The Kind Canine

10/06/2025

Does your pup get anxious around or react strongly to other dogs or people? Our small group reactivity support classes can help! ⭐️

We understand how stressful it can be when your dog has difficulty socializing with other dogs and/or humans. That’s why we’re excited to continue offering our group reactivity class to current and previous training clients, designed specifically for dogs (and their humans!) who need a little extra help building confidence and skills around their triggers.

In this class, our goal is to help your dog feel more comfortable, relaxed and safe around other dogs and people. Our trainers will provide personalized guidance and support, and you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other dog owners who are going through the same experience.

Our class this month will be on Saturday, October 11th at 9am. If you’re interested in signing up, send us a DM! ✉️

08/26/2025

Got a new puppy and want some supervised, thoughtful socialization opportunities?

This is a really fantastic offering for our Bend folks! 🐾

Have a new puppy that could use some socialization and training? We are rolling out a test run of our Play & Learn program that we offer at our Pdx business, now here in Bend! The first offering will be this coming Friday, 8/29, with pick up between 8-9am. Puppies will receive 2.5 hours of socialization with other pups, introduction to novel sights and sounds and focused training on basic skills. Cost is $125/session. Space is limited so please email with questions or interest: [email protected]

08/23/2025

Some great tips from our friends at Pawsitive Chance Dog Training on this smoke-filled day. Stay safe, everyone! 🔥😮‍💨

If the weather or air quality prevents you from going outside with your dog, here are some fun ways to fulfill your dog indoors!

- Play “Find It”: hide a really yummy and smelly treat somewhere for your dog to find. Start easy and tell him to “find it” so he knows what to do! Then you can gradually make it more of a challenge as he gets better.

- Play Hide and Seek: this doubled to improve your dog’s recall! Hide somewhere in your house and call your dog to you. Give him a treat and lots of praise when he finds you!

- Make use of your dog’s meals: Use your dog’s food for enrichment! Scatter it on the floor, in a towel or blanket, in a cardboard box, put it in a treat-dispensing toy, or soak it and freeze it in a Kong or West Paw.

- Teach them a new trick: teach them to stand between your legs, bring you things, climb in a box, or crawl under something! The possibilities are endless - if you need ideas or some help, go to the link in my bio and choose Low Cost Training Resources or go to Patreon.com/PawsitiveChanceDogTraining for low cost training support!

[Photo: a chocolate lab puppy lays on a bench in the rain]

08/12/2025

Socialize your puppy. It’s one of the most common pieces of advice given to new puppy owners, and also one of the most misinterpreted. Most people hear the word “socialization” and envision their puppy playing with other dogs, being cuddled by children, and happily saying “hi” to people they meet on the street. But that’s socializING, not socializaTION.

👉Socialization is the process of acclimating your puppy to things they will regularly experience in their environment through careful and controlled exposure. Your puppy should experience new sights, smells, and surfaces, and they should experience these things with you at their side, working as a team.

👉They don’t need to interact with every person or animal they come across, but they DO need to learn to remain calm and connected with you while the world goes on around them.

⭐️Unsure of where to start? We can help. Sign up for Growing Up Puppy: Your Socialization Smart Start. Link in bio

07/29/2025

Kamal Fernandez over here with the post we needed today! 😍

“You don’t need to be constantly motivated - you just need to keep showing up, in a way that works for you.” ❤️

Are you motivated… or are you disciplined? 💭🐾

Motivation feels amazing when it’s there—after a great training session, an inspiring video, or a win in the ring.
But what about the days when you’re tired? When it’s raining? When things feel hard?

That’s where discipline makes the difference.

Discipline isn’t about forcing yourself through misery.
It’s about building small, consistent habits that support your goals—whether that’s success in dog sports, helping a reactive dog feel safe, or showing up as the calm, confident handler your dog needs.

✨ Motivation might get you started.
✨ But discipline is what keeps you moving—slowly, steadily, surely.

Discipline is:
💚 Showing up for 10 minutes even when you’re not “in the mood”
💚 Choosing progress over perfection
💚 Focusing on your journey, not what others are doing
💚 Supporting your mindset, your energy, and your goals—bit by bit

This applies to everything from precision in obedience to helping your dog through reactivity. Your success isn’t defined by perfect days, but by the ones where you kept going.

Set targets that are realistic. Build habits that are sustainable.
You don’t need to be constantly motivated—you just need to keep showing up, in a way that works for you.

