Shake It Off Dog Training

Shake It Off Dog Training Rewards based, force-free dog training in beautiful Napa Valley.

šŸŽ“šŸ¶Happy graduation to Hank! Oh what a good boy! This little energy powerhouse excels at training games and is a very qui...
05/13/2025

šŸŽ“šŸ¶Happy graduation to Hank! Oh what a good boy! This little energy powerhouse excels at training games and is a very quick study. I am equally proud of both of his parents, who have picked up many new skills and concepts like champions! It has been a joy to work with these guys.

Over the moon to be recognized as the Best Dog Obedience School in Napa County, thanks to your votes! I'm so grateful fo...
04/14/2025

Over the moon to be recognized as the Best Dog Obedience School in Napa County, thanks to your votes! I'm so grateful for your support!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. ā™„ļø



Camille

Whoop whoop! Happy graduation to these guys! I'm so proud of the way this pup has blossomed with the support of her comp...
02/27/2025

Whoop whoop! Happy graduation to these guys! I'm so proud of the way this pup has blossomed with the support of her compassionate family. A real life example of the power of looking at the world from a dog's perspective. šŸ’—

Show some love in the comments for this cutie!! 🄰

Congratulations to Mini and her human for finishing out their very first training package! šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼  Mini and her momma ma...
01/03/2025

Congratulations to Mini and her human for finishing out their very first training package! šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼ Mini and her momma make a great team and have learned so much together already.

Awesome job guys, keep practicing! ā™„ļø

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=576676498274385&id=100077961200725&mibextid=cr9u03
12/13/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=576676498274385&id=100077961200725&mibextid=cr9u03

At this point in time, most folks understand the link between pain and behavior. It’s logical: you don’t feel well, you have less patience and tolerance, you lash out or shut down or otherwise are not the best version of yourself. It makes sense that the same would be true for dogs.

But how do we know there is pain with animals who cannot verbalize that pain?

The short answer: we can’t know.

The longer answer: we also can’t know there ISN’T pain.

Meet Malus.

From puppyhood, he’s been a little spicy. But he’s a terrier, so that’s normal, right? He didn’t like having his feet handled. No biggie. And as he got older, he got a little reactive to other dogs - again, see ā€œterrierā€ in the dictionary. And after he got neutered at 2.5 years old, his behavior spiraled - going after his housemates, aggression directed at his owners, even less tolerance for handling, increased fence fighting. But there’s some evidence of increased aggression after neutering, so maybe he just got unlucky.

For many folks, that explanation would’ve been enough. They would’ve worked on behavior modification, or just accepted a crate and rotate household, or managed the heck out of all of his triggers… or, honestly, would’ve ended up euthanizing him for his dangerous behavior.

Luckily, Malus’s mom is Katrina, who is essentially a terrier in a human body. She dug in.

Training, a veterinary behaviorist, consulting with other behavior experts, expensive testing - and then we got our first physical explanation: low zinc.

But even with a zinc supplement, his aggressive episodes remained unpredictable. Katrina had noticed some very, very intermittent lameness, foot chewing, butt/tail biting, so off they went to the first orthopedic specialist - one who cleared him orthopedically for all activities.

So they did physical therapy, and pain meds, and kept working on training.

But the weird, mild lameness continued, and so did visits to specialists. A neurologist who recommended an MRI, then more physical therapy for a possible psoas strain, different meds, another orthopedic/rehab specialist consultation, adjustments to physical therapy, a PEMF bed for home use, adjustments to behavior meds, consults with nationally respected trainers and behavior specialists, and finally - FINALLY - a recommendation to see a pain management specialist.

ā€œI think he may have Tethered Cord Syndrome. I’m going to try different pain meds, but there’s a specialist in Massachusetts you should get in touch with.ā€

With the new meds on board, his behavior improved. He was brighter, happier, had fewer episodes of lameness, self mutilation, and aggression.

Yesterday, Malus had a dynamic MRI at Tufts, where Tethered Cord Syndrome was confirmed.

Today, he had surgery to relieve the adhesions to his spinal cord that have been causing him pain.

He was never ā€œjust being a terrier.ā€ He was not acting out for no good reason. He didn’t need harsher training methods. He wasn’t aggressing for no reason.

He was in pain.

There are no words to adequately describe how thrilled I am for Katrina and Malus to have this diagnosis and surgery in their rear view mirror - it has been a long time coming. The strain on Katrina and Kevin’s emotions, time, resources, finances, and household over the last 5 years cannot be overstated. Most folks wouldn’t - and couldn’t - go to the lengths they did.

