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DogFit Dallas- Dog Behavior, Dallas, TX (2024)

12/18/2024

Meet CHEVY and MOOSE!
Chevy and Moose are currently with us for training and are up for adoption through

Chevy:
- beautiful German Shepherd
- around 8 years old
- great with people
- good with all dogs he’s met here
- he is pretty independent
- house trained and crate trained
- great on leash, loves going on walks
- he makes a great adventure buddy

Moose:
- handsome Weimaraner
- around 1 year old
- loves people
- loves other dogs
- good with cats
- house trained and crate trained
- nervous of new things but has been building a lot of confidence since he’s been here, he’ll just need consistent exposure
- great on leash
- he can play rough (with dogs and people), probably wouldn’t send him to small children because he sometimes doesn’t know his size.

If you’d like meet Chevy or Moose, contact .

We think they are both awesome dogs and will make someone very very happy! 😃

12/05/2024

Having a dog with any kind of behavioral issues is certainly not fun. It can be challenging when we don’t know what to do and how to handle the situation.

Working on tools and techniques to help guide the dog is great. And, we believe it is only one part of the equation. What is important to us as well is to look at how the human feels in those moments. And while we are no psychologists and don’t claim to be, we have learned over the years to observe humans very well and can point out a thing here and there.

We think it is crucial in the human-dog relationship to look at how our state of mind and behavior affects our dogs and vice versa. Sometimes, we as humans get triggered when things get overwhelming and we don’t know what to do. Humans always want to have a “how to”. And while it certainly helps to know more about tools and techniques to guide our dogs, we think it is also imperative to work on ourselves. When we can stay calm and present, it will be a) easier for us to access the new knowledge about those techniques, and b) helps us guide the dog into a better place where they feel calm and safe.

This is one of the reasons why we have created the Better Because of My Dog Experience which will take place January 10-12 in Davie, FL. We are so excited to team up with Brian and Rachel Gruber who are experts in Touch for Health™️ kinesiology which is a non-invasive technique that uses muscle feedback and body awareness to help reduce stress and pain, enhance performance in all areas of life. Helping humans and dogs at the same time is a dream come true for us.

We have experienced Touch for Health™️ kinesiology ourselves and can truly say how much it has helped and shaped us. Interested in learning more about the retreat? Go to dogfitdallas.com or click the link in our bio. And feel free to leave any questions in the comments below.

11/25/2024

These are 2 common mistakes we see new dog owners make when they bring home a dog (this goes for both puppies and adult dogs).

1. Too much affection and affection at the wrong time.
2. Too much freedom too soon

When we bring home a new dog and all we do is pet them all day, we tend to forget that we reinforce whatever it is that they’re doing in that moment. Petting a puppy/dog when they’re jumping on us will reinforce the jumping. Petting a dog when they’re nervous/unsure/scared about something, will reinforce that state of mind. Petting a mouthy puppy will give you more mouthy behavior. Think: you get what you pet.

We’re not saying not to love on your dog. We love giving affection to our dogs, too. It’s more a matter of becoming more mindful of what you’re rewarding. Pet your dog when they’re displaying a behavior and a state of mind you want to see more of.

No. 2: Too much freedom too soon. If your house becomes a free for all the minute your new dog walks in, it becomes clear to the dog that they can do whatever they want whenever they want it. Your dog will get into things they’re not supposed to, claim items, maybe counter surf, potentially resource guard, etc. Why? Because they don’t know what is okay and what is not okay at your house because they have too much freedom. They need to know where the boundaries and limits are.

How do we do this? Leash inside your house. In the beginning, you can clip the leash onto you to limit the options, then let the dog drag the leash around for easier access to the dog if needed. Teach things like place work to give your dog a safe spot to hang out in. Set up safe zones (especially important for puppies where you know they won’t get into anything they’re not supposed to). Think: baby/puppy proofing your house (some adult dogs you adopt have never lived in a home environment before, so make it safe). Crate train for when you can’t supervise. Let your dog earn privileges like being on the bed or on the couch over time.

Have a dog and you didn’t do any of these things when you first got it and see problems now? Go back to basics and do all these things listed. Be consistent, it’s not too late to start over.

11/19/2024

Our BBMD online dog psychology membership has been such a great tool for everyone anywhere in the world to get access to all of our teachings.

And now we’re running a special! Sign up by November 30th, and you will get TWO FREE DAY TRAINS with Art. If you are not local, you will get two free virtual sessions with Art, or, if you’d like to travel to Texas, you can still get your two free day trains.

