08/22/2024
Congratulations to this reformed street thug Baby!
This lil momma had no trouble letting other dogs know she was down to fight. Fortunately, we taught her a different communication system to express her concerns
Denise Willis Dog Training, LLC
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08/16/2024
Gonna smack ya with a baby land seal (aka pitbull puppy)🥰
Somedays I can’t believe I get paid to play with puppies
08/14/2024
I’ve never been so proud of not completed work before🤣
Lulu (French Bulldog) is a ‘a la carte’ board and train. She’s currently in private lessons and with her owners out of town, they opted for a few days of training.
Lulu is flighty and can get aggressive when she’s worried about something (which is anything). Her final test was a really nice evening at Patterson Park with all the bells and whistles going on and she was so relaxed! Was it the polished product I wanted? Not even close, but that fact that she was so relaxed and unphased by it all made me so freaking happy….so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED🥰
08/13/2024
How do you train something that is looking at you like that the entire time?!
She’s so fluffy!!
08/12/2024
For today’s lesson, we switched gears to grooming because Brooks (doodle) has a hot spot on his paw from all the rain lately.
He’ll bite his owner over his feet, but a little training in the sling goes a long way!
08/11/2024
Adventure day for Moxie (Pomeranian mix) our socialization board and train!
Today was all about building confidence and handler engagement. This makes for a dog who thinks and doesn’t react.
Moxie is doing great as we head into her final week🥰
08/11/2024
I’m a day late but happy gotcha day to my clownish partner in crime Dingo!
He’s the best middle kid I could ask for, always up and ready for anything, except for when I asked him to not look like I cut his ears off💕
08/09/2024
This little girl did great today working through high winds, pouring rain and a puddle that was elbow deep to get into a store and work some more!
08/07/2024
Moxie (Pomeranian mix) is our newest socialization board and train and we have accomplished a few things in a few days.
You’ll notice she’s no longer wearing her harness. That took me a few sessions to get her to relax enough with me touching her and feeling for the clasps. This lil lady has bitten before and I had no interest in testing her thresholds. Small teeth hurt just as much as big teeth.
Second thing: we have engaged walking! If you want your dog to listen to you, you must establish a boundary (heel line in this case which is her shoulder in line with my leg) and then have her voluntarily adhere to it (no tight lines). Now we have the foundation of communication, she’s paying more attention to me than the surrounding environment that makes her so nervous.
Overall pretty pleased with her first days of progress, especially with her nemesis approaching storm coming and thunder rumbling overhead.
08/05/2024
New socialization board and train Moxie (2 y.o. Pomeranian mix) is here all the way from Seattle to learn how to behave herself around the 2 legged animals called ‘people’.
So far I’ve found her to be delightful in a casual way, meaning people have previously invaded and ignored her boundaries (because she’s small) and as a result she’ll throw teeth at whoever she feels is bothering her (whether they are or not). Underneath it all, I can tell there is a good dog in there who is willing to try a different, less confrontational approach to life.
Side note: I’ve been doing a lot of private lessons and board and trains on smaller dogs this year and I just want to applaud owners for recognizing that little dogs have feelings too, they aren’t just temperamental rage balls.
08/02/2024
I’m not generally a super emotional person but it’s been a rough summer and seeing my client living her best life with her Service Dog Blue, maybe…kinda…sorta brought a tear to my eye.
We put in so much work to make sure he was gonna be good for traveling on a plane, a cruise ship and be able to handle all of those changes and distractions that were going to be thrown his way, and how to cope with the things we didn’t think of.
So happy that my client has peace of mind on her vacation with her best medical alert buddy at her side! It wasn’t always easy, but the smile on her face made it all worth it🥰
07/27/2024
As we end our journey with our current board and trains, we say Hello to our newest socialization/e-collar board and train Lulu (French bullfrog/dog).
Lulu’s owners were worried that she is dog aggressive and incredibly trigger happy when it comes to her reactivity. We’re gonna help her improve her thought process!
