Canine Behavior Counseling, LLC Owner, Judy Rapp Moore

07/02/2025

Happy 6th Birthday to Drake & His Littermates! 🐾🎂

Can you believe our sweet, loyal, and slightly dramatic German Shepherd Drake is 6 years old today? Time flies when you're chasing sticks, protecting the yard from squirrels, and sneakily stealing your sister Jade’s squeaky balls! 😄

But beyond the fun and silliness, Drake has a truly special role. His self-assured nature and zen-like energy have helped countless reactive and anxious dogs learn how to trust again. As I work hard to control the set ups, to improve anxious dog’s social confidence, Drake serves as the calm, confident presence. He is my silent partner guiding troubled dogs into his state of calmness and confidence.

I am so proud of what Drake has taught me and how he’s become, not just a training partner, but a healing influence for so many dogs.

Here’s to many more years of zoomies, evenings on the couch, and supporting more dogs in need. 🐕💛

Big birthday howls go out to his amazing litter mates too — may your bowls be full, your naps uninterrupted, and your tails wagging all day long!

Drop a note if you love a Shepherd or just want to wish these birthday pups the best day ever! 🎈🎁

06/28/2025

This Untold Love Story -

This story comes back to me every year as I celebrate the life—and mourn the loss—of Pablo. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone four years today.

When Drake joined our family nearly 6 years ago, I thought I was gaining a companion to maybe show in obedience or try a fun sport with. After all, Drake is a Shepherd – they love to work, right?

Well, not all Shepherds are cut from the same genetic make up. Drake had little interest in jobs or structured work. What he wanted, more than anything, was Pablo.

The only catch? Pablo wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of a little brother.

But Drake was patient. He crept, crawled, and quietly slid his way into Pablo’s space, heart, and life. Pablo, ever the protector, kept a watchful eye whenever I took Drake somewhere new. And while I was the one holding the leash, Drake wasn’t looking for direction from me, he was always searching for Pablo.

At home, he followed him, idolized him, wanted nothing more than connection with his big brother for the two years they were together. As Pablo entered his 14th year, thing shifted. In the last photo, you’ll see Drake – sitting by Pablo’s side, watching the world for him.

We lived in a gentle love triangle:
Pablo wanted me and only me.
Drake wanted Pablo and only Pablo.
And I tried every day to give them both the love they wanted.

This was never the plan. But somehow, it became the most beautiful story of love, connection and gentleness. Pablo's passing was as hard on Drake as it was on my own heart. Fortunately, we had each other to love.

06/27/2025

If you are feeding your dog the same food every day, please take some time to learn how to feed your dog a healthy diet from Dr. Judy Morgan's Naturally Healthy Pets

If you are feeding Hills Science Diet or Royal Canin , please look at the ingredients. These foods are full of corn, rice, barley and other fillers. Compare the ingredients to what Judy offers and you will see a huge difference!

Better options:
The Honest Kitchen
We Feed Raw
Dr. Marty Pets
ORIJEN Dog and Cat Food

06/26/2025

🐾✨ Why Temperament Assessments Matter! ✨🐾
With the help of my amazing assistants Randy Lewis and Sharon Henry, I recently had the joy of using my CARAT Assessment Skills created by Suzanne Clothier, to evaluate three adorable American Water Spaniel puppies. These assessments help breeders make informed decisions when matching them with the right family!

Each puppy goes home with a 3 page detailed CARAT Assessment to set them up for success. Here is just a brief snapshot of what I learned by watching them.

**One male pup thrives on frequent human connection. He truly wants a relationship with a human and will stay close and attentive to "his person" if they are available. He is confident in new environments, enjoys using his nose, and is already retrieving. His chase behavior is strong but will redirect if the reward is important to him.

**One boy gets overstimulated by high-value treats, so he’ll do best with lower-value rewards during training. This same pup needs confidence building in new environments to help him feel secure. Can you see how his strong food motivation and low environmental confidence could put him in conflict? He would follow the treat up the cat walk or through a noisy town only to find himself overwhelmed after the treat was devoured. This is one way anxiety can creep in. With a skilled human near to support him during his socialization period to new places and novel items, this pup will be an amazing training partner for most any sport! He is social, enjoys using his nose, and is very resilient! Plus, he can totally chill when you pull him close and offer petting.

