Charlotte's Behavior Corner

05/16/2026

I see you and I'm proud of you! 💖

05/14/2026

🐾 Teaching “heel” isn’t just about getting your dog to walk next to you, it’s about building engagement, regulation, and communication together. 💚

One of the biggest mistakes we make is trying to teach leash skills in the middle of chaos instead of building them first when our dogs are calm and able to learn.

✨ Start small.
✨ Reinforce often.
✨ Keep sessions short and successful.

Practice inside first, reward check-ins, and reinforce the position you want your dog to continue. Small resets like tossing a treat behind you and allowing your dog to re-engage calmly, can also help prevent pulling and overstimulation on walks.

Remember:
We’re not looking for “perfect.”
We’re building patterns, confidence, and communication one small step at a time. 🐕

05/14/2026

100000% True!

Words of wisdom Wednesday…

05/13/2026

🐾 “High energy” dogs don’t always need MORE stimulation…Sometimes they need help learning how to come back down.

I was explaining this recently using a football analogy and honestly… it clicked for everyone involved. 🧠🏈

Think about athletes during practice.

When players are:
👉 running drills
👉 lifting weights
👉 scrimmaging
👉 hyped up and adrenaline pumping

Everything is high intensity.

But coaches don’t just stop there.

They also include:
✔ cool downs
✔ stretching
✔ recovery
✔ nervous system regulation

Why?

Because the body has to learn how to come BACK DOWN after being amped up.

Dogs are no different.

A lot of the dogs we label as:
🐾 “high energy”
🐾 “go go go”
🐾 “wild”
🐾 “can never settle”

…are actually dogs stuck in a constant state of over-arousal.

And sometimes we accidentally make it worse because we think:

👉 “We just need to tire them out more.”

So we add:
• more fetch
• more running
• more stimulation
• more excitement
• constant activity

But if we never teach the dog:
💛 how to rest
💛 how to regulate
💛 how to settle
💛 how to decompress

…their nervous system stays constantly “on.”

Especially in breeds like:
Labs
Goldens
Malinois
Huskies
Working-line dogs
High-drive adolescents

Teaching a dog to settle is a SKILL.

And just like physical conditioning…
recovery and regulation are part of healthy development too. 🐾

05/11/2026

🐾 Unpopular opinion:

A lot more dogs are reactive than people realize.

And no… I’m not just talking about the dogs barking and growling on leash.

The “friendly” dog wildly pulling toward every dog…
The off-leash dog sprinting up to unfamiliar dogs…
The dog ignoring every social cue and body language signal being given?

That’s still reactivity.

It’s just reactivity rooted in:
👉 over-arousal
👉 over-excitement
👉 poor impulse control
👉 and difficulty regulating emotions

Because being “friendly” doesn’t automatically mean a dog has good social skills.

A socially appropriate dog:
✔ listens to body language
✔ respects space
✔ disengages when another dog says “no”
✔ and can remain calm without forcing interaction

Dogs that rush into another dog’s space while overstimulated and out of control are often ignoring very clear communication.

And honestly?
That can be just as dangerous....sometimes MORE dangerous than the dog who is barking to create distance.

At least those dogs are communicating clearly.

This is why:
🐾 leash skills matter
🐾 neutrality matters
🐾 impulse control matters
🐾 and consent matters, even for dogs

Not every dog wants to interact.
Not every dog enjoys rude greetings.
And dogs should not be expected to tolerate uncomfortable interactions just because another dog is “friendly.”

Sometimes the kindest, safest, and most socially skilled thing a dog can do… is calmly walk away and keep control of your dog at all times. 😘

05/09/2026

💛 A little insight into why Sunny Weekends were created:

My standard private training sessions are typically more expensive because they often involve travel, mileage, individualized behavior plans, in-home support, and additional time outside the session itself.

Sunny Weekends were designed as a way to continue supporting families and rescue dogs in a more affordable and accessible format while also allowing me to keep services sustainable long term. 🐾

By offering these sessions in Dannebrog at a set rate, I’m able to help more dogs and families work on real-life skills like leash walking, manners, social skills, and other everyday training goals — without the added costs that can come with in-home services.

At the end of the day, the goal is simple:
Support dogs. Support families. Keep training accessible. 💛

☀️ We still have a few openings available this afternoon and Sunday if you’d like to take advantage of this weekend’s Sunny Weekend sessions. Message me to grab a spot!

Text/Call 308-258-0580
Email: [email protected]

05/08/2026

🐾 “My dog was abused.”

Sometimes that’s true.

But sometimes? The nervous, anxious, fearful, or reactive behavior has nothing to do with abuse at all.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is the assumption that if a dog struggles around strangers, noises, handling, or new environments… someone must have “done something” to them.

And while trauma absolutely can impact behavior…

Fear-based behavior can also come from:
• lack of early socialization
• missed developmental experiences
• genetics
• temperament
• sensitivity
• limited exposure to the world
• or simply a dog struggling to process stress and uncertainty

That doesn’t mean anyone failed.

In many cases, families are doing the absolute best they can with the information they have. 💛

The puppy stage especially has some incredibly important developmental windows where dogs learn:
👉 what feels safe
👉 what’s normal
👉 how to cope
👉 and how to navigate the world around them

Sometimes those experiences happen naturally.
Sometimes life gets busy.
Sometimes we unintentionally skip steps because we simply didn’t know how important they were.

And genetics matter too.

Just like people, dogs can inherit tendencies toward:
• anxiety
• sensitivity
• reactivity
• confidence levels
• recovery skills
• and stress responses

Again…
👉 not abuse
👉 not failure
👉 not “bad dogs”

Just individual dogs with individual needs.

The important part isn’t always figuring out what might have happened in the past.

💛 The important part is meeting the dog in front of you where they’re at NOW.

When we stop focusing on blame…
and start focusing on support, guidance, confidence-building, and realistic expectations—

That’s when dogs truly begin to grow. 🐾

05/08/2026

✨ Proud Moment Post for Miss Molly ✨

This sweet youngster has been working hard on building confidence around new dogs, people, and public environments. This past weekend, her family finally got to see one of those beautiful little “ah ha” moments where all the hard work starts coming together. 🥹💖

Molly’s family has been incredibly patient and thoughtful about giving her safe, positive experiences while helping her learn regulation, recovery, and confidence-building skills at her own pace.

Last weekend during our Community Walk, Molly showed:
🐾 Fantastic recovery skills.

🐾 Improved regulation in stimulating environments.

🐾 The ability to disengage and ignore the world when things felt overwhelming.

🐾 AND… she even showed interest in making friends with Phoenix.🥹

For dogs who may have missed important developmental or socialization milestones early on, growth doesn’t happen through pressure or flooding, it happens through trust, support, patience, and listening to the dog in front of us.

And when we truly meet dogs where they’re at instead of where we expect them to be… it’s amazing to watch them blossom. 🌱💖

Huge shoutout to Molly and her family for all of their hard work. Your dedication is paying off, and we are SO proud of you!!💕