Victory Road Dog Training

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Missoula, MT
Victory Road Dog Training

Victory Road Dog Training I'm here to help you develop a happy relationship with your dog! This page will highlight fun training snippets and tips. Visit my site to learn more!

Puppy socialization, dog training, tricks, outdoor skills, behavior modification and consultations.

04/26/2025

Who doesn't love a lab puppy? This is Daisy!

04/21/2025

When I started with Gus and his family, he would not respond to his people at all when he saw another dog on a leashed walk. He would lunge excitedly towards the other dog or plant against the ground. By the end of the package, we could walk Gus past dogs on the busiest pathway in Missoula.

Notice, treats are still involved. But Gus has been trained to stay focused on his people happily, and the singular treat functions as a reward at the end of the behavior sequence. At no point do we 'shove treats in the dog's face' to get what we want. You will never see that on my page because that is not how I implement positive reinforcement with my clients. Instead, I strive to create learning pathways that are simple, effective, and realistic.

04/10/2025

APPROACH versus SOLICITATION

This video shows clips from my first session with Cooper. He's had mixed results with people, sometimes being friendly with them and sometimes, barking and snapping. The simple reason is this - He does not want to be touched all the time. And it's not that people are trying to pet Cooper all the time, but that they unwittingly try to pet him when he does not desire it. I don't blame them - Cooper is an adorable, soft, stunning dog!

However, when dogs APPROACH, they simply want to investigate. I do not pet dogs who approach me. Humans are the same... Do you hug strangers who approach to ask you a question? No, you hug people whom you've developed close relationships with, or if they explicitly ask for it. And even with your closest familiars, I'll bet they don't want you to touch them whenever YOU feel like it. Dogs are the same way!

SOLICITATION is physical contact that a dog initiates, suggesting they want physical interaction. Usually a dog leans against a person's legs. In this case, Cooper rested his chin on my lap. Notice the huge shift in body language when I pet him on his terms. Some dogs do not solicit from strangers at all... And that's okay!

This is how trust is built. If we respect canine body language, we drastically reduce the likelihood of aggression.

04/09/2025

How striking is Cooper?! Believe it or not, Cooper struggles with some interactions with humans, at times barking and snapping when people try to pet him. But during our very first session, he perched against my leg, allowed me to pet him, and showed no aggression at all.

I'll post a video tomorrow showing how I gained Cooper's trust. It's no secret - respecting a dog's boundaries is the quickest way to their heart!

04/07/2025

Semore is the kind of dog who believed every moment could be an opportunity for interaction. This is why he bit his person whenever she walked across the room, did laundry, talked on the phone, etc. These two clearly loved each other, but Semore was biting hard enough to tear clothing and break skin, so something had to change.

We re-conditioned him to view everyday actions, such as humans approaching, as cues to sit. We tossed the rewards to reduce his fixation on hands and arms. Semore's family reported that he improved in leaps and bounds. Some behaviors, such as biting and barking while she was on the phone, went away after a single session.

We often think of "cues" as words like "sit," or hand signals. Those are examples of cues! But cues can be anything. Even in OUR lives, we are cued by signals we may not be conscious of. How many of us exhale deeply (behavior) when we check the calendar (cue) to see how close we are to our weekend? The most powerful cues in dog training are the ones your dog perceive every day, IF you can harness them. This is why for Semore, we worked around existing cues (human approaching), changing the resulting behavior from biting to sitting.

04/04/2025

PSA - If your dog looks like this, or is a doodle, poodle, or anything with a similar coat... You must invest in early, proactive, and positive exposure to grooming as soon as possible.

If I am raising a doodle/poodle puppy, I would start handling-based training such as cooperative care from the 8 week mark through the 1 year mark and beyond.

If I was a breeder of these breeds, I would be introducing grooming principles at the ~5 week mark well before puppies go home to buyers.

I have been told by some clients that some some breeders even mandate that their buyers show proof of relationship with a professional groomer before sending puppies home.

I have been told by groomers that there is a limit to how many doodle clients they accept, because of the huge variances in coat and temperament.

This is an added responsibility for any family with dogs that have high-maintenance coats. Grooming is not optional. It is something that should be done regularly, multiple times a week, for the rest of the dog's life, even excluding professional grooming appointments. This is because their coats easily become matted without grooming, leading to discomfort and infections. Lack of grooming truly is a welfare issue, a quality of life concern, with certain breeds.

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Pictured here is Dude. He did not have issues at the groomers but he struggled with general aggression towards people :) It's been over a year since I worked with him, and he's doing great these days!

04/02/2025

Bandit was "wild" at a grooming appointment. So cooperative care was one of the many things I worked on with him. Due to his breed, regular coat maintenance is a NECESSITY for him.

This is one of the many training videos I shared with his family. Bandit is usually evasive (ie, ducks away, flails, etc) when reached for in this context. So he showed a high level of trust and tolerance here.

I was told that at his last grooming appointment, he was still very wiggly but much more happy than before. It's a work in progress, especially since he is still a puppy! But he is such a quick learner and I am confident we can set him up for a lifetime of success.

