Paws in Harmony - Sydney Lupton, FDM

02/12/2025

02/07/2025

**This is a courtesy post - please contact the phone number below**:

Looking for a new home!

🐾 Meet Evelyn – The Perfect Adventure & Cuddle Buddy! 🐾

Looking for a loyal, loving, and well-trained companion? Evelyn (nicknamed Evie affectionately) might be your perfect match! She is a two year old, 50 pound lab x bully mix.

✔️ People-Loving Sweetheart – Evie adores people and thrives in a home without young children. While she’s great with handling (nail trims? No problem!), baths aren’t her favorite.
✔️ Leash Pro & Obedience Star – She walks beautifully on a leash, passes cars and people with ease, and has top-notch obedience, recall, and training. She’s muzzle-trained and eager to please—she’d be incredible at dog sports!
✔️ Best as a Solo Pet – While she has a few long-time dog friends, she’s reactive to unfamiliar dogs and can be unpredictable in the home. She needs an experienced owner to help her navigate her dog reactivity
✔️ Athletic & Chill – Whether it’s running, chasing, swimming, or jumping, she’s always up for an adventure! But once inside, she’s the ultimate couch potato, happy to lounge with you all day (rainy days? No problem, she's happy to be at home with you)
✔️ Crate Trained & House Ready – She loves her crate but does fine when left out. She has worked through separation anxiety and has never been destructive.
✔️ Managing Anxiety – She’s on fluoxetine & gabapentin for anxiety and has pet insurance to keep her covered.
✔️ Car Rides? TBD! 🚗 – She gets a little whiny in the car—whether it’s excitement, anxiety, or a little bit of both, she’s still figuring it out!

Evie needs a dedicated, experienced home where she can continue to thrive. If you’re looking for a well-trained, affectionate, and adventurous best friend, she could be the one for you!

She currently lives in the Kimberley area, but her owner is happy to drive to meet the right family for her.

Contact: 902 440 3029

I have worked with Evelyn and can attest to her incredibly sweet nature. She is eager to please and is looking for that special home to help her decompress and really show her personality!

02/02/2025

Want full transparency? Vulnerability is my superpower so here goes...

✂️ I almost cancelled this webinar! ✂️

Yep, that's right.

😹 That's how difficult this past month has been as we settle in with our new rescue dog, Ginger 😹

In this webinar, I'm gunna walk you through the nitty gritty of bringing home a dog with complex behavior needs and a traumatic past. How I'm helping Ginger. What this means for my daily routine. And how Ginger is helping me to find myself again.

Spoiler alert: A new dog brings up all of YOUR traumatic past, challenges your comfort zone and forces you to readdress YOUR needs! 👉

There's no doubt that when a new rescue dog enters your home, the life that you and your family knew of will never be the same. This goes for your new dog too.

Everything they've known, smells, people, dog friends, is new and different and I am always amazed by their resiliency, adaptability and unwavering ability to trust again.

I postponed this webinar because I knew there would be more to this webinar than I could even imagine one week ago.

And I knew I wasn't in the right frame of mind to deliver you the webinar I knew I needed to deliver.

So...with all that laid out on the table,
📅Will you join me on February 10th? 📅

If you can't make it live, the webinar will be recorded so if you register before February 10th, you'll receive a full recording of the webinar.

Together, at this live webinar, we’ll dive into the ways I'm helping little miss Gingersnap settle in and know that I'm the one to turn to when she needs me and how making that my priority is going to help prevent behaviour problems like fence fighting, leash reactivity and resource guarding.

It's true!

We’re going SO much deeper than obedience drills, impulse control and waiting for bowls of food until released.

There is so much more to building the human-canine relationship than that!

