Classic Canine Conduct

01/16/2025

In preparation for this sweet boy going home, it was spa day!! He very much agrees with a number of the pups that have come before him - Baths are dumb 😂 but after a blow dry and nail trim he say “man, do I look fine”.

01/16/2025

When you’ve had a tiring day and need to unwind, you relax in your crate in the strangest positions 😂

This dog never fails to bring a smile 😂

01/06/2025

Now that we have a solid base of obedience and have make great strides overcoming reactivity, it is time for some public outings! Off we went to Lowe’s!! We picked a quiet aisle, close to areas of commotion, and worked on duration down and ignoring what was going on around him! At first he was extremely fidgety, and slowly he started to calm down and relax, eventually putting his head down!! It is so important to teach dogs that struggle with reactivity how to not only ignore what is going on around them while deferring to their handler, but also how to relax in situations that would normally be high stress!

12/18/2024

Don’t worry Arrows, I won’t tell Santa if you don’t 😉

Arrows owner is doing some traveling, and I was overjoyed to get to see this handsome dude again for some boarding. His owner has done an amazing job keeping up on his training! But sometimes, you get just a little too excited and when auntie Laura calls you in from your late night potty break you run as fast as you can…. Directly through her legs 😂😂😂

His mom bought reversible naughty and nice bandanas and requested daily updates 🤣 she got a big laugh out of last nights updated mug shot!!! His face says it all! I love this big guy and all the laughs he brings.

Comment below with your pups shenanigans!!

11/18/2024

Moose is back home with his family ❤️ and we think it’s safe to say that “his little girls” were more than overjoyed to have their four legged friend back home! I always love seeing the welcome posters at our go home sessions!!

11/15/2024

I love returning clean, well behaved dogs! This growing pup is returning home this weekend so a nice spa day was in order. Smelling good and acting even better!!

11/08/2024

Car manners are so incredibly important for safety, both the dog and human safety. If owners are unable to fit a crate in their car the dog is taught a strong auto down as soon as they get in the car. This is maintained even when the door is open, as shown here. Just like thresholds in the house, door open does not mean instantaneous excitement and exit. The dog must remain calm and in a down, until asked to exit.

11/05/2024

His face says it all - “I may be good for a bath, but these are very dumb” 😂

Each dog that comes in for training gets at least two baths, pups like moose get baths more often as he likes to play in water and tends to get stinky fast. Part of training involves making sure the younger pups especially are good for bathing, nail trims, drying, ect. Mixed breeds like moose with difficult coat types will be groomed extremely often if owners wish to keep their coats, and if they are terrible for the process finding a groomer will be difficult.

09/25/2024

Come join us November 2-3!!

09/06/2024

It seems as if Navi has decided to teach Piper how to professionally relax 😂 I do believe he should now be considered an influencer and begin getting paid for his efforts 🧐

09/05/2024

Teaching dogs to be calm is an all too often overlooked aspect of training. I receive many calls from owners who have gone through training class after training class and there dogs are still hyper and anxious - they know their obedience in low distraction, and sometimes even high distraction - but their dogs have no idea how to be calm. Their brains go a million miles an hour and are often soo anxious. The owners exercise their dogs, play fetch, and offer many enrichment activities but they say their dogs are energetic again a short time after.

Why is this? First off let’s talk about the physical exercise. Physical exercise is a massively important aspect that should not be discontinued, but there must be a balance of physical and mental exercise. A massive amount of physical exercise will lead to a healthy dog but won’t address the energy level and anxiety on its own - think about humans training for a marathon, each day they push themselves a little farther to work towards the marathon length. The same thing happens when you exercise your dog. If you wish to wear the dog down with exercise alone, each day you must exercise longer and longer to reach exhaustion.

CALM MUST BE TRAINED!! Through duration work and impulse control dogs can be taught how to be calm and relax. It is not a magical overnight fix, but when structure is maintained the result can be a balanced and happy dog with a wonderful on/off switch. Working on the dogs state of mind is completely different than just training obedience commands. You must dive deeper and look at the entire picture.

09/05/2024

Navi along with his housemate, Leyna, are here boarding for a few days and we have had so much fun! I love seeing the pups who have come for training back again!! And what’s even better is pictures like this!!! A room full of dogs - completely calm and relaxed 💖 mentally fulfilled, physically fulfilled, and taught calm on command! (I think Piper has also enjoyed seeing some new faces!!)

I don’t often to get to enjoy my work after the fact so I live vicariously through owner updates and once in a while I am able to board the sweet pups who have come through my training!!

09/04/2024

This sweet girl had a bath day!! Smelling good, behaving well, and off to learn some more 💖

09/03/2024

Today we went on an outing to further proof Pipers commands and build more confidence. She held a down when asked, heeled very well, and ignored her surroundings!! (All very huge accomplishments for this sweet girl).

I am sure there are a few people out there that will look at this picture and think “awe look at the sad dog”. This is a picture of a calm dog who was finally confident and relaxed enough to go into a down in a store - not a sad dog.

Dogs who struggle with anxiety, reaching the point that they are able to calmly walk through a store and hold a down with things going on around them is the absolute opposite of sad. This means they have started to overcome anxiety and function like a stable dog. Anxiety may still be a struggle for her going forward but this is the first huge step towards confidence and calm.

09/02/2024

09/02/2024

Breakthroughs are such an exciting thing! You don’t see the hours/days of work behind the scenes but pictures like this give you a tiny peek into the success!!

When Piper arrived she was deathly afraid of having her nails clipped and dremeled. She would absolutely freak out, throwing tantrums and anything else that would get her out of the situation (extremely fearful). During her time here we have been conditioning her to not fear the dremel or nail clippers and look at that difference!! 🥳 We would still like some more length off for her to comfortably be able to function on her paws without pain, but even now she is walking much more comfortably!! Confidence building is such an important part of training that allows us to be able to make a huge difference in her overall care!!

Meal times turned into dremel conditioning and she can now stand beautifully and calmly to have her nails done!! This may never be her favorite activity but it is an important part of keeping her healthy and comfortable - she no longer fears the dremel and if her owners keep up the work, I anticipate a time where she will look forward to having her nails done as she knows she will be rewarded!! (Video of a calm nail trim to come)

08/31/2024

Car manners seem to be overlooked extremely often, which can endanger both owners and dogs. Piper has struggled with some anxiety in the car recently so we got to work!! This process starts outside of the car by teaching a rock solid “down” command. We proofed indoors and outdoors before hopping in the car! Once this little girl understood this command we began working in the car while it was parked. She learned how to load in the car and immediately go into a down. She also learned that just because the door is open (just like the crate) this doesn’t mean she is allowed to exit. She must wait calmly to be allowed to hop out of the car. Once she understood the rules of loading and unloading it is a simple process to reinforce while driving!

Of course, I prefer pups to ride in crates for both their owners safety and theirs, but I also understand that not every owner agrees with this; therefore each dog is taught how to calmly ride in the car, maintaining a down.

08/20/2024

We are excited to introduce Piper to our board and train program!

Piper is here to work on her separation anxiety! She was not crate trained by her prior owners which has created a lot of issues for her current owners. While Piper is very sweet she becomes very anxious when left alone and has broken out of crates. During her stay here she will be learning that it is not scary to be alone and the crate is a wonderful safe place. She will also be working on her reactivity when first meeting new people! We will be working on confidence building in many areas to get her to a solid state of mind so that her owner can enjoy her while being able to leave their house!!