Barks to Breakthroughs

Home
United States
Eagle Mountain, UT
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.

11/06/2024

On emotional days like today, I prefer to be outside, soaking in the beauty of nature to remind me just how small we all are, and that everything will be okay. ☮️

Unfortunately it's freezing frickin cold here in Utah (I'm missing the gorgeous autumn weather already) so I also don't wanna be anywhere but in front of my fireplace 😅

I know that a lot of people could use a distraction today, so here's a photodump of these cute doggos and what they've been getting up to over the last few months. I've been working with my boarder Padfoot to help him become a task-trained service dog, and Artie has been a great example to help him along the way. We've been on a ton of adventures to places like Targhee National Forest, Sawtelle Peak in Idaho, Thanksgiving Point Farm Country, coffee shops, and on train rides, plane rides, etc. It's definitely keeping me busy! 🐕‍🦺

What have you and your dog been up to lately? 🐶

11/01/2024

Happy Halloween from Cruella, Artie, and Padfoot!

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.

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 ❤️🐶💚

Address

Eagle Mountain, UT
84005

Telephone

+18014777258

Website

http://barks-to-breakthroughs.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Barks to Breakthroughs posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Barks to Breakthroughs:

Videos

In the dog training world, there's always an opinion about everything. Personally, I don't like to sweat the little stuff. If you don't like dog slobber on your face, that's totally fair. If you wanna spoil your baby sometimes, I totally get it. If you really want a multi-dog household even if you haven't finished training the first one, you can still make it work. But I DRAW THE LINE at using flat collars on dogs that are crazy pullers. Not only does it not help with pulling (on its own), it puts your dog at serious risk!!! Flat collars on heavy pullers can create areas with hair loss and callouses, cut off oxygen, and even cause a dog's trachea to collapse. Is watching your dog suffocate in front of your eyes worth it to you?! TRAIN. YOUR. DOGS. Use appropriate tools for different situations that aren't going to be risking serious harm to you or your dog. Teach them not to pull and reward them when they don't. When you've got it under control, a flat collar could be totally fine! But if you don't know how to teach your dog these things, find a trainer! Please! We can and would love to help you. #leashtraining #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogsofinstagram #dogs #dogsofutah #utahdogtrainer #dogobedience #obediencetraining #barkstobreakthroughs

Happy New Year, y'all! New year, new us, right? With Brutus having been diagnosed with kidney failure recently, I've been stressed over how to continue exercising him while balancing safety and being close to home in case of emergencies. We still take walks and hikes on good days, but this has been a great supplement to keeping him fit in a safe way. Artie loves it too because he can actually run full speed!! I've wanted one for a while due to my own physical limitations in the harsh Utah winters (damn joint issues!) and it was worth every penny. I've set up my exercise bike right in front actually and have been exercising at the same time as the boys which has helped motivate me to exercise more consistently 🚴‍♀️ I see a lot of trash talking about slatmills, so I wanted to make a little list of benefits to them as well as touch on some of the frequent complaints. Yes, the dogs still get to go on regular walks outside. Yes, the dog can actually stop if they want (shown in the video). No, owners that have slatmills are not just lazy, though some of us may have physical disabilities, which do not make us less good dog parents. And yes, they're actually happy to be on it. You can see their tails wagging throughout and they always get special toys or treats as motivation and rewards, so they get super excited when they get harnessed up for it. My boys love their slatmill! Want to try a slatmill for your dog without having to commit to buying one? Visit my website and book an hourly session, and come use mine! #slatmill #treadmill #dogtreadmill #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogsofinstagram #dogs #dogsofutah #utahdogtrainer #dogobedience #obediencetraining #barkstobreakthroughs

I LOVE boundary training. It's such a crucial element for a well behaved dog. You can also use it for things like keeping your dog out of a certain room of the house or staying off furniture. What kind of physical boundary training do you wish your dog had? Let me know in the comments 👇 and then let's teach them together!! #boundaries #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogsofinstagram #dogs #dogsofutah #utahdogtrainer #dogobedience #obediencetraining #barkstobreakthroughs