TOLO - They Only Live Once

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TOLO - They Only Live Once We are Puppyhood Trainers that believe a great dog starts with a great puppyhood! TOLO means They Only Live Once and is our training philosophy.

We get one shot, one puppyhood, and one opportunity to shape the way your puppy interacts with the world!

10/30/2026

“I’m strong. I’m brave. Say it, Ringo!” 💪🐾😂

Sometimes a little pug just needs a big pep talk.

And Ringo? Well, he's got a few things he's learning to be brave about. ❤️

I wish building confidence were as simple as telling our puppies, “You've got this!”

But confidence doesn't work quite that way.

At TOLO, we use a simple formula:

Anxiety + Bravery = Confidence.

Here's what that means.

When a puppy encounters something that makes them a little nervous, we don't rush them, force them, or expect them to suddenly become fearless.

We help them feel safe enough to try.

A little uncertainty. A small moment of bravery. A positive experience.

And slowly, those experiences begin to add up.

That's how we help puppies develop the life skills they need to navigate their world with greater confidence.

Tomorrow, I'm going to show you some of the work Ringo and I did to help him navigate his fears.

Because bravery isn't the absence of fear.

It's discovering, with a little help, that you can handle something you weren't so sure about before. ❤️

Stay tuned. Ringo's story continues tomorrow!

10/29/2026

Meet Denver. ❤️

Denver is one of those dogs who makes you smile. He loves people, he has a wonderful foundation from puppyhood, and his mom sees so much potential in him.

But then came the teenage phase.

And like a lot of puppy parents, his mom started wondering what happened to all those skills they'd worked so hard to build.

Here's something I've learned about teenage dogs: sometimes the answer isn't more training. Sometimes it's changing how we're coaching them.

Denver was starting to shut down when things felt too hard. So instead of asking him to keep working through those moments, I started thinking about what makes Denver light up.

People. Denver LOVES people.

That gave us a new direction.

We took the classroom on the road.

We visited stores, practiced walking together around distractions, made time to play on the grass, and even stopped for lunch at Jimmy John's.

Along the way, we worked on the same life skills Denver started learning as a puppy. Only now, those skills had to work in the real world, with new sights, sounds, smells, and people.

And that's the part of the teenage phase I love most.

We get to take all those hours of puppyhood practice and help our dogs learn how to use those skills in everyday life.

Because we're not working this hard just to raise a puppy who can sit in the living room.

We're helping raise a dog who can comfortably share more of life with their family.

The dog who gets to come along for the adventure.

Denver still has plenty to learn. He's a teenager, after all. 😉

But puppyhood is a practice. And watching those little lessons start to become real-life skills?

That's why I love being a Puppyhood Trainer.

— Kody | TOLO 🐾

10/28/2026

I think Ruby just summed up my entire 2026 in 20 seconds. 😂🐾

Today was Ruby's introduction to the water, and I brought along a floating toy thinking we'd have a little fun exploring something new.

Well… Ruby had other plans.

She was DETERMINED to get that toy.

One jump. Splash.
Another jump. Bigger splash.
And every single time, the toy floated a little farther away. 😂

I couldn't stop laughing.

And somewhere between her fifth attempt and that toy drifting off into the distance, I realized I was watching a pretty accurate representation of me chasing my dreams this year.

But you know what I loved?

Ruby was having the time of her life.

That's one of my favorite things about puppyhood. Not every experience needs to be a formal training session. Sometimes it's about curiosity, confidence, exploration, and simply enjoying the moment together.

Puppyhood is a practice. And sometimes that practice is hilariously messy. ❤️

Here's to big dreams, questionable strategies, and never losing our enthusiasm.

Who's ready to join Ruby in declaring 2027 OUR year? 😂🙋‍♀️

10/27/2026

Yesterday, I shared that the #1 way to help prevent resource guarding is to have fun with your puppy.

And I believe that!

But a few puppy parents reached out with a really good question…

“We've been playing! But I'm starting to notice a little resource guarding. What do I do now?”

