http://www.orovilledogtraining.com/

For the Love of Dog Training, Oroville, CA (2026)

08/14/2026

Here’s what I changed to get this result in Murphy’s first 3 days.

The first clip is the behavior everyone notices: Murphy sees a moving vehicle, his arousal shoots up, and he lunges. The second clip isn't nearly as exciting to watch, and that's exactly why I love it. A car passes and… basically nothing happens. 😂 He notices it, but he doesn't feel the same need to chase, lunge, or completely lose his mind over it.

But there wasn't one magical training technique between those two clips.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make with behavior like this is focusing exclusively on what happens during the reaction. We see the lunge, so naturally we think the lunge is what needs to be addressed. But by the time Murphy is launching himself toward the vehicle, I'm looking at a behavior that has already been building. I want to know what his arousal looked like beforehand, how much access he's had to practicing this behavior, what his environment looks like throughout the rest of the day, whether he can disengage from movement, and whether he actually has the skills to make another choice.

So that's where we've started.

We've been lowering his overall arousal instead of constantly putting him in situations where he has to hold himself together. He's getting downtime. We're using marker work to build engagement and help him understand exactly which choices pay. We're changing his emotional response to the things that have historically sent him through the roof, and we're being really intentional about how much exposure he's getting and at what distance.

But one of the BIGGEST changes doesn't happen during a formal training session at all.

We've started limiting his opportunities to rehearse this behavior.

Murphy has had opportunities to practice getting worked up over movement in multiple areas of his life, including the fence line, in the vehicle, and during his normal day-to-day activities. Every time a dog rehearses a behavioral pattern, they're getting better at it. They don't care that we didn't schedule a training session. Their brain is still taking notes. 😂 If Murphy spends part of his day practicing calm engagement with me and then spends the rest of it losing his ever-loving mind at every vehicle that passes the fence, those two things are working against each other.

That's why behavior modification can't just be about what happens during the 10 or 15 minutes when we're actively “training.”

I'm looking at the other 23+ hours too.

Where is he practicing the behavior I don't want? Where is his nervous system getting overloaded? How much actual rest is he getting? Can he think around the trigger, or am I putting him so close to it that thinking isn't even an option? Can he disengage on his own? Does he understand what I want instead? And most importantly, are the choices I'm making throughout his day supporting the behavior I'm trying to build?

That second clip is what happens when some of those pieces start coming together.

Now, Murphy has been here for THREE DAYS. I don't believe he's magically “fixed,” and I certainly wouldn't take one calm pass and declare that we've solved vehicle reactivity forever. Behavior doesn't work that way, and three days can't erase years of rehearsal.

But three days can give us information.

And what Murphy is showing me right now is that when we lower his arousal, change the way he's exposed to the trigger, give him clearer communication, build engagement, provide enough downtime, and stop giving him unlimited opportunities to practice the old behavior, his response can change.

That's a pretty important piece of information because now we know we're moving in the right direction.

Also, I'll happily take a dog casually walking past a car as my exciting Friday content. Sometimes the best dog training videos are the ones where absolutely nothing happens. 😂

08/13/2026

This dog has only been here since Tuesday, and this is his initial evaluation. There are definitely pieces of this video I could pull out where his leash work looks REALLY good, slap some inspirational music over it, and make it look like we've already solved all of his problems in two days. 😂

Except... there were also two cats. A couple of trucks he wanted to lunge at. Moments where I had him, moments where I lost him, and plenty of “well, that's interesting” sprinkled throughout.

And, gasp! I want his owner to see all of it.

That's a huge part of the virtual coaching included in my board & train programs. I'm not interested in sending you a highlight reel of your dog looking amazing with me while conveniently leaving out everything that got a little messy. I want you to see what I'm seeing and understand why I'm making the decisions I'm making. What grabs his attention? Where does he struggle? How quickly does he recover? What works, what doesn't, and what happens when a couple of cats decide to participate in our evaluation without being invited?

He's been here for two days, so I'm not expecting a finished dog. I'm gathering information and figuring out what the dog standing in front of me actually needs.

Because eventually I'm handing this leash back to his owner, and it doesn't do either of them much good if I'm the only one who understands how to work with him.

