Spicy Paws Dog Training

10/22/2026

Let's talk shredders and what prey-drive has to do with it!

Some dogs get a new toy and cherish it for a long time. Others, not so much!

Dolly had a favorite orange squeaky snake. It HAD to be the orange one. She had other colors of the exact same toy, but that orange one was always her choice. I bought soooo many of them over the 6 years we had her. 😂

She loved shaking it and killing the squeaker but rarely actually shredded the toy.

Kora, on the other hand, LIVES to destroy things. 🫠

And spending $20+ on a toy that lasts approximately 15 minutes isn't always a fun time. Especially in this economy!

To understand some reasons why our dogs love to shred things though, we need to talk about something called the predatory sequence.

Dogs are predators. Through selective breeding, humans have amplified or reduced different parts of their natural predatory behaviors to create dogs suited for different jobs.

The basic predatory sequence looks something like this:

- Orient (notice prey)
- Eye/Stalk
- Chase
- Grab-bite
- Kill-bite
- Dissect
- Consume

Not every dog performs every part of this sequence naturally and in this order. Different breeds and individuals also have different tendencies. There's nuance as always.

Think about herding dogs. We've selectively bred them to use parts of this sequence like orient, stalk, and chase to control livestock without actually hurting them.

Many small terrier breeds though were specifically developed to hunt and kill vermin like rats and mice.

Unlike herding dogs, where we've selectively emphasized the earlier parts of the predatory sequence, many terriers were bred to follow through with the grab-bite and kill-bite portions. Their job wasn't just to find or chase the animal. It was to catch and kill it!

But here's the thing...

Just because your dog doesn't have a job doesn't mean those natural behavioral tendencies disappear.

And sometimes those tendencies show up in ways we humans may find inconvenient.

Like Kora turning a brand-new stuffed toy into a crime scene in the middle of my living room. 😂

But I want you to think about what happens when your dog plays with a stuffed squeaky toy.

The squeaker may resemble the sounds of small prey animals. Gruesome I know, I felt the same way but they're dogs after all! 🤷‍♀️

Grabbing, biting, shaking, and killing the squeaker can resemble the later parts of the predatory sequence.

And ripping it open and pulling out the stuffing resembles dissection.

Now, that doesn't mean every dog who shreds something is acting out predatory behavior. Sometimes the sensory experience of foraging, ripping, tearing, and pulling things apart is rewarding all on its own!

But either way, the behavior itself isn't necessarily the problem.

The problem is often WHERE they're doing it, WHAT they're destroying, or whether they're doing it safely.

And that's an important distinction!

Because when we only focus on stopping behaviors we don't like, we can overlook WHY our dogs are engaging in them in the first place.

Instead of constantly trying to eliminate perfectly normal behaviors, what if we gave our dogs appropriate opportunities to express them?

That's part of what enrichment is all about!

Providing opportunities for species-typical behaviors can improve welfare, meet behavioral needs, and sometimes reduce unwanted behaviors.

And it doesn't have to cost a fortune!

If your dog loves to shred but DOESN'T eat what they destroy, here are some of my favorite budget-friendly options:

🐾 Clearance toys!🐾 Tractor Supply and Petco are favorites of mine. Kora may look like a Lab, but she got her size and power from the St. Bernard and Rottweiler part of her genetics. Toys don't stand a chance!

🐾 TJ Maxx and similar stores! You can often find toys for a fraction of the price.

🐾 After-holiday clearance stuffies!Just make sure they're appropriate for your dog and don't contain dangerous parts.

🐾 Cardboard boxes and paper towel rolls! Hide some treats inside and let them tear things apart. Maze LOVES this one!

🐾 Dollar Tree! Your dog doesn't care how much you spent on something. Sometimes the cheapest option is just as exciting!

But what if your dog is an overachiever who actually EATS everything they shred? 🫠

Then we need to get a little more creative!

Swallowing fabric, stuffing, cardboard, or toy pieces can cause serious problems, including intestinal blockages.