This is where we add a little more direction. A little more leadership. A little more practice.

Meet Onyx. ❤️

Onyx is an intense little guy. He plays hard, loves hard, and LOVES his food.

So for Onyx, we've made “Out” an important life skill.

We're teaching him that letting go of something doesn't have to be a moment of conflict. It can be a familiar, rewarding experience.

We practice when things are calm. We reward his choice to disengage. And we often give him his treasure right back.

That practice matters.

Because someday, Onyx might have something he really doesn't want to give up.

And I don't want that moment to turn into a battle.

I want him to recognize a familiar cue, understand what's being asked, and feel comfortable letting go.

That's the gift of puppyhood.

We get to teach these skills while they're little, before those moments become deeply practiced patterns.

Fun builds the foundation. Practice gives us more tools.

And both matter. ❤️

10/27/2026

Resource guarding isn't just about the stuff. It's about what your puppy THINKS is going to happen to the stuff.

Through all my years of working with dogs struggling with resource guarding, I've come back to one important question.

When someone or something approaches, what does the dog believe is going to happen next?

Think about that for a moment.

If a dog believes they're about to lose something valuable, they have a decision to make.

Am I okay with losing this?
And if I'm not… what am I prepared to do to keep it?

That's a pretty important decision.

And it's why I believe some of our most important resource guarding prevention work begins the very first day we bring that little puppy home.

We play. ❤️

We play around the things our puppies value. We create positive experiences. We build a history of interactions that make people approaching something to look forward to, rather than something to worry about.

Because I want to influence what that baby is thinking when someone approaches.

Instead of…
"Uh oh. Are they going to take this away?"

I want that puppy thinking…
"Oh! Are we going to play together?"

That's what you're seeing in this video with Kuzi.

We've spent years creating those little moments together. To her, my approach has a history. A history of play, connection, and good things happening.

But here's the BIG moment.

What if Kuzi doesn't accept my invitation to play?

What if she looks at me and says…

"No thanks, Dad. This is a ME thing."

Now, as her leader, I have a decision to make, too.

Do I insist that we play?

Do I turn this into a confrontation because I believe I should have control over everything she values?

Or do I recognize that she's made a decision, and now it's my turn to make a good one?

Because leadership isn't about getting my way every time.

It's about understanding the moment, understanding my dog, and making decisions that build the relationship we're working so hard to create.

And sometimes that means saying…

"Okay, baby. Enjoy your thing."

That's leadership, too.

Here's the thing about resource guarding.

Dogs guard resources. Protecting access to things they value is part of their natural behavioral repertoire.

We're not going to erase that possibility from a dog.

But we CAN influence their expectations, their emotional responses, and the behaviors they learn around those valuable things.

And that's the opportunity puppyhood gives us.

Not to control every decision our puppies make.

But to create so many positive experiences that when life presents them with a decision, we've helped prepare them to make a good one.

We're not just teaching life skills. We're building a relationship that influences the decisions our dogs make.

And sometimes, one of the most important decisions is OURS.

🐾 Puppyhood is a practice.

— TOLO | Puppyhood Trainer

10/24/2026

What unlocks great dogs?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

When I'm working with a puppy who's 4, 6, or 8 months old, I'm honestly not that concerned about how many skills they can check off a list.

Can they sit? Down? Heel? Stay?

Sure, those are important life skills, and we'll teach them.

But there's something I care about so much more at that age.

Does that puppy LOVE learning?

Do they get excited when their person wants to do something together? Are they curious? Engaged? Eager to participate?

Because if we can create THAT kind of learner, just imagine what we can teach them over a lifetime.

It reminds me of my years coaching hockey.

I learned pretty quickly that I wasn't going to get a group of kids excited about hockey by standing on the ice barking instructions and running endless drills.

I had to make practice FUN.

When I was having fun, the kids started having fun. They were engaged. They wanted to participate. And guess what?

They were learning hockey!

