Cottonball Canines LLC

06/09/2026

Boston and I had a very good training day on Monday, despite the weather!!

This boy has TONS of energy and LOVES to keep moving! While we worked on Recall and Polite Greetings, we also worked on "The Art of Doing Nothing". This is an exercise that most younger dogs struggle with because they're so used to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They're so comfortable with the "go-go-go" mentality that they forget how to relax and settle on their own (especially in high distraction environments)! So for a couple of our sessions we really focused on watching the world go by! This happy boy really surprised me, even when it started raining 😅

Hoping to get some training videos uploaded from our day! Stay tuned! 💜☀️

06/08/2026

Had such a great time today 🫶

This mornings pack walk at the Chickadee Trail was a BLAST! 🐾🌳 While it started to warm up, there was a ton of shade and a lovely breeze. All doggos and humans were hydrated well as we took breaks in the shade and had plenty of water to offer to all. And thanks to a big bottle of Wondercide that I purchased, all doggos and humans were protected from fleas and ticks! We had a few new faces and a ton of old faces - some who have been joining us since the very, very first pack walk almost 2 years ago! 🤯

The trail was quite quiet this morning. We saw a few deer and a few people passed us along the trail. We all had clear communication on trail etiquette and expectations of the group. Everything went so smoothly and beautiful! I was the leader of the pack today - I took a moment to listen behind me a few times after some pauses of chatting with the party behind me. It was nice to hear soft laughter and chatter… people talking about their day plans, their dogs, other hobbies, etc. The dogs all walked in sync with their owners and they got to safely explore the world, people and the other pack walkers around them.

Thanks to all the participants and their doggos - I had a blast and hope you did too! Keep watch for some more dates for next pack walk. With the summer here, we are toying around with the idea of having earlier pack walks or evening pack walks…. Stay tuned for a short poll on your opinion on pack walks for a little giveaway also that will be coming soon! 🎉

Pack walk doggos below from left to right (some participants did not make it in photo but came to pack walk) -
•Thuja (pronounced 2-ha; German Shepard/Kelpie mix), Grim (German Shepard), Rusty (Rottweiler mix), Chonk (Corgi), Maiya (Pug/Boston Terrier), Felix (German Shepard), Nala (Blue Heeler Mix)

You guys all rock!! 🤩 Cottonball Canines LLC Angela Cotton Marita Thrune Kristen Dëtz Heather Scherer Millis Trace Kerns Winona Park & Recreation

06/06/2026

A small change of behind the scenes 💜

I am currently navigating some major life changes - mentally, emotionally, and physically. While this is a new chapter for me, it has affected my availability behind the scenes.

If you've noticed a delay in lesson plans, emails, or other administrative tasks, I am sorry and I'm working on it! Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time while I navigate these changes. I am still available and committed to providing the same level of care, support, and training for both you and your dogs as I work through this transition.

I appreciate every one of you and look forward to getting caught up and continuing to help your dogs succeed as this transition continues. Thank you for your grace and flexibility during this busy summer season.

I always strive to show up as my best, most authentic, and supportive self. While I may have a little less capacity than usual right now, my dedication to you as my clients and your dogs remains the same. Thank you for sticking with me through this season of growth and change.

06/06/2026

Super cool opportunity 🫶

06/03/2026

I will be at the trail early to help anyone who wants to practice or talk about training before we start!! Super excited, can't wait to do more this year!

𝙉𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 :
OUR THIRD PACK WALK OF THE YEAR IS SCHEDULED FOR THIS SUNDAY! For those who don’t know what a pack walk is, it’s the safest way for doggos to be with other doggos & experience new sights, smells, people, etc all while keeping at a distance from other pet parents. This can help reactive/nervous dogs & it HAS! We’ve had many successful families come & we’ve all seen a huge difference with their doggo. Cottonball Canines LLC & I have been doing these pack walks for a couple of years now & everyone always has a blast. Angela is there for dog training tips, questions and to help lead with me!

If you have worked with Angela in the past or currently, this is the perfect opportunity for you to work on those skills that you have learned! If you’re truly not sure if you/your dog can handle the environment, message us! You’ll find that you actually may just be a great fit & see that ALL types of doggos come to pack walks - nervous dogs, very excited dogs, dogs that bark a lot, etc. Don’t let embarrassment keep you from coming - we are here to help and let you thrive, even with behaviors! This isn’t just for reactive dogs, this is for ALL. Bring the whole family for a lovely Sunday stroll with your pup & other pet parents - it looks to be a beautiful Sunday morning! Details are below ⬇️

🐾 Time/Location : 11AM at the Chickadee Trail on Garvin Heights
🐾 Duration : 1 Hour
🐾 Cost : FREE
🐾 Registration : https://form.jotform.com/252385484796070 (must register for safety purposes - it’s easy & quick!)

Angela Cotton & I will be at the trailhead early to prep - Come early to chit chat, get your dog acclimated, potty break, etc. We are so excited!

Featured in the photo : Article on our pack walks from the Winona Daily News & our very own pack walkers from a past walk on Chickadee Trail taken by Field of Dreams Photos (Grace Miller) 🐾📸

06/03/2026

A little shorter of a video today! This is Nellie! Nellie and her family have been a client of mine for over a year! She's made huge progress in her neighborhood on walks and around distractions, but she needed some brushing up on her reactivity around dogs. Nellie is truly a dog that wants to please her handler and be with you each step of the way. I'm excited to keep working with her and her family on these skills to help improve their adventures even further 🫶💜🐶

Follow along for more training with Nellie! We're hoping to start some e-collar training this summer for off leash reliability and overall clarity!

Interested in training for your dog? Reach out via Facebook or visit my website for more info!
https://cottonballcanines.mypixieset.com

05/29/2026

June 7th!!

SAVE THE DATE 📅:

Pack walk on June 7th (Sunday) at 11AM!! 🐾

Location TBD & would love your fave spots or a trail where you think this would work well (I will also be scoping out some new trails we haven’t taken before). Share them below ⬇️

If you want to get out with other pet parents, escape in nature, work on some brief dog training exercises & have a SAFE place for your dog to be with other dogs, this is it - Winona’s only dog pack walks! 🐶

Like always, Cottonball Canines LLC will be with us as it’s not a true pack walk without them!

05/26/2026

As I stay busy during the summer with clients' training sessions and my Day Trains, I realize some people may not know what I do for fun on my days off...

Train my dog of course 🤭😆 If you've ever met Rusty, you know he's a unique boy with LOTS of tricks! One of my favorite tricks I've taught him is "Orbit", where the dog backs up in a complete circle around the handler, using body awareness to smoothly move around the handler without breaking! He LOVES this trick and it's definitely one of our coolest ones. Today we spent some time cleaning up the skills he already knows and learning a new trick - Weaving Backwards!

I've also been playing around and teaching Rusty a focused heel. He surprised me with how well he did even though we haven't done much heeling this month 😅 Rusty will do anything with me, and I can't wait for him to pave the way for my next dog in the future!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our training journey! ✨💜

https://cottonballcanines.mypixieset.com

05/23/2026

Upgrades 🙌 I'm beyond happy to share the improved Cottonball Canines LLC Dog Mobile 💜 The yeti bags will help with keeping my Day Trains organized and the rest of my vehicle convenient! And peep the new large ruffland 🤭