Faithful Friends Dog Training, LLC.

17/03/2026

16/02/2026

Neuroscientist Gregory Berns uses brain imaging to explore how animals perceive, feel, and decide — and what those discoveries mean for how humans treat other species.

14/02/2026

Amen to this.

We have a responsibility to meet our dogs’ needs not just when it’s convenient for us, but because we chose them.

That responsibility often asks more of us than we expected.

It means changing our routines, maybe not having the freedom to go out as much or stay out as long, or have some people over.

It usually means walks, even when it’s dark, cold, raining, when your tired and the sofa is calling louder than the lead.

It means showing up on the days we’re tired, busy, or overstimulated.

It means money, money for vets, groomers, training or behaviour, food, chews dog walkers, etc.

It means finding the right businesses to fit THIER needs.

Having a dog isn’t about fitting them neatly into our lives and only engaging with them when we feel like we can “deal” with them.

Dogs are a different species with different needs, physical, emotional, social, and cognitive, we signed up for that.

Now, sometimes people enter in a partnership/relationship with a dog with thier eyes wide open and even with the right support things genuinly dont work out.

The belief that all dogs are a good " fit" for any person and environment is no more true then saying any person can live with any other person happily.....divorce rates dismiss this very quickly.

But, its not ok to aquire a dog and then dimiss their needs.

They don’t exist to be convenient companions or background noise to our schedules. They rely on us to advocate for them, to notice what they need, and to make space for it.

When we bring a dog into our home, we’re agreeing to think beyond ourselves. To ask, What does this being need to feel safe, fulfilled, and understood? And sometimes the answer is uncomfortable or inconvenient, but it’s still our responsibility.

Meeting our dogs’ needs isn’t about perfection. It’s about commitment, empathy, and the willingness to adapt. Because they already adapt to us every single day and we chose to have a dog.

A dog is not a must have item, a dog is a " we feel we can do our best and commit to meeting another species needs".

12/02/2026

08/02/2026

This little bundle of Australian Labradoodle will melt your heart in a split second! He's such a joy to have in the Puppy Building Blocks class and is showing the other pups how fun it is to learn! Welcome, Juno!

08/02/2026

SqueeeEeeEe! Look at this squishy little love muffin! Welcome to Rose and her Dad to Puppy Building Blocks! At 9 weeks old, she strutted into class in typical Sharpei fashion - "Okay, I'm here. What's next? Let's get this party started!"

24/01/2026

20/01/2026

Communication and awareness goes a long way.

This is a true story that happened yesterday.

I was out with a dog who needs gentle introductions. I man appeared behind with a Labrador off lead.

He called ahead, asked if I would like his dogs back on lead.

I replied that if he didn't mind just for a minute that would be appreciated and we were just heading out the park and leaving.

He said "no worries"

I said "thank you very much"

He said " No worries have a lovely afternoon"

I replied " you too, enjoy your walk"

We parted ways and left.

The moral of this story.

Dogs were happy. People were happy. Things work beautifully when both people are considerate and reasonable people.

20/01/2026

Zazu is still waiting, he's a special snuggly sweet boy, just lots of energy & needs an active home, but bet he'd settle right in, if given the chance 💙

19/01/2026

While it might not seem like it, our dogs spend much more of their lives waiting for us than we do for them. Waiting for walks, food, us to come home, look up from our phones.
So what’s a few extra minutes at that lamppost.

01/01/2026

Amen to this, Julie Naismith, helping dogs be happy home alone . I know this must have been challenging to write, but your beautiful words and sentiments are so worth sharing.

I wasn't sure whether to do a year-end post this year, after losing India and Percy in just 5 days in June.

At first, it made me retreat. I didn't know how to keep talking about dogs when mine were gone so brutally,

But somewhere along the way, something shifted. I came back more passionate than ever.

I love dogs more now than I ever have, and I didn't think that was possible.

I think about what Percy and India gave me, the way they trusted me so completely, every single day, every time I walked out the door and came back.

They just believed I'd get it right.

Dogs do that. They hand you their whole heart and just trust you'll take care of it.

I'm so lucky to be surrounded by people who get this. All of you who have dogs that struggle - dogs with separation anxiety, dogs who panic, dogs who "react", dogs the world would call "difficult."

You amaze me. You don't look for quick fixes. You rearrange your lives, you cry in the car after hard days, but you keep showing up because you love your dogs that much.

That's not the Instagram version of loving dogs. That's the real thing.

And then I look at other parts of the dog world and I just don't understand. I never have.

How can you look at an being who trusts you so completely and decide the right approach is pain? Fear? Intimidation?

It makes no sense to me. It never has.

I'm tired. I've felt it more this year than ever.

I'm tired of seeing dogs trained with methods that hurt them.

I'm tired of dogs being labeled as bad when they're just scared or confused or misunderstood.

I'm tired of watching caregivers get blamed when they're doing everything they can and it's still hard.

It's exhausting.

But I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful. And honestly, dogs taught me that.

They're the most optimistic creatures we'll ever know - every day they wake up thinking today will be good.

Every time you come home they're thrilled, not because they're naive but because that's just how they are.

If they can keep hoping after everything, so can I.

Things are changing. I see it. More people choosing kindness, more people questioning the old ways, more people refusing to accept that pain is just part of training.

It's slow, but it's happening.

I don't know if we deserve dogs. Many days I don't think we do. But they're here, loving us anyway, trusting us anyway.

The least we can do is try to be worthy of that.

If your dog is near you right now, just look at them for a second. That's trust. That's everything they have, given to you with no conditions. Just so precious.

I know you know, that the time we have with them is precious and too, too short.

Thank you for loving your dogs the way you do. Thank you for being the people who get it. I'm so proud to be doing this alongside you.

I'm hopeful for a better 2026. And hope the same for you and your amazing dogs. Give them a big ear ruffle from me. 💕🐾