What is your mindset when you take your dog out in public?

Is it:
🔴 We’re going to have a perfect heel through the entire store!
🔴 I’m just going to run in quick to grab something, my dog can handle that.
🔴 I’m going to read my book at the coffee shop and my dog is going to sit quietly by my side the entire time.
🔴 We’ve practiced this at home, he for sure can do this in a busy store.

Or is it:
🔵 I have no expectations for this trip other than to see what my dog is comfortable with.
🔵 It’s ok if we don’t make it into the store. If he struggled on the way there, we’ll just work on car manners instead.
🔵 If he gets overly excited in the parking lot, we’ll just work on focus outside.
🔵 I know this might be tough, but I just want to see where we’re at on our skills so I know what to continue working on.

Your mindset really does matter here! On the one hand, you can choose to be focused entirely on getting things done, moving quickly, holding your dog to standards that they aren’t yet able to accomplish. And on the other, you can choose to slow down, give your dog your undivided attention, be incredibly aware of your surroundings, and be ready to change your plans if your dog isn’t ready for the challenge.

I can’t even tell you how many outings have changed course because the dog was telling me it wasn’t ready. That’s useful information!

Be bold enough to change the way you think about your outings with your dog. You’ll be surprised by how much better it will go if you slow things down and focus on what your dog is telling you, rather than simply checking something off your training to-do list.

101 Dalmatians is out! Do you know what that means?

That means people are going to be adopting Dalmatians that probably shouldn’t be adopting that breed. Listen in as I talk about the difference between family pet training vs. movie training, why you really need to do research on any breed before you bring it into your family, and how this movie can make it difficult for some Dalmatian owners.

Working through car sickness can be tough. It’s slow, takes patience, and takes a lot of work to get your dog up to the point where they can feel comfortable in a moving vehicle.

Shelby used to get sick driving more than 5 minutes. We’ve laid the groundwork and now we’re getting her moving. A 20-minute drive today, no issues! We’ll keep working hard over the next few days to make sure she can handle the long drive home on Friday!

We love our monthly group walks, and not just because we get to see all of these sweet faces again. We love getting the chance to support you on your dog training journey!

Dog training isn’t a once-and-done thing. It’s a lifetime commitment, and we’re committed to helping you through it.

For current clients: come on out to work on those leash skills around distractions! We miss you!

For our not-yet clients: we’re ready when you are. And we’ll be here every month to check in, tweak things that aren’t working, and cheer you on as you become a strong and empowered dog owner.

A message to all owners of fearful dogs: please stop forcing interactions between your dog and strangers.

The fastest way to lose your dog’s trust is to force them into something they aren’t comfortable with. If your dog is showing any signs of discomfort with a stranger (ears back, tail between the legs, barking, trying to back away, nervous peeing), please listen. Provide space so that your dog doesn’t feel the pressure to interact. If you don’t heed those signs, your dog will stop trusting you and will likely try to control the situation herself (cue reactivity, running away -a lost dog, or a bite).

Shelby here is a nervous girl. She came in barking at everyone and everything that blew the wrong way in the wind. She was nervous. She was fearful. She didn’t trust anyone outside of her core group of humans. I was lucky enough to gain her trust quickly (maybe a little less about luck and a little more about strategic interactions). So then it became my job to not only protect her space, but help introduce her to this scary world. But first and foremost, it’s my job to make her feel safe. That means creating space, coaching people on how to interact with her (hint: Don’t. Don’t look at her, don’t say her name, simply pretend she doesn’t exist).

By removing all pressure from other people, it gives her the chance to understand that strangers are safe, that I have control of the situation, and that only if she chooses, she can interact with them. That last piece is huge for her to understand.

This picture is of my husband, Clayton, and Shelby. This is day 6 of her training program. Over the past 6 days, she’s seen him, heard his voice, even went on a short walk with him. But she didn’t trust him -he’s tall, has a deep voice, a giant beard, so I don’t blame her. 😉 So he just kept ignoring her and simply existing in her space. And then today she decided, “hey, he’s not such a bad guy. I think I like him!” And just like that, she was in his lap, giving him kisses, asking for belly rubs.

Give your dog time. Six days may seem like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not. We can’t force fear out of your dog, but we can show them that the world is safe. And that takes time.

Remember Bruno? I finally had a chance to put together some of his walking clips to show you guys his progress.

He came in pulling and leash reactive to other dogs, and just completely uninterested in the person at the other end of the leash. He’s a big guy and could easily pull his family around, and with a little one in the stroller, that just wasn’t safe for anyone. So we got to work on day one with leash skills, introducing him to the appropriate tools, and teaching him our new expectations.

He’s a smart guy and picked up on it. But here’s the deal with a stubborn dog like this: just because he knows the expectations doesn’t mean he’s always going to choose to follow them. It’s much more fun and rewarding for him to pull away and do what he wants. So his family is working hard on consistency, not only in their overall expectations of him, but between family members. Once he understands the clear boundaries, he’ll start to internalize this as the new way we do things.

His family is active, so he has a wonderful life full of adventure ahead of him!

This video is from Wednesday, just three days into Bentley’s training. We’ve already started taking him on field trips, which is pretty atypical this early on. But in this case, he needed the extra challenge. He’s an anxious little guy and if we only work where he’s comfortable, we’re not doing our part to help him.

Listen in as I talk through why we’re going on outings this early and I show you how we’re working him through some of his anxiety. It’s all about building this guy up and showing him that he can do the hard things.

*Please ignore the slight time lapse in the first clip. Several edits later, and technology is still working against me 🤪

Car manners! I see way too many dogs sitting in their owners’ laps with their heads sticking out the window, or jumping from front seat to back barking at everything they see. It’s just not safe. For you, for your dog, for anyone else on the road.

When you get your dog in the car, ask for a down. And then hold your dog accountable for that command for the entire ride. The easiest way to do this is to use a crate, doggy seatbelt, or have someone else in the car that can help you if your dog breaks command. When you open the door -nothing changes. Your dog should hold that command until you have gathered your bags, unbuckled the kids, and are ready to move.

Not there yet? Take it slow and practice in the driveway. When it comes to safety, let’s practice and get it right.