Mountain Manners Dog Training

06/04/2026

We’ve been in the process of unofficially moving into our unfinished skoolie. For us humans in our household, it has been rather stressful as it’s not an ordinary move. We are two weeks behind our plans as we had some packing logistics to fix before leaving. We will finish up our skoolie with the help of friends and family on the East Coast. We are now going on 3 weeks of intense packing, downsizing, and fabrication. Our normal routines, weekend hikes, regular adventures with my our dogs have been almost non-existent. We have just over another week to go.

That being said, while we are all over the constant hustle, my dogs have been extremely patient and rather well-behaved throughout all of this. Here are a few ways I have been reinforcing an stress-free transition for them:

1. Keeping the major routines. Regular potty breaks and feeding. This doesn’t mean it is at the same time each day, but it does mean they came rely on their needs being met every single day. On top of the regular potty breaks I offer, both of my dogs know how to effectively communicate their potty needs when they *need* to go.

2. Dog beds are the last to get packed. The dog beds are a beacon of comfort and nesting.

3. Walks still happen even if they might be a bit shorter.

4. Connection regardless of chaos. I hate how we are going on weeks of not having as much quality time together as usual. That being said, in our breaks from packing and donating, we are making time to be present with our dogs and reassure that we are still a loving pack together.

5. Chews and puzzles. They offer mental stimulation without needing me to engage. This is particularly important to my younger dog who gets restless. When she shows me she is starting to feel deregulated, if I can’t engage with her- a puzzle goes a long way.

6. Paying attention to gut health. Loose stool can be a sign of stress. Probiotics can help during big transitions. I haven’t needed this one yet, but it’s something to keep in mind.

27/02/2026

There is an old adage that goes something like this:

“You learn as much as you from the bosses you don’t like as the ones that you do.”

I can honestly say that I have lived this experience so much. Occasionally I get the opportunity to witness other trainers in person and online. I’ve seen some beautiful communication and bonding, but I’ve also seen a lot of communication with dogs that is unclear, rude, overly aggressive, and overall not hearing or acknowledging the dog’s perspective. I hate to admit it, but witnessing these moments helps me be a better trainer. At times, I recognize that some of these follies are behaviors that I myself have participated in. We are human. We have moments where we are off and unaware. Our dogs often give us so much grace here. I see the tolerant and sullen looks of the dogs as their handler/trainer shuts them down. The dog appears to the untrained eye as “well behaved and compliant”.

I return to my personal dogs, my client dogs, and every other dog that I encounter with refreshed enthusiasm to build more trust, be more consistent and clear with my guidance, practice gratitude for their patience, and most importantly — remind us all to have fun!

We choose to bring dogs into our lives and if we aren’t finding ways to enjoy eachother what is it even about? What do you and your dog enjoy doing together?

*pictured is a buddy who would have rather not had anything to do with me when we first met. Later he would prance around the house showing me all of his favorite toys.

10/02/2026

A friendly PSA: I recently got an email from the vet office I used for my dogs’ dental work last May. There was no reason for them to reach out to me and this email gave me a bad gut feel so I called them. Sure enough- they got hacked- someone was phishing for data.

I did not expect this from a vet clinic and had it been my regular vet, I may have fallen for it. Here are a few things I noticed…

- weird spacing (and extra spacebar in front of the paragraph)
- very impersonal and unspecific
- no mention of my dogs
- no mention of what the document contained

Stay safe out there! The scammers are clever.

15/01/2026

When you’ve entered the time glitch…
Same Gus, different spot. Equally annoyed we stopped for a picture.😂

30/12/2025

A lot of folks have a hard time clipping black nails so I figured I’d share what I look for. Surrounding your dog’s quick is a semi-soft translucent sheathe no more than a millimeter thick. I circled this in red in the image. As the nail grows, the sheathe often dries, turns white and becomes brittle. Dogs who have regularly trimmed nails often don’t generally have this white stuff, but that is not always the case - like with this dog. Live sheathe does not have nerves in it. I cut paper thin slices with a S/M Millers Forge clipper (the only clipper that I found which can do this and yes I will use it for large breeds as well) until I see the dark sheathe. If you press on the sheathe with your nail, you will find there is give to it. Sometimes I can safely skip the paper thin slices to a certain point like when a dog has overgrown nails which have become long, thin, and pointy. I will cut up to where the nail starts to widen.

