Benji’s journey from fear to friendship 🐾
It's time for the latest #SuccessSaturday spotlight - check out Benji!
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Once fearful of nearly everything—from unfamiliar noises and new faces to stepping into his crate or riding in a car—Benji struggled to feel safe in his world. With his pawrent’s support, the #LeadtheWay team worked with Benji both virtually and in person to help him start building confidence. Through these gradual, trust-based sessions, Benji found stability and began to relax.
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His biggest helper has been canine trainer Gunner! Benji adores following Gunner’s lead, picking up cues, and finding reassurance in his calm presence. After coming to stay with the team for a board and train program, Benji has started to tackle his fears one brave step at a time. With his pawrent, the LTW team, and Gunner by his side, he’s transforming into a more courageous version of himself every day. We’re so proud to see his progress! 🌟
🌟 #SuccessSaturday #LeadTheWay #FromFearToConfidence.
🎃🐾 Throwback Thursday Spooky Fun Alert! 🐾🎃
This Halloween, it's not just the humans getting dressed up – our pups are joining the fun too! 👻 Whether your dog is rocking a spooky costume, flaunting their cutest pumpkin outfit, or just getting in the Halloween spirit, we want to see it all!
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👀 Costume Tips:
-Keep it comfy! Make sure your dog's costume fits well and doesn't restrict movement.
-Skip the sweets! Remember, candy is for humans – stick to dog-friendly treats to keep your pup safe.
-Have fun and take plenty of pics!
📸 Drop your Halloween dog pics in the comments below and let’s have a howl of a good time this #ThrowbackThursday! 🎃🐾 #HappyHowlOWeen #LeadTheWay #DogCostumeFun 🐶
Gemma helped Amy out with some puppy #socialization the other day.
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At #LeadTheWay we have an experienced team of human and dog trainers. Our 4-pawed crew helps reinforce friendly interactions and demonstrates making great choices for their new friends.
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Remember, there are many dimensions of socialization and we have ways to safely work on all of them for puppies and dogs at any age!
Whatever your dream life looks like, the right foundation makes everything pawsible!
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At #LeadTheWay, we see the level of connection with dogs deepening and expanding. This means unlimited pawsibilities from school events, restaurants, festivals, and sports.
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If your dream life includes your pup joining you in a variety of places, make sure you are working on building the best relationship and foundation possible. If you need help preparing for the dream and the inevitable surprises that pop up along the way, we've got you covered!
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Our #Freedom program focuses on manners at home and out in the world. Let us know what your goals are and we'll help you get there!
Obedience vs. Manners: Training Tip Tuesday
We often hear, "I just want my dog to be obedient," but for #TrainingTipTuesday, Amy is here to explain why obedience and manners are not the same thing. There's more to it than just following commands! 🎥 Listen in as Amy dives into the difference and why teaching manners is key to having a well-rounded pup. 🐾
Obedience is great, but what really makes a dog shine is understanding how to make good choices on their own. If you're ready to help your dog develop those life skills, reach out to us, and let’s talk about how you can #LeadTheWay. We’re here to support you every step of the way!
Is there tension in your pack?
Have your dogs ever gone from being ok to fighting with one another?
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That's exactly what happened with Lady and Scrappy! As they got older, they started having vicious fights and were really traumatizing their Mom.
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She was trapped at home and didn't feel she could leave them alone out of fear of what would happen. They could no longer have friends over or entertain, which they really enjoyed!
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They couldn't even be walked on leashes safely! We're so grateful they reached out to the #LeadTheWay team. They enrolled in one of our specialty programs, and we quickly got to work with their personalized training plan to address the challenges.
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Things were so bad that we worked virtually at first to keep everyone safe and had terrific success. Once Lady and Scrappy were ready to meet the team and stay over, we moved into their program's board and train.
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The management protocols we created years ago are still in place today. Now their humans can entertain and travel once again!
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Lady and Scrappy's Mom shared their experience: "Of all the things I have done in my life, sending my dogs to you was one of the best things I've ever done. You completely saved our dogs from each other and have given us our life back again. All 4 of us live in peace now" - Kelly
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That is one heck of a #SuccessSaturday story, and we're so thrilled to share it with you. If you are facing challenges with your pack, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to help you understand what's going on and create a plan that allows you to live the fun life you envisioned having with your dogs.
How to Minimize the Impact of being Rushed by an Off-Leash Dog
Fall is here, and many things are happening in the world around us! Today, for #FreedomFriday, we wanted to share a reminder about how to be prepared and our favorite tools when you are rushed by an off-leash dog.
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Turn your audio on and listen to Amy's quick tips for staying safe and minimizing the impact of an encounter.
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Let us know if one of your goals is to have your dog off-leash or to earn your #caninegoodcitizen title! We're here as a community to help you achieve these goals with our personalized custom programs and full-service support!
