Canine Companion, LLC- Abbie Volpone

10/28/2025

From photos you might think this is a trick dog or agility class, but thats just because Reactive Rover graduation is so much fun! Four dogs that struggle with the sight of strange dogs, working a circuit of activities in close proximity to one another.

There are many challenges for these teams to face during our “graduation” lesson, but they always manage to impress me and themselves with how they work together with their dogs to make good choices, stay engaged, and have a good time. Congratulations to Hilda, Pippin, Beanie, and Mochi!

10/16/2025

Today I got to meet this awesome girl, some mix of adorable and absolutely hound, named Raya. Since the day she came home from the shelter as a puppy 3 years ago she’s been very reactive. And despite her family doing all the right training things, there hadn’t been much improvement and they were feeling stuck.

A hound dog living in a busy apartment environment is gonna have some big (loud) feelings. There are lots of small changes we plan on making to help better manage stressors and improve her baseline emotional state, one of which is (my favorite) long line walks in the park.

We introduced a long line and this girl’s body language changed immediately. She was doing things and making choices her people had never seen her do before. And one of the choices she made with her newfound freedom of movement and confidence was to climb ALL over the playground, including up and down all the slides, completely of her own accord and unprompted. Underneath the tense, nervous dog at the apartment complex was a curious, brave girl wanting to try new things! I can’t wait to see what she can accomplish at the intersection of training and meeting her needs.

10/05/2025

Community is something I’m really passionate about. Even in my business, I want to foster a sense of community however I can. When you choose me as your dog trainer, you are welcomed into a group of people who love their dogs like crazy, are understanding of the struggles of being a modern dog guardian, and are willing to help others on their own training journeys.

My students are encouraged to join a private Facebook group, exchange phone numbers, participate in fun student-only events, and (my favorite) help with other students’ private training sessions. From dog reactivity, to socialization, to stranger danger, and everything in between, my students help EACH OTHER. It’s my job to give them the skills, resources, and opportunities to meet their training goals.

One of the more popular things in our community is what I call “buddy walks.” Once you’ve been through some instructed buddy walks, you go into the pool of people who can BE a buddy.

Tonight, Willie (the border collie mix) was the buddy helper for Lucy and Sparky. Willie has been on many buddy walks and been a buddy many times, and his awesome humans take every opportunity to practice his neutrality with other dogs, and it shows in what a well mannered, relaxed boy he’s become. So they get to continue their practice, AND help others just getting started on the same journey.

Lucy is usually pretty relaxed around other dogs, but her brother Sparky’s big feelings about them has been making her a bit more concerned. So tonight they practiced together with Willie, and I’m calling it a triple-win. These three dogs all did so awesome tonight. Willie was a perfect example of the progress that can be made with commitment and consistency. Lucy got some predictable patterns to practice so she can be more consistent around other dogs. And Sparky? Well, he blew us all away and kept his cool, even joining us on some of the closer proximity exercises.
When we help each other, we all win.

09/30/2025

The dog training industry has changed a LOT in recent years, and that’s largely because of the ever growing science we have on our companion animals. This is why it’s SO important to work with a professional who prioritizes continuing education.

I am one of those professionals who dedicates my time to learning and growing with this field, reading books, articles, attending conferences and webinars, and adding to my course certifications. Today, I am proud to share that I’ve finally officially joined the L.E.G.S. Family and am a certified Family Dog Mediator. This is a community of professionals on the front lines of scientific advancement of this field, using applied ethology to balance the welfare and training of our dogs in modern life. It’s a community I’ve admired for a while now, and I’m thrilled to have finally had a chance to complete the certification course.

I’d love to talk to you about your dog’s LEGS 😁!

09/26/2025

I love spending time with Owen, the Great Dane puppy. This spunky little guy was born in rescue, and his adopted family is making sure he’s set up for success with training right away.
For young dogs, most “wins” aren’t flashy obedience skills or quick response to cues, but rather emotional wellbeing and shaping appropriate behaviors. We’ve been working on capturing behaviors we like and rewarding them so he learns to make good choices on his own. I can’t wait to watch this big puppy grow!

