North Star Canine Connection

05/31/2026

This adorable Papillon made so much progress during our 101 class. He’s ready to challenge himself during the Connected Dog class this summer, where we work solely on recall and leash manners

05/30/2026

By request, I’ve decided to offer one more Bandana Class before taking a few weeks off.
Join us Saturday, June 6th at 9:00 AM at the Dalton Municipal Building Gym. Reserve your spot and get guidance as you work toward your training goals.🐾

05/28/2026

Be patient with dogs who struggle in certain environments, like my buddy Luke Skywalker!

I took Luke to the vet for his annual checkup this week. Having a dog reactive dog can make vet visits stressful, but thankfully our vet is amazing and does their best to keep dogs from interacting too much. We got there about 15 minutes early so we could sit, decompress, and practice being calm before going inside.

The parking lot was pretty full, so I couldn’t really pick a spot that gave us much space. Another car pulled in right after us with a dog. I was talking calmly to Luke and trying to keep his focus on me, but he noticed the other dog and started barking. Then I heard the woman in the other car yelling at Luke to “shut the f**k up.”

I looked over for a second, and I think my face made it pretty clear I wasn’t impressed with her behavior. Honestly, she was acting worse than Luke. I put my focus right back on him, and we were able to calm down and move on.

Luke is my first reactive dog, and this has been something completely new for me. We’ve spent hundreds of hours working through his reactivity, and he has come such a long way. Our walks are calm now, and when he does have an episode, we’re usually able to redirect and regain focus pretty quickly.

A lot of people don’t understand how hard it can be living with and training a reactive dog. It’s embarrassing sometimes, and you start wondering if people think it’s your fault or a lack of training. But reactive dogs are not “bad dogs.” They are dogs struggling with fear, overstimulation, anxiety, or frustration.

I don’t scream at Luke for barking. Barking is communication. It’s his way of telling me he’s uncomfortable or overwhelmed, and that’s okay. My goal with training has never been to silence him. It’s to help him feel more confident and comfortable in the world.

So if you see someone working with their reactive dog, please show a little grace. Don’t yell at their dog. Don’t make the situation harder. Just focus on your own dog and know that person is probably trying their absolute best. Too many people give up because they’re afraid of being judged.

05/22/2026

July Class Updates 🐾

Tuesday
• 5:15 PM CGC Class - 3 spots left
• 6:30 PM Connected Dog - 3 spots left

Wednesday
• 4:00 PM CGC Class - FULL
• 5:15 PM Puppy Essentials - 4 spots left
• 6:30 PM CGC Class -1 spot left (but not posted)

Thursday
• 5:15 PM Adolescent/Adult 101 - 5 spots left
• 6:30 PM Therapy Dog Class - 3 spots left

Register for classes on our website!

The Wednesday 6:30 PM CGC class has only ONE spot remaining. If you’d like the last spot, please reach out directly, as this time slot is not posted online.

05/21/2026

This Saturday’s bandana class is being kept small to accommodate some fearful dogs, and also because my invaluable assistant Orla is unavailable this weekend. If you haven’t checked in with me, please check in to ensure there is room. 😊

05/17/2026

Ari helped me work with Draco today and made the perfect distraction buddy. Draco stayed focused and earned plenty of Ari snuggles for all his hard work.

05/15/2026

These happy greeters have been working on remaining calm when visitors arrive. We made a lot of progress teaching them to go to their “place” in response to knocks at the door and doorbells.

05/14/2026

I’m excited to offer a brand new summer class!

This class focuses on building a more engaged dog who checks in with you on walks and comes when called. We’ll work on attention, recall foundations, and strengthening your connection. I have a feeling this will fill quickly 😉

Location: Dalton Municipal Building (Gym) 756 Dalton Rd. Dalton, NH 03598 Dates: Tuesdays 6:30 pm June 30 July 7 July 14 July 21 July 28 (Makeup date: Wednesday August 4th - if class is canceled.) This 5-week class is designed for dogs who already have a basic foundation of tr

05/08/2026

Hello! Tomorrow’s bandana class is now full, but if you missed out, we will have another one on the 23rd!

05/06/2026

Jolene gave me this look to remind me that I’ve been neglecting posting training updates and videos lately. 😅

This has been the busiest we’ve ever been at North Star Canine Connection (which is wonderful!), but it hasn’t left much time to share the incredible progress the dogs and their families have been making.

One quick story from today: a dog with an extremely high prey drive is now best friends with the household cat. It didn’t happen overnight, but taking the time to do things thoughtfully and correctly allowed them to build a safe, healthy relationship.

We also have lots of summer classes posted, and I’ll soon be adding a new class focused on building reliable recall and leash manners through relationship-based training. Stay tuned!