The Energy You Bring to Training
For today’s #TrainingTipTuesday, Amy is talking about energy!
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Humans have different interpretations of body language than our 4 legged friends do.
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Are you tired, or is your attention on a project from work? This will impact your training session and may be why your doggo seems "stubborn."
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Dogs are eager to please their humans. Playful, upbeat energy will make the session fun and allow you to #LeadtheWay to a beautiful future.
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Learn to speak dog from someone fluent! Reach out to us today to get started.
The Difficult Sibling: Enzo
We're celebrating Enzo and all of his amazing progress for today's #SuccessSaturday!
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When we first met Enzo, he was quite the bratty brother to his sister, Sam. She was very patient with Enzo, but their pawrents wanted to make sure that everyone got along and that problems didn't get worse over time.
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Enzo joined our #FreedomProgram and the #LeadTheWay team got to work on his manners. We focused a lot on proper play and leash skills. He is a very strong and stout boy and was pulling a lot on the leash.
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After spending some time with the team and then his humans working hard to help Enzo keep leveling up his skills, we are thrilled to share that Enzo and Sam are doing great and are living their dream life.
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Multi-dog families have their own unique dynamic and it's important to ensure that all of the dogs and humans are working in harmony and that every being has the right tools to make the best decisions possible in every situation. If you need help with sibling rivalry or finding the right match to expand your pack, let us know. We're here to help!
Howloween Preparation
It’s that time again—Howloween Prep!
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With spooky season just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to get your pup ready for costumes, trick-or-treaters, and all the fun adventures.
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Check out Trainer Mike working with Shelby to ease her fears of Halloween decorations.
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Need help preparing your dog for a calm and fun October? We’re here to help!
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#HowloweenPrep #SpookySeason #DogTraining #HalloweenReady"
Dogs want to have a purpose!
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That purpose can look like many different things, and there is a lot to consider.
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Your dog's breed, lifestyle, goals, family structure, and environment are just a few examples.
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Some dogs live their best lives just napping on the sofa, while others need a bigger job.
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Reach out to us if you are thinking about getting a puppy, adding to your pack, or you have a specific need or job in mind for your four-legged friend.
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We are experts in helping your dream life become your reality, so let's get started!
Happy #SuccessSaturday! Today, we are sharing an amazing story from the archive and celebrating Kaitlyn and her service dog, Luke!
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We met Kaitlyn and Luke in 2018 to help show Kaitlyn and her family how to train Luke to be her service dog and help her through high school.
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Kaitlyn spent a lot of time learning from and working with the #LeadtheWay team. Along the way, Luke became a certified service dog.
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A couple of years ago, Kaitlyn and Luke walked across the stage together at Kaitlyn's high school graduation!
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Way to go, Kaitlyn, and awesome job supporting her every step of the way, Luke!
How Pack Walk differs from a traditional group training class
If you aren't part of our community yet, you haven't experienced the magic of Pack Walk.
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For #socializationsunday we wanted to share a quick video from a recent Pack Walk. What do you notice in the video?
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Pack Walk is a version of group learning and training. But, we have intentionally designed it to be completely different than a traditional group training class. Everyone in the group is at a different stage and needs different types of support.
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Learning manners with #LeadTheWay differs entirely from the basic commands other trainers focus on. This is just one example of what makes our programs unique.
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Are you ready to have the best relationship you can imagine with your dog? What are you waiting for?
Is there a countersurfer in your house?
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If so, you're not alone! We've been having quite a few conversations lately about food being stolen from counters and tables.
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But do you know why your dog is helping itself to your human food? And do you know how to teach it not to?
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Let's work together to get things on track before the extra yummy food holidays are here! Check out the videos and resources on our page, and give us a call if you're ready to start your personalized training journey!
Is your dog limiting your options?
Does your dog have challenges? Are they difficult or special?
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At times, these small or infrequent behaviors become more frequent or add layers of stress or even limitations when it's time to visit the vet, when you are traveling and can't take your pup with you, or when you are going for longer car trips.
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Teddy, pictured above, is just one example of this. When stress increased, his family learned he was more likely to make a bad choice and react by biting.
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Fortunately, Teddy found his way into the #Lead#LeadTheWay community. Our training team and programs are built on a support system and foundation that helps dogs make better choices. We also help families understand why the behavior is being triggered by interpreting what is going on in the dog's brain.
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All of this support and information, combined with consistent practice, leads to better decision-making even when stressed. This allows both dogs and humans to stay calm and live their best lives without those pesky limitations!
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Do you have a special dog that needs a little extra help? Are there things you want to do in life with your family that you can't do because of your dog?
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We know that trapped feeling all too well and we want you to know that we have solutions and all the experience to get things on track so you can get back to crushing your dreams! What is holding you back?
