Barks to Breakthroughs

Barks to Breakthroughs 🐶 Dog Trainer
⚖️ Balanced Training Methods
📍 Serving Utah and Salt Lake Counties
📞 801-477-7258 I'm Ashley, founder of Barks to Breakthroughs.
(2)

Thanks for visiting my site! Why choose Barks to Breakthroughs? I've been training dogs in various capacities for over 13 years! I use a balanced approach and firmly believe in ethically utilizing treats and tools alike. I train with methods rooted in canine psychology and always take aspects like genetics, temperament, and body language into account so that every dog receives training suited to w

hat they need. Frankly, training is just as much about teaching humans as it is training dogs. My process teaches you to understand your dog’s language and communicate to them in a way they can understand. It will not only help your dog to learn and grow, it will allow you to learn and grow alongside them so you can work as a team and go from barks to breakthroughs.

SAME DOG, DIFFERENT WEIGHTS - I've been hearing a lot of concerning stuff lately regarding "healthy" dog weights and glo...
06/28/2024

SAME DOG, DIFFERENT WEIGHTS - I've been hearing a lot of concerning stuff lately regarding "healthy" dog weights and glorifying dog obesity, so I wanted to touch on this.

These are all photos of Brutus over the years. For a long time, I struggled to keep him at a healthy weight, and for some of that time, I didn't even realize I was the problem, but I make no excuses. I was his caretaker and I failed him when I allowed him to he obese. You can see what a visual difference it made for him to be at a healthy weight. He looks like a completely different dog in each of them!! And not only that, he was happier when he was at a healthy weight. Which ones look more healthy to you? Spoiler alert: they're not the ones where he's fatter. Fatter, well-fed, spoiled rotten ≠ healthy.

At the end of the slides, I've included a chart from the American Medical Veterinarian Association about what healthy weights look like. From the side, your dogs should have a belly that visibly tapers upwards from the ribs to the hips, and from above, their belly should slightly taper inwards from the ribs to the hips. You should be able to ever so slightly see the ribs under the muscles, and you should be able to feel them easily without having to push through a thick fat layer (similar to the feeling of the bones in the back of your hand). If the ribs or hip bones are protruding, your dog is underweight. If you can't see them at all, and/or if you have to push through a fat layer at all to be able to feel them, your dog is overweight.

Pet obesity is a pandemic. People all around the world allow their dogs to get this large in the name of "being spoiled." But, hot take, pet obesity is NOT. CUTE. And it's NOT healthy!! Veterinarians have proven time and time again that obesity in animals directly contributes to causing joint issues like arthritis, causing a plethora of other health conditions, and literally shortening their lifespans. People talk a big game about wishing their dog could live longer but don't put in the necessary work to actually achieve that, which includes keeping your dog at a healthy weight. Do the work! Trust me, your dog will thank you and be happier for it.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all, with love from Brutus and Artie (aka Santa and his elf)! We hope your hol...
12/24/2023

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all, with love from Brutus and Artie (aka Santa and his elf)! We hope your holidays are full of joy and love and dog snuggles ❤️🐶💚

Because I've been seeing a ton of posts about the "new" respiratory illness going around for dogs, I wanted to touch bri...
12/08/2023

Because I've been seeing a ton of posts about the "new" respiratory illness going around for dogs, I wanted to touch briefly on this. Trusted sources of information in the comments.

Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC)¹ is not new and is better known as “kennel cough." It is spread through respiratory droplets of infected dogs, so areas where dogs are densely populated are places it can spread more easily.

What *is* new is that last summer, an atypical form of this manifested. The evidence² thus far has shown that the infection is lasting longer than usual, not responding as well to antibiotics, and sometimes developing into pneumonia. This fall Oregon reported² ~200 cases. This is what is going around the media and while they are making it out to be terrifying, that number is actually an extremely low percentage of Oregon's dog population and an even lower % of dogs in the USA as a whole. To put it in perspective, the population of dogs was estimated³ to be between 83.7- 88.9 million in 2020 (we can assume higher in 2023) which means that so far, only 0.0002% of dogs have been confirmed as getting sick, and even less than that are dying.

The American Veterinary Medical Association⁴ is suggesting *caution* rather than worry for dog owners. So what does that mean? Using discretion with the following things:
- Visiting places with high traffic of unfamiliar dogs (doggy day care, boarding, dog parks, pet stores, grooming salons)
- Engaging in playdates or letting your dog interact with unknown dogs
- Using communal water bowls in public places, unfamiliar toys left outside, or buying used bedding (wash it first!)

All that said, if you're worried about your dog, talk to your veterinarian!

Finally, the best protection⁵ against common respiratory infections are annual vaccines against Bordetella, Canine Adenovirus Type 2, and Canine Parainfluenza.

The TL;DR is, don't always believe what you read in mainstream media, always check with trusted medical sources like your vet, stop panicking, use common sense, and keep an eye on your dog's health like you have hopefully always done anyway. Much love and health to all of you and your pups 🩵

PS: No Arties were harmed in the taking of this joke photo and I promise he could breathe just fine 🤣

Things have been slow around here as I have been occupied helping Brutus with a health condition that he struggles with....
09/02/2023

Things have been slow around here as I have been occupied helping Brutus with a health condition that he struggles with. Thanks for your patience!

