Copper turns 7(ish) today!

He came into our lives five years ago today, and little did I know how unprepared I was to help him. He had separation anxiety, couldn’t walk on a leash, didn’t know how to socialize with other dogs, hated cats, couldn’t be left alone, wasn’t house trained… Our first year together was very difficult as I realized that loving a dog wasn’t enough to give him the life that he deserved. I cried a lot, panicked a lot, worried a lot, and then I finally got down to business.

When people see the videos that I post of Copper now, they can’t believe it’s the same dog. He was a mess- and so was I. But we found training and we worked so hard to overcome his fear and anxiety. We spent countless hours learning how to walk on a leash, how to be calm around other dogs, how to listen around distractions. A lot of it was sloppy and slow and looking back, I can count dozens of things that I should have done differently. But the important thing is that I kept working with him, I kept learning, and we built such a strong bond and trust that we now carry everywhere we go.

I get teary thinking of how far he’s come, and how much he trusts me in new stressful situations. That didn’t happen overnight, and we still work at it. Learning to teach him is the reason that I discovered my love for training dogs, the reason I started this business, and he is a critical part of our team.

I truly couldn’t do the work that I do without him. Every dog that comes through our doors learns from him in some way. Whether it’s learning to read another dog’s body language, learning to relax in the same room, learning to walk calmly past another dog, or learning to play politely, Copper has played such a big role here. And as long as there are treats and belly rubs involved, he’s always a willing helper!

I am so lucky to have found him. And I am so lucky to have learned so much from such an incredible dog.

Treadmill training. Why do we do it? How do we do it? What are the benefits? Take a look at Ginger’s experience with the treadmill and how it’s helping in her training.

I didn’t even mention that it’s great for building confidence! Ginger now LOVES the treadmill and asks to go on it regularly.

I’m going to give you all a little tough love here: strangers don’t need to say hi to your dog. In fact, I don’t want strangers to say hi to my dog or any dog I’m working with. It teaches the dog to look to other people for love and affection and takes the focus away from me.

This is especially true when we’re talking about fearful dogs. We need to create space and advocate for our dogs. If they don’t feel like we have control of a situation, they will take it upon themselves to do so by lunging, barking, growling, and potentially biting. Teach your dog that you will keep it safe by keeping people out of its space. You’re the only one that should be interacting with your dog, anyway.

It’s your dog, it’s your rules. Get comfortable telling people no.

Training doesn’t need to be overly complicated. It should fit into your daily routine.

A few months ago, I had bought a new crate for the car. Rather than let the dogs run around like hooligans, I used this time to practice their self-control. They don’t need to be part of everything I’m doing, but they also don’t need to be stuck inside all day. Teach your dogs to be patient when you need it. It’s an invaluable skill that we use every day here.

You’ll notice that I go inside at one point (Molly is back-tied for safety), but both dogs stay in command. Once your dog knows the rules, it shouldn’t matter where you are or where you go. You’ll also see that Copper needed to stretch his legs out after a while, so I move him to the car to finish his place time. Remember, anything can be used for place once you teach your dog boundaries.)

Let’s stop striving for perfection. It’s an exhausting and never-ending endeavor.
Let’s stop striving for a perfect day, a perfect home, a perfect body, a perfect relationship, a perfect dog.
Instead, let’s strive for progress. Let’s strive for effort.
These are achievable, and they allow us to celebrate all of the little baby steps along the way.
You’re never going to reach “perfect,” but you can always make progress.

This is a video I snagged from a lesson last week with Rastus. This dog pulled his owner to the ground and through a parking lot a few months ago. Look at him now!

Change like this doesn’t come overnight. It takes hard work and committment. His owner said that it felt new and weird to slow things down and to think about walking his dog in a new mindset. Remember, we’re training your dog how to walk politely, and we’re teaching you how to lead them calmly on that walk. But after just a few short weeks, this duo is ready to take on the world!

Trust the process. Trust your trainers. I can only coach as far as you’re willing to try. But if you buy into the process and practice what we teach, you’ll see incredible results.