Pack Leader Help: Dog Rehabilitation & Training

04/07/2025

I meet and talk with clients daily who are excited about helping their dog and immediately ask to join group classes for their reactive pup.

What they fail to realize is, reactivity is a SYMPTOM often built, rehearsed and perfected at HOME. It’s just that those reactions are either smaller or less inconvenient so they’re not viewed as the primary “issue”.

It’s the small or minor responses that matter the most. These are often missed or pushed aside as less important.

“Well I don’t care as much that he barks at the door”
“Getting her to come when called isn’t our priority right now”
“I’d love for him to drop the ball on command but I want to focus on his leash reactivity”

If you’re unable to control your dog’s most basic impulses in a controlled environment like your home, what makes you think tackling an uncontrolled trigger and environment is going to be the best game plan? This is not to shame at all! Its only to bring awareness to the root cause. These little moments that add up throughout your relationship.

A training program focused on passing dogs, triggers or group classes first is one that will fail, in my opinion. The issue isn’t that your dog is reacting to those things, it’s a multitude of other factors contributing to the symptom in the moment.

What do you think?

04/01/2025

I don’t think it needs to be said but this is an April Fool’s joke despite me wishing it wasn’t!

The dog training industry has a long ways to go but at least in this corner, in my part of the community- a mixture of training methodologies, we don’t argue we stay curious.

Anyone who paints things as black and white, with very little regard to nuance, is a person I will never trust. This goes for both balanced and force free trainers.

They are ethical ways to train in both “corners” and unethical ways to train.

I have to believe the majority of people are doing the best they can with the information they have. They are ways of gently guiding someone to more kind, less forceful or physically punitive ways of training but it doesn’t include belittling, beating, and harassing trainers online.

I hope we can all do better soon.

03/30/2025

Is your dog reactive toward other dogs?
-Growling. Lunging. Barking.

It’s not bad behavior—it’s communication. And more often than not, it’s coming from a place of fear, not dominance.

The truth is:
Dog-on-dog aggression is common.
And better yet—it’s fixable.

This post breaks down:
• What actually causes it
• What triggers it
• Why it escalates
• And what your dog really needs

Whether your dog’s reactions feel random or rooted in something deeper, we’re here to help you move from chaos to calm—with empathy, structure, and long-term results.

Swipe through to learn more, and send us a DM if you’re ready to get started.

03/03/2025

I’m not sure why today was the day Iris allowed Raisin to sleep next to her this morning but I’m so glad I was able to capture it even though it only lasted 10 minutes.

Neither dog has ever been big on cuddling (raisin has tried but Iris usually gets up and walks away)

But this morning she was nestled into her couch nook and Raisin forced his way in, always undeterred by her standoffish mood, and laid as physically close as possible. She accepted.

As a side note, I’ve been MIA due to a family friend passing. This is a big loss for myself and loved ones around me so if I’m unresponsive that’s why. Thank you for your support and patience 💙

12/29/2024

Happy 3rd birthday to skittles-for-brains Raisin! 🥳

He has like Benjamin button disease where he mentally ages backwards. Aren’t dogs supposed to get wiser (better behaved) with age?

Those who have done socialization sessions with me over the past 2 years have worked with raisin and have been witness two his lack of thoughts (just vibes).

He has learned so much from Iris and has chosen to use what he wants and leave out what doesn’t include fun (he doesn’t like to work).

With all that said, I’m still grateful I paid for a well bred, well balanced, amazing temperament dog. He is a testament to ethical breeding practices l that I wish more people wouldn’t consider when choosing a family dog. He loves everyone and everything.

Help me wish him a happy birthday today and let me know if you want a play date! (Raisin’s request)

11/12/2024

Raisin wants to know 🤔🤔🤔

09/02/2024

Today’s my 30th birthday 🥳🥳and there’s a few lessons I want to share that I’ve taken from 3 decades being alive Dog Trainer Edition.

1) Everyone is right and everyone is wrong. Trust your instincts and go with what you feel is ethical.

2) Your dog doesn’t want you to feel guilty. Move on quickly. Use the time you can when you can.

4) The loudest voices are often the wrongest (I know that’s not a word but it’s true)

5) Trust yourself. Trust that you know what’s best for you and not a single other person, professional or anyone else on earth knows what you need more than you do.

6) Genuinely stop giving a f**k about what other people think about your life. They don’t know you like you know you. Stop wasting time worried about outside judgements. Respect opinions of people who respect you.

7) Boundaries are incredibly important for both you and your dog. Please don’t let people think that dog training is all rainbows butterflies and placating your dog. It’s not true and it’s not healthy.

8) there will always be sacrifice on some level for both you AND your dog. Try your best to find a balance of both.

9) Don’t take anything personally. It’s not about you, I promise.

10) Love openly, love freely, intensely, embarrassingly, share it everyday with anyone you love because you don’t have a lot of time even if you think you do. Life has a way of snatching your crutch of time away. Do it now and do it with all you have.

Thanks for joining me. Now help me celebrate my birthday 🎂🎂🎂

07/31/2024

🐶 Ever wondered why your friendly dog suddenly turns leash aggressive? Let’s dive into the stages of how excitement can turn into aggression over time.

1️⃣ **Curiosity:** Most adolescent dogs are naturally curious. This curiosity is often met with excitement, but it’s important to manage this excitement properly.

