The vibrant ZENFULdog Cani-Trail community enjoyed a holiday social last Sunday, December 19th starting at 9 am with a Skills training class. The Skills training was followed by a Fitness class at 10, a puppy-play social at 11 and then another social at noon for the adult and adolescent doggos. There were two spaces open to ZENFULdog activities so that pups and their parents could take a ‘paws’ from all the outdoor training action to enjoy some holiday treats and fun in the training dome.
With lots of events to choose from, as well as loads of yummy treats made by Kendra and Autumn as well as donated by everyone who came, guests were able to tailor the day to their specific tastes and needs. Some came for Skills training, others stayed for Fitness while others took breaks after classes and stayed for play sessions. On top of all this fun, there were hand-made Busy Bee Crafts ornaments for sale with a raffle to win one, treat bags to take home, coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream and even mimosas. The Cani-Trail family sure knows how to strike the right balance between working hard and playing hard!
The Skills training class was loose-leash, practicing rally obedience and touching on obstacles to challenge the dogs’ minds. Fitness started with a lovely yet vigorous warm-up and included exercises with platforms—they did great! The puppies had an adorable and successful playgroup that was adapted with gentler exercises. Kendra also added a few gentle, experienced adolescent dogs to help out a bit and everyone did great.
The adolescent and adult social group was quite large and some dogs had not yet been to any big playdates, but they have been training with ZENFULdog so they were fine to be loose-leash and reveled in showing off what they’ve learned.
Kendra highlighted 3 holiday miracle moments:
1. Bentley’s first big playdate made Kendra very proud. Bentley is a very intelligent dog who started with Skill training to get in a good place as he can be high-energy and a bit reactive on leash. Bentley’s mom Erin is very skilled at understanding and connecting with him and his dad, Karl, was wonderful at guiding Bentley into and around the playdate once the entry was clear. Bentley had a great play and showed respectful play behaviours—he was always asking for permission and not forcing another dog. He had one small incident when he had had too much but it was quickly turned around with Karl’s help and guidance. It was a truly magical moment of the day.
2. Fiona is a dog who attends adolescent group classes and the holiday party was her first play social at ZENFULdog. She was nervous but she did an amazing job. Fiona’s dad Stan walked around with her to ensure it was a successful play and everyone was very proud of how well she did.
3. Janet’s dog Bandit was a bit too intense in the big group with some of the other male dogs. He had to be redirected from the playgroup to the dome to hang out and chill with a smaller group. He was paired with a female dog and praised for his good behaviour. His good play skills came roaring out which was so beautiful to see!
It’s important to remember that if a group is not working for a dog, the dog might just require something different that day than usual. Changing things up a bit can result in a nice play at the end of the day.
Kendra is still on cloud nine after seeing the positivity, energy and love of all the dogs and parents who made this holiday party so special. She sends a warm and humbled thanks to everyone who came out as well as to everyone who sent special messages and brought food, gifts and refreshments. You all helped make the 2021 Holiday Social a success!
Congrats also to the winner of the beautiful Busy Bee ornament—Murphy’s mom, Stephanie Turcot!
Happy Howlidays from ZENFULdog Training! Have fun, be safe and don’t forget to follow ZENFULdog Training on Facebook where you can stay connected to your like-minded dog-loving community every day.
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