Well Mannered Mutts

09/10/2025

Ruby’s first stay and play was a success 🙌🏻 huge thanks to my regulars for showing her the ropes and correcting her as needed! Yall are the real MVPs 🫶

09/09/2025

🐾 Welcome Indy to the WMM Pack! 🐾

This weekend, little Indy kicked off his 6-week obedience program — and wow, is this pup ever smart! From the moment we started, he showed just how intelligent he is, locking in on the tasks at hand with focus well beyond his age. ✨

Puppy training is so important because it lays the foundation for everything that comes later. The skills we work on now — impulse control, leash manners, recall, boundaries, and confidence building — will set Indy up for a lifetime of success. Instead of having to “fix” habits down the road, we’re shaping him into a well-mannered dog right from the start.

We’re so excited to watch Indy grow over the next six weeks and see him blossom into the amazing dog we already know he’s going to be! 💪🐶

Join us in welcoming our youngest member of the WMM team! 💗

09/05/2025

This clinic is an incredible opportunity to help reduce overpopulation and keep pets healthier and safer.
If you were ever considering getting involved, now is the time!

Happy Hounds Hideaway and i will be there all weekend - if you wanna car pool, let me know!

Let’s work together for healthier pets and stronger communities!


Canadian Animal Task Force

09/04/2025

🥳🐾 Congratulations, Ruby! 🐾🥳

Ruby just wrapped up her Adventure Prep Program and she totally crushed it! 🚀💗
From day one to graduation day, she grew braver, bolder, and more confident—not only in new environments, but also around other dogs and with me as her guide. 🌟💗
With her new skills, she’s ready to step into the big world of our Stay & Play Adventures—aka the happy dog club! 🌲🐕✨

Along the way Ruby learned:
💡 How to stay engaged and connected with her handler
💡 Doggie manners—respecting space & playing politely
💡 Rock-solid recall -because disappearing into the bush isn’t a vibe 😂
💡“Leave it” … since rolling in and eating p**p is apparently a delicacy 🤢🤣
💡 E-collar communication for crystal-clear communication - because correcting one dog shouldnt involve the whole group!

She’s proven she’s got the brains, the manners, and the adventure spirit to thrive. 💪🐶 Now it’s time to hit the trails, splash in the water, and live her best adventure life! 🌊🌿

Way to go, Ruby—you’re officially a wild-hearted-free spirited grad! 🎓🐾

So excited for all that your future holds for you!

09/03/2025

🐾 Dog of the Month: Enzo 🐾

This month’s spotlight goes to the ever-talented and extremely deserving Enzo! ✨

Enzo first joined us at just 12 weeks old, and since then he and his mom have shown incredible dedication to becoming the best team they can be. Together they’ve worked on body handling, proper structure, boundaries, leash work, recall, intro to agility, stacking, conformation, dog socialization, exposure of all kinds, and focus skills. Every step of the way, Enzo has impressed us with his drive, work ethic, and endless potential. 🐶💪

Over the past two lessons, Enzo has continued to shine. In his first session, we focused on rally obedience—tackling pace changes, call fronts and finishes, 360° turns, figure 8s, and serpentine patterns. He also practiced sit/down/stand transitions, pivots, stacking block work, and placement training like “send to bed.” 🏆

This past week, we took things outdoors. Enzo rose to the challenge of distractions, new environments, and confidence-building exercises around different textures and park life. He handled it all like a pro—showing not only his smarts but also the strong bond and trust he has with his handler. 🌳🐕

Enzo is highly intelligent, motivated, and always eager to learn. Watching the teamwork between him and his mom is truly inspiring—they leave us proud every single session. 💛

At only 8 months old, Enzo is already harnessing so much talent, and we are beyond excited to see where the training world will take him. He’s already shown a keen interest in conformation, rally, scent work, and agility (once he’s at the proper age for his growth). 🚀🐾

Congratulations, Enzo, on being Well Mannered Mutts’ Dog of the Month! Seeing your journey unfold, from puppyhood to the smart, capable young dog you are now, has been an incredible gift 🎉🐾

08/31/2025

This 💯

Many people want to talk about “abuse” when they see a prong collar or an e-collar on a dog. But let’s be honest—where is the real abuse?

It’s not the training tool.
�It’s the dog that’s obese because their owner feeds them junk food and never exercises them.
�It’s the dog that sits in a backyard or crate with zero training, zero stimulation, and no connection with their human.�It’s the dog that gets neglected—not challenged, not walked, not given structure, and then ends up in a shelter because “he was too much to handle.”
A training tool, when used properly, isn’t abuse. In fact, it’s often the very thing that keeps a dog in their home, safe, happy, and well-adjusted.

