Welcome to the November 2024 edition of ZENFULdog of the Month featuring Jackie Moon! We are thrilled to introduce the charming, Shepherd-mix: Jackie Moon. Adopted by her loving pet-parents, Kathy and Miah, last January, Jackie Moon has quickly become a cherished member of the ZENFULdog Training community.
Kathy is delighted that Jackie Moon is ZENFUL’s Dog of the Month and believes she could also be ZENFULdog’s Centerfold, given her habit of sprawling out and exposing all while resting!
Jackie Moon
Age: Turns 1 in December 2024!
Meet Jackie Moon’s Family
(Kathy—Jackie Moon’s pet-mom): Kathy loves calling Jackie Moon ‘Jack!’ She and Miah embarked on a brand-new adventure by adopting Jackie as a puppy, a delightful but challenging departure from their usual adult rescue dogs. While Miah was at work, Kathy witnessed all of Jackie’s firsts—from her first toilet drink to falling victim to her cat brother’s toilet paper trap. Despite all the mischief Jackie gets into while Miah is away, Kathy loves her dearly.
(Miah—Jackie Moon’s pet-dad): Miah discovered Jackie while delivering a community grant to the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society (OSPCA) last January. He and Kathy returned later that day to foster Jackie, who was then known as Stella. Kathy says, “I guess you can say it was love at first sight and we have been inseparable since. Miah adds that he is “over the moon” for Jackie-Moon!
Jackie Moon's Personality According to Kathy: Jackie has a unique personality that continues to evolve as she matures but remains a big pup at heart. Miah would describe her as a prima donna who knows it, and Kathy can’t disagree.
Kathy Shares The Most Unique Thing about Jackie Moon: Jackie loves to sleep and claimed the spare bedroom next to her pet-parents’ room as soon as they moved into their new home: “She gently comes to bed with us, and at some point during the night when she thinks we are asleep, she quietly sneaks away to her own full queen-size bed to sleep for the night. She then wakes up just before we do and quickly comes back to our bed, pretending to go back to sleep.”
Jackie Moon's favourite Treats/Foods according to Kathy: Jackie loves freeze-dried raw beef and is highly motivated to train when they are on hand. Recently, she discovered cucumbers and now comes running at the sound of them being cut.
Jackie Moon’s Favourite Activities: Jackie loves to run and play ‘catch me if you can’ with Miah. She also has a passion for soccer and has even tried to dribble past Miah a few times. Parkour is another activity that stimulates Jackie and her pet-parents have set up some basic obstacles for her to train on.
Kathy Lists how Jackie Moon Unwinds After a Full Day of Activity: When Jackie is ready to unwind, she either rests on the deck or grabs one of her favourite toys to wrestle with for a few minutes before falling asleep with it.
If Jackie Moon had a human voice: Kathy believes Jackie Moon would sound like Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, while Miah thinks she would sound like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde.
Jackie Moon’s Training
Jackie Moon embarked on her training journey with ZENFULdog Training last May, starting with Level 1 Puppy Training and then completing all three levels. Now, she is on her second tour of Parkour and loving it! Jackie has also dipped her paws into Canicross for beginners and is eagerly anticipating her first Kicksledding adventure.
Jackie also recently participated in the Fall FURenzy, where she conquered a 3 km obstacle course and tried Bikejoring for the first time. There is not telling what she’ll achieve next year!
Kathy Tells Us How Training Has Shaped Jackie Moon: When Jackie first started at ZENFULdog, she lacked confidence and social skills. However, her transformation has been nothing short of night and day. Kathy and Miah are incredibly grateful they found Kendra. Now, Jackie gets super excited when they head to training and can’t wait to jump out of the car upon arrival.
Kathy Describes Jackie Moon’s Biggest Training Challenges/Successes: The biggest training challenge Kathy has faced with Jackie Moon is helping her manage her triggered reaction to moving vehicles. Jackie Moon has made significant strides and improved every month since training with Kendra at ZENFULdog. Another major success for Jackie Moon has been learning to focus during training sessions and to focus at all since that was initially challenging for her.
Kathy recalls Jackie Moon’s Most Rewarding Moments of Training in Action: During a recent Parkour class, Jackie amazed everyone by performing four paws on an elevated tire for the first time. “I never thought it would happen, but she was dedicated and made us so proud” Kathy shared.
Kathy adds: “Jackie has been a treasured gift and is now living her best life. As much as she learns from us, we learn just as much from her. Kendra has played an integral role in Jackie's life, making the transition from puppy to adolescence much smoother, and we are incredibly grateful. We hope to continue this journey for many years to come.”
Kendra adds: “From the moment I met Jackie Moon, she captured my heart. Despite being apprehensive about the new environment and the rambunctious puppies in her new puppy program, her sweet nature shone through. It didn’t take long to see that she was incredibly intelligent, curious and athletic. With the right support to build her confidence and trust, it was clear she would become a fun, vibrant dog. Her pet-parents were the perfect, dedicated and loving people she needed to thrive and enjoy the most fulfilling life.
To set Jackie up for success, we paired her with smaller dogs for off-leash play and provided verbal feedback to teach proper socialization. She excelled! Her amazing pet-parents reinforced calm behaviours on-leash around other dogs and people, always advocating for her so she felt more confident and curious about new experiences. They provide her a life full of enrichment, respecting her intelligence and keeping her mentally, emotionally and physically healthy with exercise and sports she loves, while also ensuring she has time to relax.
Jack is a star at parkour and canicross! She loves the mental and physical challenges of behaviours on obstacles and tackling them as a team with her pet-parents. Parkour is fantastic for dogs of all ages, and we make sure to protect her young, growing body so she can enjoy it throughout her life. She balances confidence and thoughtfulness on obstacles beautifully. She also enjoys regular canihiking and has started learning age-appropriate canicross, where she is a natural! She can already lead a group during our canisport outings, and I couldn’t be prouder of her! I’m also excited to start kicksledding with her this winter. We have a great group of canicross pups learning kicksledding, and it's going to rock! Jackie Moon was made to fly down the trails!”
A heartfelt “Thank You!” to Kathy for providing fantastic content for this feature! Don’t forget, you can also follow ZENFULdog Training on Facebook to stay connected with your like-minded, dog-loving community every day!
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