West Coast Canine Connections

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West Coast Canine Connections

Dog trainer/business servicing the PNW!

04/03/2026

Meeting your dog’s needs

Something I discuss with clients in the initial consultation is the importance of meeting your dog’s needs. The 4 main things to look at include:

- Exercise
- Nutrition
- Enrichment
- Communication

The term “4 Steps to Behavioral Wellness” was coined by canine behavior consultant Sarah Stremming. I love the simplicity of looking at these 4 very important aspects before even setting up a training plan for a client.

Exercise needs vary for each dog. This depends on breed, age, energy level, and lifestyle. I like to balance between “low arousal” (sniffing in a field, decompression walks off leash in nature, leashed neighborhood walks) and “high arousal” (running/sprinting, swimming, wrestling with other dogs, fetch, sports like agility, flyball, dock diving, etc). Some dogs don’t get enough low arousal and only get high arousal activity, and vice versa. I think it’s important to balance both.

Nutrition varies by dog as well. Does the dog have GI issues? Does the dog get supplements like omega 3, joint supplements, probiotics, etc? Any fresh food or is it just dry? Is there variety in the diet? How does the dog look? Is the dog overweight? How about their skin and coat?

Enrichment includes mentally stimulating activities such as puzzle toys, interactive training sessions, kibble scatters in the yard, hide and seek, finding food hidden in boxes, etc. How often is the dog getting enrichment, and what kinds?

Communication is probably one of the most important. Your relationship with your dog impacts their behavior. Do you give your dog choices? Are you consistent, or do you appear to be “Jekyll and Hyde”, being harsh and punishing at times, but kind and positive other times? Do you trick your dog to get them inside? Does your dog trust you?

Balancing these 4 needs is an art, and takes time, careful planning, and dedication. Sometimes it takes revisiting as the dog’s needs change as well.

I enjoy working on this balance with my client’s dogs, to set them up for success in their training plans!

06/12/2025

Today's topic: expectations

This is something that I struggled with for years as a trainer. Being a dog trainer sometimes feels like my whole identity, which also means that I feel that people are judging me based on my dog's behavior. I occasionally get the client who says "Wow, your dog must be so perfect if they were trained by you!" and it certainly has put a lot of pressure on me, and therefore put pressure and expectations onto my dogs.

I think a lot of my clients feel the same way. In some ways, they feel pressured to do really well and to be perfect because they are working with a professional. On the other hand, because they have hired a professional, sometimes they can feel a certain expectation. Like they want their dog to be reactivity-free by the end of the year. I have to tell clients, that you are on the dog's timeline, not yours. Dogs are animals, not robots. They observe, learn, and need to feel predictability, safety and comfort before true behavior change can happen.

Because I'm a dog trainer, I consciously made the decision to let Crunch jump on people when he greets them. Yup. Now, he will not ever jump on people unless they actually invite him and say hello. So he never jumps on random people passing by. I decided to allow this "naughty" behavior because after years of a trainer I realized that I needed to chill. Crunch loves giving hugs to people, and who am I to take that away from him, for the sake of "obedience?" Now, most of my pet clients do not want their dogs jumping on them or others, and that is understandable. As a trainer I just decided to let certain things go, as long as there is stimulus control around the behavior.

As we are reaching 2026, for once I decided not to have ANY goals or expectations from him. He was injured in June and now that he is almost fully recovered, it has shaped and changed my perspective on dog training so so much. Now, my goal is just to be able to ENJOY doing things with him, whether that is a walk on a trail, agility, etc. So remember, expectations can really harm your relationship with your dog, and put unfair pressure on yourself!

19/11/2025

Long time no post! Today I wanted to talk about a topic I feel is not discussed enough.

My personal view is that when you own a dog, whether you like it or not, you are ALWAYS training your dog. What do I mean by that? The moment you bring your puppy home, he/she is immediately learning everything from you. If your puppy jumps on the counter and then you yell at him/her to get off, that is learning. When you feed your dog a piece of food from the table, that is learning. People who say they are "permissive" or don't really train their dogs, may not in the traditional sense, in terms of an official training session with an obvious start/end, but training, and learning, is always happening.

To own a dog is to teach them things. Whether it is intentional or not. And so that is why I choose to be consistent in my communication with my dogs. Because I can be a lazy trainer sometimes, but what matters is that I'm consistent.

If my dogs are not allowed in the kitchen, I'm not going to feed them food while I'm cooking some days, and yell at them to get out other days. I'm going to set up a gate and always close that gate, no matter how lazy I might be!