For those dogs, consider other ways to meet similar needs:

🐾 Food-based enrichment, including appropriate leafy vegetables like cabbage or lettuce for dogs who can safely tear them apart without gulping large pieces. You can hide smelly treats in the layers for extra motivation.

🐾 Appropriately sized edible chews, selected with your dog's chewing habits in mind.

🐾 Flirt poles to engage some of the earlier parts of the predatory sequence, like stalking, chasing, and biting. Just be mindful of physical limitations and always end with allowing your dog to catch the toy to avoid frustration!

🐾 Toys meant to hide treats inside for your dog to tear open. Put the toy away after play to avoid consumption.

As always, supervision and knowing YOUR individual dog matters!

And mix things up! Novelty is the spice of life for most dogs!

Here's what I really want you to take away from this post though...

We spend an awful lot of time telling dogs what they CAN'T do.

Don't chew that. Don't dig there. Don't chase that. Don't shred this.

But how often do we stop and ask ourselves WHY they want to do those things in the first place?

Your dog isn't being naughty simply because they enjoy destroying something.

They're engaging in a behavior that is completely natural, enjoyable, and fulfilling to them.

That doesn't mean you need to sacrifice your furniture or spend your life savings replacing stuffed animals. 😂

It means we can work WITH their natural behaviors instead of constantly fighting against them.

Because good enrichment isn't just about keeping your dog occupied. It's about giving them opportunities to be a dog. ❤️

And as always, if you need help understanding your dog's naughty behaviors, reach out and let's talk!

Behavior Consultations are offered in the comfort of your home within 30 miles of Auburn, PA! 🐾

Peep the girls during a new toy day! Kora has since killed both of those toys...

10/22/2026

10/14/2026

Let's talk AROUSAL!

First: Arousal is NOT a bad thing. And your probably sick of hearing about it but if I'm discussing my girl's behavior, it's important.

In a normal, healthy dog, high arousal can be beneficial for things like play, training, sports, working, etc.

What we want to see is that our dogs can switch ON and OFF with relative ease, without hitting the extremes where their arousal interferes with their ability to function and respond.

Because arousal exists on a spectrum or "bell curve", different levels are appropriate for different situations, ages, breeds, etc.

Something important to understand is that high arousal doesn't automatically mean a dog is happy, and low arousal doesn't automatically mean they're relaxed.

My girls are fortunately/unfortunately the perfect examples of what unproductive arousal can look like.

Let's look at Maze in the first video.

Low arousal is great for relaxing, but unusually low energy, motivation, or responsiveness can also be a sign that something isn't right.

I ask Maze for a touch and she doesn't respond, so I don't push her.

Instead, I toss the food in my hand and let her come over for some petting to take the pressure off.

When she starts sniffing at my arm, I try offering food again since she was eating it from the grass, but she's still not interested.

So I let her go.

She clearly wasn't feeling well, and there's no point in trying to train her in that moment.

Now let's look at the second clip.

This is what I consider a good level of arousal for Maze when training.

She's snappy, offering behaviors, engaged, and happy to participate!

I'm actually the problem in this video because I'm confusing her by rambling on. 😂

But I also 10/10 DO NOT recommend dehydrated chicken liver without gloves when training slobbery dogs.

It was gross. 🫠

Now let's look at the third clip.

Here we're getting closer to the opposite extreme, this still isn't her worst day but it gets the point across.

In that moment, her arousal has reached a point where it's interfering with her ability to respond and regulate her behavior.

No productive training can happen.

My only goal at that point is to help her disengage and bring her back down to a level where she can be responsive again.

For her this is also a sign something is wrong. Yes, dogs will bark. Yes, it is "normal" for Maze to be territorial. But this level of intensity is not beneficial for her or typical for her.

So what's the point of all this?

Understanding your dog's individual patterns of arousal and behavior can help you recognize when something isn't right.

A dog who isn't responding might be distracted, overly excited, frightened, exhausted, in pain, or simply not interested.

