Letteer Dog Training

05/30/2026

Please share for sweet Pepper.

05/28/2026

This book was one of the reasons I started taking a deeper dive into behavior in the first place, so I immediately jumped at the opportunity for a mentorship with Dr. Kristina Spaulding.

I'm really grateful for the chance to keep learning from someone whose work had a huge impact on my approach from the beginning and very excited to completely geek out over behavior science in the process!

05/27/2026

Behavior and physical health cannot be separated.

Pain can have a huge impact on behavior. Dogs who are physically uncomfortable may become tense, hypervigilant, reactive, shut down, sensitive to handling, easily overwhelmed, or unable to regulate arousal well.

Jack is a perfect example of why pain should ALWAYS be considered when evaluating behavior.

Jack’s re-assessment after receiving pain meds looked dramatically different from his initial assessment. Sometimes what looks like a “behavior problem” is actually a dog trying to function while in pain.

We’re grateful to Dr. Summers at Henrico County Police Animal Shelter for taking our concerns seriously and immediately getting Jack to a full-service vet for further evaluation, which ultimately revealed a partially torn CCL.

Jack could obviously use a rescue pull. If anyone is interested, we can forward his evaluation, which includes a very promising outlook on dog friendliness.

05/24/2026

When the mental work hits hard and you need to excuse yourself for a crate nap mid-session 😆 I seriously love this boy!!

05/24/2026

We are looking for a part-time assistant to help support our board & train students. This is a hands-on support position rather than a trainer role and is best suited for someone who enjoys working with dogs who have big feelings and understands the importance of routine, enrichment, decompression, and calm handling.

This role will begin with support tasks and structured interactions with dogs already familiar with our routines and environment. There is room for growth over time for the right person.

Email your resume or summary of dog handling experience to [email protected]

05/22/2026

Wilma is patiently waiting to come for her board and train. Sadly nobody stepped up to foster her, so she is waiting in boarding.

Barksley has partnered with Henrico Humane Society to provide walks for the dogs currently in boarding. Sweet Phoenix was one of the dogs who greatly benefited from these walks while he waited for a spot to open here.

We'll leave the link in the comments if you'd like to donate a walk for Wilma! She is sensitive and extremely human-oriented and these walks are giving her something to look forward to and helping her mental well being.

05/21/2026

Eddie is finally feeling better and back to official annoying little brother duties!

05/20/2026

Clients: “We want to adopt a black pitbull.”

Universe: “How about a sentient cloud with teef instead?”

Happy National Rescue Dog Day from Cannoli ❤️

05/18/2026