Wags & Kisses, LLC

27/04/2025

Powerful!

26/04/2025

25/04/2025

Friday Funny!

Mark Parisi is one clever guy; I thank him for his genius!

Have a super-duper weekend!

24/04/2025

Here’s an update video for the Bigger Braver World - Sierra Edition! In the larger context, she is making progress. The crucial factor is to connect with her, pay attention to her unspoken cues, and nurture her mind to embrace new experiences without the constant fear of danger lurking. I aspire for her to have the best life possible, and we will journey toward that goal together.

23/04/2025

Share your book titles in the comments....this will be fun! 🐾💖🐶📖

22/04/2025

Training Tip Tuesday!

🐾 Is your dog “not listening”? Maybe you’re just not speaking their language yet! 🐶💬

Think about it—our dogs enter our world and are expected to understand our words, routines, and rules. That’s a big ask! And honestly, most of the time, they do an amazing job. But when they seem stubborn or like they’re ignoring us, it’s often just a miscommunication.

Here’s the truth: dogs want to connect with us. They’re social, cooperative animals! So how do we start building that two-way conversation?

✨ Learn what lights your dog up! Do they love to chase? Try rolling a piece of their daily food - they’ll chase it, snack on it, and look to you for more. You’re speaking their language now!

✨ Do they have a favorite move like spinning, putting paws up, or doing a cute “Middle”? Asking for a behavior they already love can be the perfect icebreaker.

When we start the conversation in their language, they’re way more likely to tune in to ours. 🐕❤️

21/04/2025

What would you have done?

The other day was mowing. I had finished the area behind our house and left the gate open as I headed down to the lower field. Sierra was in the house with Hubby. Before I started to mow, I thought we had covered that she should stay inside while I was mowing, and he thought for sure I would have closed the gate when I finished mowing the back yard. 🙃 Well, as I rounded the corner of the lower field, I looked up and saw Sierra joyfully running towards me with a look that said, "Hey, Mom! What cha doing?" Sierra's recall is not 100%, so she doesn't get off-leash time when she isn't in a fenced area. What to do? Since she was having so much fun running beside the riding mower, I decided to raise the mowing deck and see if she would follow me back into the yard. To my surprise, she was so happy to be with me, she followed me up the hill. Now, to get the gate closed before she darts off....hmmmm. I turned off the mower, got off, and crouched down. She was so proud of herself! She trotted right over, and we celebrated a bit before I walked her inside. Phew! Crisis averted!

I am so impressed with her! She chose me! She could have gone anywhere...she was free....and all she wanted to do was be with me. 😍🐾💖🐶 It makes me smile!

By the way, this photo is an AI rendition of Sierra running through the grass! I didn't think to get my camera out while all of that was going on! 😂

20/04/2025

Look for the positive....you will be amazed at how much easier it is to see.

19/04/2025

Most mornings, Sierra patrols the perimeter of her fenced backyard, checking out the new smells. This morning, she saw a fox in the woods (outside of her fenced backyard). She loudly expressed her desire for it to move along, and the fox did not seem concerned. The fox just continues to meander through the woods. 🦊 I went out to see what was going on and brought Sierra inside to help her disengage from the fox. After a few minutes, I let Sierra go on our front porch. Well, the fox was still there. Sierra didn't like this at all. Once again we went back inside. Although she stopped barking, she was still mentally fixated on this fox, pacing from window to window. She needed my help; she didn't have the skills to let that fox go.

We went downstairs to her favorite noise box. I tossed in pieces of her breakfast and she went to work, snuffling through the box to find the treasures. This is what you see in the first pic. By engaging her seeking brain, she was able to settle and stretched out for the first of many naps (second pic!) 😴 These two pictures were taken minutes apart.

Moral of this long story? Just telling your dog it's okay or don't bark, isn't what they need to switch out of danger mode. Move them away from the situation and get them seeking. The part of the brain that sends the 'danger' signals can't work when the seeking part of the brain is activated! 🤯🧠☮️

18/04/2025

Friday Funny!

Here's to a weekend that is everything you want it to be!

17/04/2025

Who doesn't want more peace in their lives?

16/04/2025

Let it be Labs posted these words not too long ago and they rang true. So thankful for my pup! How about sharing pics of the good in your world? ❤️🐾🐕

15/04/2025

Training Tip Tuesday!

This week's tip is brought to us by Cool Dog Crew !

👟 Are you harboring a shoe-stealer? 🦹

🧦 Have your socks become the most valuable chew toy in the house? 🦴

I know it's tempting to just take the item away but it only makes it MORE valuable.

🐟 Take a breath then find a tasty snack or stinky treat and LOUDLY tempt them from another room.

🎭 Bring the drama....ooooh....this is soooooo yummy....then when they leave the item, play it cool 😎 and casually remove the item (out of their sight if possible).

It takes a bit more planning and lots of impulse control on the part of the human but it's worth it to prevent your dog from becoming a professional thief!

14/04/2025

Oh, the smell of Spring! 😍 Let's see pics of you pups enjoying the Spring weather! 🌞

13/04/2025

We can all afford to be kind!

12/04/2025

Did you ever learn that lesson the hard way? 🤣😜🥺

11/04/2025

Friday Funny!

Thanks Maria Scrivan for today's funny. Maybe Zoom needs to invest in smell-ovision! 🤣🐾❤️

Have a super weekend!

10/04/2025

At least they are empty p**p bags! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