Those situations don't all call for the same response!

Sometimes they need more stimulation, sometimes less. Sometimes they need rest, space, a change in the environment, or medical support.

The goal isn't to keep our dogs calm 24/7 or atleast mine isn't. It's to recognize when they're struggling and help them navigate those moments.

If your dog isn't responding normally for THEM as an individual, ask yourself why?

Because behavior is information, and understanding what's driving it is far more useful than simply trying to stop it.

They're not giving you a hard time. They're having a hard time. ❤️

If you need help with your dog, reach out and let's talk!

10/13/2026

This conference has given me A LOT to think about and has also been very......validating?

All of the talks I attended tickled my brain in just the right ways and I can't wait for the recordings of the ones I missed.

My partner got to do some fishing and finally meet a "gamer" friend of 10 years in person which was so much fun!

And our girls got ABSOLUTELY spoiled by their "grandmother" while we were away.

So let's talk about something that's been on my mind for a long time..

I am a force-free TRAINER.

And I think there's an important word in that label that gets overlooked far too often.

TRAINER

I'm a force-free trainer.

I'm not a magical human being who has somehow figured out how to navigate life without ever using force in any way. 😂

If Kora pops off and I need to physically remove her from a situation, I'm absolutely going to.

If my girls started fighting, I'm absolutely going to intervene in whatever way is necessary.

If one of my dogs was about to hurt another animal or person, I'm going to do what I need to do to prevent that.

I'm not going to stand there and allow something terrible to happen because I identify as force-free.

But here's where I think we're getting lost in these conversations...

Using force to prevent something from happening and intentionally using force to teach a dog something are two different decisions.

If your child is about to put their hand on a hot stove, you're probably going to sn**ch their hand away.

You aren't thinking about the four quadrants of learning theory. You're thinking, "HOLY S**T, DON'T TOUCH THAT!" 🫠

But when you want to teach that child about the dangers of a hot stove, are you intentionally going to let them touch it so they learn their lesson?

Hopefully not.

You're going to find a safer way to teach them.

And that's the distinction I'm trying to make.

Just because force may sometimes be necessary for safety doesn't mean force needs to be an intentional part of teaching.

Yes, dogs can still learn from those emergency interventions. Yes, there can still be unintended consequences. I'm not arguing otherwise.

But those possibilities are exactly why I don't want to intentionally introduce those risks into my training when I have other options.

Which brings me to the question I keep coming back to...

Why are we so focused on proving that force-free trainers sometimes use force?

What does that actually tell us about the effectiveness, necessity, or potential consequences of intentionally using force to train dogs right from the start?

Absolutely nothing.

It tells us that sometimes life happens and we have to respond to the situation in front of us.

The question isn't whether force can ever be justified. It's whether force is justified as a teaching method when less intrusive alternatives are available.

And those are two very different conversations.

We can absolutely agree to disagree.

But shouldn't we at least make sure we're having the same conversation first?

And to be clear my content is focused on educating the public not selling classes to other trainers. My perspective is based off of what I am seeing every.single.day in real life not what is projected on social media. Some of us don't have the privilege of blocking the people causing harm. Instead were left trying to navigate how to tell a client the advice they paid for from another proffesional is detrimental to their animal.

I will personally say that wasn't what I signed up for but I'm figuring it out.

10/08/2026

Spending the next 3 days learning all things dog!

10/02/2026

Let’s talk frustration....

Frustration can be expressed in a lot of different ways. For the sake of this post, we’re going to focus on vocalizations because that’s what the videos I’ve been sharing show.

This video includes the clip of Maze learning the color yellow, along with another clip for context.

An important detail to remember about Maze: while she’s still fearful outside of our house, at home she’s pretty confident. Which means she is NOT afraid to let you know how she feels about something. 😂

I like my dogs to have a “voice.” It helps me recognize when something is off. You can handle your own household however you see fit.

So, what’s actually happening in these videos?

The first clip was taken the night of a vet appointment. While Maze is doing better at the vet, each appointment still comes with a few harder days afterward.