So you'll see the pretty reps, but you're also going to see the messy ones. That's real dog training, and there's usually a whole lot more to learn from that than a perfectly edited 15-second highlight reel.

08/11/2026

Enrichment and fulfillment are not the same thing, and I think we accidentally lump them together all the time.

A frozen Kong, lick mat, puzzle toy, snuffle mat all great. I use them too. But sometimes we keep adding more and more enrichment when what the dog is actually asking for is an outlet that makes sense for who they are.

Your Aussie might enjoy the puzzle toy, but still want to chase, circle, control movement, and use that herding brain. Your retriever might love a lick mat, but light up when they get to carry, search, retrieve, or swim. Your terrier might happily clean out a Toppl and still be thinking, “This is nice, but when do we get to hunt something?” 😂

Fulfillment is less about keeping your dog busy and more about asking, “What does this particular dog actually enjoy doing?”

Sometimes the answer is sniffing. Sometimes it’s tug. Sometimes it’s running, digging, searching, chasing, carrying, training with you, or exploring somewhere new.

Enrichment can absolutely be part of fulfillment. It just isn’t the whole picture.

Before buying puzzle toy #47, take a second and watch your dog. What do they naturally choose to do when nobody is directing the activity?

That answer usually tells you a whole lot.

08/10/2026

These are the dogs that rarely make the flashy before-and-after videos, because Sally’s “before” wasn’t bad obedience. Her before was just being genuinely afraid to leave her house.

When Sally came to me, the outside world felt really unsafe to her. Depending on what she was faced with, that fear could show up as shutting down, trying to bolt, or getting reactive and lunging. She also had almost no food motivation, and it took quite a while before we could even build enough play drive to use play as reinforcement. Training Sally meant really getting to know Sally and figuring out what she actually valued. A lot of the time, that was praise, physical touch, the chance to sniff, and just being given enough time and space to process the world around her.

So much of this program became about resilience rather than obedience. I wasn’t trying to create a dog who never felt nervous. I wanted to help Sally experience something hard, realize she could get through it, recover from it, and eventually be willing to try again. In the beginning, an outing could take her an entire day to recover from. By the end of her stay, she could do something challenging, come home, take a nap, and move on with her day. That change in recovery time may not look flashy on video, but for a dog like Sally, it is HUGE.

She went from absolutely refusing to load into the car to willingly jumping in and out. And at her go-home, her owners got to walk their own dog through Home Depot, navigate people and distractions, and calmly pass another dog. Something they genuinely weren’t sure they would ever be able to do with her.

Sally isn’t suddenly fearless, and she doesn’t need to be. The goal was never to erase who she is. The goal was to give her more resilience, more confidence in her ability to handle hard things, and owners who understand when to encourage her forward and when she needs a little more support.

There may never be a dramatic “before vs. after” with a dog like Sally.

But scared to leave the house to walking out of Home Depot with her mom?

I’ll take that kind of progress every single time. 🤍

08/09/2026

8 years with my best friend. Seriously, where did those years go? Life feels incredibly unfair when you realize we just don’t get enough time with them.

As Ryu has gotten older, I’ve been paying more attention to the little things I can do to help keep him active and at a healthy weight. Lean dogs can live up to 2.5 years longer than overweight dogs, and maintaining a healthy body condition is something I talk about with my students all the time.

I have quite a few students who already use , so I decided it was time to give it a try with Ryu. Their meals are pre-portioned for him, which helps take some of the guesswork out of feeding and supports maintaining a healthy weight.

We’re new to it, so I’ll keep you posted on how he does. Results may vary.

If you’ve been curious about The Farmer’s Dog too, you can get 60% off your first box. I’ll put the link in the comments.

08/08/2026

Virtual coaching has quickly become one of my favorite ways to help both dog owners AND dog trainers.

Sometimes you don’t need another random training video on youtube or 47 opinions from the Facebook "how to train your reactive dog" group. You need someone to look at your specific dog, your specific situation, ask the questions that matter, and help you figure out what the heck is actually going on.

And because I know we cover A LOT during these sessions, you don’t have to worry about catching every little thing while we talk.

