The Practical Dog

26/07/2025

There's very little that can't be changed with the right tools and approach.
This is Heidi, a Bernese Mountain Dog.
Heidi came to me at 4 years old as an out of control, untrained dog that had been on doggie prozac and other drugs to "calm her down" since she was 7 months old.
No one ever recommended training, she was drugged to "resolve" the problems that were a result of no exercise, no training and no structure.

Her owners were getting older and Heidi was getting stronger and "crazier" despite increases in drug dosages. Their daughter off handily suggested that reach out to a trainer and gave them my name which she had gotten from a neighbor whose dog I had worked with.
Heidi's 6 week Board & Train adventure began with a combination of getting good, proper, thought provoking exercise and conditioning 💪 and the weaning off of all of the drugs she was on. From there we began with rudimentary Trade Skills™.
Before long is was obvious that Heidi was not only capable of so much more, but wanted more out of life; so building on the 3Ds (Duration, Distance, and Distraction) and adding them in the proper order and layers to her Trade Skills™, she was becoming a rock star.
By week 5, Heidi was working off leash satisfying all of the 3D requirements - she was a happy, willing student. 🐾

🎥The week before she left me to return to her owners, I got her cast in a Honda car commercial which we filmed 4 days before they came to pick her up.
I sent them the video of her commercial debut the night before they were to pick her up.
Their reply cracked me up. They thought it was wonderful to see a BMD in a nation wide commercial and said it would be fantastic if Heidi could do something like that!
They didn't recognize their own dog 😂 but once they realized it was her, their joy brought them to tears.

Heidi is in her senior years now, but with her life changing training and rise to stardom 🌟within her family circle and beyond; her training and exercise program maintained by her family, she became the most sought after dog companion at family gatherings in both Colorado and Indiana. And while slower now and content to lie about more, she's still a valued companion who was able to stay in her home with her people for life because of one phone ☎️call.

If you ever find yourself thinking that it would be impossible for your dog to do "X", think again - with the right knowledge and approach, anything is possible 💞

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=breLolXp0Ys

Heidi, a Bernese Mountain Dog, came to me for boarding and training after years of her vet having her on anti-anxiety drugs for nothing more than a lack of t...

24/07/2025

We are scheduling 1st consultations / training session for those whose dogs have behaviour problems for next week and the first week of August.
If your dog is experiencing behaviour problems and you've struggled to find a solution, or have resorted to chemical intervention, we're here to help.

Excessive barking, digging, resource guarding, running off, leash reactivity, aggression, fence fighting, anti social behaviour, overly excited behaviour; are all signs that your dog needs help.

Shoot an email via the contact form on our website and we'll get you started with a call and then schedule your consultation.
https://ThePracticalDog.net

If you are looking for training solutions and Trade Skills™ to have a reliable dog under all circumstances - look no further! Over 30 years experience teaching Obedience for both companion dogs and competitors with a verifiable track record of success.

Recommended by veterinarians and boarding facilities.

22/07/2025

Did you know a well-trained dog can understand up to 250 words and gestures? 🐾 At The Practical Dog, we make training fun and effective for both you and your dog.
Let's make learning an enjoyable journey together! 🌟
https://ThePracticalDog.net
https://LesaCrowe.bio.link

21/07/2025

Knowing that Lucy is very in tune and sensitive to the TV and having had great success in rehabilitating her response to dogs on the TV, I decided to use that first to work on conquering her next fear - rain and thunderstorms.

Lucy has become so worried about thunderstorms that even days that have none, if there is even a hint of a cloud in the sky, she was refusing to go outside. And when she was finally gotten out, she would lock up and refuse to move; trembling, fearful, only wanting to flee and hide.
This resulted in her owners having to load her into their car and drive her somewhere there were no clouds to walk and toilet.
I began by closing the blinds to dim the living room to mimic it being cloudy and found a channel on the TV that was nothing but rain.
It didn't take Lucy long to pay it no mind, so we changed channels to one that combined both rain and distant thunderstorms, then to a channel that had rain and very intense thunderstorms and lightening strikes, eventually increasing the volume.