During those hard days, her frustration threshold is much lower and her arousal tends to be much higher.

It’s a fun time. 🫠 But stress will do that.

In the first clip, you can see her staring at me so I ask "What's the matter?"

She responds with a bark and then immediately looks toward the back door.

Her way of saying, “I NEED TO GO OUTSIDE.”

Very politely, obviously. 🫠

I tell her, “Go if you need to go,” she doesn't move, so I don't move.

and then she continues to yell at me because of it.

Rather than reinforcing the yelling specifically, I ask for a "Touch"

"Touch" is one of her strongest behaviors, which means she’s more likely to be able to do it even when she’s in that heightened state. You'll see me use it often to "test" how she's feeling.

She obliges...with spice, because that’s Maze on a hard day. Then I got up and let her outside.

On a good day, she has plenty of other ways to ask to go outside. She might nudge me aka "touch" unprompted, stare at me, then respond to "Go", ring her bells (yes, I put them back up 😑), or offer a bow since we started reinforcing those as other options.

Pretty much anything but yelling is fine by me. 🤷‍♀️

Which brings us to the Frisbee video.

She was once again having a hard day, which meant she wasn’t particularly amused by my nonsense even though she was still willing to participate.

To teach her “yellow,” I initially use her already-known “touch” cue to get the behavior. Eventually, I fade “touch” so that “yellow” becomes the cue.

She did really well for several repetitions.

Then she decided she wanted to go outside.

I didn’t immediately recognize what she was telling me and kept going.

That’s when the frustration started creeping in.

At the beginning of that part of the video, she’s standing near the back door. I say “yellow,” and she yells at the Frisbee WHILE performing the behavior.

Then she turns and heads back toward the door but I ask for "Yellow" again before she gets there.

She does it again with more sas then goes right back to trying to communicate that she wants outside.

Essentially:

“I DID THE DAMN THING. NOW LET ME OUT.” 😂

Because that strategy has worked for her before.

Do the thing →while yelling about the thing → get let outside.

Because I ultimately reinforced that whole chain, I accidentally got some yelling packaged into the behavior.

Oops. 🫠

Now I get to work on cleaning that up.

Thankfully, she’s been having some better days since her MRI and restarting steroids, so hopefully that will be fairly quick and easy.

Every day is a new day with Maze right now. She has a little Jekyll-and-Hyde thing going on, which is part of the reason we’re investigating medical causes.

But this is also why context matters so much when we look at behavior.

A bark is not just a bark.

A growl is not just a growl.

And a dog performing a behavior you asked for doesn’t necessarily mean they’re feeling great about the interaction.

Sometimes you have to look at what happened before, what happened after, where the dog is trying to go, what they’ve learned works, and what else is happening in their life.

So now that you have all of that context...

Did your perception of what was happening in the video line up with mine?

09/28/2026

Let's talk about this picture and video.

When you see this picture, your thoughts may go one of two ways:

"Aww, that's adorable!" or something else positive. And you should, because I've told you Maze LOVES her massages.

Or you might be thinking, "Ashlee...I know you're saying she likes massages, but the top half of her body doesn't look super promising."

And you'd be half right.

Because remember: context matters.

In this picture, Maze is growling at me.

But she's not growling because I'm petting her.

She's growling because I stopped.😅

My response was simply, "All done!" She rolled over, gave me the saddest eyes imaginable, and accepted that apparently I am the worst mother ever.

She's a diva like that.

But the videos after this picture show something very different.

These were taken after her first steroid/pain medication trial, when we were trying to figure out whether discomfort was contributing to some of her behavior.

Quick disclaimer: If you know something is painful or upsetting to your dog, please don't intentionally trigger a reaction just to "test" them.

In this situation, I intentionally touched an area I already knew Maze was sensitive about because I needed video for her vet. At the clinic, there's probably a 50/50 chance they'll actually see the behavior I'm describing. Once unfamiliar people start putting hands on her outside of our home, she tends to freeze like a statue.