09/11/2025

Lainie is the sweetest little beagle who just turned one year old. She’s been working hard on her leash skills, learning the difference between when she can follow her nose and when she needs to stay close to dad, and feeling confident and relaxed in the world with all the exciting sights, sounds, and smells.
Today Lainie was a very brave girl and practiced these skills in Home Depot!

09/03/2025

09/02/2025

OUCH!! It's been a tough allergy season.

Allergies, itchy skin, red and raw toes can all make a dog more irritable and more likely to snap. I often get asked if a dog is licking their feet because they are nervous - I always want to make sure there are no underlying allergies first! Persistent feet licking is most commonly associated with allergies.

08/28/2025

Callie is just starting her training journey, and we’ve got our work cut out for us, because this little girl has some BIG feelings about the world! Super common in working and herding breeds, she just isn’t a fan of strangers or the unpredictable things they do. Our goal is to help her feel safer in the world, and for her human to be able to read her and advocate for her before she feels the need to take matters into her own hands.
After working on some foundational skills at and around home for the past month, Callie had her first outing for training to a busy new environment, and, perhaps the biggest win of all, was that she still saw ME as a friend and someone she could trust when removed from the only context she had met me in before, coming to her home. I love being a sensitive dog’s trusted friend! Very excited for all the progress we’ll make together 💕

08/26/2025

Many of you know and love my apprentice Clinton, and he's well on his way to becoming a certified dog trainer with lots of experience and education under his belt. Recently, I've had another new apprentice joining me as well!
Please welcome the lovely Shelby to the team!

Shelby is just starting her dog behavior and training journey. Her interest in animal behavior started when she adopted a rescue cattle dog who needed a lot of help. Growing up, she showed Great Danes for her family and lived on a farm, raising show calves and steers, and helping with vaccines and some rehabilitation on the newborn calves. From there she started working at a vet office, helping with nail trims and holding for procedures. Shelby really enjoyed working at the vet's office making it as fear-free as possible and working with the fearful pets to make the vet's office a more pleasant place to visit. Currently, Shelby runs her own pet care business that consists of in-home pet care, nail trims, medical injections or medication. Shelby is working towards becoming a Certified professional dog trainer and has taken some courses through the IAABC foundation.

As always, I let my clients know if there will be an extra person with me to shadow during their appointment. It's such an honor to help shape the future of dog training through mentoring passionate, aspiring trainers looking to me for expertise.

08/21/2025

The biggest this week, Therapy dog Acey passed her American Kennel Club Canine Good citizen test!
Despite being a CGC evaluator myself, we had another trainer administer her test (thanks, Tilted Ear Training and Walking LLC!), just to make sure it was unbiased and she really is the goodest citizen.
This is a tough test to pass, but we’ve been hard at work preparing, and are so happy we met her goal of passing before the school year starts next week and she goes back to work at Hulsing Elementary. So proud of team Acey! 💙💛🏅

08/17/2025

It’s always really touching when I get to help a dog in a foster home. When amazing people reach out for help setting up a dog to succeed and make them easier to adopt out.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Dougie, a retired racing greyhound being fostered through the awesome Greythounds of Eastern Michigan (GEM) to work through some occasional leash reactivity towards dogs in his busy neighborhood and his desire to chase all the little fuzzy critters.

He’s such an awesome dog. A willing learner, easily trainable, and so sweet and loving. Hasn’t met a person he doesn’t like, and he’s super fun and playful.

He gets along with other greyhounds, and could *maybe* live with another low-key dog with some training to help him feel safe, since strange dogs feel very scary to him. No cats or small critters for this guy, but I’m told he does well with kids.

Whoever adopts this hunk will get a discount if they choose to continue his training with me.