**The female trotted about the new setting with grace and confidence. She checked out each item and showed no sensitivity. She is moderately high on both energy and arousal which means she will require more mental and physical engagement than her brothers. This girl is social, fun, trainable and ready to be the performance dog she is meant to be.

Understanding each puppy’s sociability and preferences before placement is key to making the right match. By identifying their strengths, support needs, and ideal home environment in advance, we set clear expectations that help foster long-term success. We're grateful to have played a role in giving these pups, and their future humans, the best possible start together!

✨ If you're interested in one of these amazing pups, or want to have your litter assessed by me. Send me a message. I will be happy to provide you more information or connect you with their breeder!

06/23/2025

Sometimes, unexpected moments that catch us off guard become powerful lessons for personal growth. Honestly, that is how I choose to look at them.

Recently, I found myself in a frightening situation with Ollie, my daughter’s reactive Sheltie. His collar became entangled on a tree branch while playing fetch. He panicked, then I panicked as I struggled to free him.

What happened after, was as remarkable as the incident was terrifying. Read our story below.

We all want to be calm, collected, and composed when our dogs need us most—but sometimes, fear grabs us before we can breathe. This week, a game of fetch with Ollie, my daughter’s nervous and sensitive Sheltie, became one of those moments.

06/16/2025

I snapped a few behind-the-scenes clips from Drake and Jade’s recent photo shoot with the amazing Lynn M Stone. Drake & Jade were total pros—holding their poses like champs while we waited for the perfect wave to crash behind them. I can’t wait to share the professional shots soon… these pups might just land a calendar cover!
🐶✨

06/04/2025

📣 Big News! My Book Is With the Copyeditor!!! 🐾✍️

I can’t believe I get to say this… but my book is officially in the hands of my copyeditor! This project has been a true labor of love, and I'm beyond excited to be one giant step closer to sharing it with all of you.

Why did I write this book? It’s because of messages like this one I received just this week:

"Hey there! I am interested in booking a consultation to talk about my dog, Sophie. She is almost three years old and is a cattle dog, Australian shepherd mix. She is great with people and very sweet. She’s always been leash reactive but usually has been good with other dogs off the leash. Just in the last month I’ve noticed her behavior change and she is attacking other dogs if we meet them on a trail or at the beach. Help!!"

Emails like this land in my inbox every week and very time, I think: I want to help more people understand WHY their dog's behavior has changed and HOW to prevent this from happening to another dog through proper socialization. Socialization which should be based on the individual dog's temperament!

Thank you to everyone who's encouraged me on this journey so far—more updates soon! 💛🐶

Photo of Drake and Jade because they are instrumental in helping re-build many dog's social confidence!

06/02/2025

Jade and I passed our AKC Tracking Dog Urban (TDU) test yesterday! 🎉🐾

What made the difference? Jade’s confidence and our teamwork!

At the second turn, I was convinced the track continued into a parking lot. But Jade stepped out, circled, and gave me a clear look—"Mom, there’s no scent here!" I wasn’t sure, so I asked her to check again. Same response: nothing. That moment reminded me—before we hit the pavement, Jade had tried to turn right. So we backed up together and, sure enough, she immediately began casting in that direction. With a strong pull, she locked onto the scent and led me right to the first article!

From then on, I fully trusted her. She confidently tracked to the final article—the glove—and we celebrated together! 🧤❤️

There’s a saying in the tracking world: “Trust your dog.” Yesterday, I made Jade work harder than she needed to. I’m so grateful she had the confidence to communicate with me instead of shutting down like many dogs might in that situation.

Huge thanks to Jade for her amazing communication skills, and to the entire On Track Agility Club of Maine for hosting such a well-run test! Special thanks to the track layers and the Judges Carolyn Fuhrer & Anne Rosenberg. The club celebrated 2 TDU passes and 4 TD passes—congrats to all the teams!

05/28/2025

Boats is in the water! Drake and Jade are as excited as we are. Summer is finally here in Maine!

05/11/2025

You're Invited to Rally & Obedience Run-Throughs!
Who’s coming? Whether you're registering to participate or just visiting to learn a new skill to teach your dog, you're in for a fun and educational time!

Meet fellow dog lovers who use positive reinforcement to train their pups, and make some new friends—both two-legged and four-legged!

🐾 Come join the fun and take the next step in your dog training journey!

Obedience and Rally Trials at the Union Fairgrounds! Still time to enter - great show geared to beginners! 😎