07/26/2024
I’ve done private lessons with Disco (mini schnauzer) prior to him coming for a e-collar/socialization board and train.
Disco did not like me. He wanted to attack me every time I came over (and pretty much anybody else who dared cross the threshold of his home). While this isn’t unique behavior to Schnauzers, I found with him it was because of a stress response. He was so in the habit of getting triggered that it took his owner *a lot* of time and reps to get him to calm down and that’s just exhausting.
I’ve never seen this side of Disco but I am loving it! He’s sweet, relaxed, still a schnauzer and on alert but not ready to red zone at a moments notice. He’s observing not shooting first with apologies after. Can’t wait to show his owner that he can be the sweet guy she swore to me he was but just in private🤣
07/25/2024
Heading into the final days of Molly’s (terrier mix) board and train! Some of the big tasks she’s been able to accomplish is hanging out on her dog bed with the distraction of another dog.
Molly has an older housemate that she just loved bugging non stop. Since Mookie (mini aussie) has been staying with me while his parents were out of town, they became super besties. Having Molly be able to work around her bestie and still be calm and focused was the goal for during and after the exercise and she did it!
07/24/2024
Board and Train Midget Meeting: Molly (terrier mix) instructing Mookie (mini aussie) and Disco (mini schnauzer) on the best ways to get snacks during training.
Mookie is only here visiting, but he felt it was important just for just in case🥰
07/23/2024
Super proud of these 2 clients! They only met 30 minutes before, both are on private lesson 3 of 4, both dogs are highly reactive.
Melo (Australian cattle dog), is new to his owner who is also new to dog ownership. Like your typical cattle dog, Melo is ready to run into any situation, even if it’s not required of him.
Baby (chihuahua) is crazy cool with people and an absolute rage machine to other dogs. It’s put her in some pretty dangerous situations and her owners want to make sure that she stops writing checks her mouth can’t cash.
For not knowing each other, it’s almost like they are friends🥰
07/23/2024
This young man is Disco (mini schnauzer) our newest e-collar/socialization board and train!
I did private lessons with Disco and his owner in the past and he did really well, we’re just gonna add an extra layer of training because Disco can fly into reactive rages.
1 day in and he’s already softened up a lot. Excited to journey with this guy to a more relaxed lifestyle🥰
07/21/2024
Echo (cream sable shepherd) has had some regression in her training due to well meaning passerby letting their social dogs invade her space on her daily walks in downtown Baltimore.
Doing structured, casual ‘hangouts’ so the dogs aren’t overstimulated and then super low key hangouts, the dogs get to play and run around in a fun and safe way! Poor Astro thought he was gonna be the hero of the story but got left out….he did get his time in the fun though!
07/18/2024
Really proud of how far Astro has come….from an awkward first date, to showing off his dance moves! Astro has gotten super comfortable with other dogs and has actually been instrumental in helping one of my former board and trains regain confidence lost in her socialization!
07/17/2024
Ms Molly (terrier mix), our socialization board and train is making pretty nice progress 1 week in! She’s learning to moderate her play style to ‘listen’ to her partner instead of just harassing until they give up (or get angry 😤), she’s also improving on impulse control and not running to investigate everything, and finally crate training is going much, much better meaning sleep is now acceptable for the whole night!
07/14/2024
(Took this a few days ago)
Astro’s (schnauzer)first outing and man did he nail it! He’s excelling in his socialization board and train and I’m just enjoying myself so much with him🥰
07/12/2024
Rudeness gets you ignored. Iella (lab) is teaching our socialization board and train Molly (terrier mix) that she will not interact with bratty behavior.
Molly is slowly learning and adapting to this new way of thinking and learning to engage in a different way.
07/11/2024
Welcome aboard Astro (schnauzer)! I tried this young man as a puppy and now he’s ready for some teenager appropriate level training.
Loved working with him as a baby and I’m super excited to work with him again as a board and train🥰
07/10/2024
Introducing Molly (terrier mix)! Molly will be joining us for a socialization board and train to learn how to interact with other dogs in a less harassing manner, crate training, basic obedience and loose leash walking!
