Well Mannered Mutts

24/07/2025

If you watch one video today, let it be this one

One of the best examples of natural pack dynamics you’ll ever see

Lemme break it down for you.

Marley (the white/yellow long-haired dog) is part of our regular Thursday pack, has been for years now. Nyx and Marley grew up together and both Briggs and Nyx have helped train and shape her for the last two years. Izzy (white and black) is newer to the group and has never met Marley until today, and while the girls were playing, Izzy started becoming a bit pushy with her body pressure. Marley was trying to keep up, but you can see she was a little uncomfortable with how intense it was getting.

The rest of the pack noticed this imbalance. Dogs are amazing at reading each other, and in a healthy social group, they often step in as “referees” to break up situations that feel unfair or too much for one dog. In this case, they came in, stopped Izzy’s pressure, and redirected the tension through hu***ng Marley.

Hu***ng here isn’t sexual—it’s a way to release excitement, assert social control, and help settle things.

This happened twice in the duration of the day, one shortly after the other, both after the same type of play ensued.

Once it was overkill and Marley wasn’t doing a good enough job at advocating for herself, Ellie came in and body-checked Nyx, which was basically her way of saying, “Okay, enough. We’re done here.”
And everyone listened.

Afterwards everyone calmed down, energy lessoned and then acted like nothing happened in peace, harmony, rainbows and butterflies type s**t.

This is a great example of how dogs naturally regulate social dynamics when they’re in a balanced group. They interrupt, redirect, and finally reset the energy back to calm. They generally don’t need us stepping in, infact, we usually make things worse trying.

Hope this video is helpful in understanding pack dynamics 🐾🖤

23/07/2025

Join us tonight at 7 PM for our Weekly Pack Walk in Alix!

📍 Where: Alix Lake Campground
💲 Cost: $15 per dog
🤝 Who: Open to everyone — no need to be a current or past client!

Whether your dog could use help with leash manners, socialization, or just staying calm around other dogs and people, pack walks offer a structured, low-pressure way to build better behavior in real-world settings.

No chaos. No overwhelm. Just a group of dogs and their people walking with purpose and practicing calm coexistence.

All breeds, sizes, and experience levels are welcome!
Just bring your dog, a leash, and a positive mindset.

Marley & I hope to see you there 🐾ye

22/07/2025

Building Minds, Bodies & Bonds 🙌🏻

Enzo and Briggs did a little group training tonight, and these two absolutely crushed it! We focused on movement puzzles, agility drills, body coordination, and movement using stacking blocks—and let me tell you, they were all in.

For high-drive dogs like Enzo and Briggs, this kind of training is so important. It challenges their minds as much as their bodies, helps them build confidence in their movement, and gives them an outlet that channels all that energy into something structured and rewarding. Instead of just teaching “obedience,” we’re teaching body awareness, focus under stimulation, and resilience through problem solving.

Watching them work through each puzzle with such drive and determination was such a highlight. It was an amazing night of learning, bonding, and pushing limits—in all the right ways.

Then we ended the session with Enzo’s absolute favourite thing… a nail trim! He’s such a ham—rolls over and just lets me do my thing, with the odd disruption for kisses, of course. Another thing he’s getting so much better with is body handling. When he was just a wee pup, he absolutely hated it and would try to bite during nail trims. The growth here is real.

Huge shout out to his mama, Jody Berdahl! She always goes above and beyond for her dogs, and it shows in their continuous progress. The work she puts in behind the scenes is nothing short of inspiring.

I can’t wait to watch the videos, edit them, and share them with you all. You’re going to love seeing how hard these boys worked tonight!

20/07/2025

Hey WMM fam, we need your help!

We’ve been nominated again this year in the Dog Training category for Community Votes Red Deer 2025!

Being recognized by our community means the world to me — and if we’ve ever helped you and your dog build a stronger bond, I’d be beyond grateful for your vote again this year. 🐾❤️

Working with dogs has been a lifelong dream of mine. What started as a deep passion for rehabilitation and behaviour modification has grown into a business I’m so incredibly proud of.

