Affinity Dog Behavior & Training

09/15/2025

Regression is common in dogs who have experienced trauma. I’ve been trying to help my feel more comfortable about the car again. It is a long road with these dogs and international rescues.

09/14/2025

Starts Wednesday, 9/17!

Does your dog hate the car?

Would you like to take a class to work on that - but taking a class requires a trip in the car?

We have the answer to that! A virtual car class! Work on skills to build your dog’s confidence and comfort on getting in and riding in the car!

Starts this Wednesday! Click the link in the comments to register 🚗

09/13/2025

👏

Should I crouch down?
Some will say "Yep", it makes us less threatening.
I tend to say "Nope".
Worried, anxious, stressed dogs can react in ways we "can't" predict.
Those sweet puppy dog eyes, yearning for love.
They are more than likely yearning for space and for this situation to be over with.
When we push them, want to hug them and take away their discomfort we can come from a place of wanting desperately to make things better for them.

We tend to rush this.
We also tend to look at them through our human rose tainted glasses.

Crouching down in front of or in the vicinity of a stressed dog puts your centre of gravity off balance.
it's another second or two before you can react to anything that may be about to occur.
We also tend to crouch way to close.

So for me.
I keep actions slow and deliberate (without being unnatural).
Lot's of space is given (where possible)
I make sure I give them options to leave (I don't block the exits).
Weirdly, I tend to mimic others movements in the household (wee thing that I notice works well over the years).
I offer calming signals to them.
No direct eye contact and I don't approach.

This is the fastest way I know to help anxious dogs.

I don't want confliction.
It's connection I really want.

09/13/2025

It’s never too early to start brainstorming and planning to bring your new rescue dog or puppy home. We can help! Affinitydogbt.com

09/09/2025

You’d think he was a Dachshund!
What’s your dog’s cozy spot?

09/08/2025

I think my girls are soooo pretty 😍 rescued

09/04/2025

Five to fifteen minutes each of training outside this morning is good for them. How long each dog works depends on each dog’s comfort level, resilience and drive. It’s their choice.
The Koolies can work virtually endlessly. Jade has some drive and biddability but needs a a lot of down time. Lily Opal, East a Asian Village Dog with trauma and fear, needs to feel safe above all else. It’s got to be what she can initiate and feel comfortable doing.
I’m extra proud of her this morning because whe did some things while Jade was out of her sight.

We have to remove expectations and meet each dog where he/she is now or the learning won’t happen. Dogs just want to feel safe. As a licensed Family Dog Mediator and Animal Welfare Professional, I am here to help you on your journey with your dog.

Affinitydogbt.com
Changing Fear Into Confidence.
Dog Initiated learning.
No force- No fear- No pain
Positive reinforcement training.

09/01/2025

Happy 9th anniversary, Lily Opal!

When I met her with Jade at Veg Fest in Buffalo, NY, she was a scared little pup who lit up every time she got to near Jade. She seemed to adore Jade- her tail went up and would follow Jade all around. That is why I decided to out in an application to adopt her.

She was born in a dog meat farm in South Korea. I have no doubt stress and fear was passed down to her from both parents. But she was saved. She was transported all the way from South Korea to Toronto, Canada, then picked up and driven Buffalo, NY USA to a foster home. Then she finally got her home with Jade, Malachite and me.
We’ve moved three times togher, each time was an improvement for her environment (E) and overall welfare. Though I adopted her at a young age, she didn’t have a clean slate. This is often a misconception. lily Opal has always been a very fearful dog. At the time I was surprised by her DNA results: East Asian Village Dog. But it made sense. She was not a dog who was a people pleaser, enjoyed human contact, or had biddability.
I was living and caring for a World Dog in captivity with trauma. She who never got to live the free living life she was meant to.

Living with Lily Opal hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been very difficult. And she’s not my dog, she’s Jade’s dog. Even an after about eight years of Fearful Dog classes and our choice based training over the years she won’t leave the house or do anything without Jade. Vet visits and nail trims have become near impossible. She is now refusing to get in the car. I am working on “car stuff” with her. Change is very hard for her. She seems to be in pain in her legs and I’m trying to manage that. She’s had some heath issues during her younger years, too. I have no idea how long she’ll live.

But she is the most interesting dog I’ve ever known. She’s a master communicator, a blanket and toy destroyer, sweet and innocent, conflict avoider, highly intelligent, likely the smartest dog I’ve ever met, and I’ve been so lucky to be her caregiver for nine years. Lily Opal, I’ll stick with you, baby, for a thousand years. You crazy little thing I call love. I hope I give you the life you enjoy. I’m trying. I’m so glad you’re with me. Happy anniversary!

08/31/2025

This is powerful.

08/28/2025

To the untrained eye, a stress response in dogs can often look like the dog is comfortable, and quite like there is nothing going on internally for the dog at a precise moment.
My dog, Jade, was lying comfortablly. I put some music on and was singing along and when I turned around I saw how Jade looked (please see the second picture). She was very stressed and frozen. She couldn’t just get up and go to another room.

I turned off the music and apologized for scaring her. I told her if I want to keep listening to it I’ll go in another room and put my earphones in. After that, she shifted her position and went back to lying comfortably. See the third photo.
Mr. Rogers, Honesty and I’m Sorry hacks really work!

Living with a dog who has endured trauma can be challenging. Every day things you enjoy doing without hesitation now may need to be scrutinized. It’s a process. Everything little thing we do matters.
It can be really hard living with a fearful dog. But I am here to help you on your journey.

Affinitydogbt.com
Schedule your free call today

08/28/2025

Not all dogs rolling to show you their belly are asking for belly rubs. Before you touch you can ask what they are really trying to communicate. It’ll improve relationship.

They’ve flashed their tum…now what?
Well, that depends.

On a consult, when a dog flops in front of me, pulls their paws in tight, and stares intently....it’s rarely an invite for belly rubs. Quite the opposite for many dogs.

Rolling onto their back exposes their stomach, chest, and throat...areas with no real protection. In dog language, that’s one of the most vulnerable positions they can be in, which is why context and consent matter.

It’s easy to misread, I absolutely appreciate it is.....but we should be sure it’s an invitation before we approach.

When we dismiss a dog’s body language, we make it harder for them to communicate clearly in the future and that’s when misreads start to snowball.
A very slippery slope.