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Happy Hound University

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Elk Grove Village, IL
Happy Hound University

Dog training and behavior modification using positive, science-based, pain free methods to help you Serving the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, IL.
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Happy Hound University offers certified, professional positive training for you and your dog in your home. I use force-free methods to manage and modify your dog's inappropriate behaviors, and replace them with new, desirable ones. Email today to schedule your initial consult!

09/05/2024

Happy Hound University is now offering “pay what you can” puppy socials.

Happy Hound University believes that every young puppy should get the opportunity to be properly socialized with other dogs and people. Puppies that have been well socialized during their critical window of socialization (between 4-16 weeks of age!) are safer members of their community, easier to live with, and stay in their original homes more consistently.

Before all of our socials and puppy classes we sanitize our floors with Rescue veterinary grade disinfectant so that puppies who are not yet fully vaccinated can stay safe and still get socialized! We also require veterinary records for any puppies in attendance.

These socials are for puppies 17 weeks and under, and we do encourage signing up for BOTH puppy 1 class in addition to socials so that your puppy gets as much training and positive exposure as possible!

Our socials are “pay what you can”. We have four different payment tiers so that cost is not one of the barriers for you to socializing your puppy.

For complete information about our puppy socials, please see https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppy-socials or email [email protected] for more info.

09/04/2024

Shout out to the dog guardians out there who choose kindness for their dogs.

Who know that some training is going to take a LOT of consistency and patience, and who commit to it wholeheartedly.

Who hear other people tell them to buy a prong or shock collar, to resort to punishment, but won’t risk their relationship with their dogs and their behavioral wellbeing.

Who rearrange their schedule so they can help their dog succeed.

Dog guardians like Sini’s person, and so many other amazing people that I am so lucky to work with.

When I first started working with Sini and his people, the minute he left the back yard gate it was like holding a leash attached to a freight train. He would pull and pull and pull, and at one point pulled his person down and made her feel unsafe.

Sini learned to use all 100 lbs of his body mass when the leash was attached, and practiced that behavior for a looong time.

But after a lot of consistent hard work, his guardian now feels confident enough to take Sini out on her own. She knows that if he gets distracted she can easily call his name and “snap him out of it”, and that if she needs to move him away from a big ticket distraction he can be lured effectively or play his 123 pattern game!

Shout out to all of you exceptional dog guardians out there! You are the best!

09/03/2024

When walking your puppy, they will likely:

🐶 stop often
🐶 ”plop” down or sit at inconvenient times
🐶 hesitate when encountering something new like people, bikes, cars, etc.
🐶 meander back and forth
🐶 sniff a ton
🐶 pick stuff up in their mouths
🐶 not be able to go very far

These are all normal, typical puppy behaviors. In my experience puppies don’t turn into dogs who want to “walk” until they start to approach 5 or 6 months of age and they’re a bit more physically coordinated and have more stamina.

It’s critical that you allow your puppy to do the things listed above on walks; this will help them learn to cope and handle the world better. Your puppy is stopping and “plopping” because they’re registering what’s going on, and they’re not ready to keep going yet. It’s not because they’re “stubborn”, it’s because they’re processing! They’re going to sniff, which should be encouraged! Puppies who sniff are puppies who will be able to regulate their emotions! And of course they’re going to pick things up in their mouths, puppies use their mouths like human toddlers use their hands! Exploration is huge, and as long as it’s not something that will really hurt your puppy, try not to make too big of a deal out of every little thing.

Humans have this idea of what a “walk” needs to look like, and want to push puppies to hurry along, when what the puppy really needs is patience and the ability to experience the world at their own pace.

If you have a puppy, don’t worry about how far you get on walks and don’t set distance goals at first. Instead, treat each walk as a new adventure to go on, and allow your puppy to take their time. Bring high value treats so that if your puppy seems worried about something you can give them some snacks and help them feel better.

If you give your puppy the time to experience the world on their terms, you will have an adult dog that enjoys walks with you and is able to cope with the world’s unexpected changes.