You and your dog are a team. Grow together. One small step at a time. 🌱

07/22/2025

FACT: Unvaccinated puppies are at a greater risk of contracting potentially fatal infectious diseases like Parvovirus, Distemper, and Parinfluenza (Kennel Cough), especially in high risk areas like Central Oregon.

FACT: Pet parents experience more problems with their puppies due to lack of appropriate socialization than due to illness.

Sounds like a no win situation, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are three ways to safely socialize your puppy while they are in the process of completing their vaccine series. Always talk to your vet about specific risks to your individual puppy and your exact location before embarking on any socialization program.

Strollers! They aren’t just for babies anymore. Strollers are a great way to allow your puppy to explore the world without exposing their fragile immune systems to diseases. They even make models designed specifically for dogs!

Mats. Park your puppy on a mat or blanket and allow them to safely watch the world go by.

Enroll in a socialization class designed to keep your puppy safe while also providing them with essential exposure to the world around them!

For a safe, controlled environment to start your puppy’s socialization off on the right paw, check out Growing Up Puppy: Your Socialization Smart Start.

05/21/2025

This is everything ❤️

We expect dogs to live in our world like they were born understanding it.

Like they instinctively know how to behave in restaurants, tolerate strangers, ignore fireworks, and be perfectly fine home alone for hours.

But the reality is they weren’t built for this world. And we’re asking too much of them.

We want them to be quiet but social. Affectionate but not needy. Independent but always obedient. We treat them like little machines, not sentient beings with their own needs, fears, and preferences.

And when they don’t meet those made-up standards?

We accuse them of being dominant. Or of being broken and needing fixing.

We slap a shock collar on them. Or, if we’re well-intentioned, we pull out the treat bag and spend hours teaching them to walk perfectly at heel, when maybe they just want to sniff a tree and avoid the place that scares them.

But what if they’re not broken? What if they’re just… being dogs?

Dogs who get overwhelmed. Dogs who panic when left alone - not because they’re being difficult, but because they’re afraid. Dogs who say “no thank you” to loud parks, crowded streets, or being hugged by strangers.

They’re not giving us a hard time. They’re having a hard time.

So I don’t want a perfect dog. I want a dog who feels heard. Who can choose what feels safe. Who knows that “I’m scared” won’t be punished. A dog who can say no to things that overwhelms them.

Here’s what doesn’t help:

“You’re letting them get away with it.”
“She has to learn to deal with it.”
“You’re making it worse by babying him.”
“He’s manipulating you.”

Here’s what does help:

Slowing down instead of pushing through
Giving them choice whenever you can
Letting them opt out of things that scare them
Understanding that fear isn’t misbehaviour - it’s fear

Because the more we push dogs to be perfect, the more we disconnect from who they truly are.

They don’t need to be perfect. They need to be understood.

📣 If this speaks to you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Let’s give our dogs the grace we wish the world gave us.

04/14/2025

One of our trainers, Rachelle Hein (CVT, ABCDT), contributed an article to one of the recent special pet issues of ! 👏🏻

One of our favorite things to do is talk about safer and more mindful off leash recreation. Rachelle lays out some fantastic tips in this article, and we highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already! 🐾

04/09/2025

We live in a world that celebrates the forceful push toward achievement, control and perfection. And it’s… well, exhausting. 😮‍💨

So today’s post is here as a reminder for you, especially while working with your dog or communicating with any other being: softness isn’t weakness.

When we soften, we create the conditions for trust. It’s a language of acceptance, of “I’m here with you, no judgment.” It’s about letting go of expectations and embracing the messy, imperfect reality of companionship.

Softness allows for mistakes and for learning and doesn’t try to “correct them”. It’s the vulnerability of being present without the need to “fix”. It invites a connection that’s rooted in love, not control. It gets us curious about our dogs and their behavior rather than force their compliance.

When you soften, your dog can feel it. They don’t need perfection - they need you to show up as your whole, imperfect self. And when you lean into that, something shifts. You stop being the rigid, controlling figure and instead become a partner. A safe place to fall.

When you’re teaching your dog something new, softness comes in the form of patience. Instead of rushing or getting frustrated if they don’t “get it” right away, you create an environment where they feel safe to make mistakes and try again. It’s about recognizing that they’re doing their best - and that the process of learning, (for both of you!) is a journey.

When we lean into the soft, we lean into what’s real. And that’s where the magic happens. ❤️

03/28/2025

Trainer Rachelle wrote a fantastic article on how to safely navigate situations with off leash dogs for this issue of The Source Weekly! Have a look! 👀

How do you deal with encounters with off-leash dogs in areas where they aren’t supposed to be?