Dog Star Academy

08/05/2025

Meet beautiful Nellie! She's a 1 year old client with bounds and bounds of energy!! Not at all out of the ordinary for a young dog, especially a Golden Retriever pup. A little known fact is that larger breed dogs tend to hold onto that puppy energy/excitably up until 2yrs old! It's really important to make sure they have lots of outlets to release that energy (physically and mentally) otherwise they can exhibit what looks like reactivity/aggression towards people or dogs they want to meet. Which was happening with Nellie. Fortunately, I gave her parents the tools to get her on a path to success!! While taming puppy/young dog energy can seem like a huge task, I can help by offering a simple yet well rounded approach. It will be easy to add into your daily lives!!

07/08/2025

Dog aggression is often misunderstood by pet parents. The dog is thought to be acting spiteful, dominant, jealous, or mean. But, these are all human emotions. Dogs are not trying to be bad on purpose and most often they are reacting aggressively due to fear and sometimes even pain.

When we shift from judging the behavior to listening to it, we can start building trust and helping our dogs feel more secure. Understanding the why behind the behavior is the first step to helping your dog feel safe and supported. Let me help you!

Here is what your dog is really saying when they become aggressive...

07/02/2025

A friendly reminder with fireworks upon us these next couple weeks. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your dog that is anxious/panicked by fireworks is to simply be home with them when they are going off. Though they will very likely still react to the loud noise and light (who can blame them?) they will feel comforted that you are there ❤️

Wishing you and all your fur babies a peaceful 4th of July!!

06/23/2025

IS YOUR DOG A Certified THERAPY ANIMAL?? Ascend Hospice Center located in Cranford, NJ reached out to me about needing therapy animal volunteers. Please reach out to them if you think your pup(s) would be a good fit. Sounds like a great organization!! ❤ 🐾

06/09/2025

It makes me so happy to help dogs that are rescued. While they sometimes need a little extra help, they make the most amazing & grateful companions! Wally is the sweetest little puppy you've ever met and his family is committed to make sure he's on a path of success into adulthood ❤

06/02/2025

Meet styli'n Coco! This sweet girl is ready for Summer!! Coco travelled all the way from China and ended up with an amazing family who cares about her very much.

She has a lot of fear when meeting new people. Unfortunately, when a dog is not socialized enough as a puppy with people, they don't develop the social skills and confidence to trust and feel comfortable around them. Since rescue pups are (sadly) often kept confined for long periods and/or sometimes have traumatizing experiences with people they don't have the positive experiences needed to feel trust towards humans and lack opportunities to socialize. While it's not the easiest emotional response to treat, improvement is definitely possible and in some cases the reactivity is replaced with confidence and trust!

In Coco's case, she showed glimmers of feeling trusting with me by taking treats from my hand and so I feel very strongly her family will see improvement in her reactivity if they practice the exercises I shared with them. She deserves to feel comfortable around people, feeling anxious is not pleasant for dogs much like it's not a nice experience for us either!

05/26/2025

Happy Memorial Day!!

05/04/2025

Dogs need daily walks to stay physically healthy, mentally stimulated, and emotionally balanced, as walking supports their heart and joints, reduces stress, and fulfills their natural instincts to explore and socialize!!

Even if you have a big, fenced in yard, dogs still need to go on daily walks off your property. They need to explore to keep their mind stimulated. Without daily walks, dogs will act out and behave poorly.

04/11/2025

It’s always a good idea to rescue some pups! 🥰

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15GZHQnokg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/29/2025

03/20/2025

Spring is Here!! Let's get your pups trained!

Highlands based, certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
Positive, Reward-Based Training

Email or PM us for more details!
[email protected]

www.dogstarnj.com

12/21/2024

Upcoming adoption event at Bell Works!!