After your coaching session, I send you a detailed follow up email breaking down what we discussed, the recommendations we made, links to anything I recommend, coaching videos that might help if relevant, and your next steps. So if you missed something while you were taking notes, I got you.

You’ll also have 1 week of follow up support after your session. Once you start putting things into practice, if you have a question, something looks different than expected, or you need a little clarification, you can reach back out.

And dog trainers, this is for you too. Getting another set of eyes on a case is responsible training. I have mentors and other trainers I trust enough to run things by, too. None of us should be pretending we know everything about every dog that walks through the door.

Dog Parent Virtual Coaching + Trainer’s Coaching are both available.

Booking link is in the comments!

08/07/2026

Heads up, guys! New class just hit the website! 🐾

Good Dog, Good Citizen is our new 5-week AKC Canine Good Citizen prep class, with the official Canine Good Citizen test included in Week 5!

We’ll be working on real-life reliability, polite greetings, loose leash walking, neutrality around other dogs, distractions, handling, recalls, supervised separation, and all 10 skills included in the Canine Good Citizen test. The AKC designed the program to recognize dogs with good manners at home and in the community.

And there are some pretty cool reasons to earn it beyond getting to say your dog is officially a Good Citizen. These skills can make everyday things like vet and grooming visits, having guests over, going into public spaces, and navigating busy environments easier. It can also be a stepping stone toward more advanced AKC training and titles.

There can even be practical benefits when it comes to housing and insurance. Some landlords, HOAs, condo associations, and insurance companies may recognize Canine Good Citizen certification as evidence of training and responsible ownership, and some insurers may offer more favorable coverage or rates. This varies by company and policy, so it's always worth checking directly with your insurance provider.

This is the perfect next step after Real Life Foundations if you want to keep building on the skills you and your dog already have.

I have a feeling this one is going to fill up FAST, especially with the small class size.

It’s officially live on the website now! Link is in the comments. 🐾

08/06/2026

We spend a lot of time talking about everything your dog needs to change, but at some point, the conversation has to come back to what you may need to change too. I know that part isn’t nearly as fun. It’s much easier to hand me the leash and say, “Here, you fix it,” but your dog isn’t coming home from a training retreat with a factory reset, a brand-new operating system, and absolutely no memory of how life worked before.

My consultation process is a lengthy one, and they’re often over an hour because behavior cases aren’t simple. We talk about the dog’s behavior, the environment, what has already been tried, what the dog needs to learn, and what needs to change moving forward. A training retreat can give your dog a fresh start, a lot of repetition, clearer expectations, new coping skills, and time away from the environment where they’ve been rehearsing the same behaviors. That work is incredibly valuable, but your dog still has to return to the same home, the same people, and the same daily life. Unless I’m also moving into your guest room, what happens after the retreat is going to depend heavily on you.

The reality is that most of the struggles people have with their dogs aren’t strictly obedience problems. Teaching a dog what is expected of them and providing clarity around different cues can absolutely help, but most issues show up during normal, day-to-day interactions. They happen when someone knocks on the door, another dog appears around the corner, your dog is pacing through the house, you’re trying to leave for work, or you’re simply attempting to finish a walk without being dragged down the street so your dog can check the neighborhood’s latest pee-mail.

So what does changing for your dog actually look like? I’m not expecting anyone to completely uproot their life, relocate to a different city, or move to a cabin in the woods, although that does sound pretty amazing. Most people are already juggling work, family, appointments, and the 37 things they meant to finish yesterday. I understand that adding another responsibility can feel overwhelming, which is why change doesn’t always need to be dramatic to make a meaningful difference.

Maybe it means getting up exceptionally early to practice recalls with your spicy dog at the beach before it gets busy, allowing them to have freedom in a setting where they can actually be successful. Maybe it means joining a structured pack walk so your dog can practice proper socialization by calmly existing around other dogs, rather than believing socialization means greeting, playing with, or becoming best friends with every dog they see. Your dog doesn’t need to work the room like they’re campaigning for mayor.

