Taking the Lead Dog Training

04/29/2025

I’ve been spending most of my time these days consulting with ACCT Philly in the behavior department. And if you know me at all, you know my happy place is being with the shelter animals.

An average of 20 new dogs a DAY are being brought to ACCT Philly- that’s 600+ dogs being cared for in a MONTH. The number is staggering and I know it’s easy to feel helpless. So how can you make a difference, today?

Of course by fostering, adopting and sharing animal posts! But also, buy some things from their wish list!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1F0WL8J9XEG5L/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist

Chewy: https://www.chewy.com/g/acct-philly_b133859664 -list&wishlistsortby=DEFAULT

You can also drop off donations to them 7 days a week. If you live close to me (19403) I am happy to pick up as I have been going multiple times a week.

Most needed:
Newspaper
Kong Toys
Canned cat food
Dry cat food
Freedom no pull harnesses and easy walk harnesses
Leashes (not retractable)
Beef trachea
Dog treats – soft are preferred
Peanut Butter and spray cheese
Churu cat treats
Chest freezer to hold enrichment (we’re looking for two!)
Google chrome books (for our medical staff)

They CANNOT ACCEPT:

Open bags of pet food or treats
Pet food or treats that has expired
Crocheted items
Items that, if not new, are not in “like new” or “gently used” condition, or are damaged or dirty
Pillows
Fitted sheets
Renal and liver care prescription diets for cats or dogs and canine urinary diets (s/o and c/d)
Retractable leashes

Ruffus, recently found as a stray in ruff shape, says Thank you!

04/24/2025

Damn right!

If you are going to have a dog, you are going to have to make sacrifices. You cannot expect to have an animal that was designed to live primarily outside and bring it into your house and not have to make changes or adjustments. A dog is not an ornament, a commodity or a display. A dog is an animal. You are sharing your life with another species. This is life with a dog.

Your yard will not be pristine. The grass will get burned from their p*e. Holes will be dug, bushes shredded, mud will come in the house. You cannot ask them to not p*e in your house and then also try to control even their outside bathroom. Please see how unfair this is. This is life with a dog.

You house will need management. Your counters will need to be clear. Shoes will need to be put away. Laundry room blocked. Kids toys picked up. Some things will get destroyed anyway. This is life with a dog.

They will bark at noises. They will protect their territory. Sometimes fiercely. They will not welcome strange people into the home easily even if you “know them” because this is in their genetic DNA. They don’t understand family gatherings and they don’t always see things the way we do. They won’t love playing with every dog they meet. This is life with a dog.

They will need enrichment and work and productivity. They will need training that is kind and fair and consistent and then maintenance to maintain that training. They will need guidance and coaching and lots of reinforcement to help them perform unnatural behaviors against their natural phenotypes. This is life with a dog.

They will mature and change and modify in their likes, behaviors and preferences as they age. Their behaviors aren’t guaranteed. They are not robots and they can be mercurial as they grow into their own personalities. They are allowed to change their mind and shift naturally just as we do. They need to be seen for what and who they are, not what and who YOU want. This is life with a dog.

Life with a dog is not a human right. It is a privilege and a responsibility and an education. They are animals and should be treated and expected to behave as such. That doesn’t make them any less loved or family members and it doesn’t make them any less deserving of respect, in fact it makes them more so.

Enjoy your life with a dog, and help them enjoy life with a human.

- Helen St. Pierre

04/21/2025

Trainer tip: use a back tie like this yard tie-out if your dog gets overstimulated and starts to jumps all over you and uses his/her mouth inappropriately to play.

Also, reward with lickables like peanut butter or baby food to keep that mouth busy for longer!

04/17/2025

Being a partial Belgian malinois, Joy loves training and is very good at it! She learns quickly and loves to please. Getting a mal to settle and relax can be challenging, so teaching it as a skill is invaluable.

Joy is available thru - if you want a dog to keep you active and moving, she’s the gal for you!

04/12/2025

The state of animal welfare is dire. Surrenders are through the roof, adoptions are down and space runs out every day. It can be overwhelming to know how to help. So let me share some ideas!

Send a monetary donation to your preferred organization

Collect their most needed items from family, friends and neighbors

Sign up to volunteer. Even if it’s a few hours a month, it makes a huge difference

Foster a pet in your home. Try it for a weekend even!

Meet Knight, my short term foster dog from - my best guess is that he is some type of husky/Shepherd mix. He is so easy on the leash and doesn’t pull, gets along well with other dogs, and I’ll be introducing him to a cat tomorrow so stay tuned for that update.

Do whatever you can to help, even if it seems small or trivial. I promise you it’s not!

04/07/2025

Let’s talk about food labels. Wow can it be hard to understand what all the ingredients are and to know if the food you feed your dog or cat is just okay, pretty good, or really good. As holistic practitioner Ann Wigmore said: “The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

The price of the food is a fairly good indicator of the quality of the ingredients, but not always. The ingredients can also be confusing and not intuitive to understand if they are good or bad, and the advice on social media is all over the place.

As I continue my studies in Clinic Pet Nutrition, I would like to offer a special, limited time offer. In April, for just $20 you can send me a photo of two things your dog or cat eats (examples: dry and wet food; wet food and treats) and I’ll give you personalized feedback about the ingredients and quality of the food, and give recommendations for alternatives or additions if needed.

We all know food affects health, but it also affects behavior. If you are struggling with your dog behaviorally, looking at a change in diet may be warranted.

Venmo and email the photos to [email protected] to get your personalized food label reading this month!

04/04/2025

Preventing surrenders to shelters is something I am passionate about. Take Indigo here…his owner was struggling with his high energy level and intense needs for exercise and stimulation, and considered surrendering him to a local shelter. But instead, the shelter offered to help with the cost of a few training sessions and now, Indigo is for SURE staying in his home! His pawrents love him and didn’t want to give him up, but just didn’t have the knowledge and skills needed to live in harmony together.

Surrender prevented= happy everyone!

04/03/2025

If you don’t do nosework with your dog, you need to start TODAY! The benefits are enormous. Dash, available at the Montgomery County SPCA - PA in Conshohocken, just loves it! Need help getting started? Reach out to me for some help!

03/29/2025

Good morning and happy Saturday from sunny Florida ☀️! Post the most recent pic of your pet in the comments to spread some smiles today.

This is Cali, who we really enjoyed meeting on our adventures!

03/22/2025

Chewy was recently adopted to the BEST people from - she’s so ultra friendly she hurts you with her loving ways! While we don’t want to dampen her spirit we did work on ways to more gently give and get affection.

03/07/2025

15 years ago today I became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer!

03/03/2025

I’m hitting the “paws” button on accepting new clients since I’ll be doing more time-consuming consulting work at in March and April.

Shelter animals have my heart ❤️ and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them!

Pictured are Bee Bop, Kia and JJ. All are looking for a new place to rest their head.

03/01/2025

Two Aussie clients in one week? Lucky me! 🍀🐾

This breed is so wicked smart! It’s always a fun time with an Aussie.

02/16/2025

Penny enjoyed some socialization at !