Second Chance Dog Training

07/18/2026

I was scrolling through my phone and came across this! Meet Chance, one of my very first clients. You may have heard about a little about his story on my website. He’s a 3-time return rescue dog who was taken back for behavioral/training issues.

I started working with Chance and within a few weeks - with his mom’s consistency, Chance turned into a superstar.
He went from poor leash manners, not knowing how to “Down” on cue, shredding packages at home, to a much more well behaved pup who “Heels” immediately on cue. His relationship with his mom has become something incredible, and I can’t begin to say just how proud of them both.

This short clip means a LOT

07/18/2026

07/15/2026

Please be especially careful with the high temps. This goes for people, dogs and cats. Be safe out there!

07/15/2026

A few things to note here:

1. She only does this on cue. She doesn’t randomly come into the kitchen and open the fridge by herself. That’s part of proofing a skill

2. This can be useful for those with disabilities or if you have your hands full

3. To further answer the question of “what’s the point of this?” It’s because I like to challenge her. Mental stimulation is SO important for a dog, and the way her face lights up when she gets it right after working through it, is priceless.

Less hate, more kindness, everyone 🐾🐾🐾

07/10/2026

To answer the inevitable question of “can she get you something from the fridge?!” No she cannot, we aren’t there yet 😂 I did train this all in one session - she learned it in about an hour.

I used a tennis ball in a long sock as the “toy” used to open the fridge, but you can use whatever you want! Purpose of this? For fun. The next step might be to get a water bottle from the fridge but we’re starting here first.

I used a lot of shaping in this and it takes a lot of patience, so be patient. Also, you may have to back up a few steps if your dog gets confused or frustrated. Marllow looked at me a couple times like “uhhhh you want me to do what??” So I backed up a step & increased the rewards to build up her confidence. Confidence is key to moving to the next step, and timing is important when rewarding so your dog makes the connection between the reward and the behavior.

I used high value treats only for this since I thought this might be a challenge to teach, and to encourage my dog to work harder. (Cheese & Nudges)

07/06/2026

I’ve posted snippets of this in other videos but not the actual tutorial, so here it is! If you haven’t seen the other videos, the command I use is “Destra.” It’s Italian for “Right.” I chose this since I already have a German command for a left side heel. You can use literally whatever word you want. It can be banana, it doesn’t matter. Anyways, this is a fun one and comes in handy when you need your dog in position next to you (like for photos!) 🙂📷🐾

07/04/2026

If you’re looking for Enrichment games or toys, here are a few recommendations. Enrichment games can help reduce or eliminate problem behaviors such as excessive barking and destruction from boredom.
Food dispensers and puzzles are great for teaching your dog that their own actions create positive, rewarding results. There are different levels for different dogs! Sniff mats are great for nosework, especially if the weather outside is less than ideal or unsafe. There are always ways to give your dog the stimulation he/she needs! I also have lick games included - which helps calm down a nervous or anxious dog

https://a.co/d/0b9A1rVy

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07/04/2026

The first part of this tutorial is how to teach your dog to indicate the correct cup. If your dog already does this, you’re a step ahead of the game!

Nose games are fantastic mental enrichment exercises for dogs. If you want something to tire out your dog, play olfactory games. A dog’s nose is about 100,000 times more powerful than a humans nose due to their Vomeronasal organ. Dogs also have nostrils that are capable of smelling independently of each other, which allows a dog to pick up direction more efficiently and smell in “3-D.”

07/03/2026

This was actually super helpful to me last week. We were doing a group photo with all of the Dogs Finding Dogs tracking K9s, and I used this skill to get her to spin into a proper position next to me for the photo 📷🐾 (excuse my non-professional attire. It’s like that when we’re training at home 🤷‍♀️)

06/30/2026

I’m excited to announce that this past Sunday, I was officially promoted to the position of Assistant Trainer of the Dogs Finding Dogs Search & Rescue K9 Tracking team. For the last couple years, my German Shepherd Marllow and I have worked together to reunite missing pets with their families. While we still track, my vision and goals have expanded. I’ve been working alongside my mentor, Mary, assisting with training and learning the ins & outs of what it takes to train a tracking K9. The DFD team decided it was time to officially make me the Assistant K9 trainer, and I’m beyond honored. It’s been an amazing journey, I’ve learned SO much, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Dogs Finding Dogs