I can say with certainty that we’re still riding the high from winning Bronze last year—and this year, we’ve got our sights set on Silver!

➡️ Vote under “Dog Training” - Well Mannered Mutts

Let’s see what we can achieve together in 2025.
Thank you for supporting this dream of mine 💗💗

**Voting ends July 27 and you can vote daily!

Thanks in advance for your continued support 💞



https://reddeer.communityvotes.com/2025/03/pet-and-pet-care/pet-training =_ r eareg nce r

Official 2025 Community Voting Awards Platform for Red Deer, AB. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

20/07/2025

Building Trust, Confidence, and Connection

This was Frank’s first time working without mom present—which is a huge step for a dog who struggles with separation anxiety. Helping him build trust with new people and learn that he’s safe (even when his person isn’t there) is a big part of his journey, and he handled it like a champ.

We focused on engagement and focus through leash drills, recall games and placement work, helping Frank build calm, consistent communication. His ability to check in, hold position, and regulate himself around distractions has come so far! He’s really starting to think before reacting—which is exactly what we’re thriving for!

We practiced tethered decompression to help him settle, and rewarded every bit of voluntary eye contact. That moment where he chooses connection over chaos is where the real magic happens 🙌🏻

Back at the centre we continued working through his socialization checklist, giving him controlled, positive exposure to new people and environments while reinforcing calm, confident behavior. We continued the checklist and got started on body handling, using the “name game” to build comfort and predictability. He did well with ears, nose, teeth, tail—and while his left paw is still a bit sensitive, we gave that some extra time and ended on a good note.

To wrap up, we introduced Phase 1 of muzzle conditioning. He was curious, willing, and by the end, confidently putting his nose inside with the cue “muzzle”

That kind of trust is pure gold ⭐️

Frank is learning to trust, stay grounded, and truly enjoy the work we’re doing together. Watching him grow into such a focused, thoughtful dog has been incredibly rewarding—he’s making our world feel a little brighter with every session.
Can’t wait to see how he blows my mind next… this boy has some big things ahead!

19/07/2025

From forest trails to river dips and wide-open field zoomies — the dogs were living their best lives, and honestly… so were we. Nothing beats watching a group of dogs explore with confidence, burn off energy in the healthiest way, and just be dogs.

Grateful for the good weather, the happy tails, and the little moments in between — already looking forward to next week’s outings! 💛

18/07/2025

🐾 Two Years of Loving W***y 💛

Two years ago today, W***y became our very first official training client — and I truly couldn’t have asked for a better dog to start this journey with.

W***y came to his family after being tied up on a reservation and rescued by a rescue in Saskatchewan. He was unsure of the world — reactive, guarded, and misunderstood. But from day one, he showed us something else: a heart ready to trust again.

After making the leap from the rescue world into training — where we had seen countless dogs like W***y, full of potential and just needing the right guidance — he instantly felt like home. Like everything we had learned and believed in had led us to him.

Since then, we’ve accomplished more than I could ever put into words:

✅ Heavy obedience & real-world training
✅ Proper socialization with dogs and humans
✅ Exposure to every environment imaginable
✅ Countless adventure days & pack outings
✅ Discovered his love for scent work & agility
✅ Learning how to be the best big brother

W***y is now a confident, well-mannered family dog. But more than that — he’s a reminder of what’s possible with patience, structure, and trust.

Dont get me wrong, some days he still tests my patience or makes me shake my head — but I wouldn’t trade our bond for the world. He’s taught me just as much as I’ve taught him.

Dogs like W***y are why I do what I do.
Not just to teach obedience — but to rewrite stories. To help dogs who’ve been overlooked, misunderstood, or labeled. To give them their second chance — and their best life.

Here’s to the last two years — and the next two.
I truly can’t imagine a world you’re not in, W***y 🐶💕

✨ Huge shoutout to the McMorrans for giving W***y a second chance at life and putting an over abundance of energy into his training! Without you, who knows what kind of world W***y would be living in today. Because of you — he got the life he deserves. 💛

***yTheOG