Lakota's Legacy Behavior & Life Skills Training

Today I was joined by Miss Jean at Paws, Claws & More by Jean for a special session with sweet, little Ginger. Ginger is a young dog who has suffered the first two years of her life in a hoarding situation. She missed out on all the critical developmental periods of learning and socializing, so she has a lot of fear and little life skills to navigate. She is a dog who can not handle pressure. What is a pressure sensitive dog? A dog who does whatever they can to avoid a certain situation. They might shrink, avert their eyes, cower, tuck their tail, (or on the other end of the spectrum- lunge, bark, bite,)... whenever they are feeling more pressure than they are comfortable with. A dog running away from a stranger trying to touch them. A dog who is checked out whenever someone tries to engage with them. A dog that won't play with toys and a person. That's Ginger. So all those rewards that we would want to use, we can't right now because she can't handle the pressure. We have to change our strategy. Anything we do with her has to allow her pressure sensitive consideration. Will she ever be easy going party pants? We don't know. She is very early on in her rehabilitation. Her mom is doing a wonderful job in her compassion and considerations. These things take time. To rush Ginger would only set her back and make her shrink more. We want to empower her. She wants to feel some empowerment. Today we did some deep energy work with her to help her to get into her zen state with strangers (us) around. We wanted to be with her and show her that she was safe, and not put more pressure on her than she could handle. I was able to get much closer with her today in a calm, relaxed state of mind. She was close to falling asleep. PROGRESS. Sometimes the best thing we can do is SLOWWWW down! Our dogs pick up on our energy. If your dog is struggling with anxiety, chances are you are too. Take some time to forget everything else that floods your mind and just be in the mo

FALLLLLLL is Here! WOOHOO!! FINALLY!! I don't know about you, but I am OVER the heat of this past summer!! It was far too hot to take my dogs out on a walk so we played loads of games to bypass them! BUT the weather is GREAT for walks now! Is your dog ready to go?? Maybe she is but you're not! If she struggles on her walks with you and wants to take you on Toadie's Wild Ride, then listen up! People come to me ALL the time looking for help with their dog's lead pulling. It's such a common issue! And with the economy the way it is today, it's a struggle for a lot to be able to pay for a trainer like me to come into their home. I get it! That's why I am able to offer this AWESOME homeschool solution at a crazy, cool, affordable price. You ABSOLUTELY CAN teach your dog new skills to help with walks! As an AbsoluteDOGS Pro Dog Parter I’m super excited to share their brand new mini-course, Stop Pulling! If you dream of a well-behaved dog,...a dog who listens to you, chooses you over distractions and DOESN’T pull on lead,... If you would like to enjoy a stroll through the woods, relaxing wanders on the beach or hiking adventures with your dog, then I have help! The Stop Pulling Mini Course is a challenge that has ALL the solutions to your pulling on lead struggles. It’s going to help you unlock the secrets to a having a dog that walks so nicely on lead, with such great focus on you, that you can forget all about the lead and just have fun! For just $36, you are going to get: • A mini course that will arm you with everything you need to achieve loose-leash walking success! • A series of Game Up videos, demonstrating practical games to train your dog in just a few minutes a day and set them up for the total transformation of real-life results success! • A series of Skill Up videos, where you get to geek out and learn all about how games-based training can reshape your dog’s brain and help you achieve amazing loose-leash walking skills, regardless o

Sweet Sammy’s mom came to me over a year ago for help on their walks together. Sammy has a thyroid condition which impacts his weight & can impact his behavior too. His mom has bad knees & was unable to walk him at all because of his insane pulling. Sammy is her best friend & she knew the importance of his exercise but she knew she would get hurt if he got to pulling on her too hard. This broke her heart. We had a month to get as far as we could before their out of state move. No pressure though 😂 We all worked together practicing & learning new skills. This was such a touching case for me & I couldn’t have asked for a better team to help Sammy grow. With Sammy’a amazing mom’s new skills & understanding of Sammy, they were able to go for walks. She continued to carry that baton with consistency & her commitment. A year later & I got an update: “He is awesome on leash! He listens to my requests and is such a good boy!!” If your dog is struggling on their walk, it’s okay to ditch the walk! There are so many other games we could play to help them with their struggle without putting them in the situation they are failing in. ❤️ Go Team Sammy!

