Black Jack Dog Training

Black Jack Dog Training Emma Starkweather CPDT-KA 🐾your trainer and canine coach🐾
nominated “Vermont’s Best Dog Training Company 2026!” by Seven Daysie’s voters 🌼

07/03/2026

See a trigger? Turn around. 🔄

That’s not failure. That’s good handling! We find space, visual barriers, use management. We let them notice the trigger, mark it, reward, repeat. This keeps them thinking instead of reacting

Progress isn’t a straight line. It’s a thousand small U-turns that add up to a dog who can handle more of the world, one walk at a time. 🐾💕
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BelowThreshold

If you’ve ever felt embarrassed by your dog’s behavior on a walk…I see you.Crossing the street to avoid dogs and people....
04/10/2026

If you’ve ever felt embarrassed by your dog’s behavior on a walk…

I see you.

Crossing the street to avoid dogs and people.
Apologizing constantly.
Feeling judged.
Dreading walks.

Reactivity can feel isolating, but it’s incredibly common, and it can improve.

Reactivity Reset is built to support both ends of the leash:
✨ Training for your dog
✨ Education for you
✨ Ongoing support so you’re not doing it alone

You don’t need a “perfect” dog.
You just need a plan that actually works.

📍 Starts May 6th
Reach out with questions or grab a spot while they’re still available.
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03/28/2026

Settle on “Place” is a cue with endless possibilities.
Comment PLACE and I’ll send you the link to a handout on how to teach this to your dog! 🛞🐾
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03/27/2026

Let your dog THINK and make their own decisions! Reward the GOOD decision heavily, you will start seeing them MORE! Prevent the not so good or even dangerous decisions by managing the environment. Use a long line or just keep them on leash. This looks small but Jet used to just b-line it to any critter that moved, or even water WITHOUT geese, he is obsessed with swimming. But this time of year that water is FAST. It’s dangerous for him to make that decision even though he thinks it would be a blast. And let’s be honest chasing geese is FUN.
By letting him think here, he is learning that watching geese is fine, and checking in with me gets him tasty snacks. If he decided to go, he would hit the end of the long line and learn thats not an option with a good outcome.
Start at a distance that your dog can think in though. Don’t set up feet away from a goose and expect this same outcome. With time though maybe you could! This applies to many scenarios, not just critters…
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03/26/2026

🐾Roxy is rocking her Day Training Program! Her owners came to us looking for support to help Roxy keep 4 paws on the floor when greeting people, decrease begging at the dinner table, cooperative care and a few more key goals.
In just 3 weeks of biweekly sessions, Roxy has learned new skills that will assist in modifying her behavior and set her up for success in future sessions. After our 6 weeks of day training we will follow up with a few more months of private lessons with her owners to give them the confidence or knowing what to do and how to manage Roxy in the areas she struggles in.
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We were recruited to train some back up reindeer this year! 🦌🐾Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all🎄•••
12/25/2025

We were recruited to train some back up reindeer this year! 🦌🐾
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all🎄
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12/22/2025

Let’s give the walks back to the dogs🐾
Stop being so impatient
Let your dog take their time and enjoy the walk, LET THEM SNIFF!
Your dog’s walk shouldn’t be by you side the whole time unable to interact with the environment. Let them walk at their own pace (that might be in front of you or behind you)
Let them p*e on things
Let them look
and if just one thing….
LET
THEM
SNIFF
Being able to sniff and explore on walks exercises their bodies and BRAINS
Our dogs use their noses to understand and explore the world. Don’t hold them back from that because you are too impatient to wait and let them smell or want to walk to keep up your steps. Focus on quality rather than quantity.
If you have a walking goal and a certain pace you want for your own exercise, leave your dog at home for your own walk and take them a different time.

Other benefits to letting your dog sniff:
Allowing sniffing can calm your dog down and slow their pace
They may pull less when they learn they can take their time with smells
It can build confidence in mew environments
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“Can I bring my dog?”Before we even ask this question, we need to ask ourselves “Will my dog enjoy being there?”Not ever...
12/07/2025

“Can I bring my dog?”
Before we even ask this question, we need to ask ourselves “Will my dog enjoy being there?”
Not every environment is suitable for dogs, and if it is, is it suitable for yours?
I often see dogs in places where people LOVE to have them:
Farmers Markets
Breweries
Parades
Outdoor Shopping Centers
Restaurant Patios
Sports Games
The list goes on…
However, almost every time I see someone with a stressed or anxious dog that is not exactly loving this experience and the people don’t seem to notice that.
Then a person, another dog, waitstaff, loud truck or something goes by and the dog reacts in a way the owners weren’t expecting.
Some people then get pretty upset with their dogs and usually say something like “well they’ve never done that anywhere before!”
We need to take into consideration our dog’s feelings and their limits.
We want them to be with us as much as possible because we love them and cherish our all too short time with them…but most dogs just aren’t comfortable with busy, loud, crowded spaces where they are “stuck” on a leash.
Aways ask the question “Will my dog enjoy this experience?” before just taking them along. Many dogs would rather be home, in their safe space, waiting for a couple hours. Rather than expected to conform and be comfortable in a situation they don’t understand, are overwhelmed in or plain scared of.
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12/06/2025

Well its not really a secret…
Just like us, dogs are learning all day every day. Learning what behaviors have good consequences and what behaviors have bad consequences. Dogs will RARELY do something that doesn’t lead to a good outcome for them.
The problem is this doesn’t always line up to OUR version of “good” and “bad”.
You left food on the counter, your dog wanted the food, jumping up on the counter got them food! Now they always jump on the counter to check for food.
You can push them off, but if there is food there and they got it, they already rewarded themselves. The pushing didn’t “prevent” the behavior. Now if you never leave food on the counter and your dog jumps up and gets NOTHING. The jumping up behavior will decrease because there is no reason to.

You take your dog on a walk as a puppy. They are little and excited and pull you to every person and dog. Its cute though! They just wanna say hi! Fast forward 1 year later…that 65lb dog pulling you towards every person and dog isn’t so cute anymore. But you taught them pulling through the leash got them what they wanted. Now you have to work backwards.
We need to be very intentional about what our dog learns “works” or doesn’t “work”
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12/04/2025

No breed (or species) needs a heavy hand!
Now don’t get your leashes in a twist, I know dog training methods are a tense topic and I never judge a dog owner for using a tool, but you don’t need to use pain for compliance.
Any tool can be uncomfortable or painful if used improperly. Hell, even a leash CAN be used to cause pain. But, it’s easier to hurt an animal with shocks and pointy metal on a sensitive area like the neck.
These 1 ton horses learned how to walk on lead with a leather halter and rope. Almost identical to a head halter for dogs and a leash. YES it can be used improperly and does cause discomfort if pulled, but it is less likely to be misused. Just like dogs, horses learned how to give into pressure on lead and slow down their pace, even though my steps are a fraction of theirs. Horses are also positively reinforced with praise, pets or even treats.
So why do some people use prongs and e-collars? Well it does “work” and a lot of times it’s a quick fix, and thats how it’s marketed. HOWEVER, timing is crucial and it needs to be taught. I spend most of my time teaching owners how to reward their dog at the right time; I can’t imagine how hard it is to teach someone to punish at the right time. The wrong timing with punishment leads to behavior fallout. This means the problem actually gets worse or a new/worse behavior develops.
The horse world also gets a bad rep for the use of painful tools: curb chains, whips, spurs etc. BUT I have also seen a shift in the handling of horses in recent times. It is refreshing to see this, especially while working with multi species on a regular basis 🐴💕🐶
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Richmond, VT
05477

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