Say It Once Dog Training

06/25/2026

Does your dog like to destuff all of their toys?

One reason dogs love to de-stuff toys is because it taps into natural predatory behavior.

The squeak can mimic the sound of prey, and the act of ripping, shaking, and pulling stuffing out can satisfy part of that instinctual sequence.

It doesn’t mean your dog is “bad” or aggressive. It means the toy is giving them an outlet for a very natural behavior in a safe, controlled way.

06/25/2026

Great little games like this, 5 minutes a day, are how you build your dogs impulse control.

On her second rep, I love how she rewarded her puppy for holding the position before releasing. That will build your dog’s ability to hold their command. If your dog is too strong to physically pause like this, throw a leash on and get to work.

As we get better, you can wait until your dog looks at you, whether you are rewarding by releasing or paying your dog for holding position and looking at you.

06/25/2026

Be Honest. Could your dog do this? I am using Crunch's favorite toy, the Launcher from Nerf Dog Toys and here is the point of this exercise.

Play is one of the most valuable rewards you have. Instead of letting your dog explode out of control every time the ball launches out, use those moments to build obedience and self-control. If they can't think clearly when they are stressed over their favorite toy coming out, there is no way your dog will be able to think clearly when other dogs, people, or prey are around.

Get your Nerf Dog Launcher on Amazon for prime day, check out my bio!

Also, I use two separate release cues because I want each dog to clearly understand when they are released. Crunch’s release word is “At Ease.” Roscoe’s release word is “Break.”

That allows me to release one dog while the other dog continues holding their command. If you have multiple dog's, either use their name before cues, or make sure you have specific commands for each dog. Having a dog hold a command while you Launch a ball is one level of difficulty, but having them do that while you release their little brother is on a whole different level!

So, could your dog do this?

06/24/2026

20 weeks! November can’t come soon enough! ❤️

06/24/2026

BTS for the first pitch with my baby boy Captain Crunch

06/24/2026

06/23/2026

He’s locked in. Let’s go baby

06/23/2026

What is your dog most reactive to? What does it look like?

We will go over in depth each of these five sections, and it’s important to understand each individual one:

1. Management
2. Communication
3. Fulfillment
4. Punishment
5. Reintroduction

Let’s start with management.

Management does not mean avoiding the problem forever. Management means setting your dog up so they are not constantly rehearsing the same explosive behavior over and over again. They perfect what they practice.

The biggest mistake people make with reactive dogs is thinking, “They need to get used to it,” so they keep putting the dog in situations where they are already over threshold, making the trigger even more stressful. That does not build confidence. It usually builds a stronger emotional reaction.

All reactive dogs should be on the daily cycle, no question. Stop letting your dog "watch tv" outside waiting to blow up on anything or anyone that walks by. Personally, stop letting them have access to the couch during this time, and use baby gates to not allow your dog to areas of the house where you know they are going to screw up.

As soon as I tell someone with a reactive dog to stop walking around their neighborhood I always get, "but that's their exercise?" If we honestly think giving a working dog a 2.5mph walk around the neighborhood is their daily exercise, we are mistaken. I'll go over that in the fulfillment video.

This is not the whole answer, not even close, but it is the first step. Before we can communicate clearly, fulfill the dog properly, use corrections fairly, or reintroduce triggers correctly, we have to stop letting the dog practice chaos every day.

06/23/2026

Today’s the day! Crunch and I will be on the field for the first pitch, wish us luck!

Expectation for the 1st Pitch