If you:
🫶Feel like you're inundated with unsolicited advice toting old dog myths of "show him who's boss" or "he needs to understand no!" and KNOW in your gut there's so much more to it than that
🫶 Feel ashamed and embarrassed by your dogs big feelings and big behaviour (I get it, it's a lot)
🫶 Don’t feel like you’re allowed to have bad days and struggle with perfectionism in your life with and without your dogs
🫶 Struggle to sit with big feelings - whether it’s your dog feeling them or you, or both!
🫶 Feel like your dog STILL has behaviour issues, no matter how much "training" and enrichment you do with them
🫶 Feel exhausted by how much you’re giving to your dogs and wonder how you can balance both your needs at the same time
🫶 Are tired of shaming yourself and hoping it changes your behaviour (spoiler alert: it only makes the cycle worse!)

Then this webinar is for YOU you beautiful human being, you!

Hi 👋, I'm Sydney, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and owner of Paws in Harmony.
I want to share with you insights into my own journey struggling through some really dark days and how my journey of helping dogs has helped me find the path of the Light again.
Join me, as I share my story of healing, survival and triumph and how my journey to mental wellness changed the way I would train and work with dogs forever.
This is for all of the dogs and the people who feel they need to stay small.
Who feel like their emotions aren’t allowed.
Who put pressure on themselves to do it all, to do it perfectly.

This is dog training. With heart.

📩HOW TO REGISTER (It takes 5 minutes!):📩
1. Click the 🔗 in the comments of this post to register
2. The link will open up a booking calendar, go to the date - February 10th and click on it on the calendar.
3. It will open up a button on the right side that says 7:00pm. Click that time! You're almost there!
4. Complete registration by entering a few quick details and processing payment for the $5 donation.
5. You will receive an email to the email you registered with upon registration and a few times prior to the event as a reminder. These emails will provide you with the private joining link to get into the event.
6. Join us on the evening of February 10th live or watch the recording which will slide into your email after we wrap up!

02/02/2025

We'll be speaking at an event in Cranbrook this month and are looking forward to seeing everyone there! We'll be giving a brief talk about the way Holistic Dog Training ensures no stone is left unturned when we're talking about solving behavior problems and helping our dogs live more confident and happy lives with us. We'll see you there!

Do you have questions about your pets? It could be canine training, modern methodologies, wellbeing, health, fitness, grooming, boarding, pet sitting??? ....
Its' all here on February 15th. Get those questions answered, hear presentations from all exhibitors and enjoy food and beverages from the concession at the same time!

01/31/2025

01/28/2025

01/23/2025

WHY I DON'T STROKE A DOG OR PUPPY THAT IS BEING CARRIED! 🐶

As a general rule, if I do not have a well established, positive relationship with a dog or puppy, I will NOT stroke them when they are being carried by their owner.

The reason for this is that when they are being carried, such as during pre-vaccination exposure to the outside world, they are unable to fully consent to an interaction.

If a puppy (or small dog!) is on the floor, they can move towards a person with relaxed and confident body language as a way of signalling they are comfortable with an interaction.

Whereas, whilst being carried- there is no avoidance option available to them. They are effectively trapped with very limited options on how to use their body language to signal their preference to be left alone, such as by orienting their body away.

Additionally, stroking a puppy or dog in this context tends to mean you are reaching directly for their head, something which many dogs find unpleasant - especially when interacting with unfamiliar or less familiar persons.

If I know a dog or puppy well or if that puppy/dog is clearly signalling they wish for an interaction then I MAY waiver my rule and engage with them briefly- stopping after 1-2 seconds to see how they feel and whether they ask for more.

Signs that they are more likely to be comfortable with an interaction are;

✅ Looking at me (with confidence)
✅ Perhaps wriggling their body TOWARDS me when we make eye contact
✅ Ears pricked forward but not too rigi
✅ Relaxed facial muscles and soft eyes
✅ Absence of trembling

Signs that a puppy or dog does not wish to be touched whilst being held are;

❌ Looking away
❌ Staring with an absence of movement in the body and head
❌ Pulling their ears back
❌ Trembling
❌ Trying to wriggle free, but in an attempt to be put down on the ground

01/19/2025

This months webinar, we're getting deep! 😬

Not only will we nerd out about dog behaviour and what the science says about how we can live better lives with our dogs and be more joyful, present and complete in our own human lives, but it just so happens I've embarked on a new canine guardian journey of my own.

