Mindful Canine Dog Training & Behavior

03/15/2025

For us, community isn't just about group classes, fun parties, pack walks, and seminars. Although these things are part of our community involvement goals and values, we believe it's important to truly give back. One of my favorite opportunities is the annual Middle School Career Fair. It's a tough world out there right now, and I believe now more than ever that it's important to inspire young people and show them that their future can still be bright and full of passion despite the problems our world is facing. Not only that, but the majority of these kids will grow up to own a dog, and it's important to plant the seed early that training is part of responsible dog ownership. It was such a blast interracting with the next generation of dog people, and I'd be delighted if one of these kids decided to be a dog trainer one day. I'm so grateful to give back again to the very school system that raised me many years ago and made my wonderful career possible. 😍🥹

03/09/2025

Change is hard, but not necessarily bad.

I learned to be a dog trainer on this spot, long before there was a playground here. I'd spent hours, and hours, and hours there with my dog Boo doing heelwork, recalls, and more. It was hard to watch as the city tore up my favorite stretch of grass in my quiet childhood park to make "improvements." My favorite training spot in the world was just gone forever. The same spot I'd looked for fairy doors as a kid, and even gotten a marriage proposal later as a young adult. It was at first hard not to feel like something special was taken from Canyon Park when it grew and changed as our city grew and changed.

But as the new playground and water feature took shape, I realized that even though it was different now, the spot is still a great place to train. Even better, in some ways! It wasn't so hard after all to realize the potential these new features had to bring dogs and people together and promote responsible cohabitation. When I look at it now, I imagine how much fun kids in our community will have with the water feature, next to the natural beauty of Coal Creek and Cedar Canyon. And someday, maybe- if we're lucky- they'll remember that dog trainer they saw working in that park all the time and decide to hire a dog trainer when they grow up.

Or even better yet, become one. ❤️

03/06/2025

Get ready for Get Rattled, hosted by Gail Workman's Dog Training Made Easy! Snake season starts in the spring so this is your chance if you have been curious about this for your dog.

🐍 Sunday March 30th from 9 AM to 3 PM
$125

🐍To register, go to: https://bookwhen.com/getrattled and pick your preferred time on March 30th.

03/06/2025

🐍If you like to hike off-leash with your dogs, you may be interested in Rattlesnake Avoidance Training. The well-respected Get-Rattled trainers from Nevada will be in Iron County at Gail's Workman's Dog Obedience Training Made Easy home on Sunday March 30th from 9 AM to 3 PM.

🐍To register, go to: https://bookwhen.com/getrattled and pick your preferred time on March 30th. The charge is $125 and it is well worth it!

#**Thanks for coming by!!** We are a small group who call Reno, NV home. Every spring/summer we hop in our suburban and begin our annual journey around the west coast. Currently we travel to 7 different states and over 50 different locations to train pups just like yours! Our love for both dogs and....

03/06/2025

What is your favorite activity to do with your dog?

I don’t think it will come as surprise to anyone but my favorite activity is hiking! I love getting out and enjoying nature with my pack of boys!

03/03/2025

Just wanted to express my appreciation for my mentor! It's been a gamechanger to have an industry veteran to learn from and enhance my skillset. All of our clients have benefitted so much from his influence on my practice and I am so grateful for all of his knowledge and help. I have learned more from him than I have from any book, workshop, seminar, certification process, etc. There is nothing quite like hands-on learning! My personal dogs have grown immensely with his guidance and its been so fun to watch them climb toward their fullest potential.

Thanks for taking things from good to great ❤️

03/01/2025

🥹❤️Thanks to everyone who made our Emergency Preparedness Semniar a huge hit!

This topic is truly close to my heart and it was a dream of mine to bring this knowledge to our training community. I care so much about each of your pets, and its wonderful to know that they are more prepared for whatever life throws their way! This topic is so important that it will be an annual event, so if you missed it this time we will catch you next year! Keep an eye out for more great community seminars and workshops coming out in 2025!

02/28/2025

Thanks so much to everyone who made this a great success! I'm so happy we could put this on for our community.

02/27/2025

Our emergency preparedness seminar is TONIGHT at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

Picture of many exploring an abandoned cabin for tax.

02/23/2025

Bear was biting my gloved hand just minutes before this photo was taken!

When we started teaching him this stationing behavior on his bed, his whole attitude changed. He went from aggressing and expressing his a**l glands to joyfully offering known behaviors for treats and wagging his tail. I've heard statements from other trainers such as "We change how the dog feels instead of just teaching obedience." Often, teaching obedience is a main part of aggression rehab because it gives the dog a constructive focal point and gives you something you can hold them accountable for. It's impossible to treat a serious behavior problem without a foundation of obedience and accountability. You MUST be able to communicate and direct a dog if you want to teach them new constructive ways to cope with their emotions. Successfully treating serious behavior problems is a cocktail of strategies that will vary for each dog depending on the emotion driving the behavior. For Bear, our strategy is based around fear driven aggression. We're so proud of his huge progress and can't wait to see him living his best life in the long term.

If your dog is struggling with behavior problems, we can help! Give us a call at 385-220-5403

02/22/2025

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!

