http://theteacherspettraining.com/

The Teacher’s Pet Training, Cary, NC (2026)

04/10/2022

Hi friends! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

I know it’s been a little while since I made an appearance 😬

After the deaths of more family members during the holiday season, I was in an accident resulting in a brain injury. The recovery process has been slow, emotional, and life changing.

For my first post back, I wanted to say a big thank you to SniffSpot and all the people who nominated and voted for me in their “Top Trainer” competition.

I had no idea this was going on (I was in 🧠 recovery mode) so I was touched beyond words. Thank you for the love and support. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

More posts coming soon ❤️🎊🎉

08/31/2021

Can you guess what his favorite item will be?? 🤔🤔🤔

Plus a surprise cameo … 👀

Song: The Choice is Yours by Black Sheep

08/07/2021

How well trained is your trainer?

Great question — and it is the topic of my next series 🥳

When I adopted my dog Jackson, I was unexpectedly thrown into the world of canine reactivity and fear.

Yikes.

I had grown up watching tv trainers and using veterinarian recommended trainers — I figured they must be all great options.

Until I learned that they weren’t.

Double yikes.

I quickly learned that anyone could pull an Elle Woods, wake up one day, and say, “I think I’ll be a dog trainer today!!” (Man, such a great movie!)

Throughout this series, we will…
…explore what different titles mean when researching for a trainer
…Break down what certification programs are out there and what they require for an applicant to pass
…Discuss what the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists recommends owners look for when hiring a trainer
…Locate databases owners can use to find a good trainer
…Analyze whether certifications actually matter
…and much more!

———————————

08/06/2021

Your puppy just found a lone sock on the floor. JACKPOT, she thinks, and proceeds to pick it up.

Suddenly chaos ensues: shrieks, people jumping up, etc.

Oh wow, she thinks. This must be a special item. And I have it! Plus it looks like the humans are about to play her favorite game: chase.

Rewind three seconds…

After taking care of their new puppy and a long day at work, the humans mindlessly remove their shoes and socks. Time to collapse on the couch and breathe. Maybe catch up on a show or two….

OH NO, the puppy found one of the socks.

QUICK!

The humans shriek while telling the puppy a mixture of no’s & drop it’s.

Then the epic chase scene begins.

And scene 🎬

Thank goodness puppies are cute!

It’s never easy when items get stolen by a puppy. But my first thought when helping owners is usually the life saving checklist I learned while SCUBA diving:

1️⃣ STOP — our instinct reaction is to run after the puppy and scream. To any human, our intentions are 100% clear: safety for the puppy + bonus if the item doesn’t get destroyed. To a puppy, however, they perceive this response as an indication that they’ve found a highly prized item. Often this leads to epic chase scenes which the puppy can further than mistake for playing a game. Oh dear.

2️⃣THINK — We know dogs live in the moment. And they live for fun times. So I quickly brainstorm how to convince the puppy they should run towards us with the sock. Finally how will I trade the item to prevent resource guarding?

3️⃣ACT — I pretend I have found something super interesting on the floor. The puppy can’t resist coming up to see what all the excitement is about. I grab her collar and proceed to do a treat trade for the sock.

After every dive with a close call — debriefing is a powerful tool.

The same goes for this type of puppy situation:
-Is there a closed container or different drop zone for tempting items?
-Do I need to hide more treats and toys around the house for these moments?
-What cues can I be training to help in this situation? Drop it? Leave it?

Thanks for humoring my SCUBA comparison 😉 Now enjoy pics from a pre-covid dive in Aruba.

08/02/2021

I love this quote from the book “How Stella Learned to Talk” by

It goes along with my favorite training question: Do I like what my dog is doing?

If yes, reward that behavior!

Proactive training can move mountains. It helps foster the precious human animal bond — we see the possibilities in our pet 🙌🏻 It also helps our pet understand what you like and what they are allowed to do in a human world.

I find that question also helps shift my mind away from reactive training (I.e. only getting involved when the dog does something bad). Everyone makes mistakes. But in between mistakes….there is a lot of good stuff. There is possibility!

Happy Monday!

07/31/2021

Whooooo’s a happy boy?!?! 😄

Jackson does the best happy face after fetch 😂

If you know me, you know I love to test dog products.

If you know Jackson, you know he is obsessed with fetch.

With our recent move and a lot of health problems (on my end, Jackson has been a champ through it all!), I decided to do a “Choose Your Own Adventure” walk with Jackson.

Our new neighborhood is filled with greenways, parks, and countless walking paths. Perfect for the fresh air the doctor ordered.

During these walks, I let Jackson pick the route. He never ceases to amaze me with his choices and today he led us to this beautiful area perfect for fetch (on a longline) and taking in some suburban nature.

I decided to try out this toy by Kong called Knots Noodlez that was in the July Kong Box.

This toy was the perfect length for slipping in a day pack, the red “Noolez” cover kept the rope from getting dirty (very pleasant surprise!), and it squeaks!!

I definitely think this toy is perfect for fetch but I would not let my dog chew on it for more than a few minutes —homeboy loves to chew.

Don’t have a fetcher fanatic? We were able to tug with it easily as well. I wasn’t sure how comfortable it would be with the red “Noolez” cover, but it didn’t cause my larger hands any problems.

