Sam's Train, Play and Stay

04/26/2025

There’s just something about a good Lab🫶🏼

Sweet Remi has been here for long term boarding and gets to go home soon❤️

04/24/2025

We just introduced loose leash mechanics to Lizzie and Mary during this session. They’re killing it!

04/22/2025

Can you believe May is almost here? With that comes a lot of questions…

May I pet your dog?
May I walk your dog?
May I train your dog?
May I work with you and your dog?

Okay enough jokes about May. In all seriousness we have openings for in home lessons, day trains, and board/train slots for this summer that are filling up quickly.

We travel statewide, and out of state for training!

Please call/text/email to schedule your dog🐶
(517) 652-3897
samstrainplayandstay @ gmail

📸// SMC Photography

04/20/2025

He is Risen ✝️ Happy Easter

SMC Photography

04/19/2025

It’s a Sam Saturday ❤️

04/19/2025

Now booking for summer time training ❤️

SMC Photography

04/19/2025

Handsome sweet Koda went home today!

Koda came for our Board and Train program to work on his impulse control around people and other dogs, appropriate play styles with his much smaller brother, recall, and more impulse control!

Koda made such great strides in his stay and his family is so happy to have him home.

Here’s to you Koda❤️

04/18/2025

Not all dogs have good social/play skills📢❗
Some have very awkward play styles and can even play inappropriately.
There is nothing wrong with dogs communicating they aren't appreciating what is occurring....BUT some dogs just miss the point completely.
If you see play starting to turn and something in your gut feels wrong....advocate for your dog, no matter how many times you may be told "It's OK, she's friendly".

This dog training graphic is available https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/when-to-stop-play?srsltid=AfmBOoo1MfzvJVx3_qxurvhVPYBY0V1RLDxYn2exG0bL_sPOuAvqE_o6

04/16/2025

Dogs behave the way they do for many reasons. They don’t act out of stubbornness or a desire to be ‘naughty,’ nor do they try to take control to be the 'pack leader.' Old myths and outdated training approaches harm their well-being and strain the bond between dogs and their caregivers.

🧬 A dog’s breed and genetics shape certain behavioural traits. Genetic predispositions and breed-specific tendencies play a role. Some breeds lean toward behaviours like herding, hunting, or guarding.

The neonatal period and the environment a dog grows up in can impact and influence their emotional responses. Early socialisation period—appropriately exposing puppies using reward-based methods to diverse people, animals, and settings during their key developmental window—builds confidence and shapes emotional regulation, adaptive behaviours, social skills, and reduces fear or aggression later on.

Overstimulation triggers unwanted behaviours by overwhelming a dogs senses. Not enough sleep, loud noises, crowds, or constant busy activity can lead to hyperactivity or erratic/impulsive responses. For example, a dog might jump, bark, or pull on the leash when flooded with too much daily input.

Past experiences and learned consequences shape behaviour. Trauma, especially, can spark fear, anxiety, or aggression.

How caregivers interact and guide their dogs shape their emotional responses and behaviours. Empathy, prevention (environmental management), consistency, and positive reinforcement methods build a more stable and confident dog. Punitive correction-based and intimidation methods can create unpredictability, confusion, and fear, which may lead to aggressive defensive responses.

A dogs health—physical and mental—affects their behaviour. Pain, illness, or discomfort can shift how they act.

Emotions that cause distress, like fear, anxiety, or excessive excitement, drive behaviour or a ‘lack thereof.’ Responses are instinctive and depend on how the dog perceives a threat. They might react defensively (fight), flee to hide (flight), freeze in place, or fawn by showing submissive, appeasing behaviours to de-escalate conflict—like excessive licking or cowering. Some may shut down entirely into learned helplessness after prolonged stress, while others display excessive, out-of-context behaviours (fidgeting), like random ge***al checks, eating grass, scratching, or ‘shaking off.

Unmet mental or physical needs lead to frustration and destruction. A dog with pent-up energy or boredom might chew furniture, dig up the yard, or bark nonstop to release stress.

Diet influences behaviour, too. High-quality nutrition supports steady energy, good mood, and well-being. Poor food choices can cause irritability, hyperactivity, or gut issues.

As dogs age, canine cognitive decline can set in as well as the loss of hearing or eyesight. These changes can lead to increased confusion, disorientation, and altered social interactions in older dogs.

Every dog is unique, and behaviour varies within context, experiences, breeds, and life stages. Dogs express needs, emotions, and intentions through body language, vocalizations, and other signals. Reading these cues gives you insight into their behaviour and how they are feeling, which can help you prevent unwanted situations from happening or help you adjust your approach to challenges.

I’m not humanising dogs—they are sentient beings with emotions (Cambridge Declaration, 2012). Their feelings and needs may not be as layered as ours, but they’re real!

Thanks for reading and learning more about them🐾💜

04/14/2025

I have the best clients. Thank you so much Snarky Beaches !

04/14/2025

04/14/2025

This shirt was Envy approved, shoutout to Sportsman's Warehouse for being dog friendly 🫶🏼🐶

04/14/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/T6GN1ZwlIyU?si=YQpr40nP1SvTBbAE

04/13/2025

Raw lamb bone for the Omen boy, let’s keep those teeth clean 🫶🏼

04/12/2025

We are fully booked for April and May board and train slots.

One spot remaining for June and July
Two spots left for August

Call/ text/ email today to schedule your dog for training 🐶

(517) 652-3897
samstrainplayandstay @ gmail
Samstrainplayandstay.com

📸// SMC Photography

04/12/2025

Luna, my heart and soul. I owe you everything

📸//SMC Photography

04/11/2025

I love being able to share the progress of my clients, and even more when it’s a friend of mine!

This sweet girl was adopted in February after living in the shelter her whole first year of her life. This resulted in a young adult dog who had no good experiences with the outside world, and was incredibly fearful of everything.

When her mom brought her home she did what she thought was best. Allow her to not explore any new environments out of fear of scarring her further. After we spoke about Jolene, I explained that Jolene needed to be put into “scary” situations so she can start having wins in her life, wins that will make her more confident in herself.

Now 1 1/2 months later, she’s frolicking, hiking, sniffing and happy❤️