In Partnership Dog Training

04/13/2025

It doesn't have to be a headache to have your dog at your wedding!
I am excited to offer a new, fun service: wedding dog handling. Eliminate the worry about how you will incorporate your dog into the big day. You don't want one more thing to think about.

From pre-wedding training to ensuring they are well taken care of but still part of the action on the day of- in whatever way is most appropriate for them- let me be your dog's wedding date so you can focus on you.

I don't have to tell anyone here that dog's are important members of our family! Unfortunately it can be awkward to figure out how to include them in this big celebration. You could ask your friends or family but you don't want to burden them and will they remember to feed dinner if they are having too much fun? Thats where I can help.

Various packages and custom options available. Reach out to let me know how I can help make your vision for your dog at your wedding a reality. Click here for more information:
https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/weddings

04/11/2025

"How do I get my dog not to... not to...not to...?"
Let's refocus people. How about: "How do I get me dog TO___?!"
In fact the answer to "How do I get me dog not to X?" is get them TO do Y!

Reinforce what you like. Avoid giving your dog the change to practice what you don't like.

Im going to just leave it at that. Leave questions below. ⬇️

04/07/2025

Good morning and happy Monday! This is the happy look of a dog who, by getting out for more and more walks is becoming easier to walk because getting out of the house is less novel. By helping Milo‘s people build confidence in leash handling and keeping Milo‘s attention while out and about, something that had previously been challenging, it means that Milo is able to get out more and thus be a bit less crazy when he does. It’s a feedback loop that can be unfortunate: walks become hard ➡️ we go on a fewer walks then ➡️walks get harder. By ensuring we’re setting Milo up for success on walks by going to appropriate locations, giving him plenty of opportunities to sniff and explore, ensuring his exposure to dogs is appropriate and meeting his other needs for mental enrichment and stimulation at home walks can be productive and not a fight. So I’m happy to say we have busted out of this cycle for Milo and everybody in this family is having more and enjoyable walks!

Sound familiar? Let me help you!

04/05/2025

It sucks when we see a side of our dog that is less than pleasant and that we really were not expecting. It hurts, it might feel embarrassing, scary, unsettling or a whole other range of things. Its not surprising if you feel a little sick to your stomach or even personally insulted.

If this is you I am so sorry. And there is a path forward.

You do not need to navigate this alone. Support exists through professionals in addition to a lot of other people who are experiencing similar challenges.

Please reach out.

❤
Jane

04/03/2025

Meet Willow. Willow‘s human is planning to move in with her boyfriend. Great! The catch? There is a cat. Duh dun duh. And Willow likes to chase cats so what do we do?

Management is an essential part of the strategy here so that we can get off to a good start and Willow won’t continue to learn that chasing cats is fun, especially because we don’t know what happens if Willow actually gets to the cat. Often this just means the fun is over, because the game of chase is over and that’s all, but we’re certainly not willing to test this theory.

First off, ensuring the cat has plenty of spaces where he can go and be safe and relaxed away from Willow. This includes where he eats and goes to the bathroom. Places up high are good too. Second, all interactions between the cat and Willow need to be managed through restraint for Willow and freedom for the cat to move away. Tools like tethers, leashes, baby gates, and ex-pens are critical for this not to mention doors! Third installing really excellent settling behaviors in Willow -a stay on her bed or the like is also really helpful. And finally showing Willow that when the cat comes around staying calm on the bed pays off extra extraordinarily. I’m talking it rains chicken. This is a strong impulse that we are working against. We need to make it unequivocally awesome not to do the thing she naturally wants to do. Ideally, we are starting with a cat who walks in the room as opposed to sprints across it and gradually working towards a more speedy, interesting cat, but given Wolf (yes, that’s the cats name) may not be reading our training plan line for line will do our best here.
Is this an insurmountable feat? No. Will it take some time? Yes. Can we tell the outcome at this time? No, that really depends a lot on Willow and on how much time these folks are willing to put into this work going forward. It would also be totally reasonable for them to choose to simply manage the situation forever. If that is easier for them, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

This week we get started in the house with the cat. Will keep you posted :-)

04/02/2025

Sometimes training is really fast and easy!....for better or for worse. It is helpful to understand how single event learning works so that you can help facilitate new encounters especially to be FABULOUS. And so that you can understand why your dog might "all of a sudden" be uncomfortable in a certain situation.