Then I'm standing there looking like the crazy lady saying, "I SWEAR MY DOG ACTS UNCOMFORTABLE AT HOME." 🙃 We love it here.

In the first clip, watch her back closely.

Each time I stroke that area, you can see her body tense. She also turns back to look at me repeatedly.

Nothing huge. Nothing dramatic.

But it's information.

This was one of her better days, and I stopped shortly afterward and let her outside.

The second clip is more obvious.

I start scratching her back, hit the uncomfortable area, and Maze moves away. She gives me some whale eye and lip licks.

Then she comes right back for more pets.

That's important too.

She isn't necessarily saying, "Don't touch me."

Her behavior is much more consistent with, "I still want interaction, but THAT spot is uncomfortable."

Because I was specifically trying to document the response for her vet, I touched the area once more to see if the reaction was consistent.

This time you can see the response build: she starts moving around more, arches/roaches her back, and gives me more side-eye/whale eye.

Still not a huge reaction.

But she shouldn't NEED to have a huge reaction for me to listen.

Those little changes:
• tensing
• looking back
• moving away
• lip licking
• changing posture

are the whispers.

If those whispers repeatedly don't work, sometimes dogs eventually have to yell.

And that's one reason learning your individual dog's communication matters so much.

Because "she growled" doesn't tell me nearly enough.

What was happening before the growl?
What happened after it?
What did the rest of her body look like?
What changed when the trigger stopped?

Context matters.

Stay curious 🌶🐾

09/27/2026

Arousal and Aggression

When I initially made my post about arousal and aggression, I didn't intend to turn it into a whole big series of rants, but here we are. Hopefully someone gets something out of all of it. 😂🫠

I made it because I was frustrated and wanted to talk about some issues I don't feel are talked about enough.

So now let's talk about what actually happened in that video with some very important context added.

Because when we're talking about aggression, context matters.

I added a video from before the incident to show that this wasn't Maze's first time in the pool. She walked up the stairs herself to get back in.

Someone watching only the original clip could reasonably assume:

"She's afraid of the pool. Why are they making her swim? Maybe that's why this happened."

The problem was actually created by my partner carrying her around the pool as a puppy. 😂

As a result, Maze LOVES a quick dip in the water to cool off. She's just not confident swimming by herself yet.

And unfortunately for Maze, I'm not carrying my 100lb Great Dane around the pool every time she wants to cool off.

If we didn't help her in, she would jump in herself even when nobody was paying attention, and then panic until she reached one of us so we could pick her up.

I got a black eye last year because of it. 🫠

THAT'S why we're working on swimming. Not because I have some burning desire to turn my Great Dane into Michael Phelps.

Now let's get to what happened with Kora.

Maze was getting out of the pool and preparing to take off for her usual post-pool zoomies when Kora squeaked the toy in her mouth.

Maze's attention immediately snapped to Kora instead.

When Maze initially plowed into her, Kora dropped the toy.

Kora's focus then snapped to Dustin talking.

Maze acknowledged him and went right back to focusing on Kora.

Maze was trying to antagonize her into chasing her which isn't necessarily a problem.

The problem was Maze's level of arousal. She was WAY too worked up.

She wasn't responding appropriately to Kora's signals telling her to knock it off, and you can hear Kora yelp because Maze was playing much harder than she normally would.

And if Kora reaches that same level of arousal and does start chasing her?

Now I have a problem.

As arousal gets higher and higher, a dog's ability to respond thoughtfully, notice social signals, control their body, and regulate the intensity of their play can become less reliable.

That's one way perfectly normal play can turn into conflict.

One dog gets WAY too worked up.

The other dog says, "Dude, stop."

The first dog isn't responding to those signals appropriately.

The second dog escalates their communication.

And suddenly everybody is having a very bad day.

That doesn't necessarily mean the over-aroused dog was trying to be aggressive or had some evil intention.

They were too worked up for the skills they normally have to function as well as they usually do.

