WoofGang LLC

10/29/2025

Morty, the terrier mix, is the canine housemate to Bear, who we met earlier in the week. While life used to be fairly easy for Morty, things have gotten a little more complicated with Bear's addition. For one thing, while Morty used to be vocal only rarely before, his barking has been exacerbated by his fearful little brother. Behaviors such as barking tend to be contagious, unfortunately.

Adding a new member to the household can certainly complicate things for existing canine family members and will likely change family dynamics and relationships. When bringing a new companion into the household, it helps to start training in earnest not just for the newby but also boning up on the skills of the resident dogs. The quicker that behavior challenges can be addressed, the easier they will be to change, before they become a bad habit that needs to be broken.

You can tell from his intense expression and head cocked in curiosity that Morty is ready to learn

10/27/2025

Bear, the Bichon mix, recently joined his loving furever family. While he loves his parents and his canine housemate, this shy boy is fearful of both unfamiliar people and dogs. So he is needs to learn that people and dogs predict very good things indeed!

Because a dog's home can be a pretty fraught location for him -- it is the territory where he feels the most comfortable and confident and it can tend to be tight space-wise -- starting his re-education out on the street during walks can prove easier. That way his handler can more easily keep him at a distance from people and dogs while changing his emotional mind about them. Taking treats along on walks can be a powerful way to help him with all of his challenges. And because he will work harder for treats when he's hungry, it will be advantageous to arrange his walks to happen BEFORE mealtime.

We can't expect a dog to love every dog and person he meets... we ourselves certainly don't. But we can help him learn to cope with new people and dogs politely. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

10/24/2025

10/20/2025

Becky, the pocket Beagle, was recently adopted into her furever family. As grateful as she is to be safe and loved now after a rather rough start in life, building bond takes more than a minute. And there's no better way to do that than through training. Here little Becky is learning how to share time with her mom by lying quietly at her side, making her a perfect companion to take anywhere

10/15/2025

Rosie, the German Shorthaired Pointer, is "sibby" to Beau, the English Setter we met on Monday. She's a pretty perfect gal, sweet, loving, and overall well-behaved. The thing is that, when you have multiple dogs in a household, the foibles of each get magnified by the others. So one dog barking tends to lead to cacophony; one dog jumping leads to a furry gang mugging. Unfortunately bad behavior tends to be contagious.

In a home with multiple dogs, it is ever more important for each to be trained. So sweet Rosie is learning, along with Beau and Layla, her furry siblings, how to be a polite canine companion. Here she is learning to sit-stay, a staple in any perfect dog playbook ;)

10/13/2025

Beau, the English Setter, is a sweet gent. He shares his life with a loving family with three young girls and two other dogs, a very busy household indeed! As Beau is a high energy dog who is eager to please and loves being with his family, he can have trouble dialing it back. He doesn't know how to relax.

Sleep and rest is just as important for dogs as it is for us. Sleep helps our brains to function better, helps us make good decisions, and helps us respond to the world around us appropriately. And it is the same for our dogs. A healthy life includes physical exercise, mental stimulation, and quality rest. A rested dog can practice better impulse control and can be resilient and appropriate in the face of the unpredictable.

For dogs who tend to vibrate on a slightly higher wavelength and who potentially have some anxiety, we need to help them learn how to relax and unplug. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

10/08/2025

This just looks like an old dog, right? But this ole boy is very close to my heart, and the fact that he's old means sheltering makes a difference.

This is Wolfgang. Many years ago, he was brought in to the shelter I was working at. He was a stray running loose in a Philadelphia park. Wolfie was not an easy dog. He was a fairly yucky resource guarder. Given his beginnings as a scrappy stray trying to make ends meet, it wasn't too surprising. He was also a pretty obnoxious adolescent. We worked with him for months and even took him into our office as a foster because his behavior was deteriorating from kennel stress.

All that work paid off and he turned into quite a sweet, affectionate gent. Even still, he wasn't an easy dog to adopt out; given his past, he needed a dog-savvy adopter, so finding just the right home took a LONG time. But his perfect family came and found him.

Now, ten years later, Wolfie is an old man and it makes my heart sing to see him

10/06/2025

Bentley, the Aussie Shepherd mix, was given more than his fair share of cuteness... with those big ears and that head tilt AND smartness to boot, he's all that and a bag of bully sticks!

Bentley is also an adolescent, which presents some challenges. When he gets excited, he does not know how to contain himself appropriately, and he gets jumpy and mouthy. Bentley needs to learn how to keep a wrap on his excitement levels, but that is something that he needs to learn gradually. First we must teach him to keep a lid on low amounts of excitement and then, gradually, over time, increasing that until he has full mastery of his own arousal levels. Luckily, in Bentley's case, he's eager to learn and has fun doing it!

Adolescent dogs, just like their human equivalents, do not have complete control of their impulses. It is our job as their guardians to teach them how to have better impulse control. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

10/01/2025

Tilly loves her new alligator puzzle toy, and so do I! It's so easy to use for soft things, like a banana, and can be frozen. Both sides of the toy have a receptacle for food, so it carries plenty.

Licking is calming, so it can help an anxious dog (tho Tilly is not one of those). And for less than comfortable husbandry tasks, like a nail trim, licking something tasty can be a welcome accompaniment, both for the distraction and for changing the emotions around the task.