ROOT Dog Training

08/28/2025

08/27/2025

One paw on the ground..... three in another dimension.
Absolutely joyous to watch.
Free entertainment for all the family.
Grab your popcorn, lift your feet off the floor.
3....2.....1.....
Go!!!!!!

08/26/2025

08/22/2025

We all communicate to our dogs in ways we don’t notice.
With reactive dogs especially.... it’s important to be aware of the signals we’re sending.
The beauty of having a dog trainer work with you is we can see them ....clearly.
These are some of the more common ones which can alert your dog to the presence of their triggers.

Winding the leash around a wrist.
That's a classic example of "priming" a dog for a possible reaction.
We have made the lead shorter and tighter....on a leash reactive dog.
Always an issue.

Verbally announcing to others.
We may mean well, but dogs quickly pick up on the phrases and tones we use. What you say can become part of their trigger chain

Scanning
We need to do it with reactive dogs...but we need to be less obvious about it.
You scan. ➡️They scan.➡️Reactivity follows

Tightening the leash/lead.
As humans we want to limit issues that could occur.
Unfortunately adding tension and pulling a dog in closer at the sight of their trigger can make everything worse.

With a reactive dog....we need to be careful with what we are saying.

08/21/2025

If you don’t physically exhaust them… they just won’t stop.
Whoa there.
Let’s look at the bigger picture.... not just a quick “fix” for today.

I get it, I really do.
Running them longer..... throwing the frisbee for another 10 minutes, chucking that ball again and again, because if you don’t, they’ll pace, whine and struggle to settle.

Here’s the tough question.
Is it helping your dog… or just creating a cycle where they crave more and more?

Their stamina climbs higher.
Their demands increase.
Their adrenaline is off the charts.

Then "suddenly" the amount of exercise you need to give them is unsustainable .
There just aren’t enough hours in the day to “satisfy” them.

What's the solution?
Do less… but carefully.
Reduce that high energy exercise, while adding enrichment in its place.

Low arousal activities that tire them in a different way:

Scatter feeding
Scent walks
Enrichment games
Puzzle toys

Still not convinced?
Try it.... really try it , for a few weeks.

You’ll never look at “tiring them out” the same way again.

08/20/2025

Fear ➡️Reactivity➡️ More Fear… the cycle continues.

That person walked away or backed off after the bark.
Excellent result....for your dog.
It "worked".
Those barks and lunges "made" that threat back off or move on.

It can also work in a different way.
When we remove them.
When a dog is barking or lunging (oh that word always looks so wrong written down)...but when we remove them, the same connections can be made.

The reaction got the desired result.
Why wouldn't they repeat it !

It was reinforced.
They got the distance from something they were very unsure of.

What is reinforced will be repeated.

08/19/2025

Dog parks aren’t the only way to keep your pup active. From dog gyms to water parks, these alternatives offer exercise and socialization in more controlled settings. Our dogs require both physical…