Kloud K9 Dog Psychology Centre

03/04/2025

🎯 

03/04/2025

⭐️ DAY 63 of 100 days of KLOUD K9! ⭐️

👀 Part 2 of yesterday’s challenge 👀

The goal: Steps to bring your dog to dog friendly places.


🏡 PLACE WORK – A Game-Changer for Settling

I’m a huge advocate for Place, but not as a crutch. It’s a tool to teach calm behavior and impulse control.

You don’t need fancy equipment—use a dog bed, a yoga mat, or anything with a clear boundary.

🔥 How to Start Place Training:

1️⃣ Lead your dog onto the surface (use leash guidance if needed).
2️⃣ Mark (“YES”) and reward for getting on.
3️⃣ If they step off without permission, calmly guide them back.
4️⃣ Introduce a release word (e.g., “OK”) so they learn to wait until you say so.
5️⃣ Once they stay consistently, start adding short durations before releasing them.

🚨 The Key? The dog does NOT release themselves.
Dogs that learn this skill naturally develop better patience, which is exactly what they need to be well-behaved in busy public spaces.

🎯 Final Thoughts
If your goal is to enjoy pet-friendly places this summer 🌞, practice impulse control NOW. The dogs that succeed in cafés, breweries, and busy areas? They’ve practiced calmness at home first.

✅ Work on Thresholds
✅ Build Place Duration
✅ Teach a Clear Release Command

🐕💭 Imagine walking into a café with a dog that naturally pauses at doors, settles on command, and doesn’t self-release. That’s the dream, right? Let’s make it happen!

Drop a 🐶 in the comments if you’re working on this with your dog! ⬇️

💡 Need help laying the foundation? We offer day training at the Dog Psychology Centre, where we can put in the reps for you and introduce these skills. Perfect for busy owners!

To get started; I’ll link up my assessment form:

https://fs30.formsite.com/KloudK9DogPsychologyCentre/https---fs30-formsite-co/index

03/03/2025

Day 62 of 100 Days of KLOUD K9 ☁️🐾

❓ What’s your goal with your dog? When I ask clients this, a common answer is:

➡️ “I want to take my dog to breweries, cafés, and pet-friendly places without stress.”

This is totally achievable—but only if the foundation is there first.

Most dogs struggle in these environments not because they can’t behave, but because they’ve never been taught impulse control in low-distraction settings first.

We’ve practiced these in previous challenges but
many people overlook things until they put into perspective of when those skills may come in handy.

🔑 IMPULSE CONTROL MUST BE TAUGHT.

It’s not something dogs are born with. I’ve never gotten a call saying, “I can’t get my dog excited!” But I get messages every day from people saying, “My dog won’t settle.”

If you want to enjoy dog-friendly spaces, start here 👇🏼

🚪 THRESHOLD WORK – Stop the Rushing

Dogs that burst through doors struggle with impulse control in public. Whether it’s a crate, car, or front door, they should wait for permission to move forward.

🔥 How to Practice Thresholds:

1️⃣ Approach the door and ask for a sit (or a pause).
2️⃣ Crack the door open. If your dog tries to go through—shut it. Repeat until they hold position.
3️⃣ Once they’re waiting calmly, use your release word (e.g., “OK”) and let them through.
4️⃣ Do this every time—consistency matters!

💡 Why? Teaching a dog to wait at a threshold forces them to stop, think, and self-regulate instead of reacting on impulse. This carries over to all aspects of life.


🔥 To be continued… Part 2 will be tomorrow’s challenge! 👀 Stay tuned!

03/02/2025

Important info for the ball driven doggos!

Many don’t know this information! Remember every second matters during a choking incident.
1. Place the dog on their back. Brace the back against the floor. Straddle the dog while adjusting yourself based on the size of the dog. Position the head in “in-line position” with the airway parallel to the floor.
2. Make an open diamond shape with your hands. Place your thumbs on either side of the trachea below the ball or object. Grip the “V” of the jaw using lip/cheek to protect fingers.
3. Push with a J-stroke down and out against the ball until it ejects from the mouth.
Both this method and the Heimlich method has been proven to work in these scenarios so don’t hesitate to save your dog.

03/02/2025

⭐️ Day 61 of 100 days of KLOUD K9! ⭐️

🤫 The Silent Introduction Challenge 🤫

From a young age, most of us are taught to connect through sound—we express excitement, affection, and energy with our voices.

But when interacting with dogs, leading with sound often sends the wrong message.

If a dog is already excited, anxious, or unsure, adding noise can escalate their state instead of helping them settle.

Dogs experience the world differently than we do.

While humans tend to focus on what they hear and see first, dogs process things in a different order—scent, sight, then sound.

This means that when we greet them by talking or making noise first, we’re skipping the most natural and calming part of their introduction process.

Today’s Challenge:

For the next 24 hours and a good practice for life, challenge yourself to greet dogs without words.

Stay quiet, neutral, and let them take you in through scent first.

Observe their reaction—do they approach more calmly?

Do they seem more relaxed?

Share what you notice!

03/01/2025

⭐️ Day 60 of 100 Days of KloudK9 ⭐️

🐾 Dogs Are Always Communicating, Are You Listening? 👂

One thing I will always emphasize—things never happen out of the blue. I hear it all the time: “I don’t know what happened! It just happened out of nowhere!” But the truth is, dogs are always communicating. It’s just that many of their signals are subtle—so subtle that they’re easy to miss if you’re not paying close attention.

A shift in breathing. A moment of hesitation. A slight change in muscle tension. A flicker in the eyes. Even something as minor as the way a single hair stands up can be a clue. These are all emotional responses, just like the ones we experience when we feel stress or anxiety—our heart rate increases, our breathing changes, our body responds in ways we may not even notice ourselves.

