Ryder’s Way

Ryder’s Way Just a girl and her love of working dogs, sharing tips along the way and our journey 🐕

05/04/2026

Yeah, there are a lot of tools to train with, fancy gadgets, collars, tug balls, freeze dried treats, but remember.. the most important part is YOUR time (and maybe a stick) and a bond you are building with your dog!

Remember when dogs worked for praise, lots of love and a maybbeee a small reward? I love tools and I absolutely use them in my training, but very rarely do I find myself having to use them. They are not the only way to train dogs, regardless of how advanced our technology becomes! Don’t let the idea of fancy tools, toys or expensive treats stop you from working your dog! 🐕

Both you and your dog will be much happier 🥰

05/04/2026

FUSS time/FOCUSED HEELS

Before I can chill, I’ve gotta do some “art” with the pups! You will often see this in competition sports, but for us.. it’s more about the team dynamic and trust and less about a score. I’m looking for handler focused attention. I’m looking for the dog to get as close to me as possible and understand when they need to be locked into the handler vs distracted by the outside world. This is our first true session doing a focused heel!

Eventually, I will work on phasing out the lure, but in the moment, it truly helps with having them physically make the eye contact with me. While it looks like they are only looking at my hands, their eyes do indeed meet mine and I’m very proud of them for their first time!

I’m basically creating my own bubble 🫧 from the world, like Glinda… except without the bubble and pink dress or wand (may save that for another day 😆)

They will not be asked to do a focused heel all the time, I work this as “fuss” so they can differentiate between their normal “heel” command and when I need their full attention.

05/04/2026

Crate Training: YES! I love it!

Here is what I do encourage:

1. Creating a safe place for your dogs to go, not only while you are away, but also when they need to
decompress

2. It helps significantly with potty training! Rather than going potty where they lay, it helps them control their bladder. This is also why the proper crate size is important! It should be enough space for the dog to be able to fully be able to spin around and be able to extend their legs comfortably when they are laying down, but not so large that there is “free real estate” to use as a toilet on the other corner.

3. It helps reduce anxiety and keep them safe from not only getting into mischievous when you do not have eyes on them, but it also ensures that your home is not destroyed while you are away (which also reduces the likelihood of them swallowing things they shouldn’t)

4. It helps them if they ever need to be boarded or be at the the vet, overall reducing their stress while in there.

It is not a doggy jail. I do not send my dogs in there for bad behavior or to punish! If they have done something unsafe or I see they need to decompress, that is where they can go!

Often times, people struggle here because it is easier for us to put a dog away that has messed up, rather than figuring out how it happened OR people choose not to crate training because they think it is cruel.

It’s not, if you’re using it in the right ways. It’s not a punishment zone, limit their times in the crate, and make it a positive space by offering their treats, food, toys, etc. Initially keeping the door open during this training helps them understand they are ok and can walk in and out.

As they progress, you can close the door without locking it and reward for increased duration! It takes time, but it is WAY worth it 🫶🏽🐕‍🦺

05/03/2026

The question I get asked most often is, how do you apply the basic obedience that a dog has learned and be able to apply them all together out in public settings!

For me? I will repeat commands, over and over again… daily. Even if they know the command, we sharpen it every time.
We don’t demand that the dogs go right into environments they are not ready for.

We start in our own yards, short walks, but we don’t go for marathons… we go and we do some reps and allow them to end on a positive note rather than stress them.

I started with a sit, down, up, and a heel command and lure into the tighter heel that I prefer! Using gloves because offering high value rewards are often stinky!

Rowan and Ruin are 16 weeks old service pups in training!

Training “Under” or “Tuck” for service dogs is important for public access skills! We do this to create a secure positio...
04/28/2026

Training “Under” or “Tuck” for service dogs is important for public access skills!

We do this to create a secure positioning/placement for our dogs so that they are out of the way and safe.

It helps us ensure that no one steps on him and we fit better in cramped spaces or even when we are dining out, he is safely out of the way from people stepping over them or tripping over them.

Rowan Pup-Thorn (Throne of Glass) — Let’s talk about why a working dog breed + temperament testing + pairing with the ri...
04/22/2026

Rowan Pup-Thorn (Throne of Glass) — Let’s talk about why a working dog breed + temperament testing + pairing with the right handler is important!

Rowan comes from the same litter as Ruin, but with a completely different temperament. Both dogs have incredible work ethic, but a different approach.

Ruin aims to please in a manner that responds easily to a more gentle approach/tone and engagement. Rowan needs a very clear and consistent follow through.

It’s like speaking two different languages.

While Ruin is upbeat and has a calm demeanor and almost works in a power-steering movement..

Rowan… he is STOIC. Iconically, ROWAN WHITETHORN. If you know, you know…

He is confident, he will challenge you. He will push those limits and the boundaries and the baby talk? Out the door. His high level of confidence is more dominant leaning behavior. He will test the boundaries.

You have something he wants? You’ll hear about it… with a bit of sass. My point with this is, the way that I handle Rowan is different than Ruin. Those commands? Strong. That eye contact, never broken.

Rowan is motivated by clarity and structure, no fluff. Tell me what to do, I do it, you follow through, now we’re besties 👯

When you have a pup that is wildly smart and paired with this level of confidence, the way you train doesn’t always necessarily mean that you become “mean/harsher” it simply becomes more defined. His reward comes after the behavior that is asked for.

Later down the road, he will become less reactive, reliable under a stressful environment and when paired with the right person, this is a match made in heaven.

What you see here is Rowan learning to “front”.
He takes you seriously when he knows you’re clear, fair, and you are worth listening to.

This was our first attempt at this command and the point of training this for him is to ensure that when called into a “front”, his focus is completely on his handler, clear, straight to the point and not wandering around the handler and that focus is back and waiting for his next command!

I am excited to see his progression, but man do I love his drive. We are almost one week into training him!

A great question was asked to me and I wanted to provide an answer here as well!Q: Do you work/train all the dogs at onc...
04/20/2026

A great question was asked to me and I wanted to provide an answer here as well!

Q: Do you work/train all the dogs at once? Or is it better to work independently?

A: This really all depends, Ty is my personal service dog, I do include him in some of my trainings with the other dogs because he is a great example and also does not require me to teach him and it truly depends on what I am working on (sometimes that includes seeing how the dog performs while under pressure or distractions of other dogs or other elements around)

However, I prefer to independently work with each dog at their level so I can see where they are at individually and because I hand-feed, I like to ensure they all are eating the proper amount.

When they are where I think they need to be, then yes. I will bring them out together and apply the training! They should all respond easily at that point.

For someone who is looking to apply the same training to dogs at home, I would work with them independently so that your dog is not overwhelmed, most importantly neither are you! 🐾

I hope that helps!

04/20/2026

Many people want their dogs to behave a certain way or only focus on certain things without realizing that the result they are wanting starts with a structured plan for basic obedience.

Most dog owners will teach their dogs how to sit and lay down, but struggle to keep their dogs from pulling them during walks, reacting to other sights, sounds, animals or humans, jumping on others or their owners to greet, etc.

All of these things have a solution, but without methodically starting from the top and gradually moving into shaping the behaviors that we want, we are skipping very important pieces.

Dogs love their humans, but does he or she know that when you say, “OFF, LEAVE IT, NO, COME.” It’s a command, not a suggestion! Or can you call them back to you when they over stimulated?

Baby steps! Even if you think they know certain things, start back from the top and work toward what you really want.

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