Misunderstood Mutt Dog Training

05/31/2022

This one is for my newly adopted dog guardians!

Here is a list of some tools that can make your life a little bit easier during this transition.

I have been utilizing ALL of these tools since welcoming Jinya into our home back in February. They are truly life savers.

Do you use any of these tools currently or plan to add them into your tool belt?

Or, if you’re struggling to fill your tool belt to make life successful with your newly adopted dog - click the link in my bio and check out my newly adopted dog training package! I would love to help you!

[ ID in the comments]

05/24/2022

And so much more!

How I view training with your dog - it isn’t just teaching them the behaviors.

It’s holistic.

You have to address the whole dog, take into account their mental and emotional state, their physical abilities, their sociability, their age and cognitive function.

It isn’t just addressing the symptoms of that specific behavior but identifying what they’re communicating through their body language, meetings their needs daily and finding what actually motivates them to learn and work.

Training with your dog is a lifestyle built around learning, growing, and exploring all of the different aspects of who your dog is.

Do you take a holistic approach to training with your dog? Tell me about it in the comments!

[ ID in the comments]

05/19/2022

I will shout this from the rooftops for the rest of my life!

You and your dog are individuals and should always be treated as such!

Your training journey will always look different from others. You have different goals, your dog has different quirks, and your environment is so different!

When your training plan is centered around how you AND your dog learn best, results come naturally.

Training becomes more fun, less pressure, and you can enjoy the journey!

What makes your dog unique? Let me know in the comments, I want to hear ALLLLLL about them!

[ ID in the comments]

05/17/2022

A leader is someone who guides, who directs, who inspires.

In my opinion, a great leader is one who takes time to understand how those that they are leading learn best.

They would find what motivates the individual to work.

For dogs, that may be cookies. It may be play. It may be sniffing. It may be all of the above.

For humans that may be money. Health benefits. Paid vacation.

A weak leader might belittle, might punish, might scare their follower into compliance because they might be scared of not being in control.

Scared that their “follower” might choose not to engage if they give them the option not to.

And one thing I’ve learned through my experience as a cookie pushing dog trainer - when you give the dog freedom to make choices and reinforce what you like with cookies, they are happy to continue trying new things with you.

They are happy to engage in training and often choose to train more because it becomes fun.

So, use all of the cookies. It doesn’t make you a weak leader. It makes you a kind, compassionate, and intelligent leader.

[ ID in comments]

05/11/2022

With May being national mental health month, I want to talk about this topic.

Mental health is important for your dog AND you!

Yes, your mental health truly matters during your training journey with your dog.

It can be an emotionally exhausting and overwhelming process, especially if you’re working on overcoming fears and anxieties for your dog and yourself.

I strive to always be transparent on here so you don’t feel alone. I am a certified dog trainer AND I also have days where I struggle to meet my own dog’s needs because of a bad mental health day.

This doesn’t make me any less worthy of being a dog trainer, if being a dog guardian or being a human being in general.

Your mental health matters to me just as much as your dogs and if you’re struggling while working with me - I will never judge you.

If you need to take a month off of training to care for your brain - please do!

If you disappear for 6 months and then are ready to get started again - I will welcome you back with open arms and no questions.

We are a team, striving to help make life better for your dog and for you as their guardian.

[ID in the comments]

04/25/2022

04/25/2022

If you’ve noticed, it’s been pretty quiet over here the last couple of months!

I have gone through a lot of big life changes, big changes to my business, a new business addition and the completion of two certifications that I put down in my CE goal list right before graduating from VSA!

The aggression in dogs master course was the first course recommended to me to take by Victoria to further my career of working with reactive and aggressive dogs.

The fear free certification was something I wanted to achieve as a vet assistant but didn’t have the support at the time so I’m happy to now be able to utilize it with my training practices.

Here’s to continuing education so that I can better serve you, your dog and this community!

04/14/2022

During a consultation I had last night Remi was a great example of what you can achieve with your dog when you take the time to teach them what you want to see from them!

She is my best marketing tool, truly. She is the proof that consistently showing up for your dog will create behavior change.

I love that she will snooze right behind me during every call, every session and every consultation.

Would you want to sit on an hour long call with me and enjoy Remi snoozing behind me? 💖

02/25/2022

Hi! I feel like It’s been a while since I introduced myself on here so it’s time for a re-introduction!