A fabulous example of single event learning that accidentally happened to a client of mine was this: This dog did not love the car. He would get in but it took some coaxing. One day he was out with his human grandma and the stopped at at White Spot. When they got back in the car she gave the dog a hamburger. Yes, on purpose. Well from then on this pup LOVED the car!

Would that all training were so easy!...except that it can be sometimes!

An unfortunate frequent example is the dog who has had a very unpleasant encounter with another dog thus poisoning their reactions to other dogs going forward. This IS something that can be remedied, as with all fear gradually and a little at a time. And depending on the severity of the incident may not be as big a deal if the dog is well "padded" with lots of other very positive dog experiences to help balance the scales.

What are some examples of things your dog has learned through single event learning that they either love or are worried about?

#

04/01/2025

Congratulations to our latest group of manners, class graduates! We had a great time, learning loose leash walking, recall, stay and leave it and polite greeting behaviors. This class wins the prize for the best attendance EVER with 100% to all classes. Thanks for your dedication, it was fun watching your dogs. Learn come out of their shells and have a good time

Looking to join us for the next set of sessions? Our next batch start at the end of April and there’s only one session left in the manners class so sign up now if you want that spot! Puppy classes and trail dog class also have registration open now.

03/26/2025

Happy Mud Season! Check out our spring newsletter for infomation on upcoming classes, new offerings, an article on dog fear and more. - https://mailchi.mp/b30decebe3a9/newsletter-travel-tips-now-booking-in-nelson-6744666

03/24/2025

Rocket is one lucky lady. She gets to ski and hike and bike (year round!) with her human. A pretty ideal set up for a working breed with a ton of of energy. That said she has some room for improvement with recall and sticking close when off leash so we hit the trail of Nelson last week for some polishing.

If you are looking to improve your dog’s trail skills and foundations check out my upcoming Terrific Trail Dog class. Registration is now open (see link in bio)and we start at the end of April.

03/21/2025

Register now for spring classes! We start at the end of April.

Build solid foundations to head off later challenges and develop your communication skills and relationship with your dog. Classes aim to be fun and educational for both the dogs and humans- after all I really am training YOU to train your dog. 😊 So come join me at Lucky Leash daycare for the puppy and basics classes or outside on the trails of Nelson to build your dog's trial skills.

Visit this link: https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/classes specifics on each class and to sign up. Spaces are limited! Hope to see you there.

-Jane

03/20/2025

Stay- it’s a handy cue! For safety and as an alternate behavior for habits we don’t want our dogs to practice.

Once you have installed the basic cue practice it in the locations and around the distractions where you will need it. Practice in the living room does not transfer very directly to a skill in the park, you need to practice it there too. As you add distractions, add them gradually starting with the easier ones and then adding the more difficult ones. Consider breaking these into smaller pieces too if the whole distraction is too challenging.

Jasper here spends a lot of time in his garage with his person. So we are working on stay in that location. This is one way of making training more efficient. Practice a skill where you need it! Need you dog to stay on their bed while you cook dinner? Well practice in the kitchen on their bed then. :)

03/19/2025

It is not infrequently that I first meet clients and think "man, if you had only reached out sooner this behavior problem would be so much less complex."

But people wait so long for a number of reasons:

-They think they can figure out how to fix it. And I know that this is sometimes the case- good job to these people! Or in the worst case scenario what they tried to do made it worse.

-They think the problem will not get worse or the dog will outgrow it. This is so dependent on the challenge. But broadly speaking teenage schenanigans will pass, but that doesn't mean would shouldn't be channeling their behavior in the right direction in this phase. But dogs will not grow out of fear. If a fear develops ingnoring it will not make it go away.

-Dog training is not a priority place to spend their money. Look I get it if folks cannot afford dog training, period. That is real. I want to support these folks too- reach out if that is you. I barter and I work on a sliding scale if need be. For everyone else, dog training is an investment in your dog's (and your!) well being and your relationship together. Its easier to build a solid foundation earlier than later.