Maybe it means going to a dog training class that starts at 7 a.m. because your dog learns better before the heat, crowds, and chaos kick in. Ahem, this would be an excellent time to mention that my September group class starts at 7 a.m.

It could mean using the crate while you’re home instead of only crating your dog when you leave, turning potty breaks into a few minutes of recall practice, adjusting feeding times, or driving somewhere quieter for walks instead of battling the same chaotic route every day. It might mean adding structured downtime, blocking access to the front window, preventing fence running, or politely telling someone that no, your dog doesn’t need to say hi just because their dog is “friendly.”

Sometimes changing for your dog means leaving an outing early instead of waiting for them to completely fall apart. It may mean shortening a walk because your dog has already had enough, skipping the busy farmers market, giving them a recovery day after a stressful experience, or accepting that doing less can occasionally create more progress. It might also mean setting boundaries with friends and family who want to interact with your dog when your dog has made it very clear they’re not interested in joining the welcoming committee.

Sometimes the biggest change isn’t adding something new. It’s continuing to follow through with what already works. Owners can get a little too comfortable once their dog starts improving, slowly stop doing the things that created that improvement, and then wonder why old behaviors have returned like an unwanted sequel nobody asked for. Your dog didn’t forget the training. They simply noticed that everyone else stopped participating and thought, “Perfect, I’ll take it from here.”

I’m not saying any of this to make owners feel guilty. Most people love their dogs deeply and are doing the best they can with the information, time, and energy they have. Changing familiar routines can be uncomfortable, and there are going to be days when you don’t execute the plan perfectly. That’s normal. Your dog doesn’t need perfection, but they do need consistency, follow-through, and a person who is willing to look honestly at what may need to change on both ends of the leash.

Relationships don’t work when only one side is expected to change, and whether people like to admit it or not, you are in a relationship with your dog. You can’t ask your dog to become a completely different version of themselves while you continue doing everything exactly the same. That’s not a training plan. That’s wishful thinking with a leash attached.

So yes, we need to talk about whether your dog is capable of changing, but the better and slightly more uncomfortable question is this: Are you willing to change with them?

08/06/2026

🐾 We're Just About One Month Away! 🐾

I'm so excited to finally announce that our Real Life Foundations Group Class kicks off next month here in Oroville!

This isn't your typical obedience class where your dog learns to sit in a quiet room and then forgets everything the moment you leave the house. Real Life Foundations is designed to help you build practical skills that carry over into everyday life.

Over four weeks we'll be working on:

✔ Building engagement and communication with your dog

✔ Loose leash walking that actually works outside your neighborhood

✔ Teaching your dog to stay focused around real-world distractions

✔ Developing neutrality around people, dogs, and busy environments

✔ Building confidence for both ends of the leash

✔ Putting everything together during our final "Pick Your Adventure" field trip

Class sizes are intentionally kept small so every team receives individualized coaching, personalized homework, and plenty of opportunities to ask questions. One of my favorite parts of these classes is watching complete strangers become friends while supporting one another through the training journey. Some of the families I worked with when I first started teaching group classes back in 2016 are now on their fourth puppy with me!

Even better, Real Life Foundations is the prerequisite for our Canine Good Citizen class beginning in January, making it the perfect next step if you'd like to continue building your dog's skills and earn their AKC Canine Good Citizen title.

Whether your goal is calmer walks, better communication, or simply enjoying more adventures with your dog, this class is designed to help you get there.

🐾 **Real Life Foundations**
📍 Oroville, CA
📅 Starts September 12

Also enrolling this fall:

🐶 Puppy Foundations six week class begins in October for puppies 12 weeks to 6 months old. We'll cover confidence building, proper socialization, engagement, handling, leash skills, and work toward the

AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluation. It's the perfect way to give your puppy the best possible start.

If you've been thinking about training, now is a great time to reserve your spot before classes fill.

Registration links are in the comments. If you're not sure which class is the best fit, send me a message. I'd be happy to help! 🐾

08/05/2026

The more I run, the more I realize it's just dog training in running shoes. Short bursts of quality work, recover, repeat. Turns out progress is usually a lot less dramatic and a lot more consistent than people think.

For the Love of Dog Training

08/14/2026

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