This is your chance to get complimentary training on top of being a part of an amazing online community where we share exclusive training videos, courses, transformations, as well as quick training tips that you can easily implement at home on your own.

Click the link in our bio to sign up and we will be in touch to schedule your free training sessions. 😊

11/15/2024

Do you have a dog that gets overly excited, nervous, anxious, reactive etc. on walks?
Here are some things to try. Remember, the walk starts before you even leave your house. A lot of things that happen inside contribute to the behavior outside.
So break things down into little pieces to identify possible triggers and work through them.

Let us know how it goes in the comments below.

10/11/2024

This might rub some people the wrong way, especially if they don’t want to change anything themselves. But the reality is that we don’t “fix” dogs. We show dogs what’s possible and how to live a more harmonious life. But in order for this to have a long lasting effect the human next to the dog needs to also be willing to change.

We can’t just expect the dog to change but not be willing to do anything differently or look at our own stuff. This goes for any relationship. It starts with us. We need to look in the mirror and realize that if we want things to be different, we also need to be open to change.

Let us know your thoughts and questions below.
And slide all the way through to see our upcoming events and workshops for a chance to connect with us.

09/13/2024

When it comes to working with your reactive dog, we like to think of it as collecting good coins in a jar.

What does that mean? Picture two jars. One jar, your current jar, is full of “negative” coins because you’ve had so many moments of reactivity. The other jar seems empty at the moment. Now, when you start working through the reactivity and you get good moments, meaning you are able to safely pass by a trigger without a reaction, you put one coin from the “negative” coin jar into the “positive” coin jar. And slowly, over time, you’ll be able to collect more and more good coins so your walks with your dog become more neutral and calm.

How do we get there?
- By working on ourselves so we can learn how to remain calm and control to influence the dog’s energy. If you get frustrated, fearful, angry, anxious when you see a trigger, you’re not helping your dog because you’re just joining them in their arousal.
- By understanding your individual dog, how their mind works, learning about dog psychology, their body language, what fulfills them…
- By using space to your advantage. Don’t throw yourself and your dog into the midst of something neither of you are ready for. Don’t run away when you see a trigger either. Create enough space where both you and your dog can remain calm and in control. You can decrease the distance over time.
- By using yourself as a buffer between your dog and the trigger. If the trigger is coming on your left, put your dog on your right so you communicate to your dog that you’ve got it. (Switch your dog from left to right and back every once in a while even when there’s nothing there so they don’t build an association that you only do this when there’s a trigger).
- By reaching out to a professional to help you. No shame in asking for help.
- Maybe you try out a different tool to help. This is not going to be your cure for everything but sometimes, a different tool can help.

We have some great training opportunities coming up. Group classes, one day workshops etc. where we can help you create a game plan for you and your dog. Go to our website dogfitdallas.com to check it out.

09/06/2024

We’re excited to be partnering with located in to bring you amazing training opportunities. Our next 6-week group class starts September 29th. Go to our website dogfitdallas.com for more info and to register.

We will also have our first community pack walk at The Village on Saturday, 9/14, at 10AM. We’ll start in front of . This is a great opportunity to get to know us if you’re you haven’t met us, to ask questions, to learn more about services and to meet like-minded people in the dog community. This event is completely free and open to anyone. RSVP on our website. We can’t wait to see/meet you.

09/03/2024

Finesse Over Force

Working with a dog, for us, is like a dance. One party needs to gently guide the other party to create a beautiful dance together. If both parties work against each other, it will leave both frustrated and defeated. If one party simply uses force to push the other one around, it will not create a harmonious situation - it will create resentment and mistrust.

So, when we work with dogs, we want to use finesse over force. Think of using a leash, for example. We want to ease into applying pressure on the leash, not muscle through it, use force and “make” the dog do something. Instead, we want learn how to “dance” with the dog. This takes practice, patience and calmness from the human to do so because oftentimes, it is a default do get frustrated when things don’t go “your way” and when we get frustrated, we use tension and start to use more force. Therefore, an internal shift has to happen on the human’s part to remain calm and centered to then access the finesse that we all have inside of us. Then we can guide calmly and gently. Communicate calmly with the leash, don’t yell.

08/27/2024

MOTION CHANGES EMOTION.

Have you ever noticed for yourself how movement can help your body release tension and therefore changes how you feel?
This works for our dogs, too.

Most of the time, stagnation creates more tension. You may have seen your dog get tense when they see another dog and if you make them sit and wait (because in your mind you want to try to “calm them down”), they get more tense and then explode as the other dog approaches.

