Dogs of Zion

09/09/2024

Group shots

16/08/2024

04/08/2024

Playing in the stream

30/07/2024

Cuties 😍

25/07/2024

Mountain views 🏔 with The K9 Crew NZ

25/07/2024

All the pointy eared dogs😍

23/07/2024

I love what I do 🥰 Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat

09/07/2024

Been a while I know 😁 sharing the walk with The K9 Crew NZ

30/05/2024

Over and over we work with dogs who the owners have been struggling with greatly. The behaviors run the gamut from separation anxiety to reactivity, from resource guarding to human or dog aggression and a host of others… but all are usually quite severe.

So why are we so often able to totally resolve or greatly improve the issues? Lots of experience (skills), a healthy mindset towards what’s best for the dog (emotions), and a keen awareness of how each member of the team shows up and how the dog perceives them (personality/compatibility).

Having a firm, and realistic grasp on all of these enables us to be successful over and over again.

But all of the above take considerable time, effort, and honesty. And the simple fact (no judgment) is that many owners either aren’t prepared for all of that’s required to transform themselves and their dogs, or they are and their personality/temperament sadly aren’t a good fit for the dog they’re so desperate to help.

But for most dogs and most owners, the obstacles standing in the way of achieving their goals are absolutely surmountable.

So the questions to ask, if we’re looking to truly find answers, are: What skills are we missing that our trainer has—and are we prepared to do the work to acquire them? What is our true emotional state in relation to what our dogs represent/gaps they fill—and are we honestly prepared to confront and transform them as necessary? What is the personality/temperament “fit” between ourselves and our dogs—and is it something that CAN be surmounted?

Owners who are willing to ask themselves these questions, and honestly answer, are the owners with the more challenging dogs who will either find their answers to overcome the issues, or will find the answers to make peace with unresolvable obstacles that require unhappy solutions but provide clarity and peace in their understanding.

PS, feel free to share your own findings, either current or in the past, that you’ve discovered and which have been critical to your success in the comments below. ❤️

For seminar or shadow program dates/tickets, training courses and books, or hands-on training (Louisiana and PNW areas) please visit: www.thegooddogway.com

04/02/2024

10/01/2024

Pool party but just the part where we pack up😅

09/01/2024

Someone excited to be back 🥰

21/12/2023

The end of season 2023 💙 Merry Christmas 🎄

16/12/2023

Another week of fun with Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat and Wolfe Dogs

11/12/2023

Another epic week of adventures ft Harpers Hounds and Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat

05/12/2023

Last week's adventures ft. Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat

23/11/2023

Couldn't be happier with the self control these guys are showing😍

14/11/2023

Beach trip with Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat

19/10/2023

That's my team

18/10/2023

“Sit”, “Down”, “Off”, “Heel”, “Come”, and the most overused…”Leeeeeeeave it!” and “No!”

I actually see and hear folks recommending certain words to help resolve training/behavior issues. As if the words themselves have any inherent value simply by way of being uttered.

Folks, there’s two things you need to make “magic words” into actual words that have some magic in them.

1) You have to teach what the behavior connected to the word is so the word means something. Using the right tools and moving through an incremental training process of guidance, improvement, and finally performance on demand is how you achieve this first part.

2) Without consequences (positive and negative) connected/associated with words or commands, a dog who knows precisely what a word means will almost certainly
ignore it if there’s something they’d rather be doing—and there’s almost always something they’d rather be doing.

First the dog has to know, and then the dog has to be accountable to perform. Because, as I’ve said many, many times, knowing and doing are two very different things. Teach the meaning, and then share consequences as appropriate.

And for God’s sake, please stop yelling “Leave it!!!” to a dog when they know not what it means, and/or you have no way to enforce the request. It’s slowly making the world a more headache-rich place. 😂

PS, yes, I’m aware that there’s overlap in the training and accountability and consequence department. The goal is to keep this simple, clear, and helpful. And to remove the belief that words on their own are going to improve anything.

16/10/2023

Enjoying the journey

10/10/2023

Relaxing walkies with Cash & Friends Dog Walking

21/09/2023

Thank you so much to Kelly from Wolfe Dogs for taking care of my babies. If you're in the pirongia, ta region she's your gal 💙

Fun in the sun with our friends Leila & Micah ☀️

21/09/2023

Thank you to all of my lovely clients who have been so accommodating with me over this difficult week 💙

17/09/2023

Hanging out with cash and friends ☺️

21/08/2023

Brilliant weekend with my close personal friend Michael Ellis the GOAT 🐐 also cuddles with Glen Cooke 😏

01/08/2023

Best of friends🥰

24/07/2023

Big picture, little brushstrokes