Barktastic Behavior

05/27/2025

🔔 🔔 🔔Warning! Cuteness Overload!🔔🔔🔔

Meet my adorable new friend Nellie, she is the sweetest little fluffball, just look at that face 🥹
Nellie is my newest day training client; today we worked on putting sit on cue, attention to handler, eye contact and distraction training outside. I absolutely love working with puppies, it’s much easier to prevent a behavior from occurring than it is to extinguish a problematic behavior.

Would you like to come home to a dog that’s already been trained for the day? Let Barktastic’s Day Training Package work for you!
barktasticbehavior.com

05/25/2025

Please everyone give this a watch!!🐾

05/23/2025

Weekend vibes 😂

05/23/2025

Great read, especially for clients that have dogs with BIG feelings 😅

“They’re not trying to give you a hard time. They are having a hard time.”

We expect dogs to live in our world like they were born understanding it.

Like they instinctively know how to behave in restaurants, tolerate strangers, ignore fireworks, and be perfectly fine home alone for hours.

But the reality is they weren’t built for this world. And we’re asking too much of them.

We want them to be quiet but social. Affectionate but not needy. Independent but always obedient. We treat them like little machines, not sentient beings with their own needs, fears, and preferences.

And when they don’t meet those made-up standards?

We accuse them of being dominant. Or of being broken and needing fixing.

We slap a shock collar on them. Or, if we’re well-intentioned, we pull out the treat bag and spend hours teaching them to walk perfectly at heel, when maybe they just want to sniff a tree and avoid the place that scares them.

But what if they’re not broken? What if they’re just… being dogs?

Dogs who get overwhelmed. Dogs who panic when left alone - not because they’re being difficult, but because they’re afraid. Dogs who say “no thank you” to loud parks, crowded streets, or being hugged by strangers.

They’re not giving us a hard time. They’re having a hard time.

So I don’t want a perfect dog. I want a dog who feels heard. Who can choose what feels safe. Who knows that “I’m scared” won’t be punished. A dog who can say no to things that overwhelms them.

Here’s what doesn’t help:

“You’re letting them get away with it.”
“She has to learn to deal with it.”
“You’re making it worse by babying him.”
“He’s manipulating you.”

Here’s what does help:

Slowing down instead of pushing through
Giving them choice whenever you can
Letting them opt out of things that scare them
Understanding that fear isn’t misbehaviour - it’s fear

Because the more we push dogs to be perfect, the more we disconnect from who they truly are.

They don’t need to be perfect. They need to be understood.

📣 If this speaks to you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Let’s give our dogs the grace we wish the world gave us.

05/21/2025

Happy National Rescue Dog Day from Pip, Patch, Peanut and Ella Bean 🐾❤️

05/20/2025

I love seeing K9 Grizz and Officer Hendrickson attend events like this, keep up the amazing work ❤️🐾

SRO Hendrickson and K9 Grizz recently had the opportunity to attend the Special Needs Prom at Camp LuWiSoMo. K9 Grizz even had a chance to do some dancing! Congratulations to Prom King Gary and Prom Queen Sonia! If you are interested in volunteering or donating to this event, go to: dreamscanhappenpromandbridalcloset.org

05/08/2025

Cinnamon and her adorable underbite 🥹🐾

05/08/2025

This little cutie is so much fun, he lovesss other dogs and would do well in a home with a confident doggie brother or sister 🐾

This handsome guy is Gator! He is crate trained and house trained. Gator has lots of energy for any activity you like to do! He is good with cats and would like a doggy friend to play with. It might take him a minute to warm up but then he LOVES you! Apply for Gator at Littleorphans.org

05/08/2025

Thank you Waushara Area Chamber of Commerce for highlighting small, local businesses; we appreciate the exposure! 🐾❤️

🐾✨ Small Business Month Member Spotlight ✨🐾
We’re kicking off our Small Business Month celebrations by spotlighting one of our amazing Chamber members: Barktastic Behavior, a local dog trainer helping pets and their people live better lives together! 🐶💼

From obedience training to behavior guidance, Barktastic Behavior combines passion and expertise to create a positive impact—one pup at a time. Check out their full story and see why they’re such a valued part of our community! 👇

Are you a member and want to be featured this month? We’d love to share your story!
📣 Submit your info here: https://forms.gle/XKPaCZdkzfZ2xwp17

05/06/2025

Excited for my Ella Bean to try out some of these doggie treats at 220 this summer! 🐾🤩

05/05/2025

💫 Happy Monday Everyone!

This video makes me laugh 🤭

Tell me you’re a teenage dog, without telling me you’re a teenage dog 😂

Thank you Ann for this awesome video showing Handsome Hank’s stay & release. You’ve done a great job with consistent training and because of that, Hank goes all over the Milwaukee area with Ann. Whether it’s to a special, dog-allowed Bucks game, or an afternoon picnic at a park, Hank’s there enjoying it all ❤️

Summer is upon us, would you like a well-trained dog that can go on adventures with you? Contact Barktastic today🐾 (920) 203-9733

05/03/2025

🙌 Stay and release can be difficult behaviors to reliably put on cue, especially depending on the environment you’re requesting the behavior. For example, it’s much easier for most dogs to perform a short “stay” in your living room vs. near a door that the dog is excited about exiting, to go outside or for a car ride.

👀Watch as Joanne Ruth Warmus-Nelson practices with her intelligent Aussies, Willow and Bailey. The girls are very excited to run through the gate behind Joanne to start their daily walk, which the pups absolutely love. It’s easier for the doggos to practice on the porch vs right next to the gate where the excitement level is high. Great job Joanne, Willow & Bailey!!🐾🐾🐶