One Paw at a Time Dog Training

One Paw at a Time Dog Training Positive reinforcement and force free training methods. Group classes and in-home consults for puppies thru adults. Located in Central Vermont.

Offering individual dog training consults in your home. Fee depends on travel time/ distance. Please contact me for more information.

02/16/2024

While mistakes happen, it’s just a regular occurrence now that, another dog will run over regardless of lead on, change of direction, communication.

Until you are the one with the nervous, vulnerable, reactive, recovering dog, it’s hard to understand the repercussions of this. But it can make walks unpleasant, the anticipation of what could happen, anxiety inducing.

We deserve our peaceful walks back, our dogs deserve to stay on track with training. We should live in a world where dogs are under control.

Please find other ways to entertain your dog.
02/13/2024

Please find other ways to entertain your dog.

06/22/2023

PESKY PULLERS

Why dogs pull on leash

This is a really common problem and one that often causes us huge frustration.

It can make walks really unpleasant or we may even stop all together because our dogs pull so much.

Understanding why dogs pull is important. They don’t pull because they are trying to be the Alpha, be the top dog, trying to dominate us or take over the world.

Getting out for a walk is a really exciting, stimulating time for our dogs, especially if they’ve been cooped up in the same place for hours or days at a time without anything to do.

Pulling is normal, natural behaviour. Having to walk slowly, calmly, stuck to our side when the only thing our dogs can think about is pulling forward and exploring the environment requires a huge amount of impulse control that may be just too much for many dogs to master.

Yanking the leash, using choke collars, prong collars, slip leads or similar types of tools in an attempt to control this natural impulse is not the answer.

They may provide us with a feeling of being in control but leave our dogs feeling even more frustrated or they pull even harder in an attempt to make us move forward.

Do we really need to have our dogs walk calmly stuck to our side? Is this being fair to them?

Learning and practicing loose lead walking, using a long line when it’s safe to do so, taking your dog for a decompression walk where they can choose which direction to go and when to stop and sniff, booking a sniff spot or a walking area, driving to a safe, open area where they can explore, rewarding them for checking in with you are all ways to meet their natural needs and might even result in a dog that stops pulling.

06/11/2023

Expecting someone to be perfect is so much pressure to impose on a person, and it’s the same for our dogs. Because “perfect” doesn’t exist.

What even is “perfect” supposed to be when it comes to our dogs? Is it a concept that has their wellbeing and joy in mind at all?

We must also understand that anyone and any dog can have a rough day. A day where they might not be feeling so well, or perhaps have been trigger stacked through the day. We may not always know right away or be able to observe what resulted in our dogs displaying certain behaviours that feel difficult for us, and that’s ok.

I know it can be frustrating at times and those feelings of frustration are absolutely valid, but we must try our best to refrain from putting the blame on our dogs or use it as a reason to punish them. If they’re having a hard time, giving them an even harder time also won’t help the situation.

Our dogs shouldn’t be expected to behave how we or society wants them to all the time. They shouldn’t be expected to have to like or calmly greet every dog they meet. They shouldn’t have to be calm and “neutral” going everywhere including crowded places with us. They shouldn’t be expected to never display aggressive behaviours when they feel threatened and uncomfortable.

Our dogs are living sentient beings with their own minds, their own ways of expressing themselves, their own desires, and their own needs. They have value just as they are even if they aren’t what some parts of society might deem as “perfect”.

Why would we want to constrain our dogs to only ever behave a certain way anyway? Where is the fun in that? How will we know how they’re feeling if they don’t feel comfortable expressing how they feel through their behaviours?

I don’t want a “perfect” dog or to “raise a perfect puppy” who just complies to anything. I want a dog who feels safe expressing themselves around me, who gets to be silly, who can make me laugh, and who even will tell me “no thanks” when they’re not up for something.

And all the stresses and the frustrations we might go through are just part of how we grow together. They’re not flaws, they’re just a part of our journey in this life together.

ID: The background image is the back view of a person walking a white fluffy dog through the woods. The text says “We’re not perfect, so why should we expect our dogs to be perfect?”

06/07/2023

"I've had dogs before, do I need training for the new puppy?"
It is sort of like saying, "I sent my first kid to school, does the new kid need to learn too?"

Yes, yes they do.

06/01/2023

Illustrated for PetHarmonyTraining.com
What is Pet Enrichment?

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Randolph, VT
05060

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