We can’t rule out pain. We can only rule out specific issues and diagnoses. For Malus, it took finding the right vet who had heard about this rarely diagnosed issue to connect them with the vet who could help.

To my clients I encourage to work with their veterinarian to try to find any physical explanations: Katrina and Malus are the reason why I will push you more if your primary care vet shrugs you off. It’s why I will push and push and push, especially if your commitment to training and management is excellent but we still are struggling to make progress. Malus is on my shoulder (sometimes literally), poking me with his nose, screeching in my ear to look harder.

If you’ve ever heard him, you know how hard that ✨ delightful ✨ noise is to ignore.

(PS - Here’s your sign to sign up for pet insurance.)

To learn more about Tethered Cord Syndrome:
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/breakthrough-surgical-procedure-relieves-dogs-chronic-pain

A belated congrats to Miss Maple and her humans for all of their hard work! She learned a long list of skills and is off...
12/06/2024

A belated congrats to Miss Maple and her humans for all of their hard work! She learned a long list of skills and is off to a running start beginning her lifelong training journey. I am so proud of this little brown bear.

Obviously I have a soft spot for dogs...but did you know I have an even softer spot for BROWN dogs? šŸ˜

A round of applause for this lil' lady!! Look at those curly crossed paws! 🤩

Congratulations to Daphne and her human for all of their focus and hard work! We added some foundation skills and person...
10/30/2024

Congratulations to Daphne and her human for all of their focus and hard work! We added some foundation skills and personalized enrichment to Daphne's toolbox and she made huge strides with polite greetings and recall. Daphne's human learned a ton as well: the importance of how you deliver treats, ways to redirect her dog's attention, how to reinforce desired behaviors, leash walking skills for dog reactivity, and more. I'm sure going to miss our sessions together.

A round of applause this dog handler team! ā™„ļøšŸ¾

lvalley

09/04/2024
Always brings a smile to my face. 2024 business cards are in! A few of my favs. See anyone you know?
08/05/2024

Always brings a smile to my face. 2024 business cards are in! A few of my favs. See anyone you know?

Cut yourself and your adolescent dog some slack!  Here are five tips to help make training easier with your adolescent d...
07/30/2024

Cut yourself and your adolescent dog some slack! Here are five tips to help make training easier with your adolescent dog:

🐾 Keep training sessions short, from 2-5 minutes max!

🐾 When your dog isn't succeeding at a task, focus on making it easier —make the desired choice more obvious, break the behavior down into smaller and more achievable parts, or change gears and work for a bit on a different skill at which your dog will be more successful.

🐾 Take a pause! Get some water, take a breath, play a fun game.

🐾 choose to work on skills that match your dogs current energy level. If your dog is relaxed and lazy, work on skills —such as a down stay— that require calm. If your dog has the zoomies or is energetic, work on skills —such as recall— where speed or momentum are helpful.

🐾 Manage your dog's environment to prevent the rehearsal of unwanted behaviors (examples: hide those shoes, keep kitchen counters clean, and supervise around children and guests) and to avoid distractions during training sessions (example: start training new skills in the quietest, most boring room in your home, without other animals, humans, sounds or objects diverting your pup's attention from focusing on you).

Does your dog have an intense response to other dogs?Are you at a loss for how to keep your dog from lunging, barking, o...
06/05/2024

Does your dog have an intense response to other dogs?

Are you at a loss for how to keep your dog from lunging, barking, or growling when other dogs are present?

Are you ready to learn how to better advocate for, communicate with, and empower your dog to make good choices under stressful circumstances?

Ruff around the Edges is the solution you have been waiting for!

Join us for a life-changing, small group class starting in July 2024.

Classes will take place at various locations in Napa and Petaluma.

8 weeks @ $640

Whatever adventure you have planned, Tiger is up for it! Besides his happy go lucky demeanor, this young man is a fabulo...
03/22/2024

Whatever adventure you have planned, Tiger is up for it! Besides his happy go lucky demeanor, this young man is a fabulous student. Tiger's humans are teaching him to greet other humans politely with all four paws on the floor, to wait at the door, to feel comfy and safe in his crate, to have a default 'leave it' for the kitchen counters, and more. His humans are learning to go at Tiger's pace and to break down skills into smaller bits to help him succeed at every step. ā™„ļø

Address

Yountville, CA

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17077996622

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