You've probably experienced a much smaller version yourself.

You're playing tug and your dog accidentally grabs your hand instead of the toy.

Or they're SO excited about the treat that suddenly they're a tiny land shark taking your fingers with it. 🫠

Same general concept.

So what did I do?

I interrupted it.

Kora went back into the pool. Maze proceeded with her zoomies, burned off some steam, and eventually laid down. It didn't take long. Then all was right in the world again.

They're not aggressive.

They don't hate each other.

They're just crackheads who occasionally need an adult to help them make better life choices especially right now. 🤷‍♀️

And this brings me right back to my last post about perception.

Had I perceived what I was seeing differently, I could have responded very differently and potentially made the situation much worse.

If I missed it, intentionally ignored it, or decided to "let them work it out," we very well could have ended up at the emergency vet getting Maze stitched up.

Ask me how I know. 🫠

If I decided Maze needed to be harshly punished, I could potentially create negative associations with me, Kora, or the situation.

They're both sensitive dogs. That's not a risk I need to take.

And if I interpreted it as "OH MY GOD THEY'RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER" and came flying into the situation panicking, I'm potentially adding even more intensity to an already highly aroused interaction.

That's why you hear my partner calmly say:

"Let's not be a goon." He saw it starting too. The actual cue is "Let's not" because I believe in using cues that come naturally to the person, he added the extra bits.

If you can't think of the right word when you need it, what good is it?

No panic.

No punishment.

Just recognizing:

"You're getting too worked up. You need some help."

Our perception influences how we respond to our dogs.

And our response can influence what happens next.

So if you're struggling with your dog's behavior and you're not sure what you're actually seeing

get curious and get help.

P.S. the life vest did indeed solve our problem and we had no further conflicts the rest of the summer. I guess she just still needed her floaty device 🤷‍♀️

09/26/2026

Let's talk Perceptions

How we respond to our dog's behavior is largely influenced by how we perceive that behavior.

The problem? Our perception and their intentions don't always line up.

A really good example of this is the research on the infamous "guilty look."

Owners often interpret the lowered head, tucked posture, avoiding eye contact, etc. as "He knows he did something wrong."

But research found that dogs were more likely to show those behaviors in response to their owner's reaction, particularly being scolded, rather than whether the dog had actually done the forbidden thing.

We saw "guilt" because that's what made sense to us.

And because dogs can't sit us down and explain why they did something, we're always going to have to make some assumptions.

What's important is being willing to question those assumptions.

Ask yourself:

"What else could be true?"

Get curious.

Did your dog chew up the couch because he was trying to get back at you?

Or was he bored and looking for something to do?

Was chewing simply fun?

Or was he panicking because you left and chewing was part of that distress?

Those explanations can all make sense when you come home to a destroyed couch.

But the solution to each one can look VERY different.

If you believe your dog is being spiteful, you might respond with punishment.

If you believe your dog is bored, you might provide more appropriate outlets.

If you recognize signs of separation-related distress, you might be looking at a different solution entirely.

Same destroyed couch. Different perception. Different response.

Understanding your specific dog's behavior can make life with them SO much easier.

You are their person. Their access to pretty much everything they need in life.

So get curious.

In my next few posts, I'm going to break down the last few videos I've shared incase you didn't understand what you were seeing or wanted to check your own perceptions.

Let's get curious. 🌶️🐾

Peep puppy Maze calmly floating her day away in the pool. Back before she became a Menace to Society.

09/25/2026

Maze had her MRI yesterday....

The vet said she did great with everyone while there which was a huge relief!

So both girls got a frozen Lamb bone to celebrate not trying to bite anyone while stressed out the past couple days 🫠

Unfortunately, we still don't have an answer.

If you're a professional reading this, have been following my posts about Maze and have opinions, thoughts, ideas, send them my way, in a respectful manner.

While she has a team working with her, at this point we are no closer then where we started and I'm open to outside discussion. I'll be the first person to tell you I don't know everything.