Last weekend Boo and I headed up to to compete for the first time ever at a GRC trial. I knew from the onset that Boo was not quite ready since we only recently introduced a front command, needed various fine tuning, and he tends to have difficulty in new environments- but our main goal was just to get the experience and view a trial so our team in Southern Utah can prepare for SR testing this year. Although I knew it was more than likely that we would NQ, it was still really disappointing that we didn't earn our SR this time around. I'm used to succeeding on the first try, so I had to keep my ego in check. One of my biggest takeaways was my friends sharing their stories of their own NQ experiences. It was inspiring to know that people in the 2s and 3s overcame various "failures" to get where they are at now, and it was also inspiring to watch others NQ or pull from the trial with winning attitudes. Once I was able to get some distance from that moment of failure and disappointment, I remembered various examples of people I look up to overcoming failure at other dog sport trials, plus the fact that even the founder of GRC has failed SR tests with his own dogs. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is view failure from a different angle and see it as success. Boo did excellent at the hotel, being crated during travel for long periods of time, was neutral to the dog who was our hotel roommate and was respectful to all other dogs he saw, and was overall functional in a trial environment which a year ago I would have thought impossible. I gained valuable experience that I can share with my home GRC team, and got to share in the pride of the success of my teammate Asia and her dog Finely as they competed for the first time in slat mill. I gained confidence in dog friendly travel. I was an example to my team to get out there and take risks. One of the most important aspects of this trip was the friendships and connections made with the GRC community in Utah- I always feel so supported!

Never let the possibility of failure stop you- it's just an inevitable and valuable step on the road to success!

02/20/2025

Meet Jasper!
Breed: Border Collie x Poodle
Age: 4 Years Old
Gender: Male
Size: Medium (55 lbs)
Energy Level: Active, Playful

About Jasper:
Jasper is a lovable, energetic dog who’s ready to bring joy to his forever home! He loves to run, play, and get lots of attention from his humans. Whether it’s fetching a ball, hiking, walking through ace hardware or just hanging out on the couch, Jasper is always up for fun and affection. Jasper is an absolute cuddle bug.

Jasper is friendly with cats and people. Jasper has a history of reactivity and will probably never be a “dog park dog” but he is friendly with other dogs after a proper introduction. Jasper has completed a board and train with Mindful Canine and has advanced obedience and off leash reliability. Jasper knows:

-Sit (at a distance, in motion, and with an implied stay)
-Down (at a distance, in motion, and with an implied stay)
-Go to your bed
-Heel
-Eye Contact
-Off
-Jump up
-Come
-Get it
-No
-Loose leash walking
-Leave it
-Out
-This way (for hiking off leash if you don’t need a full recall but a change of direction)
-Kennel (He knows how to go to his kennel on command and is well crate trained)
-House broken

Jasper has also been introduced to agility, GRC dog sports, and Disc. He would excel at any of these sports and has a trainer offering his new owners a couple of free agility sessions. Jasper would also most likely enjoy dock diving or fly ball, but has not been introduced to it.

He does best with regular exercise, training and mental stimulation to keep him happy.

Jasper’s Ideal Home:
Jasper would do well in an active household where he can get plenty of playtime and outdoor adventures. He would love a family who’s experienced with dogs or willing to give him the guidance and structure he needs. A home with a yard would be perfect for him to run around in, and he’d enjoy having the right dog as a dog sibling to play with. Jasper would thrive with a family that has time to devote to his energetic personality and would be a great companion for an active person or family.

Reach out to if you are interested in adopting or fostering Jasper.

02/18/2025

Congratulations to Asia and Finley from our GRC Dog Sports club, who got 3rd place in the mock slat mill trial at Wasatch Canine Camp this past weekend!!

Before I talk about my own experience at the trial, I wanted to give this young lady and her dog a well-deserved and hard-earned congratulations and shout out. Asia has grown as a handler and human significantly since joining GRC a year and a half ago. I am so proud of her and impressed with what she has accomplished with Finley, who has been a challenging (and amazing) dog.

One of the best parts about being a GRC club member is getting to watch other people and their dogs learn, grow, and achieve success. It has been a great honor to be a part of this team's journey. 🙌😍🥳

We can't wait to see that these guys do next! Thanks to all of our friends, old and new, who made this an amazing first trial experience!

02/12/2025

Welcome new homeschool student Dixie! Dixie is working with me to overcome leash reactivity and learn basic commands.

02/11/2025

We've gotten a lot of new followers lately, so we thought it was about time for some more "get to know us" stuff!

My name is Brandi, and I'm the co-creator of Mindful Canine. I train full time at our Cedar City branch and produce most of the content you see on our social media channels. My business partner Emmah and I both wear many hats as small business owners, but some of my specific duties include systems development, tech work, equipment orders, networking, marketing, and more! My favorite part of dog training is helping dogs and owners live their happiest lives together. I love making it possible for people to enjoy their dog as much as I enjoy mine. I'm passionate about community involvement, and my dream is that someday, having a dog trainer for every dog will become as commonplace as having a vet for every dog. I started my dog journey in pet nutrition while I managed a team at a pet retail store where my love for training was also born. Before training, I got a BA in English from SUU. I currently have a CPDT-KA certification in dog training as well as work with a mentor with over 30 years of experience. I'm in the process of pursuing other credentials, titles, and education. My favorite areas of study in dog training are dog sports and play based methods. When I'm not training, I love hiking, reading, and writing poetry!

If I haven't met you already, I'd love to get in touch and meet you and your dog! Reach out to schedule a FREE consultation with me 🐕

02/10/2025

Are your pets prepared for a disaster like the Pallisades Fire?

Now is the time to make preparations for your animals in the event of an emergency! Make this process easy by joining us for this one-time community seminar in Cedar City.

Current and past Mindful Canine clients get 50% OFF a full priced ticket! Text or call us at 385-220-5403 to register, space is limited!

This event is for humans only! 🐕

02/03/2025

Caption this photo in the comments! What is Boo thinking? 👇