We have been working on Annabel‘s proximity skills. If your dog likes to stick around you when you are out and about, congratulations! You got lucky! Most dogs like to explore the wild world when they get the opportunities and this can happen on loose leash walks or just being out. Dog breeds like huskies tend to have a lot of wanderlust about them so I really need to up my game with her. When our dogs make the right decisions, we really need to let them know they made the right ones with positive fun vibes! What does celebrating your dog’s wins look like? Woof! 🐾 🐾 🙌 🥳 

Eros says, “cardboard boxes?!?! Don’t tempt me with a good time!” 🐾🐾😆🐾🐾🥳 What’s your dog’s idea of fun? 🥳

Sunday snuggles with Anabelle! How can you not ❤️ this little face of hers 😆 Have a great Sunday! 🐾 🐾 woof! 🐕 😃

Disengagement is an important concept to teach our dogs. Some dogs can struggle with it because they were bred NOT to disengage. Some dogs can struggle because they find the experience either too scary or too exciting to come away from. Disengagement is the ability to come away from something that is important. This could be a scary dog, a flock of sheep, a squirrel running in the front yard,... Herding dogs can struggle with this concept largely because they were genetically bred to engage and stay on whatever it is they were focused on. This same behavior can transfer into other areas of their world, like a stranger coming near, or another dog they are nervous about. Add in a negative emotion and we can see a dog that is staring, barking, lunging, and hard to pull away from. To teach a dog disengagement, I use activities that the dog finds fun. I make it a game. This makes a HUGE difference in whether or not the dog is enjoying the experience or feels it punishing. This is important on the relationship level as well. So with Eros and all his struggles, disengagement is a big concept we work on. He loves ripping open the boxes. You can see here that he has learned to: 1. Leave It (even though he wasn't told to, he waits for permission to go in). This is a disengagement skill. and then, 2. I ask him if he can come away from the exciting activity which is super hard for a dog like him (GSD) let alone how much excitement is happening. I mean, there are bones in there so there is a huge level of arousal working here as well. In the video I decided to test him to see whether or not he could come away from the Chewy box with bones in it. He did! It wasn't great but it was pretty good. We hadn't done anything like that in awhile. His initial hesitation tells me we need to play more disengagement games, because even if he has this skill and is pretty good about it, he still needs to brush up on it from time to time. And why not have fun while doing that? L

Doing a little boundaries training with these youngsters. Why are boundaries important? ✅ teaches dog to stay in their lane ✅ gives dog a physical place to go ✅ gives dog something to do ✅ helps manage multi dog households ✅ can create & build calmness in the dog ✅ can be used anywhere ✅ use when visitors come over ✅ use at vet visits ✅ use while cooking-no more tripping over dogs Boundaries rock!! Short successful sessions like this build strong & lasting skills for life! 🐾 🐾 🐶 ❤️ If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong! #blue9klimb #livingmybestlife #puppy #dogtrainer #dog #corgi #husky #dogtraining

Anabelle is so dramatic 😂

Ana is such a dramatic clown 🤡😆 🐾 🐾 💜 🐕

Recall training with Freyja

Can you let your dog off lead & trust they won’t run away? Does your dog ignore your calling them back to you? Dogs know when they are being tricked & they know a rip off. If you have to try to outsmart your dog into coming back when you call them, you’re doing it wrong. Repeatedly calling your dog back will fall on “deaf” ears when they think they are being tricked, they smell a rip off, or they are simply incapable (for a multitude of reasons). If you called me trying to trick me with a happy voice & teased me with a cheeseburger but then snatched it away from me when I came back, forced me inside with an angry grunt, or took away my fun, I highly doubt I’ll come back next time you call. This isn’t a training problem. It’s a relationship problem because the trust isn’t there. The understanding isn’t there. I used to focus on the training and the one piece that was always missing, but I didn’t realize it was missing, was the health of our relationship. It’s not a one-way street where human controls the dog and the dog must obey. It’s a two-way street where the dog finds value in the relationship, knows it won’t get ripped off & can trust their person. 🐕♥️ ✅ If your dog is ignoring you when you call them back, stop calling them back. It is only creating white noise. ✅ you have to ask yourself, “is my dog capable of doing,…?“ because if the dog is in capable of doing the task, then expecting it to do so is a set up for failure. ✅ Create value in being around you by playing games and rewarding your dog being close to you. Build that trust. Make it a good deal. 🤩🏆 🥳🐿🥳 The Sexier than a Squirrel Challenge Is a really fun 25 day, game a day, online homeschool challenge that you can play with your dog to help build the skills to help grow & strengthen your relationship, with games that build skills to help create value around you! The games help you to win against the competition that is the squ

