Rowan's Dog Training

08/31/2026

🐶 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆! -𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲

𝙈𝙮𝙩𝙝: "𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧."

I love talking about socialization and do encourage people to put a lot of focus on this training principle when their puppies are young.

“The more socialization exercises you can do before your puppy is 5 months old, the better” is something I have said to my clients.

But putting that out there to the general public with no guidance or support could be problematic.

Puppies have short attention spans and long socialization experiences generally are less beneficial than short ones, because the longer you are out around a new thing, the more likely it is for something to go wrong.

Your pup could get spooked by something unrelated, or the thing you are trying to expose them to.

If you can have a short, positive experience, that is best.

Another issue with this statement is that it gives you no guidance on what proper socialization is, how to do it, and what to look for in your puppy to make sure they are having a good time.

Forcing your puppy into uncomfortable situations is never a good thing.

I see people make this mistake because they don’t know the proper process for socializing or when to give their puppy time to sit and think.

Does this make sense?

What puppy training advice did you get wrong?

08/28/2026

It doesn’t usually hit all at once.

It builds slowly.

The first few days with your puppy feel exciting — even chaotic in a funny way.

Then reality starts to settle in.

The biting doesn’t stop.

The accidents keep happening.

Sleep gets interrupted.

Your patience gets thinner than you expected.

And suddenly, you’re not just “a new puppy parent” anymore…

You have "the puppy blues".

You’re overwhelmed.

You start questioning everything.

“Am I doing this right?”
“Why is my puppy like this?”
“Is this normal… or am I making it worse?”

So you do what everyone does.

You search.
You scroll.
You watch videos at 1 a.m. trying to figure out which advice to trust.

But the more you learn, the more confusing it gets.

One trainer says correct it immediately.

Another says ignore it.

Someone else says it’s a phase.

Another says it will become permanent if you wait too long.

Now you’re stuck in the worst place possible:

𝗧𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁… 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲.

And underneath it all is the fear you don’t always say out loud:

“W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺?”

Here’s what’s actually true:

Most puppy problems don’t come from “bad owners.”

They come from inconsistent guidance during a stage where puppies are learning everything about the world at once.

And without a clear, simple plan… it’s easy to feel lost.

That’s where I step in.

I help new puppy parents cut through the noise, understand what their puppy is really communicating, and build calm, confident behavior without the stress, guessing, or guilt.

Because you don’t need more conflicting advice.

You need clarity.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

If you tell me in the comments I can help.

08/27/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝟯 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 ( 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝗱 )

If you’re like me, you want to do things right.

You want to be the best.

You want your dogs to have the best life.

Here are the 3 things that I think make a person the best dog parent.

1.You understand dog language. Body language and vocalizations. To give your fur baby what they need / want, you have to be able to speak their language.

2.You make thoughtful decisions about what you give your dog. Food, treats, toys. This requires research.

3.You do what your dog needs you to. Stop them from doing dangerous things, give them an outlet for their energy, keep them out of uncomfortable situations, teach them what they need to know, how to behave.

When you understand dogs, and know your dog well, then act on that knowledge, you are the best dog parent.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻?

08/26/2026

When I created my puppy to perfect program, the goal was to support new puppy parents so they could stop feeling overwhelmed.

And stop asking themselves "did I make a mistake? Should we return our puppy?"

Because I know a lot of people wonder that.

I know puppy raising isn't easy, but it also doesn't have to be THAT hard.

When I get messages like this I know I'm on the right path and making a difference.

If you have a new puppy and worry you're going to "mess them up"...

Or are just feeling anxious about being able to give them the best life - because you feel like you don't know what you are doing. I'd love to help.

You can do this, you might just need some help.

You aren't supposed to naturally know how to raise, train and live with a puppy. You have to learn those skills.

If you're ready to learn, I'm ready to teach ❤️

08/24/2026

🐶 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆! -𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲

𝙈𝙮𝙩𝙝: "𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙨."

Boy don’t I wish, but then I would be out of a job.

If you think about it like raising kids, do you expect them to be good citizens, or hard workers, or good at math, just naturally?

I think this myth is particularly damaging and a lot of people hold onto it.

If you want your puppy to behave well, you have to show them exactly how you want them to behave.

You have to correct them every time they make a mistake, and point out the right thing to do in that situation.

And with enough repetition and understanding of the consequences of their actions, your puppy will choose to do the things that make you happy and allow them more freedom.

It’s really similar to parenting.

“If you don’t finish your chores you’re grounded” in puppy world is…

“If you bite me you have to go in your crate for a while.”

And” If you don’t do well in school, you can’t go out with your friends” for puppies is

“If I don’t trust you to listen you have to stay on leash.”

Was this little mental shift in perspective helpful for you?

What puppy advice did you receive that turned out to be wrong?

08/21/2026

You Didn't Get a Dog to Feel This Stressed

There comes a point where many dog owners stop looking forward to the things they imagined doing with their dog.

Walks become something to manage instead of enjoy.

Having guests over means putting the dog away or apologizing before anyone even walks through the door.

A trip to the park sounds exhausting instead of fun.

You start planning your day around avoiding situations instead of enjoying them.

Most people don't tell anyone they're feeling this way because they love their dog.

They feel guilty for being frustrated.

But here's what we see every week...

A few weeks into training, something shifts.

Clients stop talking about commands and start talking about moments.

"My husband and I actually enjoyed our walk last night."

"We had family over and didn't have to spend the whole evening managing the dog."

"I forgot how relaxing it could be."

Those are the moments we love hearing about.

Because the goal was never to create a robot.

It was to help people enjoy living with their dog again.

If you've ever found yourself avoiding walks, visitors, or certain situations because of your dog's behavior, you're definitely not alone.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
I'd love to hear your answer in the comments.

08/20/2026

𝟮 🐕 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱

In my mind there are really 2 cardinal sins when traveling with dogs. If you can just NOT do these two things, You’ll probably be alright.

𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵. NEVER travel with your dog with a leash / seat belt / tether connected to their COLLAR and a solid point in your car.

I see this too often and I know people just aren’t thinking, but what happens if you stop suddenly?

It might keep your dog from crawling in your lap and causing an accident, but if you have to break suddenly, your dog is in serious danger of a neck injury. And necks are pretty important.

The 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 thing that can be a life threatening mistake is NEVER travel without water and a bowl for your dog.

You never know what will happen in life, where you will stop, what will be available, so just keep an old milk jug full of water in your car with an extra dog bowl.

That way wherever you go, if your dog gets thirsty, you have them covered.

Oh, and remember to actually offer it to them during breaks on road trips or when you arrive at your destination / before you load back up.

And let's just run with this theme of making sure water is out for your dog. It might not be your house, but you have got to be responsible for checking on the dog water situation 🙂

Alright, what do you think?

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁?
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯?

08/17/2026

🐶 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆! -𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲

𝙈𝙮𝙩𝙝: "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙."

This idea comes from a pure place.

But quickly becomes problematic.

I have seen a rise in anxiety cases and can often trace back a large part of the problem to under socialization.

Not taking your puppy out of your house until they are 4 months old WILL absolutely mess them up socially.

What you need to do is balance benefit and risk, like we all do every day.

We send our kids to school, even though they catch all sorts of flu’s and colds from the other children, because they need to learn.

You can take your puppy to your friends house, your office and plenty of other places to do plenty of socialization activities without significantly increasing their risk of picking up a dangerous pathogen.

You just have to be thoughtful, and avoid places sick dogs, or lots of dogs you don’t know, go.

Does this make sense?

What puppy advice did you receive that turned out to be wrong?

08/16/2026