect excitement and encourage calm behavior.

• Polite Greetings: Continue reinforcing “off” and “no biting.” Remember, excitement can turn into nipping — redirect that energy before it happens.

• Drop It: Bruno tends to pick up mulch and sticks — practice “Drop It” during fetch with two toys or by trading for food. In the meantime, manage by dropping food near him or using “peer pressure” (offering Bella all your attention) to encourage release.

• Barrier Pushing in the Car: Continue managing this — we can explore ways to reinforce calmness in the backseat during upcoming sessions.

• Vinegar Water Deterrent: You’ve seen some difference in using this prior to our session - we discussed potential downsides and focusing instead on prevention and reinforcement-based alternatives.

🐾 New Skills to Build

• “Thank you” cue for barking – mark and reward when he stops after hearing it.

• Threshold manners – use your marker word as he crosses from indoors to outdoors to encourage calm transitions.

• Duration for “Sit” – build longer holds in low-distraction settings before asking for it during greetings or play setups.

• Alternate reinforcers – keep mixing in toys, praise, or access to the environment, but rely mostly on food rewards for teaching. Use Bruno’s kibble for practice and sprinkle in higher-value treats (like freeze-dried or meal toppers) to keep engagement high.

You’re doing a great job supporting both dogs as they learn to coexist and communicate politely. Consistency will make all the difference — keep sessions short, set up for success, and celebrate progress along the way!

Next Steps
I recommend the Cast Guidance program that includes regular virtual assistance with the multiple dogs and handlers, with ad hoc in-person sessions as needed to keep refining their progress. Cast Guidance is a monthly subscription that includes:

🧠 Weekly Office Hours for live Q&A and coaching
🎯 One Skill Check per month (30-minute virtual session)
📽️ Up to 5 minutes of video review weekly, with homework feedback
🎟️ 10% off all classes and workshops

Let me know how things go this week, and if you’d like, we can schedule our next check-in soon.