The Puppy Project: Katie Lemmon Cool, Calm, Kind and Collected
- May 6
- 2 min read
We started the puppy raisers training class sitting in a circle with Katie showing the puppy raisers how to talk with their puppies so that the puppy would remain sitting by their side as she talked with us. She’s as calm as they come and the puppies pick up on this energy.
She gently leads a puppy in front of her and easily demonstrates how to have the puppy sit in front of her keeping her eyes on Katie for further direction. Katie loosely has the puppy in between her legs which offers calm to the puppy.
Everyone else tries to do this and each puppy finds his or her place in front of their puppy raiser.
Next on the agenda is training the puppies to calmly enter the kennel. She demonstrates with commands how to help the puppies stay in the kennel until they are released.
Katie has put a bowl of food on the ground and keeps eye contact until she releases the puppy for her meal. She does it all so easily, I wonder if she’s also whispering to them.
By the way, the puppy calmly walks to the bowl, she doesn’t rush and she doesn’t gobble. Katie then keeps eye contact so that she can let the puppy know what else she needs. The puppy is looking at her and waiting for her next move.
Katie says, “Down” and the puppy lays down without blinking an eye.
Katie then “frees” her and she’s up again. Again between her legs, Katie soothingly and lovingly is talking to the puppy and maintaining eye contact. She explains this position is taught so that if the puppy needs to be checked out, including her eyes, she is used to this pose.
We then go outside. Katie has a puppy and she shows how to walk with a puppy, so the puppy isn’t pulling or being rewarded for pulling. Instead Katie demonstrates the training behavior to implement so that the puppy knows exactly what is expected of her. The puppy raisers are feeling confident as they walk their puppies and yes! All of the puppies are watching their puppy raiser and walking calmly by their side.
It’s like watching magic happen.
We return inside for last minute questions and concerns, and Katie wraps up with her puppy raisers.
I am beyond impressed with the National Park litter. They are growing and learning and slowly becoming the kind of dog that will one day be in service. And let’s not forget how much happiness a puppy brings to anyone and everyone.
At the end of training, Katie offers me puppy time and puppy kisses which brighten my day!
Special thanks to Katie Leemon who is patient, kind and treats puppies and humans with such respect it makes me smile thinking about her.
Thanks, too, to the puppy raisers and the puppies of the National Park litter Trey, York and Mesa.
For more information: https://www.champdogs.org/
Expect Good. Defy Gravity. Sparkle ON! More puppies please!
For more St. Louis Girl Storytelling blogs and St. Louis Girl Podcasts and Interviews and to find out how I empower people to discover and use their voice through storytelling:
Comments