Instead, we want to invite you to start moving. Move the tense energy out of your dog’s body. It will change how they feel about whatever makes them tense/frustrated/anxious.

Do you have a dog that gets anxious about thunderstorms? Put them on a leash and start walking around the house with them.

Do you have a dog that’s anxious in the crate? You can do the same thing when they start getting worked up and anxious - you put a leash on them and start walking them around the house, then put them back in the crate and repeat the process. This takes time, yes. But it can help.

Releasing tension and pent up energy in a dog’s body helps them come back to a more neutral and calm state of mind.

Give it a go and let me know if you have any questions or comments below.

08/26/2024

For National Dog Day, we introduce to you our own pack of 7.
Luna
Nala
Honey
Buddha
Pickles
Gracie
NoGi

Let me know the name and age of your dog/s in the comments.

08/09/2024

Look for the good things your dog does and reward those (can be food, a verbal praise, intentional touch). Dog staying a little bit longer on place - capture it. Dog walking nicely on leash for a few steps - capture it. Puppy giving you a random sit and waiting for you instead of jumping - capture it. Capturing the good moments you want to see more of will help them put it together long term as opposed to only waiting for them to “mess up” and then getting frustrated with them. Capture the good.

Drop a YES if you agree. 👍

Happy Friday, everyone!

08/05/2024

A lot of people think jumping is cute when it’s a little puppy (“oh look, they love me so much!”). They hold the puppy’s paws when they’re jumping and start petting them. What this teaches the puppy is, “Humans like when I jump.” Then fast forward to when puppy is now full grown, 60 lbs, and knocks someone over or hurts someone. Then the jumping is not so cute anymore all of a sudden. Who is the one to blame? Most people blame the dog. Not their fault, though.

Jumping is one of those things you want to get a handle on pretty quickly so it doesn’t become a habit. Your dog may not have any bad intentions jumping on people but not everyone likes it, someone could get hurt, and it’s definitely an invasion of your personal space if the dog jumps on you.

So what can you do to stop the jumping? 🛑

1. You can use a leash. Leash your dog and then step on the leash so they can’t jump up anymore. They may still try to jump a few times but will hit a wall and ultimately, they’ll sit down and settle. That’s when you want to reward and give calm affection. If the affection gets the dog excited again, you start over. The dog may not be ready for pets then. It’s also totally fine to ignore the dog a little longer until they fully settle.

2. Place work. Place work is one of those things, when done right, that the dog associate with relaxation. We don’t need them to perform on place. We just want them to settle. So the more you practice place without distractions first the more they’ll just melt into it every time they step on their bed/place board. Then you can slowly introduce distractions. And you’ll see over time that your dog will choose to go to place on their own because they know it makes them feel calm.

3. Make sure you don’t reward an excited state of mind. The more you do that, the more your dog will think that you want them to be excited at all times. When you come home, ignore your dog until they’re calm. Then give calm affection. Don’t reward when they’re running around and jumping. Remember, you get what you pet. So if you reward craziness, you’ll get more craziness. If you reward calmness, you’ll see more calmness.

Do you have a jumper? Let me know.

07/31/2024

Let’s do a little inventory check.

How do you handle stressful situations? Are you impatient, worried, frustrated, emotional? Do you tend to lash out at other people when you’re stressed? Do you try to avoid certain situations or shut down? Chances are you react the same way when your dog reacts.

Do you worry about things that haven’t happened yet? Paint a picture in your head about what could possibly go wrong? Think the worst will happen or think about “but what if…” a lot? You probably do the same thing before you leave the house to go on a walk thinking about what your dog will do when you see another dog.

Do you tend to start projects but don’t finish them a lot of times? Do you have a hard time with follow through? Do you tend to give up when you hit a road block? Does it take a lot of effort for you to establish new habits? Think about working with your dog - it might be hard for you to be consistent with the training especially when your dog starts testing your boundaries. You may ask him to go back to place 5 times but after that you’d rather do something else because you don’t have the patience to ask him to go back 10 more times.

Are you an over explainer and tend to use way too many words to get to the point? Could it be that you’re also talking to your dog way too much and repeat yourself way too many times?

These are just a few examples of how we handle things in our daily lives that will naturally come up when we work with our dogs. Our dogs can be the greatest teachers. They will show us our triggers, our weaknesses and also our strengths. They can be our guide if we are open to listening.

What has your dog taught you about yourself that you’ve then used as a chance to better yourself? What is something that comes to mind now after reading this post that you may want to work on?

