If you are involved with any kind of training at ZENFULdog, you’ve likely already met Kendra’s doggos—Sken:nen and Ren. This feature might reveal some things you didn’t know and help you get to know your trainer and her dogs a little better!
Sken:nen is a gorgeous German shepherd mix who is smart and sensitive. He loves to learn, especially obedience and skill training, fitness and jumps. He absolutely adores fetching and going on hikes. Interestingly, Sken:nen loves sticks more than treats and for fun he loves to practice freestyle to music at home, especially while Kendra makes supper.
Ren is a beautiful Inuit Qimmiq who is smart, sensitive and playful. She loves to do parkour, canicross, fitness and go on hikes. She is very vocal and loves to watch movies, she loves Togo the most. Ren also adores chasing and hunting small animals like mice.
Kendra reveals Sken:nen’s origin story
“I met Sken:nen when I was lucky enough to work in the Mohawk (Kanyen'kehà:ka) community of Akwesasne for a dog training business—Akwesasne InK—under Kyrie Ransom’s tutelage. Kyrie is an amazing dog trainer and a good friend who I admire. As part of the training program, I was invited to be a part of their grassroots efforts on canine education in an untapped area where dogs are a strong part of the community. I went to different local homes to educate on spay and neuter and to get the word out on different ways to train, etc… It was an amazing experience in a beautiful community and that is where I met my baby boy, Sken:nen—his name means peace.
Sken:nen is amazing but he also had every behavioral issue under the sun. He has been a major educator for me in learning dog training despite the mistakes I have made with him. I learned through those mistakes and we give him the best life we can. My kids and my husband also love him. Sken:nen can be so proud and stoic one second and then a big wimpy baby the next. He is dramatic when he gets hurt and wants us to fuss over him. He is very intelligent and loves to learn. He also has great recall and can do tricks. He is adorable, he grew up with my children and they have a strong bond. Autumn used to have night terrors and he would go calm her. He even knows commands in three different languages—English, French and Mohawk (even with my bad Mohawk accent I will always value the words I learned). He is my shadow and I just love him.”
Kendra tells us about adopting Ren
“I met Ren through a client who rescued a brother and sister—an amazing family who love their dogs a lot but it was overwhelming for them to have both. They were ready to do the tons of work involved but at the end of the day, we discussed it would be best for both dogs to let them have two homes to achieve the best lives and the best training for each. Within minutes of meeting Ren, I met my heart dog. I interviewed other people to adopt her but I never viewed anyone as ‘good enough’ because deep down I knew she would be mine and I would be hers. We also had to make sure Sken:nen would be accepting of Ren. We collaborated on a slow adoption with visits on trails and walks over many weeks. Eventually, we would take her for a half-day and then a full day and so on and so forth.
It was rough at first but now Ren and Sken:nen are best friends like brother and sister. Ren enriched Sken:nen’s life a lot and vice versa. We call Ren the ‘snow coyote’ and the ‘free spirit.’ She is intelligent, loves to learn but also has an attitude and flips you off vocally. I personally love that quirky sassy side that keeps me in check and I feel like the luckiest person alive to have them both. And some days I look at them and think: ‘what assholes.’”
Kendra shares her biggest challenges training her own dogs
“Emotions. I think when training other people’s dogs, it is easier in many ways because—while I am still intuitive and watching behaviours—when it does not go how I want it to go I do not take it personally and I just change the game plan. With my own dog, I get frustrated faster and can even take it personally. It happens to me, I am human. Then I catch myself and realize I am doing what I don’t want other pet parents to do. Maybe I am just having an off day, lots of factors could lead to it not going well, better to not take it hard.
It is difficult to be consistent with training my own dogs because I do it all day with other dogs and sometimes I am too tired to bring it home. My dogs are also my companions and friends and I am their guardian and some days that has to be enough.”
Kendra shares her greatest successes training her own dogs
“With Sken:nen, it is the ability to walk him on leash around other dogs, people and children and he is not reactive. Also, having people in our home and him not being reactive. That was a lot of work and we know he will always struggle but the fact that he is more confident, content and happy instead of triggered and in fear=success! It has turned his life around. With every dog, I learn more about how to do it better and better.
With Ren, it has been the work we have accomplished on her ‘prey drive’ (when she sees small animals she wants to kill little animals) and her ‘predatory drift’ (when she is playing with a dog or cat and they move in a way that she sees them suddenly as prey). It took two months to turn it around when it comes to Ren playing with our cat. When walking, she used to go after little dogs on trails when they would leap toward her or run around quickly. This happened on a very wintery trail about a year ago and I had to use my body to block her when she lost it and I received a puncture wound to my inner thigh and still have a big scar there.
We overcame that with training, not with shock collars, etc... We did walks using desensitization, management, reinforcement and employed high-value treats. She still has limits like not playing off-leash with little dogs but for a “hunter” type dog, she has come a really long way. We remain vigilant but she can now play on-leash with little dogs (little dog off-leash) and she is muzzle-trained. She no longer reacts or loses her mind.
I am proud that both Sken:nen and Ren are great at parkour, fitness, conditioning and skills but the emotional issues were potentially dangerous and so I am especially proud of them for overcoming those.”
Don’t forget to followZENFULdog Training on Facebook where you can stay connected to your like-minded dog-loving community every day. Also, a very special “Thank You!” goes out to Kendra for providing so much of the content for this feature.
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