SO! Help me help you by reaching out when you think it might even just mayyyy bee a good idea and if you are unsure we can chat about that too!

-Jane

03/18/2025

Meet Rafiki! Or Rafi when he’s not in trouble :) he’s a spunky teenager whose world is expanding and whose people are working hard to set him up for success. A lot of people seem to have the impression that training with positive reinforcement is somehow synonymous with letting your dog get away with anything. Well that’s wrong. You CAN have boundaries and train with positive reinforcement or R+ too.

For this teenager who is predictably learning where the bounds of their world are, (Like all adolescents of ALL species) we can teach him those boundaries first and foremost by preventing him from discovering where that edge is though management and by taking away privileges immediately when the line is crossed.

For example with Rafi:
We won’t let him discover that chasing things off into the woods or into the road is fun by keeping him on a longline and building excellent recall and stay close skills to start. And and only gradually grant hike more freedom as those habits become ingrained.
Or
if he scratches the couch in the living room, will ask him to do something else instead, and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t get to hang out in the room with us anymore. It’s a simple, clear consequence that is not harmful or scary, but where he loses access to what he wanted in that moment- the couch to dig on and most likely our company in that room too. To be clear, Rafi is a dog, who is OK being separated from his humans. I would not use this consequence for a dog with any separation anxiety.

So you can demonstrate to your dogs where and what their boundaries are, and still train humanely. Furthermore, and more importantly, you can show them through reinforcement which behaviors ARE correct. What boundaries are you working on showing your dog? And which behaviors could you do a better job of reinforcing more often?

03/17/2025

We all like to talk to our dogs! And that is great! I sure do it. But giving them a steady monologue of cues that they may or may not know that well (Have you practiced in that context before?) or may not actually be that motivated to perform is a great way for them to give a figurative doggy shrug and ignore you because they do not understand. Slow down. Practice one cue at a time. Make sure they actually understand what the behavior is and how to do it before even giving it a verbal cue. Practice in a wide variety of contexts. Reinforce it, a lot at first, when they do perform it before expecting them to listen in more generalized and challenging situations.

03/07/2025

Such a great opportunity! Don’t miss out. Thanks for offering this pet value.

It's back!

Book a VIP shopping experience for your Very Important Puppy on Sunday, March 23rd, at Pet Valu!

3 half-hour slots available to book for private after-hours access to the store!

Whether your dog is shy, dog-reactive, or just wants a private visit in our store, coming in to sniff around after hours is a great exposure and enrichment experience for all.

The store will be empty except for one employee, and the doors will be locked.

We can provide exactly the amount of interaction you and your dog would like, either staying well clear by the till or providing a tour while hiding treats to find!

This event is limited access by reservation only. Call or come in to reserve your spot today!

03/05/2025

Luna is a great example of a dog who is walking a line between being a little nervous about dogs and a little curious about dogs. This is a CRITICAL crossroads because it would be pretty easy to make that concern worse by forcing a lot of interactions with dogs which may or may not go well. However if we ensure that she feels safe around dogs and can slowly build familiarity and good associations at her pace, first at a distance and then closer with appropriately calm and friendly helper dogs, we can show her that dogs are at least nothing to worry about and at best fun friends!

02/27/2025

Reactivity can mean soooo many things. However broadly speaking it is a large behavioural response to a stimulus in a dog's environment. The dog may be upset about the thing itself or upset that they cannot ACCESS the the thing. And the response is often more extreme when the dog is attached to a leash. What changes from off leash?

The fact that they are stuck.
Now I am not saying just to drop the leash. There are a number of problems with that usually. But here is some food for thought on why that is and how to start thinking about addressing it.

02/21/2025

Jasper had been doing such a great job of progressing through work to address his resource guarding that we have been able to progress to working on more basic skills that can take the back seat to free and aggression. This week we worked on loose leash walking! The simple pleasures 😄.

Jaspers progress is a result of a combination of close management, desensitization and counter conditioning and medication. (Thank you .animal.hospital for being in our team!) For many, especially more intense cases, this trifecta forms the skeleton for the magic recipe for behavior modification success.

While we are still on the journey together here’s to celebrating a milestone of space to practice more “basic” skills together.