I've just brought home an adoption trial rescue named Ginger. Miss Gingersnap was abandoned as a puppy in a Northern Alberta reserve and has spent almost all of her life fending for and defending herself and her needs.

Ginger has experienced a lot of trauma in her short time on Earth but shows deep resiliency and adaptability. This girl definitely spent time hunting and consuming animals for sustenance so you can imagine a puppy like that will have some stuff to work through now that she's expected to live as a pretty little pet dog in a Human World.

Together, at this live webinar, we’ll dive into the ways I'm helping Ginger settle in and understand that I'm the one to turn to when she needs me and why THAT is my main priority.

Together, at this live webinar, we’ll dive into the ways I'm helping little miss Gingersnap settle in and know that I'm the one to turn to when she needs me and how making that my priority is going to help prevent behaviour problems like fence fighting, leash reactivity and resource guarding.

It's true!

We’re going SO much deeper than obedience drills, impulse control and waiting for bowls of food until released.

There is so much more to the human-canine relationship than that!

If you:

🫶Feel like you're inundated with unsolicited advice toting old dog myths of "show him who's boss" or "he needs to understand no!" and KNOW in your gut there's so much more to it than that

🫶 Feel ashamed and embarrassed by your dogs big feelings and big behaviour (I get it, it's a lot)

🫶 Don’t feel like you’re allowed to have bad days and struggle with perfectionism in your life with and without your dogs

🫶 Struggle to sit with big feelings - whether it’s your dog feeling them or you, or both!

🫶 Feel like your dog STILL has behaviour issues, no matter how much "training" and enrichment you do with them

🫶 Feel exhausted by how much you’re giving to your dogs and wonder how you can balance both your needs at the same time

🫶 Are tired of shaming yourself and hoping it changes your behaviour (spoiler alert: it only makes the cycle worse!)

Then this webinar is for YOU you beautiful human being, you!

Hi 👋, I'm Sydney, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and owner of Paws in Harmony.

I want to share with you insights into my own journey struggling through some really dark days and how my journey of helping dogs has helped me find the path of the Light again.

Join me, as I share my story of healing, survival and triumph and how my journey to mental wellness changed the way I would train and work with dogs forever.

This is for all of the dogs and the people who feel they need to stay small.
Who feel like their emotions aren’t allowed.
Who put pressure on themselves to do it all, to do it perfectly.
This is dog training. With heart.

Join me on January 29th at 7pm MST!

HOW TO REGISTER:
1. Click the 🔗 in the comments of this post to register
2. The link will open up a booking calendar, go to the date - January 29 and click on it on the calendar.
3. It will open up a button on the right side that says 7:00pm. Click that time! You're almost there!
4. Complete registration by entering a few quick details and processing payment for the $5 donation.
5. You will receive an email to the email you registered with upon registration and a few times prior to the event as a reminder. These emails will provide you with the private joining link to get into the event.
6. Join us on the evening of January 29th live or watch the recording which will slide into your email after we wrap up!

01/19/2025

The first book I read by Karen Pryor was “Reaching the Animal Mind.” At the time, I was teaching university-level applied ethics. This book offered me a way to look at familiar problems in animal ethics in a new light and with attention to individual animal behavior. I began to learn how meaningful and impactful positive reinforcement could be. My copy of this book is crinkled and warped from multiple coffee spills, and so many corners of pages are folded that the book is swollen in its upper right.

Today, I am holding gratitude to the spirit and memory of Karen Pryor, who died on January 4th at the age of 92. Her legacy of kindness lives on in me, you, and your dogs. 💖

01/18/2025

Struggling on walks with your dog?

