Austin Agility: Dog Training, Behavior, And Sports Academy

02/13/2025

A German shepherds gotta German shepherd! Love this boy and all his enthusiasm ❤️

01/27/2025

Let’s talk about those curly eyebrow whiskers though!! They are just TOO adorable.

01/19/2025

This girl ❤️ just look at those cute ears of hers! ❤️

01/16/2025

Did you know?? 👀

One thing owners frequently see when their dog is reaching their stress threshold whilst around their triggers is a change in ear set.

One thing not commonly brought up or thought about is just how those ears are changing. My observation over the years after helping thousands of dogs has been:

Forward ears frequently indicate that the dog is more likely to go forward toward their trigger.

Backwards ears indicate that the dog is more likely to retreat IF they perceive that they have a way out.

Pinned ears indicate that the dog is more likely to stay in place instead of retreat or approach.

Fluctuation between the ears moving forward and back indicate a dog that is conflicted and does not know what to do. Should they go forward toward their trigger, or should they retreat?

A fluctuation very frequently indicates that the dog is not in a confident head space, which helps us to determine if their reactivity or aggression may be rooted in fear or confusion.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalks, and now here’s an adorable pic of Jelly for your viewing pleasure. ❤️

01/16/2025

One of my absolute favorite places to hang out and do some “dog watching” at safe distances while working on reactivity is over off riverside drive at Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park and Butler Metro Park in downtown Austin!

Check out this handsome boy doing his very best to offer some engagement around a plethora of his triggers! ❤️

01/12/2025

Jelly is a professional when it comes to melting my heart. I mean, just look at those ears 🥰

If you could caption this, what do you think she’s saying to me?

01/09/2025

If you could ask a trainer any training question about dogs or your dog, what would it be?

Drop those questions below and I’ll pick one to answer in depth!

01/06/2025

The homeless pet crisis in Travis County has become increasingly concerning as time goes on. It’s not at all uncommon to see dumped litters of puppies, groups of unspayed and unneutered dogs free roaming, or lost unaltered pets wandering the street in the Austin area.

Tackling this homeless pet crisis cannot be solved through spay and neuter alone, but making it more widely available will certainly help to address one element of the situation!

Please pass this info along if you know someone or somepup that could benefit!

01/06/2025

This boy absolutely adores the jolly egg! ❤️

12/31/2024

Attention dog owners with sensitive pups, young puppies, or shy dogs!

Check out these tips and pass them on to friends and neighbors in preparation for this evenings fireworks.

• Start stuffing some kongs, bones, or other fillable treat holders now. FREEZE a few of them. Freezing will make them last longer.

• If your dog isn’t into kongs you can always try a licki mat! If you don’t have a Kong and also don’t have a licki mat, you can try using a muffin tin or cookie sheet to fill/spread/and freeze. Most dogs won’t try chewing the metal, but if you’ve got a crazy chewer you may want to supervise lol.

• Create a small/enclosed/den like area for your dog to rest in. Set this up with lots of extra bedding in case they want to burrow or nest. Show them this area before sun down. Do some treat scattering within the area you picked for them to forage around in so that they can start building a positive association now.

• Set up a box fan (or a few) in the same room that you’ve picked to use as your dogs safe zone. Box fans are excellent at drowning out extra noise. In addition you can try a white noise machine should you have one.

• Leave some calming music on in the same room as your dogs safe zone.

• Calming supplements can be helpful if a dogs sound phobia is not so severe as to require single event medication prescribed by their veterinarian. Most calming supplements should be started/given at least an hour before the big event, that way the effect is already on board when the event starts and you’re not stuck trying to calm your dog down even further after they’ve already begun to worry about all that noise.

• Pheromone sprays and plug ins can help, which can be purchased at Petsmart - Adaptil is my brand of choice.

• If your dog isn’t heavily averse to having a jacket put on, I’ve seen some great benefit from thundershirts.

• If you’ve got the time to sit with your dog and they will eat high value treats during the fireworks - you could take that time to start to condition a more neutral emotional response to the sounds by feeding your dog treats AFTER the sounds have begun. This is nuanced - I can send a training document to you on it if you’re interested in counter conditioning.

