Estill Dog Psychology

07/24/2026

Training your dog should be fun! Here are 3 helpful/essential tools that can help you get started! 🐶

07/21/2026

07/13/2026

🐶The Importance of Fulfillment🦮

One of the greatest gifts we can give our dogs is fulfillment, and one of the simplest ways to provide it is through a walk. Whether your dog is big or small, young or old, every dog is instinctually wired to move. Movement isn’t just about burning off energy, it’s about fulfilling their natural purpose. A walk gives your dog the opportunity to engage their mind, use their body, and satisfy instincts that have existed for thousands of years. When those needs are consistently met, dogs tend to be calmer, more confident, and easier to live with. A fulfilled dog is a happier dog, and happiness doesn’t come from being entertained all day,it comes from having their natural needs met through purposeful movement and shared experiences with their human

07/09/2026

The Importance of Knowing Your Dog’s Pack Position

Understanding whether your dog naturally falls at the front, middle, or back of the pack can make all the difference when it comes to building a balanced relationship and creating an effective training plan. Every dog is different, and knowing your dog’s pack position helps you recognize when to push the gas and when to hit the brake. A sensitive, softer dog can easily shut down if approached with too much sternness or pressure, while a confident, forward dog may take over and ignore boundaries if you’re too soft or inconsistent. The key isn’t treating every dog the same—it’s understanding the individual in front of you and adjusting your leadership accordingly. Knowing your dog’s pack position is one of the biggest keys to creating balance, building trust, and developing the kind of relationship where both you and your dog can succeed together.

07/04/2026

🦅Happy 4th from EDP and all our Pups🇺🇸

Hope everyone has a wonderful safe and fun weekend. We are forever grateful for our clients for all the love and support.❤️🐶🧨🎇🎆

07/02/2026

🐶❤️Tips on How to Train a Deaf Dog 🐶❤️

Leo, the dog in this video, is deaf, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn new things. One of the biggest mistakes people make is believing that training has to start with words. As humans, our first instinct is to communicate through sound, but when you look at the order in which dogs gather information from the world, sound is actually one of the least important senses. Dogs communicate with one another primarily through body language, movement, energy, and spatial pressure. Sometimes we have to become more creative and return to this primitive form of communication rather than relying on verbal commands. In my opinion, it’s far more fair for us as humans to learn how dogs naturally communicate than to expect dogs to communicate the way humans do. When a dog loses one sense, the others often become even stronger. In Leo’s case, because he can’t hear, he’s much more aware of visual cues and often relies more heavily on his eyes and nose to gather information. By using consistent hand signals, clear body language, and good timing, we can build trust, create understanding, and prove that a deaf dog is just as capable of learning, growing, and thriving as

06/29/2026

Tips on How to Help Your Dog on the 4th of July🧨🎆🎇🇺🇸

The best way to help your dog through the Fourth of July is to prepare before the fireworks ever begin. Dogs don’t suddenly know how to stay calm in stressful situations—we have to condition those behaviors ahead of time. Just like any other skill, confidence and relaxation come through repetition and practice. If we wait until the fireworks are already going off to start helping our dogs, we’re already behind. Preparing in advance allows your dog to build positive associations, practice staying calm, and develop the confidence they’ll need when the real event arrives.

* Get Your Energy Right First🧘🏼 – Dogs are incredibly aware of our emotional state. If we’re nervous, anxious, or reacting every time we hear a loud boom, our dogs are likely to mirror that same energy. When we remain calm, confident, and composed, we give our dogs a much better chance of following our lead. Before trying to calm your dog, make sure you’re bringing the energy you want them to reflect.
* Exercise/Fulfillment – A physically and mentally fulfilled dog is far less likely to have the energy available to fuel anxiety. Before the festivities begin, make sure your dog gets quality exercise, structured walks, play, sniffing opportunities, and mental engagement. A dog whose mind and body have been fulfilled is often in a much better state to relax when fireworks begin than a dog that’s been full of unused energy all day.
* Preparation 📕 – Don’t let the Fourth of July be the first time your dog hears fireworks. In the days and weeks leading up to the holiday, play recordings of fireworks or similar sounds at a low volume while nothing exciting is happening. Pair those sounds with relaxation instead of chaos so your dog learns that loud noises don’t automatically predict something scary. Gradually increasing the volume over time can help build confidence before the real event.

06/20/2026

Happy Saturday! 👏🏻🙌🏻

Like and post on the comments a pic of your dog when they were a puppy! 🐶❤️

06/19/2026

It’s ok…or is it?

A normal response I see from many owners is telling their dogs “it’s OK” during moments of reactivity, anxiousness, fear, or uncertainty. While the intention is to comfort our dogs, we have to understand that the state of mind we reward is often the state of mind that continues. If we are petting, soothing, and reassuring our dog while they are in an unstable or fearful mindset, they can begin to associate that emotional state with receiving attention and reinforcement. So even though the human is saying “it’s OK,” it may actually not be OK to continue rewarding that state of mind. If we want more calmness, confidence, and balance from our dogs, we have to be intentional about what we are rewarding. Affection is powerful, but remember: what you pet is what you continue to get

06/18/2026

❤️Love Is Not Only Affection❤️

Love cannot only be shown through affection. While physical touch, praise, and affection are important ways we communicate love to our dogs, affection given at the wrong time can accidentally reward states of mind we don’t want to encourage or even create more unwanted behaviors. Dogs learn through association, and if we provide affection when a dog is anxious, demanding, overly excited, or displaying poor choices, we may unintentionally reinforce those patterns. True love is understanding when to give affection, but also understanding that love is shown through guidance, structure, fulfillment, and meeting our dog’s needs in a way that helps them become balanced.

● Love is selfless — Love means putting our dogs’ wants and needs before ours, even when we don’t feel up to it. There will be days we don’t have the energy, motivation, or desire, but our responsibility is to make sure our dogs are cared for, fulfilled, and supported before we focus on ourselves.

● Love is fulfillment — A truly loving relationship requires us to fulfill our dogs both physically and mentally every single day. Dogs need exercise, challenges, structure, and opportunities to use their natural instincts. When we help them reach a balanced state, they can better understand their role, which creates a stronger and healthier relationship between us.

● Love is understanding your dog — When we understand the species first and the breed second, we begin to recognize that every dog has specific needs based on who they are. There are animal-specific and breed-specific fulfillment needs that must be addressed. When we take the time to understand our dogs, we create true connection because they learn that we see them, communicate with them, and understand what they need to thrive.