She’s new to her family and they want to make sure she’s starting off on a great lead. We’re very excited to work with this lil superstar!
07/08/2024
Big Socialization adventure day for Mookie (mini Aussie)!
We started off by going to check on my horse and then had a fun filled day playing with my client’s dog Bella (pyranees mix)
Mookie has been an absolute terror on the leash to other dogs, joggers, bicyclists, and is nervous and resistant to new encounters.
I’m really proud of how he handled himself today🥰
07/05/2024
My client Bella (Pyrenees mix) enjoying her first ever 4th of July🥰🥰
Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable day!
07/04/2024
Working in my client’s apartment building, I see they do a Pet of the Month and if this didn’t just pull on my heartstrings🥰
You go Shiny!
07/04/2024
07/02/2024
Really, really proud of Banu’s (Dalmatian) progress! This is my clients first dog EVER and she unknowingly picked the independent puppy of the litter.
Banu’s independence has brought some struggles with ignoring her owner around other dogs, people and of course mummy squirrels🤮.
Lots of engagement games, using food as a reward instead of bribery has led to this awesome moment where disgusting disaster averted!
06/27/2024
This summer is kicking off with some intense heat! Here’s some factual tips if you find yourself with a dog that has become overheated.
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Baltimore, MD
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| Monday | 9am - 8pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 8pm |
| Friday | 9am - 8pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 8pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 8pm |
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Videos
What a great lesson with Bruno (English Mastiff)! This guy is reactive to people and dogs, add to that he is neurological (brain damage) from a virus he got when he was a puppy *and* he’s hormonal because he’s hitting sexual maturity (can’t be neutered because the vets are concerned how anesthesia would effect him). His training required *a lot* of observation to capture what was resonating with him and what wasn’t and today we hung out at B’More Licks surrounded by a birthday party, Father’s Day celebration, young toddlers, and of course many dogs coming in for their pup cups! Way to go Bruno! Enjoy your well deserved nappy🥰
Happy 11th Birthday to my biggest Superstar ‘American Ride’ aka Harley! A whimsical birthday present to myself last year was getting back into horseback riding and seeing if I liked it still which led to me meeting and instantly falling in love with this big behemoth who has helped me so much with learning different ways to communicate to humans, dogs and of course horses.
Max has found himself an awesome home with an awesome family that includes kids and another shepherd! Had to clean him up for his big debut and he decided to take out all his energy into his portrayal of ‘hose water is lava’. He deserves a medal for his 1 man performance🥇
We’re approaching the 1/2 way point with max (German Shepherd) our socialization board and train being fostered by Fairy Tales Rescue, Inc! He’s such a cool dude and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to work with him🥰 Max will be available for adoption soon! He’d make a great addition for an active home!
Teaching an off switch to Max (German Shepherd), our socialization board and train. Max was turned over to the shelter because he was too big (he’s 100 lbs and still growing) and for being too energetic. While we can’t control how big he’ll get, learning an off switch, makes for a calmer, more mentally relaxed dog….and one that stays in their home instead of in the shelter….crazy concept I knowðŸ«
Baby Disco (mini schnauzer) has an attitude bigger than a Great Dane…like seriously, he has no problem fighting his owner or anyone that gets his blood hot. We’ve been working on him proactively offering behavior with minimal input from his owner and then get rewarded. This was a tough test with a crowd in a cramped food truck gathering. Really proud of how far they’ve come. Private lesson 3 of 4
Lola (pit bull), was returned to the shelter 2x’s for being unruly and too much to handle….this is her doing a fun run (for learning how to not be a flirt with every passerby) and from a lesson we did focusing on safe interactions with the resident cat from their second lesson.
Opha (mastiff mix), our e-collar/socialization board and train is making progress. She’s a mentally unwell dog, the world is a scary and confusing place for her. The strides she’s made, while to us small, are pretty big for a dog like her. Opha is not a reflection of poor training on the owner’s part, she is a product of very poor breeding. It’s a very sad but repetitive story.
