In Partnership Dog Training

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.

02/21/2025

Do you wish you could hire a dog walker to take your dog out but their behavioral challenges are just too complex?

Let me help.

It can take so much energy to attend to the needs of a dog who doesn't meet the mold of a "normal" dog who can walk anywhere and with anyone. Well I am here to support you!

I am now offering private walks for dogs who just don't quite fit into the mold to go on a group walk or with a walker who doesn't have behavioral experience. I know how nice it is to have someone take even just one walk a week off your schedule, especially when those walks take a lot of mental energy.

Let me provide you with some relief, be it on for a day here or there or on a regular schedule. On these walks I will provide appropriate exercise and enrichment while managing to ensure safety, working to prevent harmful exposure to triggers and training opportunistically as needed.

Currently on offer for dogs who live within 10 minutes of Nelson.
30 minute and 1 hour walks available. I do require that you have had at least one behavioural consult with either myself or a trusted colleague.

Click here for more information: https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/walks And reach out if you are interested or have questions and I look forward to seeing more of your dog!

02/19/2025

Meet Vivienne.
I mean…what a lady. Yes she’s as glam as her name would suggest.
😍

I am helping Vivienne build her confidence around people who she finds particularly intimidating, who reach for her in an undesired way or get too close to her people with movements she finds unsettling.

People may think it’s their right to be able to approach or reach for small dogs or any dog for that matter, but it’s not. But, we live in a world where people will continue to do this and so my job is to help these dogs be more comfortable around these human behaviors.

.

02/19/2025

Management is our FRIEND! What is management? It is:

Arranging a dog’s environment to promote the rehearsal of desired behaviors OR prevent opportunities for rehearsing undesired behaviors.

Some people think the use of management is lazy training. But thats far from the truth. Management is to training like Bert is to Ernie -they gotta go together! Management helps your dog not learn to do the wrong thing accidentally, it can help them feel and be safe and prevent problems or challenges from getting worse.

What management are you implementing these days to help your training?

I use management all the time. For example:
Vigo does not have access to the kitchen when we are out of the house. If he gets something on a day he is feeling bored and looking for something to do then that behavior is HUGELY reinforced.

Similarly if we are walking by a place where I know there is a compost pile he wants to scavenge in and I might be a little distracted from keeping him at my side then he is back on a leash for that part of our walk.

For fearful dogs management is critical too. It is avoiding a situation where the dog may be scared or over threshold so that they can continue to work towards building confidence and good associations in contexts that are comfortable and digestible.

Management is a trainers best friend. It can be yours too!

02/13/2025

This face!! 🥰 Mr Brew gets so darn excited when he does things he loves or is near people he loves that he can be…well…a little bit of a force to reckon with. Especially if you are a toddler. 🙈 So we are going to be working on teaching him that there are other ways to be around and greet his favorites.
Do you know a dog like this?! Tag them they are not alone!

02/06/2025

Group classes are starting again soon and are a wonderful way to get loads of dog training information and practice in in a fun and supportive environment.

Details:
Tuesdays:
Week 1 Online Orientation: 6pm
Weeks 2-6 at Lucky Leash daycare in Nelson
Puppies: 6pm, Manners: 7:15pm
Just 4 dogs per class
Includes weekly homework
$300
Registration: https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/classes

Please share with your friends!

Our new orientation will prep the humans for working with their dogs and includes plenty of information about how dog training works, how to read dog body
language and more.Puppies will get plenty of opportunities for closely monitored social interactions and play while also practicing plenty of basic skills while humans hone their socialization and training skills! In basic manners we focus on how to be a happy and well behaved member of the community going over things like walking on leash, recall, polite greetings and more.

Both classes are stellar foundations, or even brush ups, for your dog's learning journey and I will be there to support you all the way.

Hope to see you or your friends there!

02/05/2025

How impressive is this guy's shining white coat?! This sweet little man is Artu. He LOVES people. (Think- better keep your mouth closed when saying hi! 😗) but loves dogs much less and this worry is expressed though barking madly at them! In just a few days of working to keep dogs at a distance and pairing them with great snacks he was already starting to make food associations with dogs. Smart little man! As he lives in. Very doggie Vancouver neighborhood being more easily able to pass dogs on the street is important.

Speaking of Vancouver I will be passing through once more on February 11th. DM or email me for booking if you would like to connect in person while I’m there.

01/18/2025

I am off to Japan! Thanks for the stoke and encouragement I have already received and your understanding while I head off for a few weeks. You can schedule sessions for when I return through my website at any time and registration for classes that start February 18th can also be found there. I will attend to your messages and emails when I return! Have a great few weeks.
-Jane