Dogs experience the same physiological responses, but because they have fur and communicate differently than we do, it takes practice to recognize what they’re feeling. Today’s challenge is simple: take a few minutes to watch this video, where a vet breaks down different aspects of body language. The goal is not just to watch but to really see the subtle shifts in behavior that dogs display before they react.

One situation where this often gets overlooked? The vet’s office. And this isn’t to call anyone out, but if you’ve ever been in that environment, you’ve probably seen well-meaning staff or strangers approach a nervous dog with high-pitched voices, fast movements, or excessive affection. And while the intent may be good, the reality is that most dogs don’t find comfort in that kind of interaction—especially when they’re already in a stressful situation.

Here’s something to think about: A vet clinic is full of unfamiliar smells—chemical cleaners, other stressed dogs, and yes, even the scent of sickness and death. Imagine walking into a place where those smells are overwhelming your senses. Would you feel calm? Probably not.

That’s why it’s so important to advocate for your dog in these moments. Just because a setting feels routine for us doesn’t mean it feels that way for them. And just because someone works in a certain environment doesn’t necessarily mean they fully understand your dog’s emotional state.

So today, I want you to reflect: Have you ever dismissed a subtle signal from your dog simply because you didn’t recognize it? Have you ever been in a situation where you felt your dog was uncomfortable, but weren’t sure how to respond? If so, this video is for you.

WATCH HERE:

Barbara shows us how to read the body language of our dogs so that we can anticipate and alleviate their anxiety.Barbara Sherman, a board-certified veterinar...

02/28/2025

⭐️ Day 59 of 100 days of KLOUD K9! ⭐️

The Free Will Challenge: Putting in the Reps

Consistency is the foundation of great dog training. We all know that real progress comes from showing up, putting in the reps, and reinforcing what we’ve learned. Today, we’re taking a step back—but not in the way you think.

Your challenge for today is to revisit any one challenge from Day 1 to Day 58 and do it again. Maybe it was one that pushed you outside of your comfort zone, or maybe there was a challenge you meant to try but never got around to.

Choose intentionally. This isn’t about repeating just for the sake of it—it’s about reinforcing skills, deepening your connection with your dog, and proving that progress comes from repetition, not just variety.

Some things to think about as you choose your challenge:

✅ What’s one skill your dog still needs more practice on?
✅ Was there a challenge that felt difficult the first time? Try it again with fresh perspective.
✅ Have you and your dog grown since the last time you tried it? Pay attention to any improvements.

Training isn’t about constantly seeking new tricks—it’s about solidifying the foundation. So today, pick your challenge, commit to it, and most importantly, put in the reps.

Let me know which challenge you’re revisiting today and how it goes!

02/27/2025

🌟 Day 58 of 100 days of KLOUD K9! 🌟

Emotional Trigger Self-Reflection Challenge

Yesterday, a client reached out to me mid-walk, just needing support in a tough moment. It honestly means so much to me when people know they’re not alone in this journey. Having a reactive dog can feel isolating, but knowing you have someone to lean on can make all the difference.

Today’s challenge is a self-reflection one. I want you to take a moment to reflect on the emotions your dog triggers in you—whether it’s frustration, patience, or something else entirely.

Our dogs often highlight areas where we need more support or that we are not free, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity for growth.

This isn’t about shame or judgment, just self-awareness.

If you’re comfortable, I’d love to hear what emotions your dog brings out in you.

Drop them in the comments! ⬇️

02/26/2025

March 1:1 sessions are booking up fast!

If already sent your assessment, to speed up the process, grab your spot now before they’re gone!

📅 Book Here: https://bookedin.com/book/kloud-k9-dog-psychology-centre

📝 Haven’t submitted your assessment yet?
Do it here: https://fs30.formsite.com/KloudK9DogPsychologyCentre/https---fs30-formsite-co/index

02/26/2025

WARNING: ⚠️
Trigger warning. I’m sharing for education ONLY! I do not know facts but please do NOT buy over the counter products like flea & tick medication or dewormers 😭❤️‍🩹

02/25/2025

⭐️ DAY 56 of 100 days of KLOUD K9! ⭐️

🫵 Test your training 🫵

I nitpick, I know I do. But out of LOVE!

It’s because I want to take people’s training to the next level. When dogs come through my doors, I always show owners how to test their training, and their reaction is always the same: 😮

They were convinced their dog understood a command, only to realize their dog was actually usually following a pattern.

Dogs are always studying us.

They don’t just listen to what we say, they watch our body language, habits, and routines.

💥 How to Test It:

1️⃣ Say the Command, But Don’t Move – If you usually step forward when you say “come” or shift your weight when asking for “down,” try saying the command without that movement. Does your dog still respond?

2️⃣ Change the Sequence – If you always throw food when releasing from a stay, try pausing before the release cue or rewarding in a different way. See if your dog is actually waiting for the word or just anticipating your next move.

3️⃣ Break the Pattern – If you always say a command in a specific order, mix it up. See if they still understand what you’re asking.

If your dog struggles, that’s okay!

It’s a sign to go back and strengthen the verbal cue so they’re responding to the command, not just the routine.

Try it out today and let me know what you discover! 🐕🔥

02/25/2025

Exclusive to Kloud K9 Clients!

Do the work, reap double the rewards.

A great relationship with your dog and extra perks like a dog-friendly dome retreat for you and your dog to practice the art of doing nothing together!

🌿 Gökotta Dome included: King Size Bed, Private Hot Tub, Sauna & more!

March 3,
March 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
March 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
March 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
March 31

Not a client yet but want in on the perks? Hit the join the pack button and fill out an assessment form to get started!

www.kloudk9dpc.com