No. 01 Stories

Five dogs,five report cards

Every dog at Willow Creek gets a written report card each week. Here are five of them, comparing the first week with go-home day, along with a note from the trainer who worked with each dog.

Biscuit, a Goldendoodle puppy, sitting in the grass — **Biscuit**16-week Goldendoodle, Lexington, KY

Puppy Foundations · 2 weeksLexington, KY

From night cryingto a full night’s sleep

Biscuit came to us at 16 weeks with a family worn thin: a puppy crying for hours in the crate, nipping hands and sleeves, and having accidents all over the house. Two grandkids under five lived down the street.

Week 1	Go-home day
Crate Cried 2 to 3 hours each night	Settles in under 5 minutes, sleeps 7 hours
Potty Several accidents a day	On a schedule, no accidents in week 2
Mouthing Nipping hands and sleeves	Offers a toy instead, sits to greet
Leash Plants and bites the leash	Walks a loose leash around the yard
Handling Wriggles away from paws and ears	Calm for nail trims and ear checks

“Puppies change fast. The real win here was the family's routine. We spent half the go-home lesson on the crate schedule.” · Maddie Coyle, assistant trainer

Ruger, a German Shorthaired Pointer, standing in a grassy yard — **Ruger**2-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Louisville, KY

Off-Leash Ready · 4 weeksLouisville, KY

A bird dog’s brain,with a recall to match

Ruger is all motor and nose. His family hikes every weekend and wanted him off leash, but he'd already chased deer twice and once took 40 minutes to come back. On leash he pulled hard enough to hurt a shoulder.

Week 1	Go-home day
Recall Ignored his name outdoors	Comes when called past deer scent and other dogs
Leash Constant hard pulling	Loose leash on the creek trail
Heel None	Off-leash heel for 200 yards on the trail
Wildlife Chased deer twice	Notices, then turns back to the handler
Settle Paced the house all evening	Settles on his bed for 30-minute stretches

“With a dog like Ruger, the reward has to beat a deer. We built his recall on games and his favorite tug toy long before we added anything else.” · Hannah Hollis, head trainer

Mabel, a red hound mix, walking across the grass — **Mabel**3-year-old rescue hound mix, Cincinnati, OH

Manners & Freedom · 3 weeksCincinnati, OH

The door-dasherwho learned to wait

Mabel was adopted at two, sweet as could be, and gone the second a door cracked open. She'd bolted into the street three times. She also counter-surfed a whole Thanksgiving pie.

Week 1	Go-home day
Doors Bolted through every open door	Waits at doors and gates until released
Kitchen Counter surfing, stole food	Lies on her place bed during meals
Greetings Jumped on every guest	Sits for a greeting, four paws down
Leash Nose down, zig-zag pulling	Walks a loose leash, sniffs on a release cue
Car Leapt out before the leash was on	Waits in the car until invited

“Hounds follow their noses, and that's not a flaw. We gave Mabel a cue that means ‘go sniff,’ and she started choosing to check in with us.” · Dre Whitfield, assistant trainer

Otto, a Bernese Mountain Dog, sitting on a dirt road — **Otto**18-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Nashville, TN

Manners & Freedom · 3 weeksNashville, TN

105 pounds of love,now on a loose leash

Otto loves everyone, which was the problem. At 105 pounds he dragged his owner across a parking lot to say hello, and once pulled her down on an icy sidewalk.

Week 1	Go-home day
Leash Pulled his owner off her feet	Loose leash downtown, at a walking pace
Greetings Lunged to greet every stranger	Sits and waits to be invited to say hello
Place Unknown	Holds place for 20 minutes during dinner
Vet visits Needed two people to hold him	Walks in calmly, steps on the scale on cue
Handler Owner nervous to walk him	Owner walks him daily, solo

“Big, friendly dogs need manners most of all. Otto's owner needed confidence too, so she came back for a second go-home lesson.” · Hannah Hollis, head trainer

Penny, a yellow Lab, sitting on a tree-lined road — **Penny**10-month-old yellow Lab, Frankfort, KY

Off-Leash Ready · 4 weeksFrankfort, KY

From selective hearingto an off-leash hike

Penny knew every cue in the kitchen and none of them anywhere else. Her family wanted a dog they could take to the brewery patio and off leash at Raven Run.

Week 1	Go-home day
Recall Only came when she felt like it	Reliable recall off leash on the trail
Public Barked and spun on patios	Calm settle under a patio table
Stay A few seconds	2-minute down-stay at 30 feet
Leash Pulled toward every smell	Loose leash in busy places
Distraction Couldn't focus near other dogs	Works calmly with dogs nearby

“Penny didn't need new cues. She needed the same cues in a hundred new places. That's what field trips are for.” · Maddie Coyle, assistant trainer

Results vary by dog and by how consistently the family keeps up the routine at home. These are typical results, not guarantees. Names and details are shared with each family's permission.

No. 02 In their words

We dropped off a puppy who screamed in the crate and nipped everyone. We picked up a puppy who sleeps through the night. The daily videos got me through those two weeks.
Biscuit's family · Lexington

I've been pulled over on the ice by a 105-pound dog. Last weekend we walked all of Broadway in Nashville and he sat for every stranger who wanted to say hi.
Otto's family · Nashville

Hannah didn't just train Ruger. She trained me. The go-home lesson was the most useful two hours I've ever spent with a dog.
Ruger's family · Louisville

Mabel used to be out the door before I had my keys. Now she lies on her bed and watches me leave. Our neighbors noticed before we did.
Mabel's family · Cincinnati

We took Penny to the brewery the weekend we got home. She slept under the table the whole time. A stranger asked who our trainer was.
Penny's family · Frankfort

Six months later I still text Maddie questions. She always answers, usually with a video of how to fix it.
Biscuit's family · Lexington

No. 03 Your dog’s story

Week one startswith a phone call

Tell us about your dog and what you'd like life together to look like. We'll tell you honestly whether board & train can get you there.

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