Trails and Tails Dog School

12/05/2024

Happy and Safe Holidays!

12/03/2024

Looking for things to keep your dog busy? Check out the 25 days of games on SpiritDog’s page! New fun ideas each day!

11/26/2024

Otter is ready for the holiday this week! Wishing everyone a safe and joyful Thanksgiving!

11/25/2024

Great tips for teaching a solid stay!

11/18/2024

Happy Snow Day!

11/17/2024

Such a great idea and so easy to teach!

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween! Check out our latest newsletter for tricks and tips to keep this frightful night safe and fun for your pup!
https://mailchi.mp/4399dbe15e33/fall-dog-classes-starting-soon-10346958

10/29/2024

I'm just in awe of what Tracer is able to do with her nose. We had so much fun at the scent work events in Columbus this weekend. She was just playing for fun at the two levels above where she's qualified to compete but she did amazingly well. If she had been competing in the ELT-S, she would have placed 1st. She also would have taken home a ribbon and a bunch of points in the Elite. She's just incredible and I love watching her work so much! I can't wait to get the official photos back but I did get some great videos!

I wanted to post a huge shout out to Nikki Pollari Markle who runs smooth and genuinely positive events, Terri Spaeth-Merrick who is so kind and a font of knowledge as the CO, Bonnie and Randy who brought positive attitudes and professional integrity to the event as judges, to Regina Locricchio, Barb Sahl, Peg Cline, and everyone else in the score room who went out of the their way to help me out, and to the army of volunteers run by the experienced and composed Kathy Siegrist. Thank you all for such a wonderful and fun event!

4 hides- known number

10/21/2024

When Patricia Brewster isn’t teaching agility here at Trails & Tails, she’s working on her PhD project at MSU with this amazing group! 🎉 Check out more info about her project below!

10/10/2024

❤️

I’m a professional dog trainer of 23 years, so here’s a list of things I can guarantee you my dogs are better at than most -

1. Begging for food. That’s right. My dogs 100% know how to turn on the drool and charm when I’m eating or cooking. Does it work? Maybe. Do I always pay cheese tax? Absolutely.

2. Taking over my furniture and bed. Yes. My dogs sleep with me, lay on me, take up real estate on the couch, my lap and anywhere else they find comfort.

3. Getting super excited at greetings. My dogs jump up and hug me all the time. In fact, I don’t ever wear anything I care about. It’s super fun in summertime when I’m in shorts.

4. Chewing stuff that isn’t theirs. Shoes, the corner of a rug, we’ve even lost a chair leg to adolescent teething. Toys? Oh sure they have TONS of them, that I rotate and fill with food and freeze and hide - but what are toys compared to a family heirloom?

5. Ignoring me when it’s really important. Why come back when I’m calling them when it matters most? Why not make me stand in my underwear at 5am for a few minutes. They sure do love to keep me on my toes. It’s even better when it’s in public and I’ve just told people I’m a dog trainer!

6. Getting sick at the worst possible times. It’s not a vacation if someone doesn’t start pooping water or ingest something unknown while I’m gone. Or when I’ve just finished putting the kids to bed and cleaning the house, they are SO good at vomiting right at the bottom stair so I can step in it barefoot on my way downstairs to “relax”.

7. Barking at nothing, and everything, at all times. Leaf fall? Vacuum going? Small creak in floor? We could all die and they keep me safe. Without them, I may fall into the awful spiral of having peace and quiet, and who wants that?

8. Pointing out my flaws. Nothing like an adolescent dog or a drivey shepherd to make you recognize you need more work on your patience, timing and delivery. If it weren’t for them, I’d never have to really work on myself!

9. Leaving too soon. Just as we’ve figured out all of each other’s idiosyncrasies and habits and settle into a friendship of a lifetime, they have to go. We get a few amazing years together, and then my heart gets absolutely shattered, yet I still wouldn’t have it any other way. And THEN, I choose to take the journey all over again.