The skating improved. The puck handling improved. The teamwork improved.

And that connection everyone talks about? We built that along the way, too.

I see puppyhood the same way.

We're the teachers. Our puppies are the learners.

And every day, we're creating the environment in which they learn.

We can spend our time trying to get them to perform behaviors over and over.

Or we can figure out what makes them light up, bring a little structure to that enthusiasm, and use it to teach the skills they'll need throughout their lives.

That's what you're seeing with Kuzi in this video.

Is she walking beside me, off leash, because she loves me?

Because we have a connection?

I'd like to think those things are part of it.

But there's also a toy in my hand! 😂

And that's not something I'm trying to hide.

Kuzi loves to play. So I use that love of play to make learning exciting, rewarding, and worth coming back for.

We play. We practice. We build skills.

And yes, we build a relationship along the way.

I think sometimes we get so focused on what our puppies should KNOW that we forget to think about how they FEEL about learning.

And that matters.

Because the puppy who loves learning at six months has a wonderful foundation for everything we'll want to teach at six years.

Our job isn't to raise a puppy who knows everything. It's to raise a dog who loves learning.

The skills matter. The connection matters. But let's not forget one of the most powerful tools we have to build both.

FUN.

It's Saturday. The weather is beautiful.

Please, go have fun with your pups! 💛🐾

10/23/2026

What's the Puppy Biting Trap? 🐾

I have so many puppy parents tell me, "Kody, we've tried EVERYTHING, and we still can't get our puppy to stop biting!"

But what if it's not about trying everything?

What if it's about being intentional with the things we try?

Puppies are little cause-and-effect machines. They're constantly figuring out how their world works and what makes things happen.

In our minds, we're thinking:
"Don't bite me... bite this toy instead."

But what if your puppy is learning something completely different?
What if your puppy believes biting YOU makes the toy appear?

What if, in your puppy's mind, biting the toy is simply the next part of the fun that started when they bit you?

THAT is the Puppy Biting Trap!

We think we're redirecting the behavior, but we may actually be teaching a sequence we never intended.

Bite Mom → Toy appears → The fun continues!

So how do we avoid the trap?

We need to help our puppy experience two very different events.

When those little teeth find Mom, the interaction calmly stops. We create a brief pause. The fun is over for that moment.

Then, when the puppy has stopped biting, we can invite them into a new, appropriate game with the toy.

Now we're teaching a different lesson.

Biting Mom ends the fun. Playing appropriately with a toy starts the fun.

Same puppy. Same toy. Very different learning experience.

That's why puppyhood isn't about trying every trick in the book.

It's about understanding what our puppies are actually learning from the things we do.

And that's my job as your Puppyhood Trainer. To help you see those little moments differently so you can be more intentional about the life skills you're building.

Puppyhood is a practice.

— Kody | TOLO

10/23/2026

Why I only serve puppy parents.

After years of working with dogs who were struggling with behavioral challenges, I made a decision.

I wanted to spend less time fixing problems and more time helping families prevent them.

That's why I became a Puppyhood Trainer.

But here's something you might not know about me.

When I say puppyhood, I don't just mean those first few months of adorable, clumsy, puppy-breath sweetness.

To me, puppyhood is the entire journey from bringing that little baby home through the emotional, physical, and behavioral changes of growing up.

The cuddly baby who follows you everywhere.

The curious explorer who discovers that the world is one giant playground.

The tween who starts testing boundaries.

And yes, the teenager who suddenly seems to have forgotten everything you practiced together.

It's all puppyhood to me.

Ideally, I'd love to meet every puppy during their first year. That's when we have an incredible opportunity to build life skills, confidence, healthy habits, and a relationship that will carry them into adulthood.

But growing up doesn't magically end on a puppy's first birthday.

That's why I welcome puppy parents with dogs up to their second birthday, too.

Because those adolescent months matter. A lot.