On that note, I wanted to talk about senior dogs! As dogs get older, they can often develop things like osteoarthritis or cognitive dysfunction ("doggy dementia"). As hard as it can feel emotionally to encourage your dog to keep exercising as they get older, I can't stress enough the importance of doing it anyway!!

Studies galore have proven that exercise for senior dogs has so many benefits, from improving memory and cognitive function to strengthening muscles and thus reducing pain, and overall just enhancing their quality of life. Exercise can even slow down age-related health decline. And I don't just mean physical exercise!

Some examples of physical and mental exercise to help senior dogs stay active and healthy are gentle/slow walks, a "sniffari," playing tug, practicing obedience, learning new tricks/tasks, age-appropriate chew toys (senior dogs' teeth can be more fragile), and swimming/wading/hydrotherapy. You can also do geriatric-specific therapies at home like cookie stretches, calavettis, backwards or sideways walking, and spins.

We all wish our dogs could just stay with us forever. While, sadly, that can't be the case, we CAN do everything in our power to help them be with us for a little longer, and help them be happier and healthier in the process. ❤️

Lil Miss Daisy Mae passed her basic obedience skill review today!! Great job to both her and her parents (who also happe...
08/13/2023

Lil Miss Daisy Mae passed her basic obedience skill review today!! Great job to both her and her parents (who also happen to be my parents) for all their hard work! 🥳 I love watching young dogs and their handlers make progress towards better obedience skills. There's often a period of doubt from handlers in the beginning that quickly gets washed away once they start seeing results 😊

As you can see, these sessions were done long-distance over video meetings, which always presents an extra challenge, but Daisy's parents were up to the task 💪🏻 Book a consult to discuss long-distance training for you and your dog! 💻🐩

This itty-bitty 5 month old baby passed her basic obedience skill review today! 🥳 Tap and scroll ⬇️ to see just some of ...
07/09/2023

This itty-bitty 5 month old baby passed her basic obedience skill review today! 🥳 Tap and scroll ⬇️ to see just some of her new skills- a down, a recall, and even listening to the 5 year old 👧🏼 I am so proud of Socks and her family for all the work they've put in and the progress they've made!!

So many people think that tiny dogs don't need to learn obedience, and that couldn't be more wrong. Training is for dogs of all sizes and ages! 🐶

Want help training your puppy? Visit my website (link in bio) to book a consult or an obedience package so you and your dog can make breakthroughs like these 💪

Torrey Whitehead Hales Zane Hales

Summer is almost officially here and everybody loves being able to take their dog to the park. A "place" command is fant...
06/10/2023

Summer is almost officially here and everybody loves being able to take their dog to the park. A "place" command is fantastic for empowering your dog to settle in one spot and rest for a bit, especially between periods of playing outside in the heat. Be sure to put their place in a cool, shady area if they're going to be there for a while!

06/06/2023

My website is officially live!

I'm so excited to have it up and running so you dog lovers out there can start booking services! 😁 Click below to visit my site:

🐾 barks-to-breakthroughs.com 🐾

As a special launch promotion, the first 10 people to sign up for an obedience package will receive 10% off!! Book a consult for details.

I've taught a lot of recall sessions lately and I always tell my clients the same things about how NOT to do recall - so...
05/21/2023

I've taught a lot of recall sessions lately and I always tell my clients the same things about how NOT to do recall - so I decided to make a few infographics ☺️🐶

Happy Mother's Day to all the different kinds of moms, including dog moms!! I'm so grateful to be the mom to these three...
05/14/2023

Happy Mother's Day to all the different kinds of moms, including dog moms!! I'm so grateful to be the mom to these three little rascals that started me on this whole dog training journey. They're my world!!

Show me your fur babies in the comments!

I'm Ashley, founder of Barks to Breakthroughs. Thanks for visiting my page!Why choose Barks to Breakthroughs? I've been ...
05/14/2023

I'm Ashley, founder of Barks to Breakthroughs. Thanks for visiting my page!

Why choose Barks to Breakthroughs?

I've been training dogs in various capacities for over 13 years! I use a balanced approach and firmly believe in ethically utilizing treats and tools alike. I train with methods rooted in canine psychology and always take aspects like genetics, temperament, and body language into account so that every dog receives training suited to what they need.

Frankly, training is just as much about teaching humans as it is training dogs. My process teaches you to understand your dog’s language and communicate to them in a way they can understand. It will not only help your dog to learn and grow, it will allow you to learn and grow alongside them so you can work as a team and go from barks to breakthroughs.

05/14/2023

Welcome to the official page of Barks to Breakthroughs!!

I'll have my website finished soon :) In the meantime, feel free to text me at 801-477-7258 or email me at [email protected] to discuss your dog training needs. I'm excited to hear from you!

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Eagle Mountain, UT
84005

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