Opportunity Barks Behavior & Training

10/04/2024

The is TOMORROW! Online registration is still open until 5pm today at pawsmuttstrut.org, and you can also register in person at the Navy Yard tomorrow. Check-in opens at 11am, and we strut at 12!

EXCITING UPDATE: we've made such great progress toward our Mutt Strut goal that for the first year ever, we've increased our fundraising goal to $140,000! We are so grateful for everyone's generous support thus far and believe we can make this our BEST Mutt Strut yet!

In addition to the walk, we have amazing activities in store, including:

🍺 NEW: Dock Street Beer Garden
🐾 NEW: Doggy “Pub” presented by our Big Dog Sponsors, Live Casino & Hotel!
👻 Costume contest: extra consideration for homemade creations!
🔮 Doggy fortune telling and tarot card readings with Young Friends of PAWS!
🐕 Agility course with Opportunity Barks
🥨 A delicious variety of Philly food trucks: come hungry and feel free to bring a picnic blanket!
❓Ask the Trainer with Taking the Lead Dog Training
🏥 Ask the Vet with Love City Vet
🐶 Enrichment Zone with Central Bark! Give your pup a break from the action with a private x-pen and tasty dog-lick-mats.
🐾 Paw print painting: bring home a painting made by your dog!
🍨 Doggie ice cream: treat your pup to a dog-safe treat!
🐕 Canine activity zone with Philly Pet Care: ball pit, treat sniff-n-find, canine kissing booth, and more!
💪 Temporary tattoos with Philadelphia Eddies: get a fun tattoo without the lifetime commitment!
📸 Visit our photo booth for portraits of you and your pet by Pawtrait Pop-Up!
🎁 Thousands of dollars worth of amazing items being raffled
🗓️ PAWS 2025 calendars will be making their debut ($15)

Plus, dozens of vendors offering handmade goods, pet supplies, pet services, and much more!

Register now and see all the event details at pawsmuttstrut.org! Adults are $25, dogs and kids under 12 are FREE!

07/02/2024

08/30/2023

Fall Farm Fest is coming up next weekend, Saturday 9/9 from 11 am- 2pm. Join us for a beautiful day out hiking and adventuring with your pups! We'll be collecting donations of gently used equipment for our shelter partners and will have giveaways for those in who attend. Can't wait to see ya.
RSVP here:
https://opb.as.me/?appointmentType=category:%F0%9F%8D%82Fall%20Farm%20Fest%2C%20Saturday%2C%209%2F9%20%20%F0%9F%8D%82

05/23/2023

Summer Celebration at the Farm on Saturday, 6/17 from 11 am-2 pm. Come on up and hang, hike, grab a bite and enjoy a day out with your pup while we say say cheers to 20 years. That's a long time and a lot of puppies.
Grateful for you all and your support.
Big love,
Leigh xo

04/09/2023

Join us at the Farm for our Spring Fling Open House, Saturday, April 22nd from 11 am-2pm. Hikes, creek romps, and good times await! RSVP here: https://opb.as.me/schedule.php

07/05/2022

We’re expanding and seeking self-starters who are looking to learn, and get their hands dirty with dogs.

We’re hiring for part time and full time positions and are always looking to add a ‘unicorn’ to our team of magical dog fairies 😉

Position responsibilities include but are not limited to handling dogs, exercising dogs, hiking dogs, client communication and cleaning with potential to cross train across our programs.

Applicants must be open-minded and curious, reliable, personable, a solid communicator, have massive attention to detail, and presence around dogs. On-the-job training and education are part of the deal, formal training experience not required, prior dog experience preferred.

Full-time employees are eligible for benefits including:
- Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
- Short and long term disability
- Paid vacation and sick time
- Employee discount
- Retirement
- HSA

To apply, send a resume with the best email address to reach you to [email protected] and we’ll be in touch!

06/23/2022

Join owner and head trainer of tonight (Thursday) at 7 pm EST to discuss all things dog.

Drop your questions in the comments below or join us tonight to ask them live.

Nothing’s off limits, we’ll drop some knowledge, give you pointers and help you better understand your dog.

The replay will be posted here if you can’t make it at 7 ✌️

05/26/2022

Join us for our weekly Q&A tonight at 7 PM EST to talk all things dogs.

Puppy problems?
Reactivity?
Enrichment?
Leash walking, counter surfing, tools of the trade?

We’ll discuss it all then post the replay for those who want to watch later.

Drop your questions below or tune it at 7 to ask them directly.

See you there 🙌

05/17/2022

Co-Regulation

Let’s talk about it. So often dog owning humans say, “I know this training is really for me”. I mean, you’re right.
However, before you even jump into the training end of things and especially if you are in a heads space of constant complaints about your dog’s behavior.

My first question to you is this, “Are you regulated?” 🤔

Co-regulation is the idea that mammals with central nervous systems, thrive with co-regulation. Basically, the infantile one (in this case, the dog) hitches a ride on the central nervous system of a caregiver (the human) to learn self-regulation.

My job is to anchor my system to help my dog thrive. ✨

When I’m regulated
❤️ I can help guide my dog’s movement.
❤️ I can provide meaningful information
❤️ I can be present with her
❤️ I can have a sense of humor about her
❤️ I can appreciate her
❤️ I can be playful with her
❤️ I can feel the give and take of our relationship
❤️ I can appreciate her for exactly who she is
❤️ I can socially support her
❤️ I can work towards laying the groundwork to help her self-regulate on her own or move closer to that.

Hot tip
When you are not regulated, you may be in a major victim mode, feel run over by your dog, feel hopeless, feel ‘at the end of your rope’, *insert major spiral here*. 🌪😵‍💫

If you find yourself here, be kind.

It maybe is time for some practices to regulate and seek dog training support.
Consider there are many things outside the scope of "dog training" that will help you in your journey with your dog
What is something you have found helpful outside of "dog training" that builds the bond with your dog? 💫⬇️

04/01/2022

SPRING IS HERE 💐🌷🌸 so come celebrate with your pup on May 7th at our 10 acre fenced farm!

The Spring Fling will be a day of food, fun & exploring with your dog.

All on leash friendly dogs and their humans are welcome!

Hike the trails, eat some food, chat with our trainers or just hang with your dog and meet other cool philly dog people. BYOB, lawn games and spring themed games included.

We’ll be collecting donations for our local rescue partners so bring any dog stuff you'd like to rehome including equipment, unopened bags of food or treats, and old toys.

Register for you (and your dog’s) spot at the Spring Fling link in our bio, we hope to see you there!

03/08/2022

Happy from Anubis on his training walk during drop off training in Old City.

03/04/2022

Helloo party people. Leigh here. We've been busy behind the scenes working on a new look for the brand with some changes and a vibe that more speaks to who we are and what we're up to. Where we landed is that we really want to bring the freshness and shine a light on being your hype ladies for real-world success.

Our intention is to support our clients to achieve greatness in partnership with their dogs, in whatever adventures they choose- on leash, off-leash, in the home- in LIFE.

Be on the lookout for a new site as we continue to work on an overhaul of educational content that will lick your brain. Thank you for being in our tribe and thank you for your trust in us. We won't stop being open and curious and seeking the “best” way - ever.

How good can it get?
We'll report back xo ✨