Lucy was quick to relax and lay near her people - no stress panting, no focus on the "storm", no worries. By this time some clouds were forming outside and there were some sporadic sprinkles of rain, so I leashed Lucy up and we went out for a walk. I began by my stopping just outside of the door, getting down to her level and using the power of smell, I used chicken to engage her nose so she associated going out with something positive and delicious. This redirected her brain and helped her take those first steps outside.

Since we began the walk with Lucy in a calm frame of mind, she walked nicely for about 20' before her demons returned and she decided to try to come to a stop with a want to head back home.
To show Lucy there was nothing to worry about, I kept moving forward while reengaging her nose with chicken to encourage her to continue to move forward. After a block or so, the leash was handed off to first her "dad" and after another block, to her "mom" so both could practice and know what a good walk feels like.

With Lucy being 10 years old, it is going to take true dedication by her people to continue helping her overcome her anxiety with rain and storms, but I have no doubt that they will succeed because they want the best for her and for her to live her remaining years as a happy, fear free dog.

They will be sending me a follow up video of Lucy's progress which I will share when I get it.

Keep the faith, never give up on your dog, they can change if you're willing to help them!

* Do not attempt these exercises on your own. If you need help rehabilitating an anxious dog, always consult a professional.

https://LesaCrowe.bio.link
https://ThePracticalDog.net

19/07/2025

I woke up on the cranky side this morning.
Not enough sleep yet over slept so no time for breakfast and no patience for tomfoolery; and there was business to tend to as I like many, seem to be forever behind on some things.

My first thought was "I have no time, want nor patience for our scheduled pack walk this morning", and yes, there was that moment when I tried to think of a good reason to not go.
But inside I knew that wasn't the thing to do.
I also knew it wasn't going to get me anymore sleep nor improve my mood.
I knew this, because I've allowed my dogs to teach me that the BEST thing I could do for all of us was move. Not going was not going to change one damn thing, certainly not for the better anyway.
So I slammed down a cup of coffee, threw on some clothes and my shoes, toileted the dogs, loaded them up and headed out.

The first couple of minutes after arriving, and fortunately I got there a few minutes early, I still felt that tang of impatience and irritability - not a good mindset for walking with dogs because they can feel that negative energy and I can see the result of that at the end of the leash.
Dogs, by nature, aren't in tune with negative energy and do their best to move away from it. When we walk together, we need to be of the same mind with the same goal and purpose.
So taking some deep breaths, a moment to look around and take notice of how beautiful a morning it was, feel the breeze from the bay, and after a few yards of walking I felt myself relax and ease into the flow of moving with my pack. Giving them the right energy they need from me allows them to move without worry so we can stay in tune with one another; and by the time we'd walked just a bit, everything was as it should be.

What I allowed my dogs to remind me of benefitted everyone I came into contact with during and after that walk as I moved through my day with a healthy mindset, a confident and positive attitude and energy, a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

If you are having a bad morning, or had a bad day, don't share that with your dog, let them share with you the right way to be. They can help you find your way. They are excellent teachers in that respect ... if we listen.

💙 & ✌️

18/07/2025

Nothing unusual here ... everything as it should be.
And yet just two days ago, this was impossible.

Lucy, a 10 year old x breed, has a lot of anxiety that I was called in to help with.
Part of the end result of that anxiety was her reaction to the television if there was a dog or dogs in the program or movie they were watching.
Lucy's reaction to the sight or sound of a dog on the TV was SO bad that her family could not watch a movie or a show that had even one dog in it.
This resulted in one owner, who really wanted to see the movie "Dog", to have to go somewhere besides home to watch it.
It was also affecting their family Thanksgiving.
They have Thanksgiving at the wife's mothers house.
Mom likes to watch the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving.
Mom has not been able to do so in years due to Lucy's endless LOUD barking, hackles up at the TV without even pausing for a breath.

What you see here is the result of one meeting with Lucy's family -
no leash
no treats
no yelling
no correction

When she'd start barking at the TV, we'd simply get up and walk her out of the living room, saying nothing. Once out of the room, she was immediately quiet so was invited back in.

