The Little Doghouse on the Prairie

01/29/2025

01/15/2025

That's my dog. Such a beautiful fool.

01/15/2025

Another board and train. Duke came to work on his over exuberance in everything he does, and his exuberance is over the top. He's made big strides in not trying to eat my fingers, calming down about his kibble and finding something that resembles stillness.

01/15/2025

and his sister Annie are here for a stay. Annie is pretty much petrified of humans, but man, is she a good friend to the awkward dogs.

She's my pal now, too. It only took a solid 8 or so months of weekly visits to my house for her to learn that I'm her treat dispenser and friend.

01/13/2025

Thank you, Jaymie, for putting in the effort to write this.

I personally don't do puppy socials, I don't need to because we have Paws On Training doing a great job at it.

If you want to socialize your large dog, group settings are not the ideal.

I am often asked, why I only run puppy socials, and nothing for older dogs.

The risk with running socials for older dogs is they are less tolerable of certain situations. Puppies typically have not had a negative experience, so socialization for them is often really easy.

Our dogs don't need friends, yes I do know some dogs are very social, and thrive with other dogs, but often dog body language is missed or misunderstood, which in turn can cause a negative encounter or outcome.

Sorta like a dog park, there's always risks going there, and there has been attacks ect, because you are hopeful that all dogs will just get along, but that's not always the case.

My dog use to go to the dog park and daycare well before I was a trainer, once I learned more about her body language, I quickly realized she was happiest to stay home alone. She's had a small handful of dog friends in her lifetime. but she is not deprived, or missing out.

I'm not saying your dog doesn't need socialization, but be aware of their body language, signs of stress, ect.
You can only trust and understand your own dog, so be vigilant and aware.
Sometimes all it takes is one dog disagreement to alter your dogs outlook.

I run puppy socials because puppies should have positive experiences to build trust, and learn to communicate with each other.

If you are seeking more for your older dogs there are options, daycare has paperwork and staff to supervise, day training and group classes.

01/03/2025

This old guy is such a champ. I can tether him to ANYTHING, and he accepts that he can't move. This is a skill we worked super hard on as a puppy. He is also highly amenable to being crated when needed, but in this instance, he gets so dizzy that it's hard to get him back out.

Practice now on cone wearing and assistive devices, holding place while tethered to something. Get creative, and make it fun. We didn't need to use these skills much in his lifetime, with the exception of the last few years of aging. It's so low stress for him now to be carried in his sling or tied to a table or a lawn chair or an empty suitcase, which makes watching him not feel well way less harder than it could be.

Also, that cat, Leroy, has not left his side. My magical beasts 🥹

01/01/2025

Bandit likes to rush the door on his human when she gets home. We are doing some place training with him. Cats are amazing and learn way faster than dogs. It's a lot of fun!

I'm available for both virtual and in person cat training sessions. I will decide on my rate in the next few days, unlike dogs. This is new to me as a marketable skill.

Kitty was my first word and my first special interest. Not new to cats or their behaviors at all. My kitty Klaus can attest to how fun training cats is.

01/01/2025

See you next year, folks! Thanks for a wonderful 2024! Give your pups a midnight kiss for me.

11/21/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100063660848753/posts/1098903598908325/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Our Taproom and Patio have always been pet-friendly! Keep your lovely humans on leash so they don't go for a wander, and only humans on the furniture please!

10/02/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DX5ET8Gfu2futgyU/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Training! A nice quote from one of the greatest dog mushers ever ❄️

09/28/2024

Miss Rosa is a bit apprehensive about the crate, but we have to be able to safely secure her in it for feeding times and pup rotation.

So, I decided to take a different approach with the help of Mantou and my little buddy Odie.

Note: Mantou thought sitting in his favorite crate with me was the best thing ever.

In the end, Risa climbed in with me, had a snuggle, and some locks from her Kong.

09/25/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iZCofFn8BYTyuc79/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Go get some cookies and ice cream, help support a wonderful local business.

COOKIE, COOKIE, COOKIE!
You may have heard, or maybe not, but the absolute gems around the corner at Cookie Crimes had their window smashed and a load of stuff stolen... Again... For like the 5th time... This has happened to us a couple of times, so we know that it is, in a word, disheartening. So what are the proposed solutions? "Maybe get roll shutters! There is a grant through the city!". Sure, that is a good thought, and a great program but it isn't always a realistic fiscal option for a business (aside from giving off total "well, what was she wearing!?" Vibes). So what is the plan? Is there actually a plan here? Do you want Batman?! Because this is how you get Batman?! It's all above my pay grade, but it should be in someone's, no doubt.

This is in no way an attack on the obviously desperate people who continue targeting businesses like these. I am certain that life is awful and this isn't a reason to lose compassion entirely here, but we should at least admit this is a problem... Again, where are any answers? Because I certainly have questions, such as... How does a place that literally sells cookies and ice cream get broken in THREE TIMES in one season? It sounds like comedy, but it isn't funny to people just trying to make a go of things and it feels like we are spinning our wheels on this... There is a saying tragedy plus time equals comedy... Hopefully, this saying isn't the proposed solution to these problems. Sometimes I wonder if it is to some people...

My only answer is that we have to show up for each other through this... And not just this week when things are at the top of my mind. Ongoing support. Support your local people and businesses... so we can all afford to shutter every one of our windows rather than look our issues in the eye and actually do anything about them.

In the meantime, with the assistance of (best bartender in town) Braeden Nickel's art skills, we made Cookie Crimes a tip bucket... A REALLY big tip bucket. Go buy some cookies and ice cream, and leave a nice tip. Support these fine folks who actually give a damn about our community before we lose them all while our heads are buried in the sand.

09/20/2024

is just the cutest little baby.

09/20/2024

Just a friendly reminder from Klaus, cats are also extremely responsive to positive reinforcement training.

This little guy goes wild when he hears the clicker. He pretends he's dumb, but he's actually a very impressive little guy.

I most definitely intend on expanding my services to cat training as well. Fun fact, they are actually way easier to condition and tend not to go through the same extreme adolescent rebellion stage.

09/18/2024

Delta, smirking at me, knowing her cuteness overshadows the jump attack.

09/15/2024

I think I was pretty much waiting for an excuse to own my very own toy breed .

We have a little 7 pounder staying with us for the month, I didn't want him to feel left out.

It's so little! Note, my hands are tiny.