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The Pack Dog Training Reactivity Redefined! Creating calm for dogs & building confidence in humans - Vancouver BC 🐾🇨🇦

Everyone say hello again to Ty be anxious Caucasian Shepherd who was Kelly's first session of the day but it was the las...
26/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Ty be anxious Caucasian Shepherd who was Kelly's first session of the day but it was the last session out of her five package training program.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Separation anxiety, Socialization

How it started: Mom had been dealing with Ty's anxiety and reactivity to humans and dogs since the beginning. She made some nice success with balanced tools and techniques and then saw a FF/R+ trainer that told her not to do all those things which made her slide back into a lack of ability to control and communicate with her and she lost all of her confidence. By the time we started working with her mom was having no guests over and not walking Ty at all.

What we did: first thing was adding more structure in the house, including the implementation of a crate. More clear directions, rules and boundaries that she was held accountable to. We added back in the prong collar which she was using before the FF/R+ trainer, that gave her the confidence to walk her again and allowed us to go outside start practicing and controlled situations around dogs and people.

How it's going: As mom has gained so much confidence throughout the program, she wanted to explore the e-collar for her final session as we had conditioned it a bit on the last session. Inside the home is a big struggle for them, especially because Ty is a Caucasian Shepherd therefore very protective, but she's also extremely anxious and under socialized so she's very dramatic and gets locked into these over threshold moments. We were going to use the E-Collar in a neutral fashion to interrupt and communicate with her, as she was loading her energy but before she had hit her explosion.
We did a conditioning crash course using it to magnify commands, as digital leash pressure and then following up with interruption as I played around with a dog in the front yard.

Mom's going to keep in touch and send us updates and videos to critique. We're sure we'll see this sweetheart at some point down the road but we are so proud of their progress!

Everyone say hello again to Milo aka MousePig who had another pack walk out of his six package with Kelly and it tuckere...
25/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Milo aka MousePig who had another pack walk out of his six package with Kelly and it tuckered him out! This picture was on the drive home after the session.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Basic manners, Obedience, Recall, Socialization

How it started: Milo is a little guy with big feelings, and Mom had no confidence in handling him when we first met. Her tools were not helping control and communicate with him and they had literally stopped walking because of his on leash reactivity to other dogs.

What we did: Milo and his family worked primarily with Jinx in home but started coming to Kelly for short duration board and trains when they went out of town. This gave some fantastic insight to how much of his issues were foundational temperament and how much were based on environment and learned repetitive behavior with his family.
We added a 2.25 mm prong collar and micro educator e-collar to his toolbox which gave Mom the confidence in interrupting loading behavior and mutually communicating close to or overthreshold.

How is going: We usually meet at Dogwood off-leash dog park now, where we walk through on leash with a variety of different dogs as wing men. Today was a great day because it was mellow with some pockets of busyness. We walked around first with just Cooper and Bogey, and then the second round added Wall-E who Milo had never met before and I knew would be a trigger as he is large, spatially unaware, way too friendly and intact. This gave Mom the opportunity to practice redirecting, body blocking, interrupting and neutralizing his feelings as we walked through the park and dealt with other dogs also.

I gave Mom an A+ for today! Her confidence was amazing, she fluidly moved through the park never getting nervous and being aware but not hypervigilant. They have come so far and the progress that he has made is evidence of that 👏

He's coming to stay with us in a week, so stay tuned for more of this cute face!

Hey everyone, say hello again to Celly who is on her second session in her raising a puppy package. Owner concerns: rai...
24/04/2025

Hey everyone, say hello again to Celly who is on her second session in her raising a puppy package.

Owner concerns: raising a good citizen, basic obedience, socialization, and leash manners

Celly is one of 18 Cane Corso puppies from a rescue in Northern British Columbia. She was deemed more difficult than the others. In the beginning, she was a little aloof, and did things sometimes. She also had a few in-home manners that were undesirable.

Today we worked on sit stay with distractions. We worked on alternating where rewards come from to keep Celly engaged as the breed can typically not want to work very hard. We taught her to go to her mark, which could be very grounding as well as a fun game and a great trick to show people. Often used in movie training. We also demonstrated how to properly use a food lure for positioning. And some of the benefits of a hand touch in the real world.

