Fresh Start Canine Academy, Manchester, NH (2026)

Puppy training videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEgOMs5ZPpkOhf-h1z7QpQxXZF8_DPnGK&si=vqIN1q2kL2sHT0DA

05/29/2026

People are funny about dogs and car travel. It’s incredible to me how emotionally attached people are to dogs being loose in cars and sticking their heads out windows. Just today, I had a client admit that a dog of hers had hopped out a car window years ago to chase a ball!!!

I work with plenty of families who can’t crate their dogs in a vehicle because of dog size, vehicle size, accommodating kids and stuff, etc. When you cannot crate in your car, PLEASE keep the dog out of the front of your vehicle. Use a gate and/or secure harness to keep the dog from bouncing around and being a distraction. The idea is to protect your dog, your family, and other drivers. Dogs in laps and front passenger seats and hanging out windows-not cute or safe!

When dogs stay with me, they crate in the car. Neither Winnie nor Callie are sad about it. I have to get them under control before opening the car so that they don’t just fling themselves at closed crates. They are still so excited to hop in and see where we’re headed.

have worked out best for me and my crew. They are safe and sturdy and the narrower construction means I can fit them side by side. I’ve had up to four Rufflands in my Forester, varying sizes and configurations.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is managing temperatures. I’m running fans for the dogs and keeping the car as cool as possible. If I’m in doubt about keeping them cool enough, they stay home.

05/28/2026

Callie is a one year old golden retriever who had never gone swimming or run off leash in the woods. I live for these moments-providing dogs with the opportunities to use their bodies, explore the world, and indulge their natural drives.

Callie’s owner is very experienced but her prior dog was of a very different breed and temperament. She did a great job with her early training and I’m helping them get over some challenges and preparing them to go the extra mile with a board and train stay.

Is Callie wearing an electronic collar? She sure is. So is my dog, Nyx. But Callie only experienced praise and encouragement from me in these clips. Accountability with the collar allowed me to safely provide her this experience. Callie adores me, and I her. We are developing clear lines of communication and having lots of fun together.

Many people seek force free trainers because they fear tools and methods that they don’t understand. Balanced training and appropriate use of training equipment support results-oriented training that focuses on providing opportunities and experiences versus restrictive practices and time frames.

Let me help you and your dog enjoy a full and fulfilling life together.

05/21/2026

Back in action around here!

04/18/2026

A recall is a recall, on land or in water!

Use the treats. Get happy-make your dog believe that coming to you is an excellent decision! Practice in as many situations as possible but set both of you up for success. Don’t give a command you have no plan to reinforce.

People fight me on long lines all the time. They worry about the dog getting hung up on things or the line being a tripping hazard for dogs and people. I’m not going to say those things don’t happen, but I still think the risk is worth the reward.

At almost 6 months old, Quinn is still wearing a drag leash indoors any time she is not crated. When outdoors, even in my fully fenced yard, she is dragging 15-20 feet of long line.

I use the line to get some control when she steals my socks, begs, or needs some help with any obedience commands indoors. The long line is used similarly outdoors. Outdoors, it’s essential to avoid building a keep away, chase me dynamic without the ability to enforce recalls or just coming indoors when it’s time.

I’m absolutely thrilled with how Quinn’s recall is coming along. The trainer in me hates that I needed a second command to call her off of a crazy Nyx barreling towards the river, but I was so, so proud when she made the right decision in a challenging situation and came flying back.

When I decide it’s time to introduce the electronic collar to support having Quinn off leash without a long line, it will be a simple, low stress process because she already understands the expectation and sees a recall as a positive choice. I’ll make the timing of that decision based on her maturity, behavior, and the safety of me and my pack as she gets bigger, stronger, faster, and more independent.

04/10/2026

Precious was only adopted a few months ago and is now living on a large, unfenced property. Mooch, her older “brother,” is trained to an electric fence. Precious will eventually be trained to the fence, but the property was buried in snow when we started training and so we opted to start by working on a recall with ecollar support. We are also making use of a long line to set Precious up for success.

Precious has gotten out into the street a few times to visit with dogs or people passing by, so we used Jackson as a distraction to help her understand that she had to recall to her owner rather than running into the street.

We then took a trail work to further our recall training. Like many dogs, Precious was happy to stay close with her long line on but indulged in some zoomies once it came off! Jackson was there to help keep her close and the ecollar helped clarify that a recall wasn’t optional when she got too far. After that, she understood that she was free to explore but had to return if called. Dogs who really understand the expectations tend to police themselves a bit by staying closer and checking in frequently.

Training doesn’t happen on the same timeline for all dogs and they need to see different situations to get reliable results when facing unfamiliar locations and distractions. I love helping my clients enjoy their dogs safely by training in the places they plan to do things together.

Address

Manchester, NH
03101-03111 (03110 ASSIGNED TO SUBURB BEDFORD)

Website

http://freshstartcanineacademy.com/, https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEgOMs5ZPpkOhf-h1z7QpQxXZF8_DPnGK&si=-FbL20vFKdI

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