My favorite part of this toy was hands down that it squeaked. Perfect for if Jackson got distracted (“SQUIRREL!”) - a quick squeak and he was back for more play. 👍🏻👍🏻

Overall, Jackson seemed to give it a 10/10.

My vote is still pending as we look at durability. Fingers crossed this one is a keeper 🤞🏻

Have you tried this toy before? If so, what did you think?

—————————————

06/01/2021

🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺

I am excited to announce that I am officially an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this organization.

Fear Free encourages veterinary professionals everywhere to think outside the box when interacting with patients. They encourage mental health. And above all, they encourage grace and compassion.

I think one of the most beneficial aspects of this training was watching videos of top “Fear Free” veterinarians and technicians. They would often point out their own mistakes in retrospect and say, “You’re about to see some mistakes. But that’s how we learn, right? We now know what to do next time.”

I love that!!

The goal should always be progress, not perfection.

Every animal is different. What works for one, might not work for another.

I had so many flashbacks to past patients while completing this certification.

I remembered breakthroughs and setbacks. Trials and errors. So many, “What if we tried this way...oops, nope that won’t work!!” Moments of celebrations with coworkers when we heard an owner say, “No one has ever connected with my dog like this in a veterinary clinic.”

I am grateful that Fear Free exists in our world. It encourages recovering perfectionists—like me 😂—to not be afraid of failure when trying out new recommendations for reducing a pet’s fear, anxiety, and stress.

🥂To progress, not perfection!
———————————————

“Developed by “America’s Veterinarian,” Dr. Marty Becker, the Fear Free initiative aims to “take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’” and get pets back for veterinary visits by promoting considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments. Utilization of Fear Free methods and protocols leads to reduction or removal of anxiety triggers, which creates an experience that is rewarding and safer for all involved including pets, their owners, and veterinary health care teams. Learn more at www.fearfreepets.com.”

05/18/2021

Story time!!! 📚📖

Those words became a morning tradition during the pandemic stay-at-home orders.

I needed structure.

And I definitely needed to stay away from the news.

So I would read. To my pets 😂

We would sit down on the loveseat and all curl up together.

I would read them a story and drink my morning coffee.

Our current book is definitely a good one.

“How Stella Learned to Talk” By Christina Hunger.

You will laugh. You will cry touched tears (this pandemic has made me way more emotional). You will hug your dog. And then you will want to order the buttons to see what your own pet has to say.

I frequently read books by other dog trainers and vet behaviorists. But I like this change of pace — Christina is speech pathologist who works with children.

We frequently compare a dog’s mind to that of a child.

In this book, Christina specifically compares the language development of children to her new puppy Stella.

We are learning about augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

It’s pretty freaking cool.

I also have a deeper respect for speech pathologists — talk about resourcefulness, patience, and necessity.

Have you read any good books recently? Leave a comment below⬇️...always looking for recommendations 😀

.of.a.brownnoser

05/15/2021

Feline Friday 🐅🐆🐈🐈‍⬛

Holy moly, cat fight 🐯

Occasionally after working an animal care shift, I will walk around the sanctuary. It’s a chance for me to observe all the different cats. Cat body language and communication is a new territory for me — so this is the puuuuurfect (**sorry, bad dad joke**) way to increase my exposure.

I randomly caught this interaction on video. The sound is turned off but it sure got my heart racing for a couple of seconds.

I’m not quite sure what was happening, but that’s why I capture visits on video — I can replay them as I read up on felines.

Interesting fact of the day—

Did you know that North Carolina is one of four states with no state-wide laws regulating the private ownerships of exotics?

Whoa. Wait, what does that mean?

It means a tiger like one of these gals could legally be in your neighbors back yard depending on the NC county you live in.

🤯

Carolina Tiger Rescue is the only accredited sanctuary for wild cats in North Carolina (GFAS in 2019). They hope to one day be out of business as legislature begins to change.

04/07/2021

First day at Carolina Tiger Rescue was amazing! I got to help feed several tigers, a cougar, a bobcat, servals, and caracals. What an experience to be in such proximity with all of these gorgeous animals.

After finishing my shift, I made the rounds to see if anyone was up and at ‘em post meal time. Everyone was cat napping except for these two ☺️I wasn’t able to capture it on film but I saw a tiger also doing this same behavior of rubbing up against the fence right before the Keeper fed her — our cat Penny does the same thing and it was mesmerizing to see the bigger cats do the same behavior 🐅🐈

03/01/2021

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.🥛🍪 📚

If you take a dog trainer on a ski trip? She is going to purchase any swag benefiting the avalanche rescue K-9s. ❄️❄️🐕⛷

My husband can attest to that fact. 🙈🙉🤷🏻‍♀️

12/26/2020

Someone made out like a bandit this year.

Swipe left to see the progression of Christmas 😂

Happy Howlidays!

The Teacher’s Pet Training

04/10/2022

08/31/2021

08/07/2021

08/06/2021

08/02/2021

07/31/2021

06/01/2021

05/18/2021

05/15/2021

04/07/2021

03/01/2021

12/26/2020

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category