Kaia
The Adventure Begins: 06/06/2025
Coaching Resources
Start Here
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Start Here 〰️
The Handbook is a lengthy read, but has just about everything you might need to know when starting a program. This is the absolute best place to start with your training package.
Start Here
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Start Here 〰️
Guild Hall is a client portal within my website - you’ll find classes and events available only to past and present clients there, as well as discounts on certain future services. You’ll also find recommended outlets for your dog, including sports, events, and sniffspot information.
Character Sheet
🧡 Kaia’s Puppy Profile: The Charmer
Kaia fits best into the “Charmer” category from the Puppy Playbook — social, enthusiastic, and a bit of a boundary-tester. This archetype thrives on clarity and consistent feedback, which we built into her structured behaviors during her 3-week stay.
🐶 Training Focus Areas:
Attention & Arousal Regulation: Especially around kids — we laid the groundwork for sustained focus even when she's excited.
Crate Comfort: She’s settling in well and using her crate as a calm space.
Loose Leash Walking: Kaia picked this up quickly and had a lot of fun with it!
She’s a very smart puppy with a lot of enthusiasm, which means she loves engaging — but that can also lead to overtraining. Keeping sessions short, fun, and successful is key. You may notice her tire mentally before she tires physically.
🎯 Tips for Ongoing Practice:
Short sessions = long-term success. Keep it light and rewarding.
Return to basics in new environments. Her social side makes her distractible, so build engagement before asking for more.
“Gotchas” & Trades: Because she likes a good game of keepaway, practice lots of gentle collar grabs and low-stakes trading.
Involve the kids. Many of the games are designed with them in mind — anything using dropped or placed reinforcement is great for family training.
🔄 Looking Ahead: Adolescent Adjustments
As Kaia enters adolescence, her playbook will likely “glitch” into The Wild Card — some days will feel amazing, others might leave you scratching your head. This is normal. Her body will outpace her impulse control for a while, so keep things structured, offer clear boundaries, and make room for mistakes. Remember: failure isn’t failure — it’s forward progress.
💬 I’m available midday on 7/14 if you’d like to schedule your first handoff session — just let me know what works for you!
So excited for what’s ahead with Kaia. She was a joy to work with, and I’m here anytime for support or questions.
Some of my favorite tug toys, especially for puppies and softer mouths (despite their shark teeth, retrievers qualify). Longer tug toys make targeting a little more forgiving for a puppy and thus better for playing with the kids!
Kaia also loved foraging and digging, so I would absolutely encourage a dig pit and snuffle mat in your regular rotation. Getting the kids involved in coming up with things to hid in the dig pit or scatter in the snuffle mat can be a low stakes way to involve them in her care!
Movie Star Kaia :)
I’m in the midst of re-filming and organizing my online courses, and currently just getting started with general orientation and manners training. Kaia got to star in a few of the videos during her stay - while you may see clips from these sessions in her personal video, I wanted to share her excellent work in the course content as well!
07/14/2025
It was great to check in with you and Kaia during our follow-up session! She’s growing quickly and clearly soaking up all the work you’ve been putting in. Below is a quick recap of what we covered, along with a few tips to keep things progressing smoothly.
🐾 Recall & Keepaway Outdoors
We talked about helping Kaia build a strong, reliable recall by making sure it’s almost always followed by something good — not something boring! Try keeping treats by the door so you can call her in casually, reward, and release. That routine makes recall feel less like a signal that playtime’s over.
As a reminder, distance + distraction = difficulty. So if Kaia’s really focused on her friend by the fence, come in closer and make the cue easier. “Collar gives” are also a great way to reinforce her coming in close and cooperating — helpful for both recall and crating.
Keep an eye out for those spontaneous check-ins outside! They’re golden moments to reward, and they’ll really support her readiness for off-leash fun later on.
🏠 Crate Games
When time isn’t pressing, play crate games by tossing treats away from the crate and then towards or into it, so Kaia gets used to approaching and entering on her own. Once she’s running in confidently, you can start layering in duration, asking for a “down,” or rewarding pauses after you open the crate door.
When you do need her to go in quickly, use a collar give and walk her in with treats in hand. This keeps her crate association positive, even when things are a bit more rushed.
🍽️ Mealtime Management
Crating during meals is a completely valid way to prevent scavenging and keep things calm, especially with little ones at the table! If you decide to move toward having her out during meals, a mat near the kitchen is a great option for building a reliable stay behavior.
🔄 Trade vs. Drop It
If “drop it” is the cue you’re already using, that’s totally fine — just watch your tone and body language so it stays inviting rather than causing her to retreat. We’ll keep working on this as she develops.
Let me know how things go this week, and feel free to reach out with questions. I’m excited to see how Kaia continues to grow!
Suggested Items:
Treats: Nutribites Salmon (meal toppers are often great options for treats)
Chews: Duck Feet, Collagen Chews, Turkey Tendons
Toppls: Large and Small can fit together for a more challenging puzzle
Long Leash: Biothane or Grippy Nylon, I prefer 10-12 feet
Puppy Agility Games class