WoofGang LLC

09/19/2025

09/15/2025

Dalton, the Norwich Terrier, is a big personality in a tiny body! You can see all that character in those sparky eyes, no?! And in his interpretation of his "place" behavior... he certainly gives it his own spin :)

Dalton is shy with new people, and particularly so with children. It's not uncommon for a shy dog to be a bit put off by kids. They tend to be fast, unpredictable, and loud. That can make play a particularly powerful and helpful element of a treatment protocol because what is play but an activity that's often fast and unpredictable, sometimes even loud. AND it's fun!

There are so many reinforcers that can help with behavior modification -- food and treats, play, petting, even sniffing. Really anything a dog loves can be a useful avenue. But certain reinforcers can be especially complementary to specific behavioral challenges. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

09/11/2025

Tilly's strict diet means that she can't have much fat, because her body can't process it. We've had to look other places for fun treats and chews. She's lovin' her sweet potato chews and is also enjoying some frozen banana in her alligator puzzle toy.

09/08/2025

This sweet girl is Lily, the Chihuahua mix. Lily is very loving and devoted with a couple of her family members, but more distrusting and fearful of others. To put it succinctly, she is living up to her birthright as (part) Chihuahua!

It can be helpful to understand a dog's breed and that breed's intended function when working with behavior challenges. The Chihuahua was bred to be a companion dog and so she's often happiest curled up in her guardian's lap. Also bred to be a guard dog, the Chihuahua is likely to be alert to sounds and with a tendency toward being protective, vocal and shy of strangers. As is true of all guarding breeds, they tend to be "guardy", meaning that they show guardy behavior around their resources. And what is a Chihuahua's most prized resource? Her human guardian, the one for whom she was bred to be a loyal companion! So it's pretty evident how Lily has developed her sense of her job. It’s in the genes!

While it is instructive to understand the origins and motivations of a behavior from the perspective of breed, that doesn’t mean that that behavior is immutable. Behavior modification can teach a dog skills that will give her other behavioral responses and patterns. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.

09/02/2025

This handsome young gent, Cooper, is active and exuberant, perhaps not the desired qualities from his older brother's perspective, a mobility challenged 13 year old pooch. And because a preponderance of his education in dog play has been with his brother, Cooper has not learned all the play skills of a respectful, appropriate player.

Fortunately Cooper is still a young guy with time to make up for the holes in his education. He needs to meet plenty of tolerant, skillful players whose play behaviors he can mimic and hence learn from. These interactions will be most successful if one-on-one, and particularly with adults; other adolescents will still be learning themselves who may be easily overwhelmed or overwhelming.

The early months of a puppy's life are so formative for learning socialization and social skills, and impulse control and frustration tolerance, among other things. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

08/25/2025

Look at this adorable little guy. His name is Rollo, though he is shaped more like a tootsie roll, no? This sweet, sensitive pup is shy with new people and anxious in general. He is so young and has been so carefully and diligently worked with by his parents that his fear at this young age likely has a genetic component to it. He could also have experienced stress hormones from his mother while in utero that contributed to his anxious nature. Or, if his mother herself was fearful of new people, her alarm barking at the approach of strangers could have taught him to be suspicious of them.

Fear can be a product of nature as well as nurture. Fortunately, knowing precisely why a puppy is fearful is not necessary in order to help him with it. If there's a genetic component to it, pharmacological intervention can be helpful, but behavior modification techniques will be the same regardless. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

08/18/2025

This is Layla, the sweet little Min Pin mix. She can be a bit barky... she is shy with certain strangers and she barks to keep them away; she barks at the window at passersby; she barks when the kids are playing too wildly and she feels she needs to settle things down... when she needs to express herself, barking is her go-to. Compounding the issue, there are two other dogs in the household, so when she barks she sets everyone off, and their barking further fuels hers; it's an unfortunate feedback loop.

When working with issues in a multi-dog household, the trick is to treat the instigator first. If Layla didn't bark, it's likely that the other two wouldn't either. Still, there is no single fix for barking, as barking means different things in different circumstances. For fear barking, you need to relieve the fear; for demand barking, you need to withhold attention until a better behavior is offered; and so on.

Each dog has a rich, wonderful personality that is expressed through their behaviors. Resolving the behaviors that are an expression of fear or anxiety is not the same for any two dogs. WoofGang can help! We offer in-person sessions as well as online training. Contact us at (646) 345-5116 to set up a session. Like this page for posts about all things dog! And sign up for the WoofGang emailing list... with tips, tricks, special offers and Mutt Morsels -- training tips that solve everyday problems. Simply click on http://eepurl.com/gQDqLX to subscribe and join! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)