A dog’s nails should not touch the floor when standing. Once a dog’s nails start to touch the floor, the structure of their joints will start to shift to keep the nails from pushing to toys up. This causes a lot of misalignment in the joints which leads to body discomfort for the dog. Nail trims should be every 3-4 weeks for maintenance on average. Older dogs and small dogs may need trims more frequently as they have less natural wear on them. Working dogs who are very active may need them less frequently.

19/12/2025

Singing in the rain? Pssshhhh! Try digging in an atmospheric river!
Meyer and I took advantage of the vacant sand pit in a local park. We spend a lot of time disagreeing with dogs for digging. It is nice to find places where we can encourage it.

25/11/2025

John is uncomfortable. Can you tell? Do you know why?

First, let’s look at his body language.
-head turned away (avoidant), but peering at me through his peripheral vision
-not facing the direction of natural movement forward
-tense body

This was my first walk one-on-one with John, a particularly anxious dog…anxious/avoidant about many things including new people.

One of the ways I build confidence and trust with anxious dogs is by challenging them in ways that do not affirm the narrative in their heads. I do quite a bit of environmental agility which builds confidence in their bodies and creates a situation where I can offer guidance and give them praise for “doing a thing”. Over time, this helps a dog feel good about taking guidance in more stressful situations. John is an athletic dog and jumping onto a higher surface, physically is an easy task for him. But turning his back on me, a stranger, is a moment of vulnerability which asks him to trust me not to hurt him. By this moment in our walk, he had already jumped up on a few retaining walls for me.

This request was next level….

From a dog’s perspective I was not only asking him to jump up on something, but I was tactically cornering him with a wall on the other side. He was very reluctant at first. I made sure to face my body not at him, but in the direction I wanted him to move. By doing this, I am reducing conflict and showing that my intent is not predatory. After avoiding my requests a few times, he finally did it. Lots of praise ensued. (John does not get too overwhelmed by expressive praise-something I modulate to the specific dog.)

Did I make him uncomfortable? Absolutely. I could have waited until the third walk to ask for something like this so he had more time to get to know me. There would have been nothing wrong with that. Had he outright refused, I would have dropped it, but he had shown me already that he liked direction even if trusting me was a little hard. Moments like this are where the real magic happens. Where dogs like John learn that it is safe to trust. That humans are not predatory (though our actions often feel like it to dogs…that is a lecture for a different day).

13/11/2025

This post is a small celebration of Tulsi, who has been a great trainer/teacher to both my husband and me. She is the queen of “mind your tone”. We don’t yell at our dogs, we don’t aggress towards them, but we are also humans every now and then. Occasionally our tone will escalate (especially when her highness is particularly vocal about dinner not coming fast enough). Tulsi will not do a thing you ask if you have any sort of annoyed tone in your voice. If I am calm and consistent- she will do just about anything for me- even if it’s not her cup of tea. She is a good reminder that we need to have control of ourselves first and foremost before trying to influence a dog in any way. She straight up doesn’t care what you think if you do not notice relevant dog things or have any sort of attitude. I love that she is not an “easy” dog. She is a great dog nonetheless.

11/11/2025

When you find a pile of leaves…you must find the hidden treasures!
This buddy is always on the hunt- he is constantly scanning for small prey and he will do it from a perfect heel. Here I was using search games to get his nose engaged and give him a different kind of hunt. One that requires some slowing down.

20/10/2025

Woo! I feel like I just molted. This certification takes years (one course left) and those who make it this far have such heart and drive to make support the most profound relationship between people and dogs. This has been a great class with great people. I am sooo looking forward to the fifth and the “last” of the the certification. Quotes on last because we never stop learning and CHRI puts out more offerings than I can keep up with—but I do try!

I could not be happier with the outcome of this class. Course IV, this year, was longer, deeper, and more impactful. These people put everything into this course, blood, sweat and tears (literally).

Today was the final day (9 days). I can say everyone was worn out from all of the work, learning and brain power.

If you want the “answer” it takes work. Ask any of these people what they got out of this. Looking forward to seeing them next year in Course V. I only accept 5 in that class (just like course II, III and IV). It’s about reaching each person deeply and with detail and comprehension. If you have been wondering about the next step (Course II, III, IV, V) get in touch with a graduate of these and find out. That information is more important to you than “what do you teach?”. The real question is “what did you learn?” The students are the ones that can and will tell you what it was worth to them.

CHRI has been in Existence for 10 years now. Thank you to all of the people who have taken courses and pursued an education with us.

https://www.chrinstitute.com

21/07/2025

This furry lady almost gave me a heart attack today! Did she trample shards of glass?!? No…just some juicy plums!