03/31/2025

Where to begin.... When I first met Chip and Jackie, there was a running list of challenges:
- Chip would not respond to his name at all.
- Chip would not take food outside.
- Jackie would show redirected aggression towards Chip whenever a dog passed by, or she would show frustration based reactivity towards the dog at times.
- Chip would lunge and bark so intensely at dogs and people that his family had to use a lot of strength to hold him back, or even pin him against a fence. There were talks about whether he could be safely walked at all.
- Both dogs pulled strongly on leash.

NONE of those problems are seen in this video, because none of those problems remained by the end of our training package. We passed by a multitude of people and dogs on the Kim Williams trail and both Chip and Jackie were flawless. The best compliment I received from the family was "walks feel fun again." I am very proud of all they have achieved!

03/29/2025

My buddy Bandit got a new haircut so obviously I had to share.

03/26/2025

I LOVE LABS!

I might never have a lab in my life because they are a little too... nice... for my tastes. But every lab I've ever met has been an eager learner and an excellent companion. It's no wonder they are among the most popular breeds!

Lola is no exception! She is sweet, optimistic, and sometimes a little too much around others :) We are working to reduce her reactivity on leash, so that she won't have strong reactions when she sees people and dogs on walks.

03/24/2025

"If my dog is afraid of dogs/people, why does she always rush up to them?"

This is a valid observation, and something I hear all the time. The quickest explanation is - Dogs make poor choices when they are highly stressed.

Families who've worked with me would all share that I never directly meet their dogs when I first arrive. I slow the process down to assess behavior, and we train accordingly. This means I don't 'see what the dog actually does' when a guest arrives. But I don't need to see a dog rushing, jumping, or showing aggression towards me to know how to address the issue. In fact, there is so much value in coordinating our very first introduction because I truly am a 'new guest' at that point, and we can develop strategies that the family can then use with others.

Here, Daisy the cattle dog is extremely fearful and wary of new people. I don't blame her - she has a horrific history of abuse before she found this perfect family. These clips show her blossoming confidence over A SINGLE SESSION, the first time she met me. Fun fact - I never pet her, beginning to end. You do not need to 'present your hand' or 'get down on the dog's level' to befriend them. Most times, that can have the opposite effect.

Bonus clips, I include the entirety of my explanation of herding dog sensitivities and spatial pressure, complete with a demonstration.

I am so honored to have met Daisy and her people. They are invested in understanding who she is, and giving her a loving home.

03/22/2025

Of course, Bronx had to show off his tricks too. Smart boy!!!

03/21/2025

My block-headed buddy BRONX is doing so well!
It's been months, and all I was asked to help with is nail trimming training. If that's not a sign that life is good, I don't know what is.

03/19/2025

This was my first in-person session with Ducky, and her potential was apparent from the start! During our consultation, Ducky's family shared their concerns that there was "no successful distance," which meant she exploded with lunging and barking any time she saw a dog, even if far away.

We used Paya as a controlled dog to work on basic techniques and assess Ducky's threshold. As you can see, Ducky was amazing! We did not start at this distance, but Ducky did not show reactive behavior all session (even with dogs barking at her from behind a fence). The reason why Ducky seemingly doesn't notice Paya in this clip is because she feels comfortable enough around my dog to not fixate.

The root of how I operate is not "make the dog stop doing THE THING." It's "help the dog feel more comfortable in this environment, more motivated to train with their family, so they don't feel the need to do THE THING."

The truth is we can coerce a dog to perform our desired behaviors in any number of ways. But lasting change occurs when they eagerly and willingly decide that our goals are the same.

03/18/2025

Ducky is the sweetest girl! She loves people, but other dogs are a challenge. I am working with Ducky and her family to mitigate her reactivity and she is already improving in leaps and bounds. Great job DuckDuck❤️

03/16/2025

This clip is a little clunky, since people started coming down the street and I gave Bonnie's family instructions in a hurry. But this is their reality, since Bonnie lives in one of the busiest foot traffic neighborhoods in Missoula.

I was there for a follow up session since Bonnie had suddenly started lunging and nipping at people on walks. This was a new behavior, but not entirely surprising because even as a puppy Bonnie was wary of strangers. No amount of socialization or training will change a dog's temperament, which is determined from the very beginning of their life! All families should consider this when choosing a canine companion.

However, I worked with Bonnie and her family during her critical age, brought up areas of likely concern, and actively trained with them to mitigate those traits. An increase in reactivity is normal when puppies go through adolescence but I'm glad that they brought this up with me as soon as possible so that we could immediately address it. All it took was a few adjustments in her training plan. I am confident that Bonnie can be responsive, well managed, comfortable, and safe... Even when living in a high traffic area.

03/15/2025

I got to see my friend Bonnie recently! She grew up GORGEOUS and still wicked smart. I did a follow up session with her family to address some mild wariness of people. We knew this would be a potential challenge due to Bonnie's puppy temperament. But her family set excellent foundations and all it took was a single session to establish healthy behaviors. I am beyond impressed with them!

03/14/2025

Thank you to these amazing teams and to for letting us use your space! These dogs and their humans excelled through our four week Canine Companion class. I am so proud of them!

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Missoula, MT

Opening Hours

9am - 6pm

Website

http://victoryroaddogtraining.com/

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