10. Being my best friends. Long day, feeling gloomy, struggling to see a bright side? They are there through all of it. Making me laugh, keeping me grounded, never taking things too seriously and always ready to try again for me. At my best and my worst they adore me, what better friends can you get than that.

I’m a dog trainer, but I still have dogs. They are not perfect, neither am I. My dogs are still allowed to be dogs as they accept that I’m still allowed to be a human. They are gonna dig a hole in my favorite spot of the yard and I’m going to take away the soggy tennis ball they found in the swamp. They will shred a new bed I bought for them and I’ll ask them to walk politely next to me instead of dragging me down. They will bark at a suspicious plastic bag and I will ask them to perform silly behaviors in front of people. They need to smell a tree branch for 10 minutes and I want to watch this new Netflix documentary. It’s a two way street and I’ve learned to embrace it instead of try to control it. That’s the only way I’ve found for it to be truly fair to them and to myself.

If you want a dog trainer who doesn’t advocate for allowing dogs to be dogs, and humans to be humans, and finding a compromise that’s fair and humane, I’m not your trainer, and that’s okay with me. They aren’t here long enough to make such big deals out of such little things for the level of friendship and devotion we get in return with them. Love your dogs everyone. For them, and for you.

- Helen St. Pierre

09/28/2024

These teams did such a great job working this morning with all the distractions of other dogs and people around! Not a small feat with teenage dogs!

09/24/2024

Registration is now open for Intro to K9 Nose Work® classes in Bozeman!
Find out more here:

https://trailsandtails.as.me/schedule/a0dccdcc/?categories[]=Scentwork%20Classes

09/11/2024

Being a good teammate for my dogs is so important to me. I want to know that they can communicate with me when they want or need something and that I can efficiently communicate back to them.
I need to control so much of their lives for safety, health, or just logistical reasons that any time I can give them a choice, I want to do that.
Here's a great article about how to give your dogs choices in as many areas of their lives as possible. What's one thing you can do to increase the choices your dog has?

We know that safety (being protected from harm) and security (FEELING protected from harm) are both categories of enrichment. As someone who lives with a dog who is a bite risk, I can tell you that these elements are also important for the humans in the household. My household consists of myself, my...

09/09/2024

Want to teach your dog how to find hidden objects with just their nose? Unlock your dog's super power with my upcoming scent work classes and sign up today!
Starts September 29th!
https://youtu.be/gb4v-hbMsz0?si=92U-ma0OgfeTAtlg

09/08/2024

Do you need help understanding your teenage dog? Join me this fall for a deep dive into thriving with your Adolescent Dog! Check out my class schedule for details!

https://trailsandtails.as.me/schedule/a0dccdcc/?categories[]=Life%20Skills%20Classes

Adolescence occurs between six months and 18 months of age—a time when guardians typically struggle the most with their dogs. Some guardians are so overwhelmed and underprepared for this developmental stage of their dog’s life, they choose to surrender the dog to a local shelter or rescue group. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that the majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7 percent) ) were between 5 months and 3 years of age (M.D. Salman,John G. New, Jr.,Janet M. Scarlett,Philip H. Kass,Rebecca Ruch-Gallie &Suzanne Hetts, 2010)

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, changing s*x hormones effect the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to process information they are receiving from the environment including the presence of dogs, vehicles, people, or really anything around them. They behave in ways that might feel frustrating or upsetting for the dog’s person.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control. We see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

So what does this mean? This could mean that what was once no big deal to the dog now feels scary; what was once easy to do is now stressful; what once made sense is now confusing. At times, the world can feel like ‘too much’ for the adolescent dog.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, our own frustration and impatience can cause us to act unpredictably. This adds to our puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for our dogs to adjust.

If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.

By understanding what our adolescent dog is experiencing we gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best adult selves.

09/05/2024

Fall Classes have been posted! Join us for:
Intro to Scent Work
Life Skills
Loose Leash Walking & Recall
Adolescent Skills

Find all our upcoming classes here!