What is most remarkable about this session is the amount of homework that Mom has been doing ⭐️⭐️⭐️ CONSISTENCY is key! she’s taking what we learned out into the real world, even taking her to work. Cane Corsos can be very guardy of their family, and mom is training her to be an excellent brand ambassador! Way to go great work! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Future goals, CGN, possibly agility or rally

Just because your dog is reactive now doesn’t mean they always will be.Progress isn’t always loud or obvious—but it is h...
23/04/2025

Just because your dog is reactive now doesn’t mean they always will be.
Progress isn’t always loud or obvious—but it is happening.
Every calmer walk, every better recovery, every moment of focus—it all counts.
Keep showing up. You and your dog are a team, and you’re growing together.
Progress is progress, no matter how small.

You’ve got this.

6 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF A DOG PARK! Dog parks aren’t the only way to socialize or exercise your pup—and sometimes, the...
23/04/2025

6 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF A DOG PARK!

Dog parks aren’t the only way to socialize or exercise your pup—and sometimes, they’re not the best option at all. Try these 6 alternatives instead:

1) Practice sit/stays by a mural – Great for impulse control and cute pics.

2)Go on a neutral walk with friends – Calm, structured socialization without the chaos.

3) Train outside the dog park – Distractions? Yes. Overstimulation? No.

4)Use a long line for recall practice – Build reliability with freedom to move.

5)Explore a new spot – New smells, sights, and confidence-building.

6)Work on obedience drills – Mental exercise is just as important as physical.

Everyone say hello to Daisy Lavallee who had her final session out of her six pack walk package program of Kelly. Owner ...
22/04/2025

Everyone say hello to Daisy Lavallee who had her final session out of her six pack walk package program of Kelly.

Owner concerns: Socialization, Recall, Dog reactivity, Leash manners, Human reactivity

How it started: Daisy came into the program with a great foundation in training that mom had succeeded with mainly FF/R+ but had plateaued at the ability to confidently let her interact with other dogs.

What we did: I met with her each session with a van full of dogs, both my own and clients, to practice neutrality around dogs of different sizes, sexes, temperaments and for mom to start pinpointing Daisy's loading cues and help her understand that Mom was there to help her with her feelings.

How we finished: We loved that Mom had the confidence to want to go to Spanish banks on a long weekend sunny Sunday, thankfully we decided to stay at a small local off-leash area where I brought out Cooper, Bogey, Bessa, Wall-E and Robert James. It wasn't long before three excited doodles showed up and while things have been quite neutral before, because she had met all the dogs, the doodles brought a new energy. Daisy decided to focus on trying to control one of the most excited doodles, so Mom put her back on leash and just sat off to the side for her to watch the other dogs engage without being involved.

We talked at the end how if off leash was going to be their ultimate goal that an e-collar was going to be their solution. As a neutral communication device to interrupt loading behavior from a distance, I showed her with both Wall-E Bogey trying to dominate one of the dogs, how I used the e-collar to simply give them a shoulder shake of "knock it off" to where they disengaged and just went back to being with the other pups.

We will be seeing this sweet girl in her fantastic eyebrows again in the future!

Everyone say hello again to Link who had another session out of his five package training program with Kelly.Owner conce...
22/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Link who had another session out of his five package training program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Biting/ Nipping, Human reactivity, Aggression (has the intention to harm), Obedience

How it started: This adorable little demon was running his house because he was using his cuteness as a weapon and was not held accountable for any naughty behavior. He thought he was in charge and everyone that walked in the door had to be cleared through him, and he was protecting Mom on walks and keeping all dogs away.

What we did: starting with more rules, boundaries and structure in the house. Creating a protocol for people arriving, rewarding calm behavior with freedom and choices. We added a slip lead both inside the home as a house leash and a seperate one on walks.

How it's going: As we did the last session we continue to create controlled scenarios outside for Mom to practice calm and confident leadership. As I bring out dogs, mom looks for loading cues, opportunities to interrupt or redirect, more about dog body language and even doing proper introductions with organic socialization.
This session a little man passed every dog without issue and even said hello to a few! We are so proud of both of them 👏

Everyone say hello again to Nandhi who had his fourth session out of his five package training program with Kelly. Owner...
21/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Nandhi who had his fourth session out of his five package training program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Dog reactivity, Leash manners, Recall, Socialization, Biting/ Nipping, Aggression (has the intention to harm)

How it started: Nandhi is a Kuwaiti street dog that came with some foundational fear-based reactivity. Mom had worked with several trainers,.mainly FF/r+ and attempted to fix the issues on her own but after several incidents she was desperate for help.

