Calten Dog Training

04/04/2026

Want environmentally stable dogs? Get them out there!
Free to attend for all private lesson clients and B&T dogs. Message me to get on the list!

11/03/2026

✨Free and open to all past and present students!✨
Get active! Get out there! Keep up on your dog’s public skills and socialization by joining us on outings, every Saturday morning starting March 28th and through the fall of 2026. Walks are expected to be leisurely, on paved paths or well maintained trails, one to two hours long, and in fair weather. Everyone is welcome and encouraged! This will be a safe and accessible opportunity for young dogs, old dogs, and our “special” dogs.
Training opportunities abound! Catch up, polish up, and improve! We’d love to see you out there!

🐕🐾 To attend: Participants will be added to a text list (not a group chat) and kept apprised on meetup locations, timing changes, and expected activities for the day. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations and kept on leash at all times.

Never worked with us before? We can fix that! Book a private session, and we can get you and your dog well on your way to joining the club!

11/02/2026

This is something that doesn’t get talked about much, but 90% of the time I spend with dogs, I’m not saying anything to them. You just don’t see this during training sessions or while watching videos because it would make things seem pretty dull to us humans.
If we’re outside playing or going for a walk, I’m dead silent unless I NEED to say something to a dog, and that something is usually a one word command such as “heel” or “wait” or “come.” Anything you say to your dog that is not a conditioned cue is just noise that they eventually tune out. And when your dog learns that most of what you’re saying is nonsense, it’s harder for them to pay attention when it really matters.

Also, just a personal observation of mine. Your dog’s name is not a command! Unless you have specifically taught recall to name only, and you don’t say it in any other context, you’re not telling him anything when you say his name. At best, you’re only getting his attention real quick.

23/01/2026

Hello friends!
I have (finally) set up my Google Business Profile and would really appreciate it if anyone who has worked with me would leave a review! (Maybe even a good review)
Thank you! Looking forward to seeing what you accomplish in 2026!

Post a review to our profile on Google

18/10/2024

This is not an informative post or a trendy training video, but I still find this to be a noteworthy moment. The Doodles resting calmly on the floor arrived here, for the first time ever, 24 hours ago. My dogs don’t know them. They don’t know my dogs. They’ve never played with each other, in fact, this is their first time congregating in the same space. Only one dog is wearing a training collar. This is what boarding and training looks like here. Calm. Coexistence. The goal is minimal management to achieve a normal, everyday life with our pets.

Later today, we’ll get to the “real work”, but mornings are for coffee and contemplation, and quiet dogs.

01/12/2023

Willie and Weylin (Cavalier/poodle mixes, 5 months old)
They may be country stars but they ROCKED their private lesson today! 🤘🏻

15/11/2023

I saw this list and decided to mark off the names of dogs I've worked with. 😂

Tag in, guys! Post a picture, I miss them! 🖤

07/07/2023

Rhodes shows great herding drive upon being introduced to sheep!
Belgian Malinois are not just police dogs, they originally were herding breeds. But, did you know, there are different herding styles demonstrated across different herding breeds? Rhodes here will never herd like a Border Collie, for example. Border Collies will fetch and sort sheep. Belgian shepherds (and German Shepherds!) are flock tenders. Tending a flock means the dog will pace a perimeter around the sheep and keep them within a certain area. This can be along a string fence, a dirt road, or a tree line, and the dog is easily able to recognize these as thresholds to keep the animals from crossing. Pretty cool, right?!

29/03/2023

It's Gunner's last day of his one week puppy basics board and train! He improved on two particularly challenging things; getting away from pottying indoors on puppy pads (or rugs, or bath mats, or dropped towels, or couches), and calming himself during rowdy behavior (biting).
We also laid the foundation for obedience skills, so all that's left is for his mom and dad to continue practicing, and increasing the "Three D's", distance, duration, and distraction with these commands!

And if you're watching this and you have a puppy (or adult dog 😬) pottying on pads in the house, this is your sign to get them off of that unsanitary and wildly backfiring habit!

28/03/2023

Six days already?! Time is flying when you're having fun!
The third essential skill is "Leave it!" I can't tell you how many times this has stopped my dogs from eating something toxic/disgusting/something that I definitely was still going to eat after I dropped it on the floor. It is potentially life saving, too, in environments with venomous snakes.

"Leave it" just means "turn away from that thing" and of course, never touch to it after the command is given. This is a shaping exercise. You're watching the very very first time Gunner has heard the cue "leave it", and you'll notice I said it loudly and sharply, thus grabbing his attention. The command is shaped by marking and rewarding his head turn! Therefore, "leave it" prompts the dog to turn around, giving you the opportunity to then give further instruction, such as "come".
Further guidance comes in the form of leash pressure and corrections for the dog's continued advances after hearing the "leave it" cue, telling him that the cue is the final say, no attempts at grabbing the object will be tolerated.
After enough repetitions, you will see the dog begin to actively avoid the object without being told to do so. So, this can be an exercise used to create a "forbidden item" such as socks, napkins, or kid's toys.

27/03/2023

Day five for Gunner the Ambiguous Marshmallow looked a lot like the previous couple of days, and that's quite alright!
More "Stay" with friends! Lots of speedy recalls (now outside and off leash!), and even more sharpening of sit, down, and heel position. He even got to hang out on the deck like a big dog!
Tomorrow we will introduce the third essential skill! For now he's just having fun being a good boy.

26/03/2023

Puppy basics day four!
We focused on strengthening the commands we already have under heavier distraction. Gunner is crazy impulsive! Chases everything that moves, including the cats. Given that, I'm happy with how well he did! He was so eager to work, I also went ahead and started on "heel" position.