Out Of The Bark

07/21/2025

Day in the Life of a Dog TrainerAlright, we’re trying something new…“A Day in the Life of a Dog Trainer.” Maybe this becomes a regular thing, or maybe it’s just a journal for me to get thoughts out. Either way, here we go.It’s Sunday. Technically my day off. I had a little free time, so I decided to clean out the inside of my truck. There was dog hair everywhere, so much that it’s been flying into my mouth on drives. Time to fix that.While I was vacuuming, my mind wandered (as it always does) to one of the dogs I’m currently working with. During our initial Zoom consultation about a month ago, I had asked the owners to send me videos of them harnessing their dog, walking her out the front door, and any reactive moments they may capture.When I reviewed the footage, something stood out right away. As they were putting the harness on, the dog was showing intense whale eye. Her eyes were bulging, with the whites clearly visible. Usually, this is a sign of stress or anxiety, and I flagged it for the owners.Now, here’s what’s been on my mind: we’ve had four sessions with this dog so far, and I’m still seeing that same wide-eyed look—even in moments that appear non-stressful or at least to what I perceive is not stressful situations. That’s led me to wonder: maybe it’s not a stress signal at all. Maybe this dog has some kind of visual impairment, and what we’re seeing is more medical than behavioral. It’s something I think we may need to explore further, especially if we want to help her navigate a human-centered world more comfortably.I guess the point of all this is just to share what goes through a dog trainer’s head. The truth is, there are no real days off. Our bodies might rest, but our minds keep spinning…thinking about the dogs we’re currently working with, the ones we’ve helped in the past, and the ones we wish we could’ve helped more.

07/09/2025

Just hanging out with 11-week-old Raffa the Aussie pup at our local Starbucks ☕🐾 Socialization doesn’t always mean saying hi to every person or dog—we’re working on the art of neutrality. Today’s lesson? Learning how to simply exist calmly in our busy human world. Indirect socialization like this builds confidence without overwhelming young pups. Less about greetings, more about soaking it all in. 🐶🌎

07/01/2025

Milo helping out Maisie over come her big feelings about seeing / being around other dogs on leash! Great job doggies!

06/13/2025

Awww it is so reinforcing to help people connect with their animals 🙂

Dan has saved our lives!!! Our dog peanut has been scared of a leash for 2 years and had a list of other behavioral issues! We were at a complete loss— until we found Dan at Out of the Bark!! We’ve been working with him for over 2 months and I can say now with confidence—we have a different dog!! He’s not aggressive, he’s getting on and off a leash and overall just a better dog! When I say he’s changed our lives- it’s an understatement! He’s the most personable, caring, smart, and easy to work with and to understand and follow, trainer, we’ve ever had! We highly recommend Dan and the whole Out of the Bark family!

06/04/2025

I’m so proud of Peanut and his family for all their fantastic progress! Peanut went over a year without a leash and collar after having a scary incident where Peanut bit Mom while trying to remove the leash. Peanut began acting aggressively towards anyone who attempted to leash him. With the mindful antecedent arrangements paired with positive reinforcement training we were able to help Peanut feel good about having a collar and leash on!

In this video, we already have a martingale collar secured around Peanut’s neck. We are practicing a variation of Chirag Patel’s bucket game with our treat pouch. Peanut has learned that if he looks at the treat pouch while we handle his collar / leash that anytime he looks away, we discontinue the handling and wait for his reengagement. You can see that choice in this scenario allows Peanut to set the pace of handling where he can opt out of the training anytime he starts to feel uncomfortable.

If you struggle with handling issues or would like to learn more about consent based training schedule a call with us through our website: https://go.outofthebark.com/schedule-discovery-call

04/07/2025

New group class Staring April 25th!
Control Unleashed- THE POWER OF PATTERN GAMES

Pattern games are wonderful for every dog, but especially if your dog is nervous, afxious,overexcited, ramounctious, frightened or just needs a little extra help processing their environment.

These games are a repetitive & predictable framework which helps the learner process the unexpected through predictable patterns!

Pattern games were originally greated pyrenowned dog trainer, Leslie McDevitt, in her Control Unleashed dog training book series. As a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, I have seen firsthand how beneficial pattern games are in dog training. We use pattern games every day.

There are so many pattern games to play and different ways to use them, the possibilities are endless!

To learn more about how pattern games can help your dog, join our upcoming group classes!

02/14/2025

I just completed Jessica Wheatcraft’s leash reactivity course and mentorship, and I can honestly say it was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had as a dog trainer. As a CDBC and KPA-CTP with over a decade of self-taught experience, I’ve taken numerous courses, but none have provided the level of depth, clarity, and personalized feedback like this one.
Jessica’s course is exceptionally well-structured—she breaks down complex concepts into manageable, easy-to-understand steps. This systematic approach made it simple to not only grasp new ideas but also implement them effectively with my own cases. What really sets this course apart, though, is the mentorship aspect. As someone who’s been largely self-educated, it was incredibly helpful to get direct, thoughtful feedback from a seasoned professional. Jessica was always available to guide me through real-time applications, offering practical suggestions that were tailored to the specific dogs I was working with.
The ability to get feedback on my personal cases was invaluable and is something that’s often missing in other training programs. Jessica provides a service that is desperately needed in the dog training industry—an opportunity for professionals to receive expert guidance while still applying the techniques to their own work.
I feel fortunate to have found Jessica’s course. It’s an outstanding resource for anyone serious about improving their skills, particularly in leash reactivity. I highly recommend it to any dog trainer looking to take their practice to the next level.

Thank you Jessica! Through this experience I not only learned a lot, I gained a new friend in the dog training industry!

02/06/2025

It’s official—Out of the Bark have a new home! Dreams become reality! We just signed the lease for this incredible space!

What a journey it’s been. 4 years ago, I told Dan I want to open our own training space. This has been a long time in the making, and now it’s finally happening. All our dedication, patience, and hard work are paying off.

Out of the Bark’s very first home will be opening soon 🥳🥳—excited, nervous, and feeling everything in between!

Very special thanks to for all the support throughout this journey!!

04/14/2024

Thank you Behavior Works! It has been such a privilege learning with you!

04/09/2024

04/09/2024

Out of the Bark enjoyed every minute of Clicker Expo!! We got to learn from the leaders in our field, make new friends, say hi to old ones, So many amazing trainers and teachers at !

These speakers are some of our very favorite educators in the industry. We walked away from each one with a new gem to apply to our training and a renewed sense of inspiration.

Special thank you to .monaco.torelli for featuring OUT OF THE BARK at ClickerExpo. We couldn’t be more honored!! .friedman

Forever an inspiration, on so many levels ❤️
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05/11/2023

Parker takes his training breaks very seriously