What we did: The first thing we immediately recognized is that all of his reactivity was based on fear or excitement. If he was given a bit more time and allowed to interact with people on his terms, he warmed up quite quickly, and with other dogs just needed to calm down a bit before saying hello. We switched them from a harness over to a slip lead and started teaching mom how to be a more calm, assertive and clear leader for him. We also created some new protocols inside the home to help with the arrival of strangers.

How it's going: Today we met at an off leash dog area - Everett Crowley, to walk through on leash. He was flanked by Cooper, Bogey and Wall-E and it provided some real-world controlled situations with other dogs and people for mom to practice leading him confidently and taking him out of situations that we're not ideal.

They did amazing! For our last session mom wants to be given some tips of how to work on desensitizing him to overstimulating places like coffee shops and busy streets.

Everybody say hello again to George who had another session out of his five package training program with Kelly. Owner c...
21/04/2025

Everybody say hello again to George who had another session out of his five package training program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Dog reactivity, Leash manners, Basic manners, Obedience, Recall, Socialization, Biting/ Nipping, Aggression (has the intention to harm)

How it started: George Is a very typical Frenchie, adorable and spoiled rotten. Never held accountable for his naughty behavior and because this is his parents first dog, they were not giving him enough rules, boundaries, structure and leadership. Because of this he was running not only the house but every walk they went on.

What we did: First off, we switched him off of the harness that he was not respecting at all, onto a prong collar for clearer communication and control. This was a huge help on walks, especially when he got near or over his threshold or he wanted to put on the brakes to get his way. We then did some structured and organic socialization, teaching him more neutrality around dogs.

How it's going: for this session dad wanted to explore the e-collar, so we did some conditioning in a neutral park. While we normally like to start inside, people coming in their home is a huge trigger for him and he is actually calmer outside then he is inside.
After pairing low stimulation with known commands like sit and come, we put it to the test by bringing out a few dogs as distraction, and dad continuing to use the e-collar to magnify his commands.
Dad was absolutely amazed at how well George listened in addition to his calmness with the collar on.

He will practice over the next few weeks and do a touch-up session to ensure they stay on the right path.

Dog Bite Prevention WeekApril 13 - 19Today marks the end of a very important week where the dog community tries to sprea...
21/04/2025

Dog Bite Prevention Week
April 13 - 19

Today marks the end of a very important week where the dog community tries to spread awareness about dog bites.

There was so much great information on the internet, we didn't feel the need to regurgitate what others have already said so clearly and eloquently.
We collected our five favorite infographics that we feel provide information that will help lower the amount of dog bites that will happen this year if shared.

Thanks to:
(slide 1)
(slide 2)
(slide 3)
(slide 4)
Insurance imInformation Institute (slide 5)

Have you ever been bitten by a dog?

Everyone say hello again to Michi who had his first official training session with Kelly out of his five package trainin...
20/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Michi who had his first official training session with Kelly out of his five package training program.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Human reactivity, Leash manners, Socialization

Our assessment: Michi is a Shiba Inu, and if you know, you know ha ha
This breed is not for the weak, they are extremely stubborn, independent, strong-willed and smart. So far this little man has pretty much run his parents, having little to no structure, rules or boundaries but definitely no enforcement of any of them. He gets a ton of attention for acting like a little brat and his parents struggle to have guests over or take him on walks.

What we did this session: We focused mainly on inside, as we know that's where the source of all of our problems start.
He gets super excited when people come in the house, so we talked about creating a protocol while utilizing a house leash, honoring thresholds, redirecting if necessary and rewarding calm behavior with interaction.
We also did a tool trial as their harness was doing them zero favors so we also tried a slip lead and a 2.25mm prong. Last session I had recommended a halti and they had started desensitizing to it, but got the wrong size, so I gave them the appropriate one to work with over the next few weeks.
As I wanted them to feel comfortable and confident with the new tools, we headed outside for a short walk where I brought out Cooper and to Bogey to practice walking by triggers with the prong collar.
He was much calmer, better behaved and Mom had very little issue controlling and communicating with him. This will definitely be our tool for high trigger walks for the near future as he works through conditioning the halti.