Abuse is failing a dog by not giving them what they truly need: guidance, discipline, exercise, structure, and love.
We need to stop pointing fingers at responsible training methods and start addressing the very real epidemic of neglect and overfeeding that shortens dogs’ lives and ruins their relationships with people.

At the end of the day, ask yourself: Where is the abuse?

08/26/2025

🌎🐾 Happy National Dog Day! 🐾🌎

Today we celebrate our four-legged companions—the loyal adventure buddies, the goofy couch cuddlers, the brave rescues, the wise seniors, and every pup in between.

Dogs truly make our world brighter: they teach us patience, unconditional love, and how to enjoy the little things (like a good stick, a belly rub, or a splash in the lake 🐕💦).

Give your dogs some extra love today—whether that’s a long sniffari walk, a tasty treat, or just a quiet cuddle on the couch. ❤️

Here’s to all the good dogs out there—and the humans lucky enough to share life with them! 🐶✨

📸 Drop a picture of your pup in the comments so we can celebrate them together!

08/26/2025

✨ A Little Life Update ✨

I’ve had so many sweet messages from you all checking in as my social media has been a bit quiet lately. Thank you for thinking of me 💛

The truth is, one of our own pack members is struggling. My boy Nyx recently tore and ruptured his ACL (knee), and we’ve been navigating some unfavourable lifestyle changes. After X-rays and a vet consult, we were told surgery was the only option. Wanting to explore every avenue, we sought out a second opinion. The alternatives offered were: amputation of his back leg, or a rehab plan built around rest, physio, acupuncture, laser therapy, and a custom brace.

We’ve chosen to move forward with rehab. Our vet believes the tear likely happened before Nyx came into our home, maybe as a puppy, and the rupture being more recent. So right now, all of our energy is going into keeping him comfortable, happy, and as healthy as possible while we support his recovery.

This journey has reminded me just how grateful I am for the foundation we built with Nyx and wanted to share a few things that are crucial for an injured dog;

Crate training → He has a safe place to rest and heal without overdoing it.

Loose leash walking → We can still enjoy controlled, low-impact outings without him pulling or putting strain on his injury.

Threshold manners → Calm exits and entries help him conserve energy and prevent sudden jolts.

An “off switch” → He knows how to settle when asked, which is vital for rehab and preventing overexcitement.

Solo outings → He’s confident going places without the rest of the pack, so he doesn’t feel “left out” when his schedule looks different than the others.

One challenge we’ve realized still needs work is body handling with strangers. When I adopted Nyx, he was semi-feral and is very much a mama’s boy. He fully trusts me, but he’s still unsure with men or new people touching him. This is something we’ll continue to work on, as handling is crucial in times like this.

Since his physical activity is limited, we’ve been getting creative with enrichment: scatter feeding in the yard, his tricky ball, ball pit games, and even starting low-impact scent detection. He’s thriving on the mental work and absolutely loves the extra one-on-one time.

I can’t thank you all enough for reaching out and understanding why some programs have been on hold and our social media presence has dipped. Your support means the world while we focus on giving Nyx everything he needs to heal. 💛

**We are still training and doing our regualr adventure days, but our hours have changed a bit and pack walks will be on hold for a while **

08/14/2025

Meet Oliver 🐾

This handsome hunk is Oliver — a St. Bernard x German Shorthaired Pointer. Translation? BIG, smart, and high-drive. A St. Bernard mixed with a GSP combines the Saints gentle, loyal nature with the GSP’s high energy, intelligence, and hunting drive — creating a big, affectionate, athletic dog that needs plenty of exercise, mental stimulation, and structure.

Unfortunately, his mom has been dealing with serious health challenges, making it hard to meet his needs — especially since Oliver is terrified of car rides. Add two other excitable dogs at home, and the energy can get a little chaotic. Lately, Ollie’s been hopping the fence — not to run away, but to get his mom’s attention.

In our last two sessions with Ollie, we’ve worked on leash manners — switching from a martingale to a prong so mom can walk him safely — and tackling his biggest challenge: car rides. He picked up leash work like a pro, staying in a beautiful heel almost the entire time, so we shifted our focus to desensitizing him to the car. After just two sessions… he finally got in! 🎉

Once he was in, we took it slow — starting in school zones, then residential streets, onto gravel roads, and finally the highway — until we reached our destination: a beautiful natural trail. Here, Ollie could just be a dog — soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells, and getting a respectful taste of freedom (on leash, of course). Huge win for a boy who’s used to life in town!

The best part? On the way back, Oliver hopped in the car like a pro — eager and confident. From fearful to fearless in just one day.

Proud of you, big guy. Experiencing your “first time” in nature with you? I’ll be riding that high all week. 🌲❤️

We have so much in store for this beauty!
Stay tuned for more Ollie updates 🫶