Josie is an adult Labrador Retriever in Kansas City who came home from a St. Louis rescue in late May 2026 with no training foundation: she pulled on leash and had never been taught to come when called. Her family called Marquis Dog Training about a month after adoption. From the first consultation on 18 June 2026 through 10 July, every training session logged an improving outcome. By the end she was recalling to multiple members of the family on a single cue, and holding place on a cot she had never seen before, pulling herself back into position when a paw slipped off.
First session · 2026-06-18
Josie had been home about a month when Marquis Dog Training met her, and the assessment turned up more foundation than the family expected. She already knew sit, wait, and her kennel and potty routine, and she showed no guarding over her food bowl. Benny demonstrated leash pressure paired with wait-out, giving her time to process instead of repeating the cue, and she came and kenneled in her own time. She showed no aggression or anxiety around a new person in the house.
Wins: sit and wait already known · no food guarding · first leash-pressure compliance · calm with a stranger
Most recent session · 2026-07-10
Week 3 was about place: teaching Josie to settle on a defined spot until she is released. Marquis Dog Training swapped in a portable place cot she had never seen before, since new surfaces can throw a dog off and a little hesitation was expected. Josie took it in stride, settling in on the first try, and when a paw drifted off the edge she pulled herself back into position on her own. She also recalled to several different family members on cue, a good test that she listens to everybody and not just her trainer. Place is not about one particular bed. It is a portable calm you can send a dog to anywhere, a cot at home, a bench at the park, a bed at a hotel. Josie is still leaning on some guidance to get there, which is exactly where a week-three dog should be.
Wins: place command · self-correction · recall to multiple handlers · week 3