Stay tuned!

Everyone say hello again to Banana who had his third training session out of his five package program with Kelly. Owner ...
19/04/2025

Everyone say hello again to Banana who had his third training session out of his five package program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Dog reactivity, Leash manners, Separation anxiety, Biting/ Nipping, Socialization

How it started: Banana was, well BANANAS ha ha
He had very strong feelings about people and other dogs, especially on leash, and the equipment his parents were using were helping them in no way control and communicate with him.

What we did: We first switched him over to a prong collar, which as usual was nothing short of a game changer, especially for Mom.
We enacted a few more in-home rules and protocols especially with people arriving.
We set a foundation of walks with handler relevancy, clear communication and accountability before moving on to controlled scenarios around other dogs to gain experience and confidence.

How it's going: We met at Pandora Park in Vancouver on a sunny and busy Friday long weekend. Not only is there a off-leash fenced-in area that's pretty chaotic but there was people playing basketball and tennis, kids running around, other dogs on and off leash, picnics and just overall a very triggering and distracting environment.
I brought out several different dogs to do some parallel and neutral walks starting with Bowen then Gilda and finishing with little Blue the microbully - whom Banana had strong feelings about.
We finished off the session by taking him over to a empty fenced-in off-leash area and doing some work with Cooper and Wall-E As we wanted him to have a few friends that he knew because he is coming in to stay with us in a few weeks.

Everybody say hello again to Cleo who had another training session out of her five package program with Kelly. Owner con...
19/04/2025

Everybody say hello again to Cleo who had another training session out of her five package program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Separation anxiety, Recall, Human reactivity

How it started: Cleo is an adorable little bully that is Dad's first dog. He started training with her right away to be proactive, and while she doesn't have any major issues, she has the typical lack of impulse control and intense feelings whether it be excitement or a bit of anxiety when meeting new dogs and people.
He came into the program with an e-collar that he wanted to learn how to use and already had a very nice foundation and training that we just needed to build upon.

What we did: after doing some e-collar conditioning and teaching dad how to use it, we started creating controlled scenarios for Dad to practice, game experience and more confidence in using the tool and helping her socialize. And important aspect of socialization is knowing and understanding dog body language, knowing when to intervene and be proactive about keeping issues from happening.

How it's going: Cleo and Dad have made such amazing progress, we are so impressed with how quickly they have learned their new tools and techniques.
Today's session was a great example of that as we went to a fairly busy park and practiced some off leash socialization with dogs from my pack, other dogs in the area and creating some scenarios that Dad's been struggling with; mainly her getting jealous when he shows attention to other dogs and getting her to recall when she is excited and interested in something else.

They were absolutely gold star awesome!

Next session we are going to be going to a more saturated area for a challenge.

EVERY SINGLE DOG they say.We are told that the dogs that FF/R+ don't help is because the owner is doing it wrong. Every ...
19/04/2025

EVERY SINGLE DOG they say.

We are told that the dogs that FF/R+ don't help is because the owner is doing it wrong. Every single one of you. WRONG. Or that the trainer is doing it wrong. Or you just haven't allowed enough time for it to set in (because years for behavioral modification is totally normal 🙃)

This must be some Neil deGrasse level quantum astrophysics techniques since so many people are doing it wrong.

🔧 A harness is the best tool for EVERY DOG.
🍪 Treats and redirect works on EVERY DOG.
🫣 Ignoring bad behavior makes it go away IN EVERY DOG.
👮 Aversives, corrections and punishment damage your relationship with EVERY DOG.

Sounds legit 🤪

TRAIN THE DOG IN FRONT OF YOU with the tools and techniques that work best for you and your dog and stop being gaslit out of common sense.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk 🎤

Say hello again to Miss Lily - you may have seen her in stories at an initial assessment with Kelly doing backflips and ...
18/04/2025

Say hello again to Miss Lily - you may have seen her in stories at an initial assessment with Kelly doing backflips and having a little production on leash with dog reactivity

Chihuahua terrier cross rescue from Mexico - been with the family six months

OWNER CONCERNS: leash, reactivity, manners, and socialization

OUR ASSESSMENT: Lily is a sweet girl, pretty well behaved in home unless there’s a trigger, and lack some basic manners for something while she’s super sweet with others. We worked on some rules of boundaries for some of the in home behaviors to manage that and have it transferable from in the home to the outside world. Including jumping, excites greetings and barking at the back door. We also worked on some leash skills and body language to know what to do on the walk when trigger as occurs.

we also worked on some engagement games, including hand, touches, and spin/twist. Lily loved these and I could see a real drive to want to work in her!

