Engaged Dogs; Walking & Training

09/16/2025

Athena (tan hound mix on left,) recently joined her sister Echo (black and tan coonhound mix on the right,) in Engaged Walks to help her build confidence and neutrality.

It’s evident from Athena’s smile that she is enjoying herself thus far.🥰🐶

Echo + Athena both now know the Go Find game, the Name Recognition Game, and they are able and willing to walk (mostly) calmly together.

Scroll through to see them working hard 🥰🐶
Want to learn more about the aforementioned games? Read our blog!
Find it, on the website: www.choosetoliveengaged.com

09/13/2025

The variety of artwork throughout SWDC is one of the many things that makes this area beautiful and unique.

We also love that it enables us to get some fun photos of our Engaged Dogs!
Do you have a favorite mural or piece of artwork in SWDC?

09/10/2025

These Engaged Dogs have been appreciating witnessing the ways in which our community is showing up, speaking out, and demanding change.

09/06/2025

WE LOVE DC 💙

09/04/2025

09/01/2025

Humans wearing different gear/ clothes/ accessories and/or ambulating differently can be a cause for concern for some dogs.

Have you noticed your Engaged Dog being a bit leery or fearful around individuals in coats, hats, masks, or uniforms?
Or maybe those carrying things like packages/ rifles/ children/ bags/ etc
and/ or those using a cane/walker/wheelchair/crutches/walking stick/ etc to ambulate?

The ever increasing “presence patrols” by the National Guard have been an added challenge for several of our Engaged Dogs.
The way they move, the weapons they carry, the formations they sometimes walk in are all things that are unfamiliar to most dogs, causing big feelings for some.

Q: How do we help our dogs feel more confident in circumstances where we have little control?
A: Stationary Work!
🐶Starting at a significant distance away, let your dog be curious and look at the cause for concern (police/ national guard/ unidentified masked agents/ whatever is causing your dog concern/ big feelings,)
🐶using your best Mr. Roger’s impression, talk them through what they are seeing, using calm, soothing tones.
“I know buddy.I see them too.That’s a little strange huh? You’re being so brave ya know…” (the words are not important;the tone and the energy are)
🐶As they offer calm behaviors, praise and reward
🐶If/ when they look to you, mark + reward their eye contact/ visual check in
🐶If/ when they get escalated (showing hackles, growling, ears high and forwards, rigid body posture, barking, lunging, snarling etc) calmly help move them away, using their leash and your body to guide them as far away as necessary to help them get to a distance where they are able to be curious, quiet, + observant once more
🐶Repeat this exercise often + in any circumstance where a particular trigger (masked men with rifles, MWRAP vehicles, skateboards, squirrels, other dogs,etc.) is causing big feelings in your dog.

While we can help our dogs acclimate and build more confidence and neutrality around the increasing patrols,
Remember:
This is not normal + we humans should not accept it as such.
dogs

08/25/2025

To satisfy Penny Grace’s breed specific needs, (DNA results in photos!!)
every day she has the opportunity to:
🐶Work for her food-
I hand feed her through much of the day by capturing and rewarding good decisions. A portion of her food is used for enrichment activities like scatter feeds, snuffle mats, puzzles, and lickimats.
🐶Seeking out and shredding recyclables that I hide around the apartment with her kibbles sprinkled in them
🐶The ability to make choices-
Letting her lead the way on walks, having off leash freedom, choosing enrichment activities (ex: I might ask her, while showing her the items: do you want to do a puzzle? Or have a lickimat? )

Penny’s breed specific needs require daily opportunities to:
🐶 satisfying her prey drive (seeking, chasing, shredding/ desiccating)
🐶problem solve and work her brain (like figuring out how to get rewarded, thereby causing her to offer good behaviors knowing they are likely to be noticed, marked, and rewarded)
🐶opportunities to build neutrality and impulse control (stationary work, squirrel chasing)

How do meet your dog’s breed specific needs everyday?

08/21/2025

08/15/2025

Dogs and humans often shut down and comply as a trauma response and defense mechanism to get out of situations they are unable to avoid.
This is not training.
This is cruelty and abuse.

08/13/2025

My friend Barry and I really enjoyed exploring together.

The architecture, the little town feel, the close proximity to the water, and all the different little green spaces gave us lots of opportunities to proof his skills around a variety of challenges.

08/11/2025

Recall practice with these two cuties 😍🐶💙