For those that are new, my name is Emily Fitzpatrick and I’m a certified dog trainer (VSA-CDT).

My regal companion in this pic is Goose, a handsome Sicilian mutt! Yes, we did adopt him in Sicily and flew him back to America.

Along with Goose in the proud guardian of a beautiful American Staffordshire Terrier (mix-ish) named Remi and a sassy long haired kitty named Potato!

I have been training dogs for 2 years now and before that I was a certified vet assistant for 3 years!

My favorite dogs to work with are the nervous nellies, the reactive babies and MUTTS!

Mutts hold a special place in my heart and I love helping dog guardians learn how to better understand their dog’s emotions while also understanding that they don’t need to be focusing on their dog 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I also love tattoos, houseplants, yoga, coffee and vegan food! So, if you ever need to know my preferred reinforcement it’s any of those things!

Now, for those that made it this far let me give you a fun challenge! I’m going to give 2 truths and a lie. I want you to guess which one is the lie in the comments below!

1. I collected frogs from creeks as a kid and hid them in my room.
2. Remi is my first pittie that I have adopted.
3. I have never used a prong or e-collar on any dog in my entire life.

Hmmmm…. I’m excited to hear your guesses!

02/24/2022

We recently moved to a new house and along with that we have inherited a backyard full of cute critters!

These are squirrels, cats, birds, raccoons (I saw some footprints by the creek) and bunnies.

The other day when I was walking Remi around to potty because the yard is not yet fenced, she lunged at something while I was distracted.

I turned around and there was a beautiful black cat sitting on a pile of cut down trees.

To my surprise the cat didn’t even flinch with Remi’s reaction. So, naturally I go into dog trainer mode and start playing the look at that game with Remi and this fearless cat.

If we’re going to have critters in our backyard, the best thing I can do is teach Remi to be neutral around them. This is what is most fair to the other beings as well to her own mental sanity.

So, enjoy this 6 minute video of Remi and the cute little black cat being amazing!

02/11/2022

01/28/2022

House training your puppy or adult dog?
This chart is 💯. Thank you Flyndog Sports for creating this genius and extremely helpful graphic.

01/18/2022

How does training with your dog make you feel?

The answer to this question could change week by week and even day by day.

Especially if your dog has big feelings about the world around them.

Sometimes you may be feeling scared or confused about why your dog is behaving the way they are.

You may then feel hopeful when you start to get answers and help.

And then guess what, you may also feel frustrated when you begin tackling your dog’s training journey. I still get frustrated some days.

Most importantly is that you really focus on those moments when you feel excited to be training with your dog. If you’re not excited about the training then your consistency and overall motivation just won’t stick.

So, how does training with your dog make you feel?

01/10/2022

This is a motto and a brand we love to support and stand behind! ❤️

01/06/2022

✨BRAGGING MOMENT✨

February of last year I completed and graduated from the Victoria Stilwell Academy Online Dog Trainer Course.

Thanks to COVID, the in person intensive had to be postponed to basically a year later.

Well, I completed that in October and had one of the best learning experiences of my life.

I then completed and passed my written exam. This consisted of 10 short answer questions (my answers were far from short lol) and 2 written essays.

Yesterday, I received my final certificate showing that I completed all of those awesome things and graduated from the course with distinction.

I learned SO much through my experience with VSA and I couldn’t have done it all without the help of Goose and Remi.

They have spent countless hours being my trainees for assessments, helping me learn new training techniques and apply different protocols.

They taught me how to be patient, to speak up for the well-being of dogs and truly taught me that the force free training route is the best route to take.

✨Education matters✨

If I hadn’t completed this course, taken time to continue my education through educational books, attending conferences and enrolling in courses, taking the time to grow and learn from every single one of my clients.. I would probably be stuck in the old patterns that a lot of the world is stuck in.

So, here’s to graduating with distinction. To expanding my knowledge. And to using this knowledge to educate humans and advocate for dogs!

And don’t worry, this is only the beginning of my learning journey. In this field, you must take the time to continue learning, growing and evolving.

01/04/2022

A new year but not new ethics.

Here at Misunderstood Mutt we are very passionate about our stance on shock collars, “ecollars” (they’re literally a shock collar), prong collars, slip leads and choke chains.