After a few repetitions, Lucy learned the cause and effect of her barking at the TV - bark and be invited to leave the room and the family, or be quiet and be with the family, and that the dogs on the TV were nothing to be concerned with and laying quietly near her family trumps her unfounded worry.
We didn't share her worry and once she was quiet in the living room she was able to pick up on that - her family behaved no differently when there were dogs on the TV than when there weren't.
Dogs are family animals, just as we are, they want to be with their family, so showing them how to accomplish that gives them the ability to relax, be at peace and enjoy life.

Her anxiety also bleeds into other areas of her life and responses, so we will be addressing those over the next 3 weeks while we work to get to the core and root cause of her anxiety and relieve that so she can spend her remaining years in a happy state of mind free of worry.

Anxiety rarely, if ever, shows itself in just one response or behaviour; it can affect many aspects of a dogs reactions and all of their life and mindset.
A dog living with anxiety is not living their best life, with the right tools and knowledge, you can change it - and you owe it to your dog to do so.
I am so happy for Lucy that her family is willing to do the work to change it and give Lucy her best life

16/07/2025

Like a dog with a bone, I tend to chew on big decisions. My mom used to tell me to "sleep on it" before deciding one way or another.
I've chewed this bone for awhile now - last night I slept on it.

There are some big changes in store for my family and TPD later this year - we're expanding to a full Training and Rehabilitation center so that I can help more dogs in more places.

Over the years I've been flown in to other states to help rehabilitate last chance dogs as well has having had dogs sent to me to train, handle and title in AKC Rally and Obedience.
With the new center I will be in a better position to do more of both while also serving my local community with their needs.
This expansion will also include partnering with another trainer who specializes in Retriever Hunt Training as well as training, preparing and handling dogs in AKC Rally and general companion dog training.

We're excited for this venture and the chance to help more dogs and their humans live their best lives. I will share more as this new adventure unfolds.

Every dog deserves a home and every family deserves to experience the joy of a good companion.

12/07/2025

The word "unusual" is defined as: different from others of the same type in a way that is surprising, interesting, or attractive.
Or in the case of well mannered, balanced dogs - a repellent to those with out-of-control dogs.
Take for instance this photo; we had just reached the one mile mark of our walk and I put the dogs on rest because it was still fairly toasty despite it being late evening and nearing sunset, so before heading back I gave them a rest and some water while I did the same.

All along our walk we passed dozens of people and the dogs never broke stride, all walking next to me at my pace regardless of other goings on; joggers, skateboards, bikes, none of it changed the walk. I was able to greet people in passing, or on occasion, stopping and chatting without them leaving my side, they would take that opportunity to lie down because that is the natural state of dogs moving with purpose, to rest when stopped. A dog in a natural state has two modes, moving and resting. When we would come up on someone with a dog, they never blinked, didn't give the other dog a thought or care despite many of those dogs being in an excited state.
The thing I found odd was the response of those excited, unmanaged dogs handlers - when they would see us walking their way, despite my dogs behaviour, they would move off to the side 20 to 30 feet and hold there watching us until we passed, as if worried that my dogs might react to theirs or overwhelm their dog by shear numbers. I had no worries that my dogs would do anything other than what they were doing - walking with me; we're a team, a family, a pack - we stay together, and we were walking with a purpose.

When I am out with my dogs I stay acutely aware of my surroundings, you never know what you may run across and my job is to protect my dogs from any and all disruptions and/or assaults, so I keep my 360 vision on.
When this picture was taken I noticed a youngish couple with 3 large dogs who had just entered the park from the opposite side of the street. Obviously the two of them just home from work, it was time to get the dogs out - "dragging" their owners would be putting it mildly, these 3 would have given a sled dog team a run for their money, to every bush, tree, blade of grass; leashes getting tangled, dogs all over the place. The plain and simple fact is, they had no control of the dogs whatsoever, it is an accident waiting to happen. The dogs excited state was more than they could handle, so after each one had 'done its business', and having barely 'walked' 50 yards, they turned them around and headed back home; all the while staring at my dogs as if expecting them to leap up and .... do something, because I wasn't holding their leashes.
They didn't seem to see the differences in my dogs and theirs and appeared to assume mine were as unmanageable as theirs, I could tell by the way they watched my dogs that they expected the worse from them because that was their experience with dogs.
I would love for people to "see" a different experience with their own dogs so they could see it in others, so they could experience the same joy as I do when walking with their dogs.