2️⃣ **Excitement:** Many dogs are very excitable, especially on the leash. If excitement is mixed with restriction, it can lead to frustration. Learn to manage and control this excitement to prevent future issues.

3️⃣ **Frustration:** Over time, repeated excitement with restriction can lead to frustration. If your dog is allowed to pull towards everything on walks, they may not understand why they can’t pull towards other dogs.

4️⃣ **Aggression:** After months or years of frustration, dogs may seek an outlet for their feelings, sometimes resulting in aggression. Biting or aggressive behavior often stems from this long-term over-arousal.

Don’t wait until your dog is in the frustration phase.

Talk to a professional dog trainer if your dog is pulling you on walks towards other dogs or animals. Better yet, shoot me a DM for personalized advice! 🐾✨

06/12/2024

🐶Making dogs wait calmly at thresholds (this doesn’t mean forcing them into a sit while they maintain high levels of excitement) is one of the most underrated tools you easily have at your disposal.

This is a behavior your dog is practicing multiple times a day- impulsively moving through life. It would serve both you and your dog to ask them to wait before they get to move towards what they want. This includes any threshold: car, back door front door, crate, gate etc.

I won’t allow my dogs to go through the doors until I’ve released them to do so.

Do you make your dog wait at thresholds?

05/31/2024

This week I was reminded that sometimes we feel like we need to exit relationships to heal but we often forget that so much growth and healing comes from within healthy relationships.

I opened up my home to my good friend and phenomenal dog trainer which can sometimes be tough for me! But Alana’s presence is always so calm, welcoming and goofy. You can trust that she’s not judging you and you can be yourself around her. You don’t have to put on a show or be “on”. You can just settle into being yourself which was so amazing for me!

It’s exactly how I want my dogs and other people to feel around me; welcome.

We spent all hours of the day talking chatting, doing dog stuff, eating yummy food and realizing how lucky we are to have found such amazing friends in the dog world.

Thank you for the best week ever, !

If you don’t feel that way with your relationships, I promise you should💙

05/23/2024

🚨 Reactivity = Symptom

The more you try to fix reactivity on the walk, the more frustrated you and your dog can become.

🤔Consider this: Where does your dog spend most of its life? Practice most of its behavior? Inside the home.

You might say, but Brianna my dog is perfect inside the home and I’d make a well educated guess that is never the case whether we realize that or not.

We usually either have 1) A fearful dog is is fairly shutdown and tends to be “easy” doesn’t do anything inside but struggles with insecurity or 2) An excited dog who is very quick to move towards things it wants and has demanding behaviors

The more the dog does whatever it wants whenever it wants… the more it will do that out on the walk. Your dog needs support via management communication fulfillment and guidance.

All of that will start in the home. You can’t fix reactivity outside.

What are you working with your dog on?

04/24/2024

It’s safer to err on the side of “problem” and talk with a profession because Luna and Loki skipping breakfast everyday isn’t because they are a “picky eater” and Teddy biting your friends coming over isn’t either.

03/21/2024

I’ve had SO many amazing puppy clients recently and of course the biggest issue is teething.

🐶Puppy owners, your puppy will be chewing biting nipping and teething every minute of the day for months. It’s natural, it’s normal and it’s not our job to “correct” it!

Have chews available, engage with them and then let them rest😴

Not sure what to do? Shoot me Dm📨

03/04/2024

🚨Most people are in two categories:

1) They don’t exercise their dogs enough (mentally or physically) or 2) They rely solely on over aroused excitable physical exercise (dog parks, day cares, fetch, runs) as the main way to drain their dog.

This meant a judgment this is just to say, both will garner poor results for our dogs behavior. We need MINDFUL exercise for both physical and mental health.

This means utilizing permission based training throughout the day in your home and during play with your dog- not just outside on walks.

Unsure what your dog needs? Ask below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

02/21/2024

I need your help PLH community! It’s the time of year to spread the word and vote for your favorite trainer in the DMV I’d so so so appreciate it if you voted for Pack Leader Help under training & behavior 💙💙💙

Help us find the best pet care services in Northern Virginia by nominating your favorite pet-friendly groomers, walkers, and businesses.

02/13/2024

If you’ve ever wanted to get into virtual training or wondered how trainers get the results they do virtually- this is the perfect opportunity to learn.

I’m so excited to showcase this- share this with dog enthusiasts so they can be a part of the webinar❤️

See you guys soon!
- Brianna

01/31/2024

😅Many trainers hear this daily “the second I stop doing xyz my dog reverted”.

Yes it’s true, behavior will revert when the pattern wasn’t set long enough or went too long in between reinforcing desired behavior.

🦮 Your dog is stuck in your old patterns since that’s what you’ve likely done for the longest period of time. When you start a new pattern, don’t assume the dog will immediately revert to the new pattern- it takes a lot of time and reputation.

Have you dealt with this with your dog?

01/10/2024

This is why I order my behavioral program as: 1) Communication 2)Fulfillment 3) Management and 4) Training is last in that order.

You doing that leash drill, or thresholds, or place, or counter conditioning will not fix, help or address the lack of fulfillment your dog has.

Your 30 minute once a day walk isn’t cutting it!

You need to get out at least an hour a day for most dogs play, walk, run, learn, engage with them.

Your dog will drown in symptoms when daily mental and physical fulfillment isn’t there. Things like pulling, jumping, whining, barking, chewing, pacing can all be signs of lack of proper fulfillment.

Get outside and work your dog they don’t give a s**t that it’s raining snowy or cold :)