Here’s to BETTER BECAUSE OF MY DOG. 🐶

07/25/2024

It’s easy to blame the dog for a certain behavior. Getting on the furniture, jumping on people, poor manners out in public, not staying on the place board, chewing up your shoes when you’re not watching… your dog should know better, right? False.

The thing is that your dog has no idea what the expectation is, and then there’s most likely no consistency, and way too much freedom.

You cannot blame the dog. You cannot get frustrated with your dog. You can only do a better and more consistent job teaching your dog what you want.

Once you know you haven’t been clear and consistent with the things you want your dog to know and you still get frustrated, this type of frustration tends to actually be frustration with yourself. So again, there’s no reason to blame the dog when you’re actually mad at yourself.

We obviously don’t want you to blame yourself either, we just want to you to become more aware of what is happening.

If you think your dog should know something but they don’t, it’s your sign to slow down and go back to basics. Fulfilling your dog’s needs, limiting freedom, keeping a closer eye on your dog, paying attention to what you allow on a daily basis, using a leash inside the house, working on repetitions and maybe shorter increments to work your way back up to success.

Let your feelings of frustration be your reminder that things are out of balance. Then ask yourself what you can do to bring balance back into your relationship with your dog. Be kind to yourself, be kind to your dog.

07/14/2024

Did you know DogFit started as a dog walking company over 12 years ago? This is the first picture that was ever posted on this account. The original three: Emma, Hiro, and Frankie. These were the three dogs that started it all. I didn’t intend to become a dog walker. I would simply walk my three dogs every day in downtown Dallas (unemployed, newly divorced, and close to being homeless at the time) when a woman stopped me and asked if I was a dog walker. I almost felt offended by that comment and moved on with my day. Little did I know that this woman planted a seed within me. I didn’t have anything else to do and was already walking my three dogs every day, so I started walking my friends’ dogs, too. Then I got hired by other people to walk their dogs as well. And before I knew it I was walking large packs of dogs in the middle of downtown. That’s when someone pointed out that I was not only walking these dogs but that I was also training them because most of these dogs normally didn’t get along with other dogs or had all sorts of other behavioral problems. That’s when my training journey started.

All that to say, sometimes you don’t search for your calling but your calling finds you. I’ll be forever grateful that this lady asked if I was a dog walker because that’s where it all started. And I’ll also be forever grateful to the original three - all of them have passed at this point but their legacy lives on.

07/12/2024

Little perspective shift for you. People tend to get so frustrated when their newly adopted dog comes with or develops any kind of behavioral issues. We want them to just be good. Here’s the thing, though. We’re not perfect either. We have baggage based on past experiences that we bring into any new relationship, too. That doesn’t mean that we can’t work on it (human or dog). It’s so good and healthy to work on ourselves in order to feel good. Our dogs deserve the same chance.

So instead of getting annoyed with your dog’s behavior, ask yourself what you can do to help them cope with it better. First, start by seeing them as a dog and fulfilling their needs. Implement structure and consistency so your dog knows what the expectations are and what their role in your home is. And then consult with a professional to help you identify triggers and to see where you may need to make some changes.

We all have baggage. And that’s okay. We all want someone else to understand where we’re coming from and to help us through things. Your dog is not enjoying the behavior they’re displaying. It’s stressing them out, too. They want you to understand them.

That’s why we always say you need to learn how to speak dog. Learn about them, just like they learn about you all day every day. They’re also showing you day in and out what you need to work on for yourself based on the reactions you have when they react. Learn together. Grow together. 🤍

06/26/2024

Puppies. So many things can be true at the same time. They’re so cute - and potty training can take a lot of effort. They’re so snuggly - and mouthiness can be frustrating. They are silly and clumsy and oh so funny - and getting them to sleep through the night can be challenging.

If you put in the work early with your puppy, you’ll reap the rewards long term. We love working with puppies because it is more about prevention than intervention. You have the chance to set them up for a lifetime of success.

We have raised several puppies (including human puppies ;) ) on our own. We get it, it can be a lot of work. And it won’t be like that forever. They really are like sponges, absorbing everything all day and they learn so quickly if you’re clear and consistent with what you ask of them while making an effort to really understand them at the same time.

Have you raised a puppy before? If you have, what was the best and what was the hardest part about it? The good and the hard can co-exist. Let me know in the comments below.

And if you want to learn more about setting your puppy up for success, head over to our Better Because Of My Dog Membership page (link in bio) where we have a whole course just about puppies.

DogFit Dallas- Dog Behavior

12/18/2024

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11/25/2024

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