Annabelle smells french fries & chickie fries

Look at that little sniffer go ❤️ Dogs use their noses like we use our eyes. They “see” things so much differently than we do

Eros making more new friends

More progress today with Eros! If you don’t know his story, Eros has struggled with human fear aggression. Especially towards men. I would never risk any human-adult or child unless I absolutely trusted him & his comfort level/training. A couple years ago, I would not have thought this possible. His comfortable distance from strangers was on another floor of the house, in another room, behind a closed door—and even there he would yell with barking. We have slowly, methodically worked on his struggles on this. This didn’t happen overnight, or with any kind of force or punishment. No shock collars. Time, patience, understanding, skill building, calmness, his choice & loads of positive reinforcement is how we got here. Dogs decide what they can & can not handle, & what they are & aren’t afraid of. We can teach them skills & help them with their emotions but we can’t (nor should we ever) try to force a relationship. At the end of the day, it is their choice & their choice should always be respected. Freedom comes from choice. Trust comes from freedom. Can I trust my dog to make the right decision? Have I effectively taught him the necessary skills? Can my dog trust me enough to know I will give him the freedom to decide? Where is our relationship? Our communication level? If we aren’t on the same page, working together & understanding each other, we will probably fail at our goal. Dogs have the ability to amaze us when we help them develop alternative skills & give them choices! He’s done good today. ♥️ 🐾 🐾 🐕

Recall training off lead with Eros

A little choice recall training with Eros this evening. Am I worried? Nope! Even with deer & Turkey nearby. He’s got the whole world to explore, but where does he choose to go? How quick does he come back? Do I have to beg him or nag him? Nope. I love giving dogs gs freedom to make their own good choices without pain or punishment. We play (errr ehm “train”) 99% of the time for that 1% serious time ❤️ This evening was in that 99%. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong

Fun, homeschool challenge to help build your dogs skills! Start TODAY! Keep it for LIFE!

We compete with the exciting world out there begging your dog to interact with no rules and no pressures. THAT'S our competition!! Once you understand that, you can start to build your dog's skills to work WITH you and not against you! Message me for details & to register! Start TODAY!

Training opportunities everywhere

Ya never know where a training opportunity will present itself. This evening my goal was to do a bit of easy, fun, boundary exercises. Ana hasn’t had much training in them & Eros can get anxious & nervous in the backyard because of neighbor dogs, Especially when he hears or sees them (I know he smells them right away). As we were working on our boundaries the neighbor dog started barking. Change of plans. I’m going to use that to help train him right through it. If left to his own old decisions he would run the fence & fight. He’s been working on building skills to make different choices. Dogs need choices, skills & something else to do—not a “no” or “stop”. Here is a great example of what I mean. No where in this video am I telling him what to do (nor Ana), but you can see Eros notice the dog barking with his ear tip to the fence. Now, he could engage in the activity & go attack the fence, or he could stay on his boundary & grab some hot dog bits. The choice was his to make. I’m not telling him what to do or forcing him to stay. He would’ve had a tough time staying on the boundary if the dog barking was too stressful for him. I would have taken him away from it. It wasn’t. He was calm & cool. We can’t control the world around us but we can control how we deal with it. There are training opportunities everywhere. What has happened around you & your dog that you used as a training opportunity?

Reinforce those good decisions!

Living in a multi dog household can be very stressful & exciting times for dogs, especially around doorways. There is a whole world out there with an abundance of sights, smells & sounds. It’s exciting enough to each dog so imagine that for each dog at that door, add in the group dynamics such as how they feel about eachother, a group level of excitement & it’s no wonder the human disappears in the background! This is where a lot of dogs struggle. What do I want? I want them to be able to think in these situations. I want them to make good choices! For me that means not bolting out the door, being polite & leaving out when I want them to. I don’t expect perfection. I know my competition. It’s on the other side of that door. I don’t want my dogs to ever think sticking with me is a rip off or feels punishing. In order to do that, I need to up my game. Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce those good decisions! If your dog struggles somewhere, you need to ask yourself if the request is reasonable. You need to ask yourself if the dog thinks it’s better for him to stick with you, or does it feel punishing. You need to ask yourself if you are paying him enough. Be mindful of the relationships! Stogie (tri colored Corgi) & Eros (GSD) require space; they’ve had issues in the past. Ana (husky) needs space-she doesn’t like others too much into her personal bubble). freyja (tan Corgi) is making a great decision giving herself distance and laying down instead of running out the door! Reward the dog for making good decisions. It’s not just food they get for paying attention to me; it’s also that they get to go play! Food & play??? Now that’s strong motivation for my dogs! 🤩🥳😍 Reinforce those good decisions!! What decisions are your dogs making?? Want to help them learn some better ones? Check out my Services section!!! If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong

Freedom to walk together

One of my clients from a year ago sent this video to me this morning to show me this awesome, easy loose lead walk together. 😍 A year ago this wonderful client was afraid to walk him because of her bad knees & his heavy pulling. Learning proper lead skills & considering his emotions & health struggles has helped her to help Sammy here learn how to walk without pulling & enjoy their walk. No need for a prong or shock collar here. Mom just needed to understand him better & he needed to learn a better way. A year later & here they are. Lovely team! Love to see these successful updates!

Training fun in the backyard

How do I get my dogs to walk nice on their leads? How do I get my dog to come when I call them? How do I get my dog to pay attention to me? I can tell you. Are you ready?? GAMES! We play GAMES!! When my dogs learn that being with me ALWAYS LEADS TO FUN, when my dogs learn that there is VALUE around ME, when my dogs learn that OUR RELATIONSHIP ROCKS, they CHOOSE to ENGAGE with ME! WOOHOO!! No nagging, no begging, no frustration! I am not even TALKING to them here! We are just having FUN! The relationship with our dogs is sooooo important!! Dogs are learning 24/7 with or without us. When left on their own, they often find themselves in trouble. Look for those opportunities to engage, play & teach your dog. Here I am seizing the moment, even if I am in my slippers! LOL Who cares? I don't care about perfect “obedient” dogs with the perfect heel. I care about the quality of our relationship. Our FUN FACTOR!! This stuff works guys! Wanna take the games for a test drive with your dog??? I got you! A homeschool course all you do is BUY ONE TIME, KEEP FUREVER and jump in on your computer when you are ready to play! You will learn WHY you are playing the games, HOW to play the games, TROUBLESHOOTING when things don't go quite right, AND you will get BONUSES thrown in too! $40 one time! That's it! The best thing that could happen is you have fun and learn some cool games with your dog; the worst thing that could happen is you learn some cool games with your dog. The Sexier Than a Squirrel Challenge is jam packed with games to play with your dog! Message me for more details! If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

Training fun in the backyard

Dogs are learning 24/7 with or without us. When left on their own, they often find themselves in trouble. Look for those opportunities to engage, play & teach your dog. The Sexier Than a Squirrel Challenge is jam packed with games to play with your dog! Message me for more details! If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

Training: short, fun, successful

I want to see happy tails wagging when in training sessions! Sessions don’t have to be perfect especially when they are just learning & should be short (to prevent boredom/frustration/over doing it), fun (to boost relationship) & end on a win (to make it a great experience)! 🏆 I’m excited about working with these two! Look for more as we start a new journey with Miss Amazing Maze here 🐾 🐾 🐕 🤩 woof!! #dogtraining #dog #doglover #happydog #puppy #puppytraining #sciencebasedtraining #germanshepherd

If youre not having fun, you’re doing it wrong

Dogs are animals, like us. They are made of the same stuff as us: blood, gut, neurons, blood, a nervous system & brain. They have individual personalities, learning curves & ways to communicate, just like us. They aren’t small computers we plug in the wall expecting perfect behavior. Behavior doesn’t work like that yet I see people put that expectation on them time & time again frustrated & angry with their dog when the dog fails the expectation. So what is more important? A perfect robot dog or a deep relationship built in understanding, kindness & fun? Which is more realistic? Trainers do not have perfect obedient dogs. If they tell you that, they’re lying. I don’t even use obedience in my dog vocabulary. I want my dogs to be skilled up to handle crazy human world. I want their voices respected & their behavior appreciated for what it is-insight to how they feel. Our relationships are the foundation to everything else we build on it. I would rather hang with someone who brings fun & accepts me for who I am than someone with unrealistic expectations that feel pressuring & punishing. I want a dog who wants to be with me-not forced to. Ahhh Anabelle, what a funny little clown 🥳🥰

