Courteous Canine of Jackson County NC

05/25/2026

A lot of adolescent puppies are not actually under-exercised… 🐕‍🦺🐾

——

They’re OVERstimulated 😵‍💫
And this is where people accidentally create MORE chaos without realizing it.

——

Because once puppies hit adolescence and start acting:
⚡ wild
⚡ chaotic
⚡ unable to settle
⚡ constantly demanding engagement

People immediately think:
👉🏼 “more exercise.”

——

So now the dog gets:
🔺 endless fetch
🔺 nonstop stimulation
🔺 constant activity
🔺 over-arousal ALL day long

…but never actually learns:
❌ how to relax
❌ how to regulate
❌ how to calmly exist in the house

Exercise matters.
But exercise alone does not create a calm dog. 🏃🏻‍♂️🚫🧘🏻‍♀️

——

A lot of adolescent dogs need:
✔️ structure
✔️ naps
✔️ regulation
✔️ calmness skills
✔️ life skills
✔️ appropriate guidance through adolescence

And let's be real . . . that’s the part many people accidentally skip.

——

Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA, FFCP

🐕🐩🐕‍🦺🦮

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Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior
sunshinedogtraining.com

05/10/2026

Watch your dog carefully, what do you see?

05/05/2026

If you don't like a behavior, do not let your dog practice it.

Here's something I wish more owners heard earlier: ignoring a behavioral concern is not a neutral choice.

When a dog rehearses a behavior, that behavior gets stronger. Even behaviors that may feel more annoying like jumping or barkign or mouthing don't just go away when they're ignored.

But serious behavior issues like resource guarding definitely isn't going away on its own. Choosing the "waiting to see what happens" approach is actually giving the behavior more opportunity to become more established, more practiced, and harder to change.

Resource guarding that goes unaddressed doesn't usually fade. Separation distress that gets dismissed as "just an adjustment period" doesn't always resolve on its own. Reactivity toward other dogs doesn't typically improve without active intervention.

Behavior doesn't usually self-resolve. It either gets better because someone actively works on it, or it gets worse because rehearsal makes it stronger.

If you're watching your puppy or dog do something that concerns you and hoping it'll pass, I'd encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later. The earlier we address it, the more we have to work with.

The full blog post is linked in the first comment.

05/05/2026

05/03/2026

I really don't think dogs have it in them to be stubborn.First they have to know what it is you want and most people do not make themselves clear to the dog.

04/29/2026

This is Excellent! In 30 years of experience I see a LOT more fear than rage.

DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN REACTIVITY AND AGGRESSION IN DOGS

There is often confusion with guardians as to whether their dogs are reactive or aggressive. Many a time a lead reactive dog for example, will be labeled as aggressive as there are indeed overlaps in behaviours, and hence it can be confusing. Some behaviours can be driven by the frustration of the brain's SEEKING System or by the FEAR System activation, while other behaviours are driven by the activation of the RAGE System (humans have the same brain systems btw 😉). Reactivity can escalate into aggression but aggression does not always involve reactivity. Yes like everything else about emotions and behaviours, it is not clear cut and can be confusing. Here is a quick summary on the differences between reactivity and aggression in dogs.

Note - always seek assistance from a professional who will look at the dog in front of them and the contextual impact leading to displayed emotions and behaviours. As no two dogs are alike, different interventions may be needed to keep the dog emotionally and physically safe.

Please note that this post or poster does not represent the full complexity of reactivity, aggression and any related emotions, behaviours and conditions. It does not cover the origins, triggers, assessment protocols or tools, and a comprehensive list of recommendations which can include veterinary medication. This full picture is normally unearthed in the assessment with individual clients and a veterinary professional. This post only deals with a basic summary as related to common, observable behaviours and to the brain's SEEKING, FEAR and RAGE Systems. It is not intended to over simplify highly complex issues or to minimize it. It is also not intended to be used as a reference for the full understanding of the conditions and related emotional states. This post is meant to offer guardians a possible direction to consider when their pets are struggling with emotions and behaviours that may seem similar so that they can seek help soonest.

04/28/2026

Don’t rush it.
It looks like a simple moment.
It really isn’t.

If you have a really social dog, awesome. You’ll likely never have the dilemma or issues with these decisions.
But many more dogs need us to make careful decisions. We are the “gate keeper”.
What was their most recent experience?
Good, bad or you’re just uneasy because of a little niggling feeling.
That matters.

Perhaps you know that your dog’s energy changes after 5 minutes of playing and you’re very aware that energy can tip over into something else.
The fact you know that is brilliant!

We tend to focus on the obvious and what we see in that moment.
The eagerness.
The wagging tail.
The forward movement by one desperate to meet the other.
The “friendly” approach.
But that’s not all that we should notice and the more you look at the bigger picture, the easier it is to make decisions and those decisions matter.

Because once they’re in it, it’s much harder to change.

It’s ok to pause.
It’s ok to step away.
It’s ok to say no.

And yes
It’s absolutely ok to say yes too.

04/24/2026

04/22/2026

When I do a private session or a class, it runs an hour. BUT I am training the owner. When you work with the dog at home, 5-10 min per session is enough. Usually working on one thing at a time.

How long should your dog's training sessions actually be?

This is one of the most common questions I get and people are often surprised at my answer.

Check out the full blog post for the details. Link in comments.

04/22/2026