Science has shown us time and time again that these tools not only aren’t needed in your training toolbox, they also can have some serious repercussions to your dogs overall well being.

Now, let’s walk through a scenario.

Imagine you had this incredible fear of dogs and you ask someone to help you get over that fear.

So, this person slaps a device around your neck that provides you with an unpleasant and often painful sensation.

Every time a dog comes into your direct line of sight, you tense up and start to panic because of your fear. So, this person begins inflicting pain on your neck via their “correctional device” until you stop panicking.

Then, they bring the dog closer to you and force you to sit stationary while this dog is walking around you. If you move, you get that sensation on your neck again and this time it will be turned up a notch.

Do you think that this would…

A. Make you want to go and greet the dog and feel safe interacting

Or

B. Make you still have a strong fear of dogs and now a fear of the person inflicting the pain

I would love to hear your thoughts on if you think A or B would be YOUR outcome.

Not your dog’s, yours.

12/04/2021

I was inspired by posting her tug session with her Remy.

So, here’s a tug session with my Remi!

I love using tug for play, for training and for bonding.

Remi is an all in kind of dog. She does everything at 2000%

Tug has been a safer alternative to fetch and in my opinion, she enjoys is so much more.

Not only is it safer, it’s been a great way to help her be able to self regulate her arousal levels.

This has been a life saver when it comes to her dog reactivity.

We actually had a huge win this week thanks to our history of tug!

Instead of fence fighting when the neighbor accidentally let their dogs out while we were in the backyard, she grabbed a toy and began her “please grab this and tug with me” dance!

Tug is great! Tug is fun! Tug with your dog!!
VD: a white female wearing grey sweats and a black hoodie playing tug in a fenced in backyard with her tan pitbull dog.

12/02/2021

Yes, you need to advocate for your dog.

They will try to advocate for themselves through their body language.

However, a lot of times people don’t listen.

My favorite ways to advocate for my dogs are:

✨ my dog doesn’t want to say hi hat
✨ having my dog stand in between my legs or behind me
✨ literally telling people no, they can not touch my dog
✨ removing my dog from the situation all together
✨ changing vets until I find one who will take my dog’s welfare into consideration
✨ educating myself on their body language, their likes and dislikes, their wants and needs

What does advocating for your dog look like to you?
ID: a white remake wearing black leggings and a pink and black hoodie is standing in a woodsy area with her tan pitbull standing between her legs and looking up with a wide, open mouth. The text advocate for your dog is next to the image with the text because sometimes people don’t listen when they try to do it themselves is at the bottom.

11/26/2021

It’s Black Friday, so I want to offer you a sale because I am so thankful for you!

Enjoy 20% off of the e-planners in the Mutt Shop, link is in the bio.

11/22/2021

Why do I utilize force free dog training?

These 2 mutts right here.

I was so scared to fail them, so scared to ruin them and so scared to hurt them.

Feeling that scared about hurting my own dogs also made me scared to hurt other people’s dogs.

Which is why I went the path of attending a dog training academy.

My mutts are so sensitive. So funny. So full of personality.

I didn’t want to take that away from them. So instead, I choose to enhance it.

I let their personalities shine which fills my home with so much joy, laughter and happiness.

My why is these 2 mutts right here.

I’d love to hear your why, tell me in the comments why you utilize force free dog training?

11/17/2021

Yes, your language does matter when it comes to your dog.

For many many years, dog owner has been the standard.

Let’s change that along with our view points.

When we look at ourselves as dog “owners” it automatically puts that connotation on the relationship with this being is a “thing” that we own.

You wouldn’t hear a responsible parent to human children say that they “own” their kids. And if they’re saying that, that’s probably a big red flag.

Instead, you would probably hear them refer to themselves as a parent, a guardian, an advocate and hopefully a teammate.

So, why don’t we refer to ourselves that way when it comes to dogs?

They are also sentient beings, just like kids. In fact, their brains are equivalent to that of a 2-3 year old child.

Yes, my dogs and your dogs are smarter than some children.

I’m not a dog owner. I’m way more than that.

I’m a dog parent.

An advocate

A guardian

A caretaker

A teammate and a cheerleader

A companion

A safe space for my dogs to always turn to.

Your language matters when it comes to how we view and treat dogs.