Out & about dog dog training with Eros

We have been working with the dogs inside the enclosure so far. When a dog is outside the protection of a fence, or off lead, other dogs are aware. A dog nervous about other dogs is acutely aware those safety measures are no longer in place. This guy gets it. He calmly walked his dog out of the enclosure so I decided to use he & his dog to help us in a training opportunity. If the other dog was a jumping, barking, lead pulling mess, I would not have put Eros in that situation. I allow Eros to notice the dog. I give him slack in the lead. I don’t even have his head collar clipped. White knuckle gripping will cause two things: a dog that can potentially drag you, dislocate your shoulder or face plant you in asphalt, or the tension will feel it’s way through the lead to the dog. If you are tense, your dog will more than likely be tense as well. My goal was to give Eros as much freedom as possible to assess his environment & decide what to do in the situation. Without force, punishment, prong or shock collars. Ideally I want to see if he can use the dog as context about what’s going on around him, remain calm, & check in with me. I did not call him back to me. This is how skill building with our dogs looks. Nailed it! 🏆 Rant: Pushing a dog into situations he’s not comfortable with is using force to make him. This can make a nervous dog worse because his options have been all but stripped of him. if the dog is barking, lunging, pulling, screaming,….. they are in over their heads & it is NOT the time to label the dog as aggressive, stubborn or unable to listen. in the dogs perspective, it’s actually the human who holds those traits. This is also NOT the time to “fix” the behavior with force or punishing equipment. and before anyone reading this pops off about how “harmless” the devices are, needs to understand that 1. Even the manufacturer of this equipment specifically states not to use it on nervous, fearful, reac

Spring showers bring Eros flooded down spouts

Yippee! Yahoo! One of his favorite things to do? What brings your dog joy?

Why do you need to take their ____ away?

I often hear people say when they try to take their dog’s (insert item) away, the dog growls. While others brag about taking everything & anything away from their dog. I hear people putting their hands in a dog’s food bowl, punishing a dog for growling when said item is being taken, and inevitably “my dog bit me when I went to take her (item) away”. Your dog has what they consider a prize. They might really be enjoying that prize too. So why would anyone want to take that prize away from them? And then brag that they could?! Generally speaking, dogs prefer to avoid conflict. So if a dog is growling, snarling at you when you come to take his item, he’s telling you best he can that he’s not okay with what you’re doing,…here’s your warning. If you persist, things could get ugly. Why would you continue to try to take the item away? People that do are of the outdated, debunked mentality that dog needs to know who the boss is, the alpha. It’s horse crap. If I was looking forward to a steak & you continued to crash my party, steal my joy of the experience that is my steak, I would growl at you too! Go ahead, take it away & I might stab your hand with my fork! Dogs can find value in all sorts of items that we see no value in whatsoever. Dogs determine value; not us. And when things get repeatedly taken away, the dog learns to be worried anytime you’re near & may start “guarding” all sorts of things. Dogs need choices. Choices give them control of outcomes. Taking a dog’s possession away gives them no choice about it, does it? Inevitably there are things they should not have. Things you need to get away from them. 1. It’s your job to make sure that their environment is free from access to things that they should not have. 2. When you do need to get something from them, you should always offer them a trade. And one possible, you should always trade up. 3. Always ask yourself the question “why “. Why do you need to take the item aw

Dog- new puppy integration struggles

‼️Warning: this is a tough one to watch!! TRIGGER ALERT‼️ [Preface: If you think this is how to integrate your new puppy, STOP! This video shows a young puppy that is being harassed by an older dog. The puppy can not escape and does not feel safe. The older dog is clearly not cool with the new puppy and does not know how to leave him. This is an example of a dog that is pessimistic, lacks confidence and the ability to disengage. This is NOT what we want the pup to experience or learn. This is how a puppy will grow up with issues against other dogs. Nothing happening here will help these two dogs form a healthy relationship. This is not the owner's fault. This is a well intended owner taking some realllllly bad advice.] 🛑 New pup and just under 2yr old male. I was contacted to help them co-exist. They were using second hand “free” advice (please people, just because you own a dog doesn't mean you understand learning theory, development, genetics, cognition, training plans and body language. People that continue to do that set others up for failure, like this. How much will that “free” advice wind up costing to straighten the dog out?), and using an anti bark device to stop the puppy from reacting to the older dog, to stop this behavior. 🤦‍♀️ They were then told by other trainers that their dog was hopeless and would not be able to learn anything after two years old. This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard! As you can imagine, this owner was completely distraught. 😢 She dreamt of having the two be best friends living their best life as she cruised around with her windows down and happy doggo heads copping some fresh air. She felt deflated, hopeless and at a loss as to what to do now. So she booked an behavior assessment with me. I had her fill out an in-depth background form, reviewed it and then scheduled some time with her to review it with her on zoom. She looked so upset and sad through the consult that I d

