MacAdamia Dog Training

11/08/2024

I posted this picture a few months ago, but in light of the election results, I thought it beared repeating.

I want to be perfectly clear in my stance and my boundaries. This is a safe space for marginalized people of any sort. I WILL NOT work with anyone who supports removing human rights and dignities from LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people with disabilities, people whose religion does not align with Christian nationalism, nor with those who support unjust wars such as those of Russia and Isreal or who seek to undermine and remove the rights of bodily autonomy for people with a uterus.

Additionally if you voted for Trump or support his rhetoric or Project 2025 I am not going to be your dog trainer.

While this may seem to be a political post written by a business that has nothing to do with politics, again I want to be clear: Trumpism is not politics, it is a human rights crisis, and I will not be indecisive or compromise my ethics in the face of it. History will judge those who stand idle and allow atrocities to continue or actively partake in it as we judge those who did so in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s.

If you align with these core values, I would be very happy to work with you remotely or in person. 

11/05/2024

It can be hard sometimes when you’re in the midst of puppy terror time (🤣 IFYYK) to have perspective that things will get better. I was reminded of that today when something I’ve been casually working on with Inari resulted in her just basically saying “Right, I remember that now.”

She is allowed to be on the couch with her chew toys unless they are icky or crumbly. She picked up one of her crumbly edible chewies from her ex-pen and wanted to have it on the couch. I held my hand to stop her, and she immediately turned around and went back to eat it on her blanket.

Not all training is done in sessions and results in a controlled behavior. These kinds of skills for harmonious living in the home is just as important, if not more important. When you’re having a hard time thinking that things will never get better, keep a tally of these small wins because that is your light at the end of the tunnel.

And if you aren’t sure how to find that light - that’s what I’m here for. Remember that I offer remote sessions if you are not local to me!

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11/04/2024

Does “Santa” buy your pets presents?

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11/03/2024

If you’re looking for evidence that not even trainers do the perfect thing every single time: Inari is demand whining and barking at me because she wants to go outside and play with the wind and leaves (she doesn’t need to do her business because I’ve let her out three times in the last hour just to make sure lol) and I caught myself arguing with her that mom is tired (bad day for chronic illness) and will not be letting her out for the fourth time in the last hour just to play…rather than ignoring like I would advise my clients to do 🤦‍♀️ she isn’t interested in being distracted with any of her million toys, chewies, find it or training she just wants outside because she loves being out there.

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11/01/2024

What an absolutely amazing way to use training to provide agency and freedom to a special needs dog!

09/24/2024

Inari got the royal treatment at today 🥰 Thanks for the fun!

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09/06/2024

I’ve worked with Tanner personally and he is the sweetest boy. Anyone who donates towards the bill for either of these pups will get an equal amount to the donation off a training package with me - virtual or in person.

‼️WE NEED HELP‼️

We are BEGGING if you can spare any money to go towards Tanners Parvo bill or our little baby Gracies femur surgery we would be so so so appreciative!!

Donations can be made with our canadahelps link below or via etransfer to [email protected]. We also have a 50/50 currently going on as well as golf tournament fundraiser tickets!!

https://www.albertahomewardhound.com/donations.html

09/03/2024

GIFT OF THE GROWL

Not all growling is a sign that a dog’s unhappy. Some growls may be part of a particular play style, seeking attention, from frustration, excitement or other reasons. They may all sound a little different and may be unique to that particular dog.

This post is not about different types of growls, but about reactive, aggressive or early warning growls.

When a dog growls, especially when it’s directed at us, our natural human response is to feel offended and maybe even angry.

Surely dogs need to learn not to growl, growling is bad, it’s not acceptable, it’s a problem that needs to be stopped or punished so a dog learns that it’s wrong, disrespectful and unacceptable, right?

This couldn’t be further from the truth! A dog that growls has just provided us with very valuable information.

In their way, they have just told us how they feel about a situation without escalating to a bite.

Dogs use growling in an attempt to avoid having to resort to biting, not to initiate it. They could just as easily not have even bothered to growl and gone straight to a bite.

A dog that growls is trying to communicate how they feel. Ignoring or punishment only suppresses this communication. Punishment increases fear, anxiety and stress.

A dog that bites without the warning of a growl is a far more serious problem than a dog that growls but doesn’t bite.

Look for any other early warning signals that may precede a growl. Learn to recognise body language and specific situations that trigger it.

Be grateful for the gift of a growl – this is a non-violent early warning signal that we need to acknowledge, understand and respect.

It's a gift of clear communication that allows us to intervene, advocate and prevent escalation to a bite.

08/23/2024

The results of a few minutes of training are great 🤣

Of course right before this she p*ed on the carpet, the only warning being a quick zoomie 🤦‍♀️ The journey with a puppy is full of ups and downs!

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08/20/2024

I do some volunteer work for a local rescue and helped an older pup and his foster parents yesterday. Love seeing this kind of update 🥰

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08/18/2024

Sometimes enrichment looks like letting your dog watch kids in the distance. Inari was fascinated by the kids playing on the soccer field and stopped to watch them for a few minutes.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting anything that is really training related yet. This is on purpose as we haven’t started much in the way of training. The last few weeks have been about getting to know each other, helping Inari understand how to live in our world and bonding.

Training has started a bit more the last few days. We’ve been working on teaching her a hand touch, introducing targeting on talking buttons and getting her used to walking on leash.

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08/15/2024

This is a puppy that woke me up, desperately asking me to go outside two minutes before this photo and doing her p*e dance. She has not p*ed. Apparently she just wanted her stick 🤣

One of the many reasons, puppies drive us crazy while simultaneously being absolutely adorable.

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08/13/2024

My little fluffball is hanging with me while I’m working on one of my courses. Love collagen sticks! One of her favourite chew options.

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08/12/2024

Thank you to SaraLynn at for giving my girl the spaw treatment 🥰

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08/07/2024

For me one of the most important skills, my dogs have is ability to just relax. Inari is full of beans and is only just starting to learn this. We are watching my aunt and uncle’s dogs and she is learning from them how good it is to just rest, As well as good play behaviour (video of that to come when I can get a good one 😃)

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