Reactivity? Pulling?

Check it out! It's only 30 minutes long - listen on a drive. It's amazing!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jKuO95wzBFrF93CqSqlJ0?si=feb1665179d248dc

Send a message to learn more

01/15/2025

When we work closely with our dogs, take small steps, we often forget to look back. We are so focused on our current challenges, that we don’t notice the huge progress we have already achieved.

While we want to move forwards, don’t forget to glance back every now and then to remind yourself just how great you are really doing.

01/14/2025

We're doing more than just cookie tossing around these parts. Holistic dog training is an incredibly investigative process which is what I love most about it. We don't just throw cookies, we do SO much more.

Given the statements that we see so often from those using aversive or 'balanced' training methods, those of us who use a force free approach need to clear up some of the issues with what is said.

As well as the red flags so often seen of 'positive only' or 'purely positive', these statements will usually trot out the old misunderstanding that all we do is toss cheese at a dog when they do something right and ignore everything else. This is absolutely untrue and does not reflect the force free approach at all.

Successful force free training involves SO much more than that.

• It needs a deep understanding of learning theory.
• What the dog's welfare needs are and how to make sure they are met.
• The potential impact of health on behaviour.
• The emotional states that underly behaviours.
• How to manage situations so that the dogs don't carry out the undesired behaviours and perhaps get an internal reward for doing them.
• How to train other behaviours the dog can do in that situation that will be rewarded so that the undesirable behaviour is no longer the best choice for them in that situation.
• When training isn’t the right answer at all.

The factors involved in getting the force free approach and training right are far too many for me to list in this post or on this image, but these are the things that a good force free trainer or behaviour professional is doing every time they are working with a dog and their humans.

It's so much more than just lobbing food at a dog.

01/12/2025

Join Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Sydney Lupton, as she shares her story of healing, survival and triumph and how her journey to mental wellness changed the way she would train dogs forever.

HOW TO REGISTER:
1. Click the 🔗 in the comments of this post to register
2. The link will open up a booking calendar, go to the date - January 29 and click on it on the calendar.
3. It will open up a button that says 7:00pm. Click that time! You're almost there!
4. Complete registration by entering a few quick details and processing payment for the $5 donation.
5. You will receive an email to the email you registered with upon registration and a few times prior to the event as a reminder. These emails will provide you with the private joining link to get into the event.
6. Join us on the evening of January 29th live or watch the recording which will slide into your email after we wrap up.

01/11/2025

We are excited to announce this accomplishment! As a holistic dog trainer, we pride ourselves in understanding canine behaviour in a way that encompasses the entire experience of the dog - this includes food! We love learning!

Congratulations to Sydney Lupton, who recently completed her professional training certificate in Basics of Canine Nutrition with The Science Dog Courses! Sydney is a professional dog trainer and the owner of Paws in Harmony Dog Training, located in Kimberley, BC. Sydney is CCPDT and Family Dog Mediator certified and offers both in person and remote training services for dogs and their people! More about Sydney and the services she provides can be found at her website: pawsinharmonykimberley.com. Congrats again, Sydney!

01/06/2025

Let's get real for a second.

The world often paints a picture that dogs who live together are best friends and do everything together.

This is just not true. Many many many multidog household utilize management in different situations to allow dogs personal space to enjoy things such as:

- feeding time
- chew time
- play time
- attention time

This. Is. Normal.

Just because someone utilizes management, doesn't mean their dogs don't enjoy each other's company or have fun together. It just means that there are certain activities that they prefer to do on their own.

And I will tell you firsthand that implementing safe space zones and time apart can be so beneficial to the relationship between two dogs.

Think about it-- do you enjoy doing every single activity that you do at home with your spouse, family, or sibling RIGHT there? I don't think so.

So let's normalize management between dogs who live together!!

Do you want to work on your dogs' relationship and/or interactions? Go to my website here to schedule a private consult: perkedears.com/private-training-sessions