Working on dog dog aggression

I gotta be honest. I’ve not done much training with Eros lately. My attention has been on other things happening with life. It happens. Life happens. Although he’s been taught these skills, and we practice them often, he’s not had much opportunity to use them. This is about the only time you will see my dogs at a dog park. I will not put my dogs in a vulnerable position by keeping them in an enclosure with dogs they don’t know, that I don’t know, with people who misread dog body language & high excitement levels. It’s a recipe for disaster. And it would be an absolute nightmare for Eros. Just one bad event can erase 100 good ones. And although, to you and I, it might look like there’s quite a bit of distance between Eros and the dogs, it is up for him to decide where his comfort level is. I will not force my dogs into situations they aren’t comfortable in. I will not use punishing equipment such as prong collars or shock collars. As you can see, the leash is very loose and his body is relaxed. This is a dog that is under threshold. A dog who is being forced with punishing equipment or made to endure an uncomfortable situation is not a dog under threshold, but a dog being forced. We are playing a game that helps him use the environment to process and think about how he wants to handle it. I give dogs a chance to choose what to do and use their body language as information to tell me whether or not they are comfortable. It doesn’t do a dog any good psychologically, mentally or physically to push them or force them. In fact, it can make them worse in many cases. I want him to understand that I am listening to him, that he can trust me, and that I will honor his decision. My goal is to keep him under threshold and decrease the distance gradually. Dog decides how much distance they need to feel safe; not human. If you are using force or punishment to train your dog, you’re doing it wrong.  #dog #dogtraining #happydog #

Stogie puppy training session

I was looking for a training video for one of my clients and ran across this old one. I worked so hard on this little pup, but it didn't feel like work at all. I enjoyed every single minute of it. This little guy was, my favorite one to work on paws down. Fun, intelligent, willing and with such a personality. He is one of the quickest learners I have ever met and has turned into one of the best dogs I have ever known. He truly is a gift. Training should be fun. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. Hearts for Stogie :) #corgi #puppy #puppytraining #sciencebaseddogtraining #dogtrainer #happydog #ilovemydog

What’s the rush?

Today Ana and I went to one of the only trails we have around here that is pretty and if we catch it at the right time, peaceful. And of course me being a trainer, I’m always thinking about the environments and the training opportunities around. Even though the reason we came was to disengage from life and enjoy a nice walk, I know that she is still learning whether or not I’m involved. There’s always a rush to get here and there and get this done and hurry along. I think it’s part of the reason our stress levels get so high. We’re not disengaging from those things. We become conditioned to the stress. So when I can come out and get to be in nature, it gives me time to catch my breath and get grounded again. Why rush it? Why rush the walk? If I was to try to experience it from Ana’s perspective, being out in areas like this appeals to her ancient DNA. Sights, sounds, smells,…. provides wonderful enrichment. The newness, people walking, other dogs,… it’s all learning about new stuff to her. I want her to be cool. Why rush it? I will catch her with her nose in the air smelling some thing, or stopping along our walk because she heard some thing scamper in the leaves. I want her to enjoy it as much as possible too. Whats the rush? Today she saw a Turkey walk right in front of her. She heard a woodpecker carving out a tree. She smelled the moss, leaves & other wildlife in the air. She put her paws in a cool running creek. We played with her toy along the way. She reminded me time & time again to take a breath. Ease up. Enjoy the beauty. She’s right you know. Whats the rush? We used our time out to practice our loose lead walking. Notice how relaxed she is here. I’m not jerking her, pulling her, have any punishing equipment on her. She’s relaxed & enjoying herself. During our walk Ana built skills in being cool in new environments & around other people & dogs. She got loads of calm mental stimulation with all the enrichment. She pr