The Social Dog NJ LLC

02/06/2026

Taking a break under a Banyan tree during a stroll along the Palm Beach Shores Trail.

02/06/2026

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Nothing looks wrong. That’s the trap.

Both dogs seem fine. You really want this to work. You’re excited for your dog to have a new friend and the other dog seems perfect. Everyone starts to relax. Someone says, “this is going well.”

There’s no growling (always a good sign), so everyone relaxes a bit more. The dogs can handle more, right? After all, it’s going great.

And suddenly those rules and decisions you were so careful about at the very start aren’t really so important. It feels safe now. Comfortable. Successful.

That feeling of success is mostly ours.
The stress from the first few minutes has eased for us, so we assume the dogs feel the same.

It was all going great.
Until, in a second, it isn’t.

You can’t rewind it. You can’t slow it down after the fact. You’re just left dealing with what comes next.

That’s why the start matters so much. It’s the one part people tend to rush because those "meeting rules" can sound excessive. The dogs look happy. They look friendly. And trainers spend a huge amount of time undoing “it was going great, until they fought.”

Nearly every “it came out of nowhere” starts the same way.

06/29/2024

Let’s keep them all safe

Keep the spark in your 4th of July celebrations, but keep them away from pets! The fireworks are beautiful, but pets are often scared by loud noises. Use these great tips from us and ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center to ensure your pets are comfortable throughout the day! Send this to other pet owners to help keep their pets safe. This infographic is presented by our lovely friends at BuzzRx.

03/31/2022

BE A SCATTER BRAIN – THE BENEFITS OF SCATTER FEEDING
Our dogs have so little opportunity to engage in their natural behaviours. This often leads to boredom and frustration and encourages dogs to find their own ways of entertaining themselves. These are generally behaviours that we find problematic.
This is why providing mental stimulation is so important in helping to build a more emotionally balanced and confident dog.
Scatter feeding is just one of many ways to add a little bit of mental stimulation to their day. It’s quick, simple, takes very little effort, but provides huge benefits.
I initially started scatter feeding just one of my 4 dogs. Riley is obsessed with food and would gobble everything in his bowl in a few seconds. He would then stand and watch the other dogs, hoping that they would find it in their heart to leave some for him! Scatter feeding him solved this problem, but over time something interesting happened. The other 3 dogs discovered that searching for their food was far more interesting and entertaining than eating from a food bowl. They would leave the food in their bowls and run off with Riley to search for “hidden treasures”. They come back inside a while later, a little tired, calm and satisfied and are then all ready to settle down for a snooze.
If you are feeding your dog a raw diet, this can be a little more challenging, but is still doable. Some ideas are to use small silicone or paper cupcake holders, tiny shot glasses, small tubs (supervise to make sure your dog doesn’t chew or eat these containers, or make small frozen balls of raw food which can then be scattered around.

10/28/2021

EMOTIONS MATTER!
Dog’s emotions really do matter, far more than we may think. Emotions matter because an emotional state drives behaviour. When a dog’s emotional needs are not being met, behaviour problems often result.
Dogs experience emotions like anxiety, fear, stress, depression, frustration, anger, helplessness, pleasure, happiness, relief. Although there will always be debate on whether a dog’s experience of emotion is similar to ours, science is continually providing a better understanding of how a dog’s brain works.
The way that emotions are processed in the brain is probably where the emotional experience of our species differ. Because the cortex of the human brain is five times bigger than a dogs, we experience emotions on a far more advanced level. To put it simply, when a dog feels an emotion, it’s a simpler, purer emotion, not complicated by a complex mixture of human thought process.
So many dogs live a life where their needs are not met, but have owners that insist on a quick fix to change an unwanted behaviour. Behaviour shouldn’t be looked at independently or singled out as a particular problem that needs to be fixed without first looking at whether the needs of a dog are being met. When needs are met, a dog’s emotional state will change, which will in turn bring about positive changes in behaviour.

03/16/2021

Help give homeless pets warmer bellies! Each finalist gets one set of 10 cozy mats for their rescue - the group with the most votes gets TWO sets! Please vote and share!

12/10/2020

Training your dog doesn’t happen overnight.

I know, I know…

There are trainers out there promising quick fixes…

And there are all sorts of gimmicks that promise to solve your problems fast.

But the truth is…

To train your dog in any way that is even remotely fair to them, you have to do a few things…

One…

Learn how to do it. Learn how to handle your leash. How to read your dog. How to communicate with your dog, how to apply your lessons and how to pivot when things go South…

Two…

Teach your dog. Practice until the training becomes second nature and then prepare your training for the real world. Then go to new places, and practice some more.

Three…

Fail. Fix. And try again. (Because it won’t always be pretty…but unless you let setbacks stop you, you’re learning, growing and getting better).

Truth is…

I won’t EVER give you fast fixes. (I mean, my training doesn’t take an eternity, and most of my games are pretty quick, but they won’t instantly solve all of your problems - you have to practice!)

I want you to learn how to understand your dog…

How to speak their language…

To communicate with them…

Not rely on fancy collars , gimmicks or devices, to do the talking for you.

And I want you to learn how to keep your dog fulfilled…

How to give them what they need…

To ensure they can be comfortable and confident in your world.

I’m not going to solve your problems overnight.

I will not do that to you, and I will not do that to your dog.

But I will give you a rock solid relationship with your dog built on joy, on mutual respect, and on understanding.

But just like becoming a professional athlete…

Or an actor on Broadway…

Just like training a horse, or learning to ride (right)…

Just like any relationship that’s worth anything…

It takes work.

It takes sacrifice.

And it won’t happen overnight.

10/20/2020

Are you sending mixed signals to your dog?

If a dog lives in a world where the ‘rules’ shift and flip, the lack of consistency can lead to all sorts of behavioural fallout.