Young's Dog Training LLC

12/09/2025

12/03/2025

Back in 2014 I received a call from Animal Behavior College asking if I would become a mentor trainer for them. It was an exciting moment for me. I was four years into my dog training journey and had earned a mentor position at Petco around give or take six months earlier. After completing an on-the-spot theory and training quiz over the phone, I was offered the role and stayed in that position until early last year.

When I first stepped into that role, I was still naive about the dog’s experience. My focus was mostly on human goals and on what I had been taught to do. I never used shock or prong tools, but I was not yet digging deeper into behavior, welfare, or how the dog interprets the process. After covid I began a challenge to question what I understand in the dog training field. As I learned about LIMA and began challenging what I thought I understood, my approach shifted. I started reevaluating every part of my training. I realized that relying heavily on a no-pull harness before 2021 did not mean I was helping the dog learn. The dog was still experiencing pressure, and the mental impact mirrored the same welfare concerns I have with shock collars or prong collars. The issue was not only the physical sensation. It was the emotional experience.

I reached out to Animal Behavior College to ask whether they planned to update their curriculum and move away from LIMA. They replied that they had no plans to change their current curriculum. When I asked if they were comfortable with me teaching students how to help both the client and the dog without those tools, they told me they needed mentors who would follow the existing structure and show students all aspects. At that point, I chose to part ways with the program.

I recently reached out to CATCH about their mentor trainer program and their expectations for mentor instructors. While they still teach students about head halters and no-pull harnesses, they explained that they do not promote these as go-to tools or as something students should rely on. They also welcomed my involvement in helping students learn how to support dogs without those items. That felt like a step in the right direction and aligned with where my practice has gone over the years. We can't break the social norm standing on the sidelines.

I have considered creating my own mentorship program for new trainers, but being part of an effort to improve the experience dogs have in training feels meaningful. Helping shape future trainers and guiding them toward welfare-centered practice supports the entire industry. Many trainers present themselves as positive simply because they avoid shock or prong tools, yet still rely on pressure-based techniques like wrapping a leash around a dog’s belly that tightens when they pull. When tools create discomfort in order to change behavior, the dog is not truly learning and the household is not being helped. This is why education in our field matters and why I value the opportunity to contribute.

11/30/2025

Germany takes dog ownership seriously, and new owners are required to prove they’re ready. Before bringing a dog home, first-time owners must pass a written exam that covers behavior, safety, handling, and animal welfare. After that, they complete a practical test that shows they can properly interact with and control their dog in real situations.

The goal is simple: protect animals, prevent neglect, and ensure dogs live in safe, responsible homes. It’s a system many believe creates better owners and happier pets.

11/30/2025

Bringing a dog into your home comes with excitement and challenges.
Whether you’re introducing a puppy, helping a new rescue settle in, or trying to support a dog who’s having big feelings, our holiday offers were created to help your dog adapt to your home environment and help your family navigate this process.

Book a free service inquiry to learn more

Https://booknow.youngsdogtraining.com

11/29/2025

“We have to start seeing dogs as captive animals. That’s what they are. They’re captive animals living in human homes, subject to human expectations, with little to no control over their environment or access to natural behaviors.”
— Kim Brophey, Total Welfare Talk

It’s time we faced a difficult truth.

Dogs aren’t just pets. They’re animals with deep instincts and biological needs that rarely fit the world we’ve built for them. We expect them to be quiet, calm, easy, and accommodating. We expect them to nap while we’re gone, ignore their instincts, and adapt to environments that make no biological sense for who they are.

Most pet dogs are living in captivity, unable to freely explore, forage, hunt, socialize, or protect what matters to them. And when those needs go unmet, the fallout shows up as “behavior problems.”

It’s not disobedience.
It’s captivity distress.

The Total Welfare model helps us see this clearly and gives dog pros a practical, science-based path forward. It distills established animal welfare principles into a simple 3-step program:

1. Understand and accept each dog’s unique L.E.G.S.
2. Improve welfare to deliver the Good Life, instead of increasing restrictions.
3. Track progress through behavioral diversity surveys that reflect welfare status.

And soon, the Total Welfare App will bring all of this into one place.

Welfare tracking, case management, and behavioral diversity data right on your phone.

It’s not about control.
It’s about compassion, responsibility, and the future of our field.

You cannot take the first step toward Total Welfare without L.E.G.S., which is why we’re making it easy this November.

The L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation Professional Course, now updated with the Total Welfare Framework, helps dog professionals move beyond behavior management to true behavioral resolution by identifying and addressing welfare deficits at their source.

When we focus on welfare, everything changes. For dogs, and for the people who love them.
✨ 50% off sitewide all November
Code: GRATEFUL50
🔗 https://kimbropheylegscourses.thinkific.com/pages/pro-landing-page

11/24/2025

🐶🐱👨‍👧‍👧Being a responsible pet parent means meeting your dog where he is—not where you wish he would be. 💭🐾

Your dog’s behavior today reflects his experiences, emotions, and learning history—not stubbornness or a desire to “be bad.”

When you accept where your dog is right now, you can help him move forward with compassion instead of frustration. That’s when real progress happens.

👉 Observe without judgment.
👉 Adjust your expectations.
👉 Support your dog with patience and consistency.

❤️Because love isn’t about who you want them to be—it’s about showing up for who they are.❤️

11/23/2025

11/18/2025

For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, the Joint Standards of Practice is the shared ethical and welfare framework created by several major organizations in our field. It is meant to outline baseline expectations for humane, science based training and behavior work.

The update released yesterday shows an important shift. One notable change is that the CCPDT certification is no longer listed among the organizations aligned with the JSOP. That matters because the JSOP has been updated to center animal wellbeing, the Five Domains model, and agency, and to state that professionals shall not use training methods that rely on fear, pain, distress, or harm. This shifts the focus beyond what we see on the surface and toward the dog’s internal experience and emotional state. When a certification or group moves in a different direction, it raises questions about how they are defining humane training.

About a year ago, CCPDT removed the LIMA language from its own policies and removed restrictions on shock and prong collar use. So we now have a growing gap between what JSOP is asking for and what CCPDT is willing to permit under its certification.

This change is worth paying attention to especially since our area has a good number of trainers holding a certification through the CPDT. The field continues to push for stronger, welfare focused guidelines. At the end of the day, that means prioritizing a dog’s needs over the material or convenience based wants that often drive training choices. For pet parents, this means paying attention to how trainers justify their methods. Buzzwords like relationship based, positive, or emotional state are easy to say, but the JSOP asks for work that is actually humane in practice. If a trainer uses those phrases while still relying on tools or methods rooted in fear, pain, or distress, that is a sign not to hire them.

We’re proud to share new updates to the Joint Standards of Practice (JSOP), a collaborative effort uniting leading organizations in the animal training and behavior field. Since 2018, the JSOP has promoted science-based, humane, and ethical practices across the profession.

Endorsed by IAABC, APDT, KPA, ADI, Grisha Stewart Academy, Science Matters, Understand Horses, Victoria Stilwell Academy, and the IAABC Foundation, this shared framework supports professional integrity and animal well-being.

The latest updates reflect our evolving understanding of learning and behavior and reaffirm our commitment to a unified, compassionate approach. More updates and opportunities for feedback are coming in the new year. We look forward to continuing this journey—together.

The JSOP is a set of important standards that we all agreed upon. At the GSA, we have some additional agreements in our Code of Conduct.

For more information and to read the new JSOP, visit http://grishastewart.com/jsop

11/17/2025