Pet parents have concern about the dog walking equipment for a dog under 20 pounds. They’ve done some research around tracheal collapse and are stoked to try a prong color that is perfectly fitted for Lilly.

TRAINING, GOALS: calm, manageability on walks and socialization and increased canine human bond !

Did you know that dogs sneeze as a form of communication? Of course sneezing is a physiological response to clearing irr...
18/04/2025

Did you know that dogs sneeze as a form of communication?

Of course sneezing is a physiological response to clearing irritants in their nasal passages, but that isn't always the reason and context is important.

Have you ever seen a dog sneezing during play with another dog or even a human? Dogs may sneeze during play for a few reasons:
- As a form of communication signaling to other dogs that they want to initiate play or to stop play or interaction.
- They can also sneeze because they want attention or their nose is even tickling them, and because they can't laugh they sneeze instead as a response.
- Sneezing can also be a sign of excitement or overjoyed and may exhibit it when they see their owners or a favorite toy even.

Play sneezes are often used to show they're not being aggressive and are just having fun. They are usually short, light, and shallow and may be accompanied with bum sniffs, tail wagging, shaking or barks.
They can also be a way to signal they're ready to stop playing, and like with excitement, has some accompanying behaviors like backing away and turning their heads.

Have you ever seen your dog sneeze during play? Did you know what it was at the time?

Hey everyone, say hello to Hermes (and Juno) who has just had his first cognitive behavioral therapy program session aft...
17/04/2025

Hey everyone, say hello to Hermes (and Juno) who has just had his first cognitive behavioral therapy program session after our initial assessment. Owner concerns: biting, nipping, basic manners, over excitement, especially when meeting people and other dogs. Our assessment: Hermes is a two year old border collie who has actually had a lot of training on him and worked with another personal trainer. His parent is looking for a different solution. Hermes is definitely filled with over excitement and lack of impulse control. He struggled between I’m the life of the party and this is way too much for me. On our first session, we said some exercises to slow down his brain a little bit at easy times to help them make different decisions or pause before he makes a decision. His parent has really good animal sense because he has some training on him they took to the exercises quickly. We are going to have to raise expectations of behavior and make sure that we can control the little things so that we can control the bigger things. Stay tuned. The eventual goal is to walk him calmly in public and to possibly get him to do some agility.

How often do you bathe your dog?The frequency that you should bathe your dog depends on various factors, including breed...
17/04/2025

How often do you bathe your dog?

The frequency that you should bathe your dog depends on various factors, including breed, lifestyle, and skin condition.

For instance, some breeds with long or thick fur may require more frequent grooming and bathing to prevent matting and maintain coat health, while short-haired breeds may only need an occasional bath. Additionally, lifestyle plays a significant role; active dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors may need to be bathed more regularly than indoor dogs.

In our pack, we have dogs that need to be bathed several times a week due to skin conditions and specific medical needs. Conversely, there are others thrive better by managing their own cleanliness without much human intervention.

Cast your vote and share in the comments why you choose to bathe your dog as often, or infrequently, as you do 👇

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How Kelly became the Crazy Dog Lady

Kelly has always had a love for dogs, and grew up in a household where she had four that were her best friends. After she graduated with a biochemistry degree from California State University at Fullerton, she moved to Washington state where her love for pitbulls began. She started PB and Chi Dog Rescue Society in 2012 and worked hands on with over 500 dogs and felt rescue dogs was her true calling. Seeing the issues the dogs coming out of the shelters had, she got her certification in dog training and started working hands on with the reactive and unsocialized ones in particular as there was so little training willing and able of working with them. Through the course of her rescue and training experience, she built a pack of her own dogs that she worked diligently to balance and work together in harmony. She now uses her own skills, along with those of her ten pack, to help dogs and families all over the lower mainland to find their family harmony too. She always says “whatever your issue, I have a dog for that!”