Hi! My name is Favory Hofstetter. I’m a Great Dane and one BIG boy! I’m almost 2 years old and well over 100 pounds. In fact I’m bigger than most of the girls at the front desk. I could easily take one of THEM for a walk. That’s pretty fun stuff.
I’ve been coming to the Good Dog Hotel and Spa daycare since October of 2008. I was pretty little when I started coming here. Now, the girls joke and say I’m kind of a small horse. In fact, in the winter when it is REALLY cold out, I wear a jacket that was made for fouls (young horses) and it fits me perfect!
I LOVE to run and jump and I really don’t have any idea just how big I am. At least, that’s what the girls say. I love Chad and Adam in Daycare (daycare staff members). I think I love them so much because they are pretty tall guys and a good size for me.
I also LOVE Rambo (an English Mastiff) and Clementine (a St. Bernard). I think I’m better having friends who are really big, that way I don’t feel so big around them. I love to run and gallop throughout the daycare and I also enjoy a good stretch. I’m very gentle. Some call me a gentle giant.
Just as humans can develop bad habits, so can our dogs. And for many dog parents, they just don’t know how to go about breaking the bad habit on their own. So, for those of you who have been inquiring about what dog training really is, how it’s done and what can be done to make your pup the joy you’ve always known he/she can become, perhaps this post will help answer some of those questions you may have.
We have a great dog trainer here at Good Dog Hotel. His name is Adam. Adam is unique in that he is very soft handed, similar to our ‘dog whisperer’. He doesn’t raise his voice and is not an overly physical trainer. Some trainers can be almost mean but Adam uses positive reinforcement and gains trust with every dog he works with.
Adam doesn’t stop there though. He spends ALOT of time with the owner. Training is something that doesn’t just stop at the end of the session, which is why it is as important to work with the dog’s parents to teach them what to do, what not to do, how to use positive reinforcement, and learn how to pick out then break bad habits.
Adam began his training career with the Hamilton County 4-H program where he trained competitively in obedience. He co-founded the county’s agility project and was awarded multiple blue ribbons and championships at a county and state levels in both obedience and agility trials. He went on to continue his professional education in training at the Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers in High Ridge, Missouri. While there, he extended his knowledge into household pet and police dog training techniques specializing in obedience, agility, tracking, protection and scent detection.
Most recently, Adam has been working with the Good Dog Hotel & Spa to build and develop the Good Dog Training Academy. From private sessions to eight-week courses, Adam works one-on-one with every dog that comes in. We even offer a boarding school to train if the family is going away.
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