• Do not take your new puppy or shy dog outside just to “watch” and “listen” to fireworks in close range. Be proactive and only allow them to be at a distance they’re comfortable, and be sure you’re actually interacting with them by playing with some toys together OR feeding high value treats. If your dog won’t play and also won’t eat, it’s very possible they’re not truly comfortable with the situation, which can have detrimental effects later down the line. There is a vast difference in Socialization (creating positive novel social and environmental experiences) and Exposure (placing your dog in an environment or circumstance and hoping they just “deal with it”, self soothe, or become desensitized) Trust me I get a TON of behavior modification cases come to me for sound phobias that were inadvertently created by well meaning owners mistaking exposure for socialization.

• Use TWO POINTS OF CONNECTION at all times. This means have a collar on your dog with a leash attached AND a harness with a leash attached. If you drop one leash, at least you’ve got the other. Similarly if a buckle snaps on one piece of equipment, at least you’ve got the other! It may feel cumbersome at first, but trust me it’s so much better to be safe than sorry.

• Potty and physically exercise your dog as much as possible before it gets dark tonight! This way if you do happen to have a nervous pup, they’re much less likely to have excess energy to continuously pace back and forth, have an accident, or become anxious because they need to go outside to go potty but are just too scared to go!

• When stuffing those kongs or puzzle toys, I recommend using a variety of different high value foods to rotate so that your dog will remain interested. Peanut butter, Cream cheese, Canned Dog food, Rehydrated freeze dried foods, yoghurt are all easy options. If you want to get fancy with it you can blend up some cooked meats with a bit of water or broth to use. Mix it up in terms of what high value reward you are providing as well when you are treating them! If you’ve got a dog with a sensitive stomach, try blending their dog food up with broth or water, frequently the change of texture will keep a dog interested if they’re on a limited ingredient diet.

Hopefully some of these tips will help out a pup you know tonight or in the future!

What works for one dog may not work for another, so I always like creating as thorough a list as possible!

If you have any extra tips feel free to share in the comments!

Happy new year!! 🥳

12/30/2024

Ready to start up your new year with some extra fun for you and your pup?

Check out our upcoming foundation's agility classes! Start 2025 off right by signing your pup up for some weekly mental and physical activity bound to meet all their energy needs!

Want to a fun way to strengthen your obedience skills AND tire your fun out? Learn more about our Foundations Level Dog Agility Classes.

12/29/2024

Such a beautiful day out and the boarding pups are taking full advantage of it!

12/05/2024

When you’re on your way back to your trainer and you realize you have no brakes 😳😱😳

Thankfully he managed to stop and ended up in a nice collected sit in front me. 👍 Gotta love all that enthusiasm he puts into his work ❤️

12/04/2024

We’ve got one spot left open for boarding and training at the end of December! Whether you’ve got some last min. plans and want your pup to have an amazing time over the holidays or you’ve got a new furry family member that needs some training being added to your pack, we’ve got you covered! Send us a message or fill out our form at austinagility.com to get in touch!

12/01/2024

Getting a puppy soon? Check out our All Star Puppy Day Training Program! Bring your puppy to us or we come to you! Either way your puppy will get that expert training and socialization they need to bring out the Super Star they already are!

11/30/2024

This handsome boy really does take some of the best pics. We had such a blast working on generalizing all his cool new skills to auditorium shores last night. Boy was it crowded but he did soooo beautifully and handled self regulation around his triggers like a boss.

11/25/2024

Did you know? We offer Daycare and Daycare and Training services!

If you've got a pup that you'd like to learn some more obedience before family and friends visit for the holidays, this might be the perfect fit for your busy schedule! Or maybe you're a new (or soon to be) puppy parent who is strapped for time and worried about getting that foundation training in during your puppy's critical learning and socialization windows.

Day Training is an excellent fit for any owner who wants or needs extra support during their dogs training program!

We've got a few spots left for December and January, so get in touch while there's still time!