No Monkey Business Dog Training

09/17/2025

You asked, I listened.

Coming next month - a NMBDT flex space sniffspot right IN Concord!

This space will be separate from the classes and training building, and will be 2500sqft of open space indoors and climate controlled for you and your dogs to enjoy safely and privately for whatever you like.

This extra space is a risk for me, but I’ve watched the number of reactive dogs grow these last few years, and the number of safe spaces to bring dogs where you don’t risk off leash dogs and unwelcome encounters get fewer and fewer. Every day in consults I hear the needs these dogs have, I want to give you all a place to let your dogs, dog. Climate controlled, clean, private and most of all, safe.

I’ll be posting more details on it soon, and listing it for rental soon too, I promise. This space will also allow for more events, workshops, more class options, private playgroups and parties AND trainer supervised playgroups too, without having to work around current class times etc. Anyone interesting in hosting an event let me know!

It’s going to need to be used to stay open, so I’m hoping you all will enjoy it and use it to keep it running. Flooring is on the way, signage is coming, and I can’t wait for you all to see it and use it!

Love,
Me.

09/17/2025

Here’s a professional dogs trainer tip on raising a happy, well adjusted puppy.

Let them mouth and chew and explore.

Stop hovering and intervening and preventing. Yes, I allow my puppy to pick up things and explore them with his mouth, including seaweed, shells, sand. Experience has shown me he doesn’t want to INGEST it, he wants to taste and explore it, and the more I intervene him doing that, the more frantic and desperate he’ll be to do so, and THATS where problems can occur.

My puppies are allowed to try climbing things, to get dirty and understand their surroundings. They are allowed to dig and pull things apart. I supervise the whole time, but I also make sure I don’t interfere with natural behaviors because doing so can disrupt critical confidence building at this stage. Castle knows he can explore, but I’m always there in the background to offer support and for him to come check back in with when he’s done.

Not every interaction I have with my puppy is “training” or transactional - sometimes it’s just me sitting with them while they explore.

Now look, if there was a pile of broken glass there - of course I’d redirect him away from it OR I’d simply pick him up and move him away. It’s common sense, and I’m not saying to not supervise, but I am saying that so many of my clients worry SO much about their puppy that they don’t actually let them BE a puppy. It comes from a good place, but it can lead to more problems later.

Let your puppy, puppy. It’s really good for them.

09/15/2025

Castle is 10 weeks old today. He loves water, and his big sister Cabbage, all the dogs, his little humans and dehydrated chicken. He thinks leashes are stupid but digging holes is the BEST and he loves making friends wherever he goes.

09/14/2025

I miss him.

09/12/2025

I feel like I have spent so much of my adult life trying to rationalize and understand human behavior. Both present and past, reading history books and everything possible to make sense of our developments, flaws and achievements. From walking upright to painting the sistine chapel. The incredible things we are capable of, and the most vile and evil things too.

It may be why I always find the most peace amongst my animals, in the woods. It’s where I find solace, but also where I am able to clear my thoughts.

While many are shocked from the last few days, I am not. This is humanity. This is the human condition. We have done this to ourselves since the dawn of time - before governments, before civilization as we know it. To the roots of our core beings - we are violent selfish creatures that have a long history of slaughtering one another over territory, women, differences in beliefs, and anything else deemed appropriate at the time. We’ve burned one another, gassed, shot, beheaded, fed to animals - this is nothing new. It’s now just televised and we are able to truly see the consequences and horror. One of the most predictable behaviors in mankind is our violence towards one another. Strip away technology, society as we know it, all the modern conveniences we love, and we are still animals. While we can pride ourselves with our accomplishments, we cannot forget what we’ve done to get here.

I realized a long time ago that while we were able to write beautiful symphonies and create art that could take your breath away, we could never fully change the darkness that we come with also. All we can do, collectively, is work daily to rise above it, to try to always be kind, to do the right thing, to help those less fortunate, and remember how lucky we are to have been here in the first place. I cannot change the world, but I can shape my own world, and change the world for the animals in my presence. I can only hope the ripples reach farther than I hoped.

And, thank God for dogs.

- Helen St. Pierre

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

Hi. The world is pretty awful, and you look like you could use something a little more joyful to watch. So, here you go.

09/08/2025

9 weeks old 🏰

09/07/2025

Hey Castle?

Yeah?

What’s a ducks favorite snack?

Uhhh I don’t know?

Cheese and QUACKERS!!!

Mom - is he always like this…..

Yes.

09/06/2025

The calm before the storms. A long woods walk this morning and now hanging out and relaxing before we head inside for a bit. The social alignment you see here is beautiful to watch and be a part of. It takes true community and trust in the group to have these kinds of experiences. (Only two missing are - Castle is passed out in crate and Breezewood went inside to the AC immediately)

09/06/2025

Custard would like to show everyone that for his birthday he got a GIANT STUFFED DUCK and it must go everywhere with him. All the time.