Mystic Chateau Acres Dog Training

08/08/2026

Congratulation to REMY with Ritika and Stephen! They have completed the MCADT Initial Skills Program for Puppies. Ritika and Stephen have worked hard in Private Lessons and T-Classes to gain Remy’s attention with a ‘positive interrupter’, and the ‘look at me ‘ cue to help him redirect his attention onto his handler before he engages in unwanted behaviors. They have also helped Remy learn to respond to sit and down cues and to walk on a loose leash. They have made it through the Baby Shark and Little Thief Stage by learning to manage Remy’s environment, redirecting Remy to other behaviors such as sniffing, licking , and chewing appropriate items and using pattern games such as The Up and Down game and Stalk Game. They have recently started the Essential Skills Program and are on their way to helping Remy develop into a fantastic canine companion! Nice job!

08/05/2026

Absolutely! I would also like new puppy owners to know this! Well done Dogology Dogs! 🐶🐾❤️

07/30/2026

ZADDIO and Anna have successfully completed the MCADT Concerned Dog Program. They have mastered using the ‘Walk Away’ cue to create safe distances from triggers and have developed a habit of calmly looking at triggers together using a special version of the ‘look at that’ protocol. Anna has learned to provide Zaddio with agency so he feels less frustration and they can move toward triggers at a slower pace while maintaining a loose leash. Anna has learned how to encourage Zaddio to wait and watch from a safe distance and can encourage him to engage in sniffing, licking, and chewing to help him avoid becoming frustrated when other dogs are near. Congrats on completing your program, ZADDIO and Anna!

07/28/2026

Congratulations to RORY and Courtney! They have completed the MCADT Concerned Dog Program. Together they have learned to help Rory manage her feelings in positive ways from a safe distance using the ‘Walk Away’ cue. They have developed a habit of calmly looking at triggers together using a special version of the ‘look at that’ protocol. Courtney has learned the importance of providing Rory with agency to move toward triggers at a slower pace while helping her maintain a loose leash, and encouraging her to engage in sniffing, licking, and chewing to help her calm her big feelings. Nice work RORY and Courtney!

06/20/2026

Congratulations to MAISIE and Laurie! They have completed their MCADT Initial Skills Program for Puppies!

Maisie can walk on a loose leash to enjoy Sniffari Walks, positively experience her world using Engage/Disengage, Up & Down and other pattern games, Trade Up Items, Recall to a distraction noise or her name from Up to 20' away, use a Positive Interrupter to stop undesired behaviors, Sit Down & Stand on cue, accept petting and handling for basic husbandry tasks, safely travel in a car, and selectively greet people and other dogs with 'Go Say Hi ' and 'Make Friends' protocols.

Nice work MAISIE and Laurie!

06/11/2026

A lesson on dog greetings from one of my favorite dog trainers, TURID RUGAAS. Turid taught me so much through her writings.

Thanks for all you have, and continue, to share Turid. You have inspired and educated so many dog parents and dog trainers over the years!

A more natural training
Lesson 1

Dogs are born into family groups and adjust to the family members and learn to be social and cooperative, communicating with the language they have: body, mimicry and sounds. Parents teach their offspring to grow up, being polite to each other, working together, but being free individuals, choosing where to walk, what to do. Our dogs get restrictions to a degree that make them unconfident and insecure. And not polite.
But they do have their language, so by learning to use it you might see much clearer how to speak with them.

Read more in the comments..

06/11/2026

Congratulations to CHELSEA and Karen for successfully completing their MCADT Concerned Dog Program. They have been working diligently along with 'Dad' to build CHELSEA'S trust and ability to adapt to new and exciting environments. Now, they understand the importance of providing agency, maintaining a loose leash, and creating distance from triggers to help Chelsea manage her feelings in positive ways. Congratulations to CHELSEA and Karen, and Bill too! 🎉🐾💕🎈

06/07/2026

Congratulations to ANASTASIA and Mary!
They have completed their MCADT Essential Skill Program and become Canine Life Skills Experts. Nice job ANA and Mary!

05/29/2026

Important info!

Tonight I ended up trying to help a friend whose puppy ate a kid's vitamin containing xylitol. Simple accident: kid dropped vitamin, puppy scarfed it down. (Note: this household is knowledgeable and is xylitol free, but a relative bought the vitamins, unaware of the risk to the dogs.)

The puppy only ate *one* vitamin. Which turned out to contain 1500 mg of xylitol.

100 mg/kg is the threshold for hypoglycemia which can be fatal. At 500 mg/kg, hepatic necrosis occurs -- destruction of liver tissue.

So just ONE chewable vitamin ended up creating a serious problem for a 30 pound pup (which is not quite 14 kg).

The emergency vet induced vomiting. Thankfully, the puppy had had a meal and so there was food in her stomach. In the vomit was the orange tablet, identifiable though dissolved.

Quick thinking on the owner's part (including grabbing the bottle of vitamins) and fortunately a nearby 24/7 emergency vet hospital meant that this pup received prompt treatment, and should make a full recovery.

Check your medications, vitamins, gum, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, peanut butter and more for xylitol, also known as birch sugar.

This is useful information to have on hand:
https://www.calculatorsfordogs.com/health-nutrition-calculators/xylitol-toxicity-calculator

ALWAYS contact vet and ASPCA Animal Poison Control center immediately!

As for everyone (the non-vets) recommending the use of hydrogen peroxide, please update your understanding:
https://www.gsvs.org/woodbridge-nj/blog/hydrogen-peroxide-for-dogs-emergency/

Pass this along. I hope you never have to use it.

05/24/2026

There’s a quiet grief many animal people carry when they begin seeing things differently.

Because once you realize how much of traditional animal handling was built around suppression instead of understanding…
you can’t fully unsee it.

You notice how often animals are praised for tolerating discomfort.
How often fear gets labeled as “respect.”
How often shutdown gets mistaken for calmness.

And for a while, it can feel heartbreaking.

But then something beautiful starts happening too.

You begin noticing the tiny signs of aliveness returning.

The horse who starts expressing opinions again.
The dog who becomes playful after years of hypervigilance.
The animal who finally realizes:
“I don’t have to disappear to be safe here.”

That moment changes both lives.

Because animals were never meant to be emotional machines built for human convenience.

They are nations unto themselves.
Full beings.
With inner worlds as rich and meaningful as our own.

And when we stop trying to dominate those worlds…
we get invited into them.

O

If today’s post resonated with you, you’ll find much more in my book, Chosen, Not Obeyed. It’s an invitation to see horses—and perhaps yourself—through a different lens.

📖 Get your copy here: ⁠ https://a.co/d/0dPCSVyv