Good Dog Rising

09/27/2025

I’m fostering a 6 month old dog who loves jumping up. Though he’s tiny, I’m not concerned about him harming me but want to help him learn that good behavior pays. Often times we use food as payment but in this scenario, the dog earns freedom as his reward. I allow the pup to go thru the excitement of being released from the crate (which is out of the frame but connected to the xpen) and when he’s still, my hand approaches to clip the leash to his collar. If he gets a little too wiggly or jumps up, my hand goes away and we start over again. We’ve been working on this project for a few days now and he’s not perfect but it’s MUCH better than where we started. At first, he jumped and tinkled out of excitement when my hand approached which is kinda gross since he’s a boy. 🤢😂 So addressing this behavior quickly became a priority.

This little foster is super smart and fun so stick around for more videos - unless of course someone adopts him in the meantime. Send a DM if you’re interested.

09/23/2025

We ♥️ you and your dog, just the way you are. 🐾

09/12/2025

Is your dog bothered by loud nosies? Does your pup like to contribute to the noise when they hear it?

You can help your dog develop a different emotional response (excitement/fear to happiness/indifference) and a consequential response (such as staying close by) by pairing noisy situations with food scatters.

In this example, we’re getting the septic pumped🤢while camping which can be loud and distracting with a person close by. Instead of the dogs becoming excited or afraid, I give them something to do. Their task is to scavenge for food being scattered, instead of them barking at the worker or being concerned about the noise. They’re happily searching and waiting nearby for that next cookie.

Consider giving it a shot when your dog hears another dog barking, vacuuming, or that loud motorcycle. Depending on the intensity of your dog’s reactions or amount of time they’ve practiced being concerned, you can start trying to make an impact on their emotional and consequential reactions. You may not have much to loose.

09/05/2025

🤪 Friday Follies

📸Anyone else try to snap the most perfect dog photo only to find that the bloopers are far better than the adorable picture you were hoping for?

😎 We know you have them, let’s see ‘em!

👗(GDR Brie always understand the assignment)

08/31/2025

Happy Labor Day weekend. No classes today.

Rita and Pearl have been taught to dig on cue for mental and physical enrichment AND it helps when planting.

08/26/2025

Today is National Dog Day!

Let’s see ‘em!

08/22/2025

What strange napping positions does your dog have?

08/19/2025

Understanding dog body language can be complicated.

So much can be said for subtle signals, such as how a dog blinks, and more obvious ones when it comes to observing the tail.

Take the quiz in the video. How did you do?

Does a wagging tail always mean a dog is happy? Put your dog body language knowledge to the test, and try to identify how these dogs are feeling by watching ...

08/16/2025

🦮 Loose leash walking is a commonly requested skill and takes a bit of practice.

🎯 It’s ok to have different variations of this skill, based on personal expectations and what your dogs needs. You heard it, what your dog needs!

🌳 Is the walk for you, your dog or both? Does your dog want to sniff or enjoy the scenery along a path or trail?

🪢 Have you considered walking them on a long line (15-40ft) so they can access freedom to their interests and even pace?

🐻 The dog in the video has access to sniffing safely in PA bear country on a long line. A quick call out for the dog to return for a cookie helps keep them engaged with you too and can be done before they get to the end of the line and begin pulling.

💪🏻Give it a try!

04/14/2025

These nicknames are so creative! Let's keep it going by sharing more nicknames in the comments!

02/09/2025

Happy Sunday! Class is on for today (2/9/25)

01/19/2025

😭We'll be closed for class on Sunday(1/19)in anticipation of the snow storm.

☃️Though we won't be able to see you, we'd love to see photos of your dogs 🐕enjoying their snow ❄️day in the comments. Bonus points if you have a short-legged 🍟companion enjoying the snow.

🏂Let's hope we're spared from the depth we got in 2016. That was a rough year for 💩 'ing.😆