Are you ready to change your language from dog owner to dog parent?

*you can get this print from and use code MM15 to save some $$$

11/17/2021

🎙 NEW PODCAST EPISODE! 🎤

Holiday season is upon us! And with that, it's time to begin making plans with friends and family and preparing for holiday festivities. In this episode, we go over tips to set your dog up for success during your holiday gatherings!

Guest, Emily Fitzpatrick, VSA-CDT of Misunderstood Mutt joins me to discuss tips on ways to best prepare, things to consider, and what skills we should be focusing on before we start to have guests over.

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. by searching “The Dog Training Audio Experience” or watch the full episode on my YouTube channel.

Or visit www.fromdusktilldog.com/podcast to listen or find where to listen.

🏷 Tag someone below who can benefit from this episode!

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11/14/2021

Here’s a challenge for you to tackle this week with your dog!

After seeing a lot of misinformation being spread around Instagram on dog behavior, I want to give you something fun instead of…

A challenge that stated to keep your dog on a leash all day, skip your dog’s breakfast meal and instead make them work for every single piece of their food.

To cut back on the affection given to your dog and to cut back their time in their favorite comfy spots.

So let me start with this…

Let’s still feed our dogs breakfast every morning.

Think about it, If someone told you that you had to skip breakfast and instead work for that meal throughout the day, you would probably be one hangry monster. Or at least I know I would be.

If someone constantly told you that you could no longer relax on your couch every time you went to get comfy, I’m sure you would start to get really frustrated.

Instead, I challenge you to

✨meet your dog’s needs daily
✨comfort your dog
✨throw your ego away
✨make training fun

Here are some great ways to achieve all of these:

💥 feed your dog their appropriate meals, for free
💥 take your dog for sniffari’s on a long line
💥 be there to cuddle your dog when they need it most
💥 ditch those aversive tools and stuff your treat pouch with the good treats
💥 use toys, play, food and affection to make your training fun.

Life with your dog should feel fun for you AND your dog!

11/04/2021

Have you ever heard the phrase “Small Dog Syndrome”?⠀

Often, people use it to refer to smaller breed dogs who display behaviours like barking, biting, growling, snapping, lunging, etc. People will say that that’s just how small dogs are or that small dogs are just trying to make up for their size.⠀
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The problem with this thinking is:⠀
😩 We don’t get to the root of why the behaviour is happening.⠀
😩 We end up not doing much to change and to help our small dogs out with their worries and fears.⠀
😩 We blame the behaviour on our small dogs and use punishment to stop their behaviour, stressing them out further.
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The truth is that small dogs aren’t simply more “aggressive” than dogs of other sizes. It’s the fact that when they show subtle signs of fear, stress, and anxiety, they often get ignored and therefore need to use more obvious signals like growling, barking, snapping, etc. to get their point across and get something scary to stop.⠀
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For example, a small dog may be regularly petted over the head by various people when they don’t want to be, and the dog may have started off with stress signals such as tucking their tail and licking their lips. But as that goes unheard, they now have resort to air snapping to stop people from coming over to pet them.⠀

It is so important to listen to our dogs and see their behaviour for what it is, rather than apply labels such as “small dog syndrome” which do not help us with understanding our dogs better and helping change how they feel as well as their behaviours.⠀
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Small dogs deserve to be heard just as much as bigger dogs. Their little “no”s and signs of discomfort need to be respected and taken seriously, rather than be laughed at by us. While cute and little, they are sentient beings who have feelings and the right to communicate them. 💜⠀
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Need help with your little dog’s barky, lungey behaviour? Book a call with me in the link in bio. 💌


ID: In a small hand-drawn style box on the top with text that says “It’s not small dog syndrome”. Underneath that is a larger hand-drawn style box with text that says “It’s small dogs regularly have their signals of discomfort and fear dismissed so they have to escalate to biting/lunging/growling to communicate”. Next to this text is an image of a brown chihuahua looking scared with a hand over the top of its head.

11/02/2021

Here’s your friendly reminder that your dog’s behavior issues are just behavior. They are not caused by a lack of leadership and structure.

Behavior is a cause of the environment.

Now, I’m just going to let these slides speak for themselves.

But, let me ask one question.

What is your favorite way to give your dog the freedom to be a dog?

10/21/2021

Be back soon!