Scotty (shepherd mix) our e-collar/socialization board and train is making lovely progress with all of her training! She’s starting to relax and really explore her surroundings rather than be shut down. We’re really happy with her progress.
Opha (mastiff mix) our e-collar/socialization board and train is making progress! Her owners have unsuccessfully tried to crate train her before and life changes out a pause on what little progress they made. Opha gets nervous quickly and with that comes whining which grates on the nerves. She’s being shown how to be in her crate quietly for longer stretches of time and next to tackle will be her pooping in the crate🙄 Progress is progress and we’re pretty happy with the gains she’s made in 1 week.
When we want to relax, it’s important that the dog takes the cue too! Scotty (shepherd mix), our e-collar/socialization board and train is learning the fine art of independent relaxation (meaning she can do it if a person is not around). At home, she couldn’t be crated unless someone was in the room with her or she would try to bust out. We’re teaching her both inside/outside of her crate can mean the same thing thus creating mental balance and calmness in either scenario.
I don’t really post my private lesson clients and I gotta get better about that because I’m very proud of the work the owners put in. Miles (black) and Sly (sable), both shelties and both incredibly vocal and quick to trigger (very typical of the breed), absolutely killed it on a very windy, very active morning at Patterson Park with the help of some friendly, vocal friends in the dog park. Miles and Sly fed off of each other’s reactivity, but now are tuning into their owner’s behavior for guidance making for more peaceful walks!
Scotty (shepherd mix), our other e-collar/socialization board and train is also a very nervous dog probably due to being under socialized as a youngster. She’s coming out of her shell more and enjoying the sights a lil more each day.
Truly a difficult board and train. Opha (mastiff mix) has got some truly bad nerves as seen in how tense she is on a really quiet, distraction free walk. Everything is very fragile right now, so words of encouragement aren’t being used because she reacts poorly. She’s starting out with tiny baby steps to build her confidence and we’ll hopefully make more progress as we go.
The things you learn🫠I was doing Rocket’s (hound/lab mix) e-collar/socialization board and train go home lesson, saw some wildlife happenings and thought it would be nice proofing. Little did I know that Rocket is now a reformed Goose Assasin! I’m happy to see our training hold up in extreme circumstances🥰
Couldn’t be prouder of my client’s hard work with their very first puppy EVER! They’ve never owned a dog before and they were getting overwhelmed with some behavioral issues.
New dog, who dis?! Rocket (hound mix), our e-collar/socialization board and train has made amazing progress from knowing nothing to turning himself into a presentable young dog with shiny manners. We’re very proud of how far he’s come in such a short time.
Rocket (hound mix) our e-collar/socialization board and train being the best sensitive boy he can be! It can be scary when you’re used to being a ping pong ball bouncing off the walls and then going in the opposite direction of being calm and relaxed. We love how hard he tries🥰
Toji (German Shepherd) our Service Dog in Training working on some public access and doing a great job!
Toji (German Shepherd) our e-collar/service dog in training board and train is doing great on his brush up training of basic obedience! He’s such a fun dog!
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About Denise
Hi! My name is Denise Willis and I started my dog training journey back in 2001 after my 1 year old lovable 110 lb lug of shepherd dragged me down an icy sidewalk to chase a cat (or something...I never saw what it was) and injured me. I got him trained fairly quickly, nostalgia set in and I got a puppy. Using the same training techniques wasn't working on my puppy and I was stumped. We went back into training and my trainer soon to be mentor had me teach him a completely different way. Turned out my puppy had a completely different thinking process than my older dog and needed a different approach. **MIND BLOWN** I had no idea dog training was so multifaceted. From there started the exploration of all things dog. I've had some incredible mentors, worked with some of the brightest brains in animal behavior, and am constantly learning from every dog I train and every client I teach. I compete my dogs in various sports, enjoy lazy down time with them but mostly I just really enjoy watching their clownish personalities shine.
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Other Dog training in Baltimore
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Beason Street -
Boston Street
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21230
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21211
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E Lombard Street
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21224