I've had people come to me and ask "Is it too early to start training with my puppy?" And the answer is always no! They are already learning so much from you every single day. I also hear the opposite, "Is it too late for my senior dog?" I've trained dogs as old as 12-14, who made tremendous progress. Sure there were more bumps along the way, but the client was consistent, and patient. So next time you interact with your dog, ask yourself, am I being the trainer I want to be?

17/04/2025

Today I wanted to talk about something that is very important when training your dog… which is managing expectations! It is easy to want quick results, or get frustrated when your dog isn’t picking up something right away. But something I always keep in mind is that our animals are emotional, living beings just like us. If someone tried to teach you a completely new sport or game, and you didn’t pick it up right away so they got angry or annoyed with you, would that be fair? Learning takes time. And learning takes time for BOTH of you. The human is learning just as much as your pup! Once the ball gets rolling though, even with some bumps along the way, once it clicks, progress is made! I LOVE seeing how far my clients and their dogs have come since the start of our training together. The way BOTH of them blossom as a team is what makes this job so rewarding.

14/04/2025

Did you know I offer virtual coaching? This is a flexible and effective way to support your goals, no matter where you’re located. Virtual sessions provide the convenience of meeting from the comfort of your home or office, making it easier to stay consistent even with a busy schedule.
This option is ideal if:
* You live outside of my local area
* You need scheduling flexibility
* You’re looking to begin coaching right away
* You travel frequently and need a consistent point of contact
* You prefer the comfort and privacy of your own space
Virtual coaching ensures you receive the same personalized support and accountability as in-person sessions, with the added benefit of accessibility and efficiency. I’ve worked with clients as far as the east coast, or local in the PNW but prefer virtual sessions! Check out my website and book a consultation for more information!

10/04/2025

Traveling with your dog doesn’t need to be stressful! Last week Crunch and I visited California, and luckily he has been trained with the following skills needed for traveling:

-Long down stays/settling
-Car crate skills
-Being able to crate in a hotel/new house
-Walking nicely on a leash in new environments
-Off leash recall
-Being able to ignore kids, people, dogs, loud noises, etc

Traveling with Crunch has been very stress free and I’m lucky I worked on these foundational skills with him!

20/02/2025

Decompression walks! Also known as "sniffaris" or off leash hikes, allow your dog to have free movement of their body, and "decompress" from the stress of life and constant commands of their humans. On my off leash hikes with Crunch, I almost never call him. He has been taught to check in, to return to me when he goes out of sight, and only when I need to, do I call him back to me.

08/04/2024

Did you guys know that I do agility with my young border collie Crunch? Along with the skills he needs to know for the course, we have extensively worked on "ringside manners" such as focusing on me with intense distractions, not pulling me into the arena, stationing/sitting by my side while he waits for his turn, while focusing, and ignoring other people/dogs. It is a tough skill to ask for a young male dog! But I think that it's essential for both of our performances in the ring!

19/03/2024

Relaxation

We all want our dogs to be able to relax at home, or have an "off switch," but for many dogs this is not natural and has to be trained. Teaching your dog to settle in a variety of situations is one of the most important skills you could teach your dog overall!

08/03/2024

Agility people! Did you know I work on ringside manners? Insuring your agility dog is in an optimal state of arousal before they enter the ring is important for their performance. Too much arousal can lead to less thinking, and poor choices. Not enough (shut down behaviors) can lead to slower/laggy performance and not enough engagement. If you need help with achieving good ringside behavior, contact me!
https://www.westcoastcanineconnections.com/

25/02/2024

Did you know? I have an online puppy diary (only $75!) detailing how I raised Crunch from 8-16 weeks old and onwards! It is very thorough and it took me a long time to fully complete. I am very proud of the result and wanted to make something accessible for folks who don't want to spend too much on my private lessons, but want important tips and tricks on puppy raising! Message me on FB, or email me [email protected] to get access!

https://www.westcoastcanineconnections.com/

12/02/2024

Long time no post! I have now relocated to the town of Centralia, and will be servicing the Olympia area as well, and selective parts of WA and OR, depending on my travel schedule. Please reach out to me to see if I cover your area if you would like to work with me!

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Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 19:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 19:00
Friday	09:00 - 19:00
Saturday	09:00 - 19:00
Sunday	09:00 - 19:00

Website

https://www.westcoastcanineconnections.com/schedule-appointment

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