Happy Pack Dog Training

04/12/2022

This is so important for dog owners to understand.

12/08/2021

Wise vaxxers and anti-vaxxers are often erroneously lumped together, but there is a crucial difference between them.

Rather than refusing all vaccines, wise vaxxers are those whose pets have received the core shots, and smartly ask for titers instead of just letting their pet get repetitive vaccines.

Click here and subscribe to my free daily blog to learn how to be smart with your pet’s vaccination: https://bit.ly/3rMdGDx

10/20/2021

This dog! Just when I think I couldn't love her more she goes and gets cuter!

Older dogs are the absolute best!

10/17/2021

Working with local shelters is a passion of mine. I usually find myself working with the "tough" dogs that nobody is adopting due to their behavioral issues.

This is Matthew. Matthew is a 2 year old German Shepherd who terrified shelter staff with his high energy and rough play biting, which was mistaken for aggression. Nobody was willing to work with Matthew because they feared he would bite them.

Matthew had very high energy, as most GSD dogs do. He was locked in a 4x6 kennel almost 23 hours a day with only 1 hour of yard time daily. This is a recipe for disaster for any dog, but for a high energy working breed it's even worse.

Matthew would spend most of his days jumping in circles in the kennel and once let out he would grab your arms and jump all over you. It was not only annoying, but also dangerous.

The first thing I did was start running with Matthew several days per week. Initially he wasn't great on the lead, but after a couple of weeks he got better and man did he love those 4 miles runs!

Once Matthew was tired I would bring him home to play with my pack, where we worked on socialization and basic obedience cues. Matthew just loved coming to the house for visits!

I worked with Matthew for about 3 months before he was adopted to a great family who lived on several fenced in acres where he could run to his hearts content. The adopters checked in several months after adopting Matthew and indicated he was the best dog and was fitting into their home perfectly (I love a happy ending).

I see cases like this often, inappropriate play and mismanaged energy mistaken for "aggression". A dog like Matthew would likely have been euthanized had he not been tagged for rescue.

The point I want to make here is that if you have a dog that is having behavioral issues don't give up on them. Hire a trainer and see if the issues can be addressed. Most of the time they can.

🐕🐕🐕

10/11/2021

Off leash work: it can be a game changer!

The truth is, some dogs are just better at sticking with the pack than others.

Take Charlie for example. Charlie has had zero 1 on 1 training with me, yet I can take him off leash with the rest of my trained pack for 2 reasons:

1. He naturally has herding instincts, which means he likes to keep everyone together.

2. He learns by watching and following the pack. The best trainer for a dog is another already trained dog. Since my other 2 dogs are well trained it makes training new pack members a breeze.

All that said, this only works because I put in the time training my other 2 dogs.

Off leash work takes time and it's more advanced, but I have found it to be the absolute best thing for so many dogs, especially large breed, high energy and working dogs.

10/08/2021

Morning adventure with my pack before a long day of working with other people's pups :-)

I live for these mornings 🥰

09/28/2021

  Dr. Hal Herzog, a PhD psychologist specializing in behavior and human/animal relationships (see Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat), recently wrote an article for Psychology Today that got my attention. Before publication, he talked to me about it briefly, with the following question: Did I ...

09/26/2021

Filtered water is important for us as well as our furry friends!

What are you doing to purify your drinking water?💧

A new veterinary study looking at carcinogens in dogs’ drinking water 🐾concluded pollutants in tap water increase the risk of certain cancers in dogs, and that filtering tap water could decrease the overall incidence of these cancers. Researchers found dogs with bladder cancer were more likely to live in areas with higher tap water concentrations of total trihalomethane, a reactive byproduct of disinfection chemicals, especially chlorination, used in municipal tap water.

So the big question is: what are you doing to remove chlorine and other contaminants from your household water?

Chemical-laden 🚱 tap water is just one of the quiet, common household pollutants millions of families are exposed on a daily basis, unless we do something to fix the situation. In our upcoming book, The Forever Dog, we cover all of the top household environmental risks you should be aware of, including the section titled “How Bad is Your Water?💧”. Chlorine is just one of the many contaminants that may be found in your water supply.

If you receive your water from a public water supply, we recommend you research the quality of your water by accessing your community’s Annual Quality Report. Check the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) report “What’s On Tap?”, and ask your water utility (the company that bills you monthly) for a copy of its annual water quality report. This report will list the detected contaminants, the potential source(s) of those contaminants, and the levels at which those contaminants were present in the water supply. Using this information, you’ll be able to choose the correct filter for your family’s drinking water.

Choose the filter technology that best suits your circumstances and budget: whole-house carbon; individual carbon filters on water spigots and portable pitchers, refrigerator filters; reverse osmosis filters in the kitchen, there are many to choose from. Choose a filter system that addresses the contaminants in your area, as each type of filter has its strengths and limitations, and one type does not accomplish all goals.

P.S. - Already pre-ordered the The Forever Dog book? We know you have questions about what to do right now, so we’ve created some early learning opportunities to answer some of your most burning questions before the book comes out. Claim your VIP ticket to our private, LIVE Forever Dog Learning Labs! These free Masterclasses are the perfect opportunities to learn more about what you can be doing to increase your dog’s health span and lifespan right now. Don't have a copy? Get one here: www.ForeverDog.com

09/22/2021

Just me in my happy place. Outside with a dog. 🥰

09/17/2021

This is the recipe we use and the dogs love it! They get their teeth brushed almost daily.

EASY DIY TOOTHPASTE RECIPE!
We all grossly underestimate the power of oral hygiene. But the science is clear: oral health plays into everything about us. When our pets’ mouths and gums are clean and free of infection, we reduce their risk for dangerous inflammation that can affect their whole body.

Beginner’s Tip: If you’ve never worked on cleaning up your dog’s mouth, using this blend of ingredients from your kitchen is an easy place to start. Baking soda is a safe abrasive that helps remove plaque, and coconut oil has innate antimicrobial properties. Using gauze, a cotton round or a soft cloth, massage the mixture onto a tooth, starting with your dog’s upper molars (where most plaque accumulates). By cleaning one tooth a day you can desensitize your dog to the teeth polishing process and minimize stress.

You’ll find more recipes and tips to help you make healthier choices in The Forever Dog book, available for pre-order now: foreverdog.com/get-it-now/

09/16/2021

Who can relate!? 🤣

09/15/2021

Angel is soaking up the last days of summer 🥰

09/13/2021

Gaining a rescue dogs trust can be a process. We usually never know what horrors they have experienced.

All you need to do, at least in the beginning, is offer them your love, patience and time.

Experience has taught me that usually they need 3-6 months before they start to open up and become the dog they were born to be.

Who else loves rescue dogs?! Drop a pic of your rescue dog below.

09/12/2021

This is Nanna, foster dog in training!

Nanna is working on her cute dog eyes!

I'd say she nailing it! 🥰

09/12/2021

Socializing your dog is one of the most important things you can do for them.

People, places, things. This is what I tell my clients. Unless you have an aggressive dog, you should be taking your dog to lots of different places, where they meet a lot of different people and are exposed to lots of different things. This is how you help your dog build confidence which in turn makes for a well balanced dog and a well balanced dog means a happy pet parent! 🐶🐶