I've spent thousands of hours helping dogs replace behaviors that had become deeply practiced patterns. That experience taught me something I carry into every puppy coaching relationship today:

It's far better to help a puppy learn how to navigate life than to wait until they're struggling with it.

That's what prevention means to me.

Not raising a perfect puppy.

Not expecting a puppy to behave like a grown dog.

But helping puppy parents understand the dog growing up in front of them and giving that dog the skills to thrive.

Puppyhood is a practice. And you don't have to figure it all out alone.

That's why I do what I do. ❤️

10/21/2026

🐾 What does a Puppyhood Trainer use for treats?

It's a question puppy parents ask me all the time, and the answer might surprise you.

A lot of the time, I start with their regular kibble!

But here's a little trick I use.

I add some Primal freeze-dried food to my treat pouch, give everything a good shake, and let that extra aroma work its way through the kibble.

Suddenly, those everyday pieces can become a little more interesting to a puppy!

I also love that the freeze-dried pieces break apart easily, so I can portion them into manageable rewards for training.

And here's another benefit. I'm not filling the entire pouch with specialty treats. I'm using a little to make the regular kibble more appealing. It's a practical way to make training rewards go further.

I picked up the Primal at Family Pet Food Center in Green Bay. Always happy to support a local pet business!

And of course, Kuzi was more than willing to help demonstrate. 🐶

Here's the bigger lesson.

Great puppy training isn't about buying the most expensive treats. It's about understanding what motivates YOUR puppy and using those everyday moments to build life skills.

Small choices. Little wins. That's how we raise great dogs.

💬 I'm curious. Any questions you want me to answer in another video?

— Kody
TOLO | Your Puppyhood Trainer

10/20/2026

Every Puppy Parent Needs a STOP SYSTEM. 🛑🐾

"Should I say no?"

"Should I redirect?"

"Should I put the leash on?"

"Should I just ignore it?"

Sound familiar?

One of the biggest challenges puppy parents face isn't knowing WHAT they want their puppy to do.

It's knowing what to do themselves when things aren't going according to plan.

And that's exactly why I teach every puppy parent to have a Stop System.

Not one technique for barking. Another for jumping. And something completely different when your puppy decides your favorite shoes look delicious.

ONE system. One consistent way to communicate. One system your puppy can learn to understand.

Take Miah, for example.

During our session at a private off-leash dog park, we had some unexpected visitors. A group of cows hanging out right against the fence.

Miah wasn't too sure about them. And her solution?

BARK! BARK! BARK!

She wanted those cows to move away.

So I used my Stop System.

STEP 1: MARK IT.

"Ah. Ah."

That's my negative marker. It tells Miah exactly which behavior I don't want repeated.

And with a puppy who understands the system, that marker also communicates something important:

"If you continue that behavior, a consequence is coming."

STEP 2: FOLLOW THROUGH.

Miah continued barking, so I followed through with a consequence. In this case, I called her to me and put her on leash.

She temporarily lost some freedom.

STEP 3: TRY AGAIN.

We approached the cows again.

When one snorted, Miah froze and barked. I marked the bark and followed through with a leash correction.

Then something pretty cool happened.

Miah approached the fence and started sniffing.

"YES! Good girl!"

And off came the leash.

Here's what I really want puppy parents to understand.

Your puppy doesn't need a different set of rules for every unwanted behavior. They need a consistent system they can learn.

When we're consistent, our puppies can learn that responding to the negative marker helps them avoid a consequence and keep the freedom they're enjoying.

And just as importantly, we need to recognize and reward the decisions we DO want.

That's how the Stop System and More System work together.

Does one session mean Miah will never bark at cows again? Of course not.

Puppyhood is a practice.

But every opportunity to communicate clearly, follow through consistently, and reward good decisions is another opportunity to build those important life skills.

The goal isn't to have a puppy who never makes a mistake. It's to be a puppy parent who knows what to do when they do.

That's what having a system gives you.

🐾 TOLO | Your Puppyhood Trainer

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15018 North Maribel Road
Maribel, WI
54227

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