Sandy and her handler Reagan absolutely rocked training today! New environment. Big sounds. Moving boards. And Sandy showed up ready to learn. She earned positive reinforcement the whole way—food rewards, praise, pets, and plenty of encouragement. She also got a well-earned “Free Dog” release for listening confidently and being such a good girl. Desensitization is all about slow introductions. Balancing distractions and new environments with: - positive reinforcement - clear handling and guidance - breaks - fun - and extra love 💛 That’s how confidence is built. Sandy is learning how to be big, brave, and awesome—one experience at a time—and she’s well on her way to becoming an incredible service dog.

Sandy is still mastering the concept of stay but she’s great if you catch her at the right time😂

This is Sandy’s first time working on a SPOT in public, and she is absolutely nailing it! 🙌 Her and her awesome puppy raiser Kyden are doing fantastic with rear-end movement, which means Sandy is learning how to move those back legs left and right — a skill that will eventually lead into a perfect heel position on the left side. This exercise is great for target training, confidence building, and strengthening, and it’s also a very valuable foundational skill for future service dogs in training. 💪🐶❤️

We got some new treat pouches and Kenzie just had to try one out for herself😂😂

She’s doing great. Still working on her mouthy little self but she definitely understands the basics😊