It doesn't matter how many dogs you have.
It doesn't matter how long the problems have gone on.
It can change.
Every dog deserves to enjoy life, every family deserves to have a dog or dogs they can relax and enjoy life with.
This is such a beautiful area, and a wonderful place to start or end the day with a walk with your dog(s) and just relax. How fortunate we are to have a place where we can enjoy both shady, grassy parks and the beach on the same walk; watch the sun rise or set and hang out with our best friend.

I understand why dogs that behave that way don't get the exercise they need, and I understand the frustration it causes their families living with insanely excited dogs all of the time - but it can change.

Taking your dogs for a walk and having them in a calm state of mind should not be seen as "unusual", it should be the norm, and it opens doors for the two of you to do so much more.
For the dogs sake, for the families sake, do what you need to do to change it. Having dogs that are calm on a walk doesn't mean they are brain dead, unhappy drones - the 3 dogs in this photo are all multi titled in dogs sports, including Lure Coursing and FastCats - they run, they play, we play together - but when we walk together, we walk with purpose together, in a calm and relaxed state. It keeps everyone safe as well as meeting the natural needs of both dog and human.

You can have it all and in the end, both dogs and humans are happier.

https://ThePracticalDog.net
https://lesacrowe.bio.link

10/07/2025

Get Ready for the winter AKC Rally trials!
Rally Novice Prep Class (includes instruction) or Rally Novice run Through (no instruction)

Starts Thursday September 11th and runs for four (4) weeks
Location: Foley, AL

Rally Novice Run Through 5PM to 6PM - Drop in $15 (cash only)
Rally Novice Prep Class 6:15PM to 7:30PM - Instruction Class $120 (pre-pay)

We will be covering all Novice signs and using course maps designed and used by AKC judges in AKC Rally Novice A and B competitions.
We will also cover check-in procedures and order for those new to AKC Rally competitions.

Prep Class will be limited to 5 teams, pre-registration is required via contact form on our website: https://ThePracticalDog.net

Video - Archer and me AKC Rally Novice title run.
Score 100 / 100
Placement 1st
White Feathers Bad Moon Rising CD, RN, AD, RI, RA, BCAT, CA, FDC, TKN, FTN, AKC FIT DOG, CGC, CGCU

08/07/2025

The number 1 reason given for "rehoming" a dog is behaviour problems.

The easiest thing to prevent are behaviour problems.

Some of the most challenging things to 'fix' are set behaviour problems.

Most behaviour problems are near impossible for the average pet owner to fix on their own without the help of a professional. Simple math - if they know enough to fix them, they knew enough to prevent them.

If your dog has reached 18 months, 2 years or more of age and the only thing that you can think to say about him / her is that s/he is housebroken and knows how to "sit", and you are having behaviour problems, it's time for a change.

You don't have to be a dog sport enthusiast to have a Good Dog. The best dogs, ALL dogs, no matter their "job" should be given the opportunity to be a great companions first and foremost. This is one of the number 1 ways to prevent behaviour problems.

Learn what you need to know to PREVENT or fix problems.

Your dog deserves the benefit of both one home for life and the education it needs to accomplish that with understanding and clarity.

If you've gotten caught up with life and didn't see the potential outcome of the beginning of problems, and they are reaching "S/he's gotta go" proportions or have realized that your dogs behaviour is impacting your family life to a negative degree, we are available to help your dog see its best self and live its best life.

Don't let one mistake be the end of a relationship that has yet to begin. Your dog needs you more than you need him.

https://ThePracticalDog.net
https://lesacrowe.bio.link

06/07/2025

We have one spot available for the
Jump Start™ Board & Train Program beginning July 21st!

If you are interested in this spot, contact us to set up a phone consult and evaluation / assessment.

Happy Training! 🐾🐕

If you are interested in a Board & Train program for your companion or competition dog, please complete the contact form. Once it is received we will schedule a call with you to go over details, ask and answer questions and schedule the required assessment / evaluation.