09/02/2024

We only have ONE spot left in our jumping beans anonymous class!

Class starts this Wednesday, 9/4 at 7:30 pm and runs for 3 weeks!

This class is for graduates of our good manners or puppy classes. If you’ve got a dog who LOVES people and also LOVES to jump on people, this is the class for you!

If you’d like to get signed up, email us at [email protected]!

08/30/2024

A HUGE congratulations to our happy hounds around town graduates from last week, Hallie, Elsa, and Leila!

To our puppy 1 graduates Luna and Oliver!

And to our puppy 2 for big dog graduates Dottie and Mickey!

These are some very good pups who made great progress in their classes and will continue to learn and grow with their awesome parents!

08/29/2024

We only have ONE spot left in our jumping beans anonymous class!

This class is for graduates of our good manners or puppy classes. If you've got a dog who LOVES people and also LOVES to jump on people, this is the class for you!

If you'd like to get signed up, email us at [email protected]!

08/28/2024

Alright folks, it’s my birthday today, so I have a request to make my day a good one! Please post your favorite picture of your dog(s) below! 🐕🐩🐶

08/27/2024

When working with living, breathing, feeling animals, remaining flexible is key to everyone’s happiness and welfare. It’s important that we never get so attached to our training plans or goals that we disregard how the animals in our lives feel.

I worked for a long time on Regis’ nail care training; he used to be very defensive when anyone touched his paws, and it took a long time to train him to lie on his side while I trimmed his nails. I am really proud of the work that we did together, and the fact that I can maintain his nails all on my own.

Well, Regis is getting older. He’s 12.5 now, and his arthritis is getting a little worse and he’s starting to get sore more easily. This means that nail trims aren’t going as smoothly as they used to and staying on his side for prolonged periods of time isn’t as comfortable as it used to be.

Where I used to be able to trim all four of his paws in ten minutes, now I need to only do a paw or two at a time. I also had to break out his nail scratch board, and I’m going to keep his front paws maintained that way, which means we have to do some scratchboard training every few days.

I could look at this as a “setback” and get hung up on the frustration of not being able to quickly get this task done anymore. Or I could be proud of the fact that I have multiple tools for nail care so that we can work through this despite Regis’ old age health issues, and I can celebrate the fact that I can still take care of his nails properly, even if it doesn’t look like my “ideal”.

So don’t get too married to your ideal! Be flexible, and as long as you and your dog are safe, happy, and healthy, that’s what truly matters.

08/26/2024

I’m a day late but I wanted to wish my boy a Regis, the original “happy hound”, a very happy ”gotcha” day! 12 years ago yesterday I went to an adoption event and met Regis as a 6 month old puppy and adopted him that day.

Regis put me and my family through the ringer, he had a number of behavior problems develop as he approached adolescence; we had never had a dog like him before, growing up with extremely tolerant and forgiving labs all our lives.

Luckily, because I was just out of college and didn’t have a steady job, I wasn’t able to afford any of the “trainers” around me that would have recommended choking and shocking him with collars to change his behavior (which would have been cruel and likely made him much, much worse), and I had to teach myself how to work with him through lots. And lots. And lots. Of reading and studying.

And crying.

And some wine and ice cream.

And he taught me how to train using positive reinforcement and be patient and how to love an individual even when things got really really hard. Dogs really can be some of our greatest teachers.

And I taught him how to trade something even when he wanted to keep it, that other dogs weren’t the end of the world or a threat to him, and that biting me during nail trims wasn’t necessary because I would listen to him and go at his pace.

We taught each other a lot. And continue to teach each other every day. And while I sometimes feel badly that he was my “Guinea pig” while learning to train (man alive, my timing was off, I didn’t understand how to keep him from losing it especially on walks, I didn’t use high enough value food around scary things, the list goes on and on!) I know that if I hadn’t brought him home on August 25th, 2012 my life would not be what it was today, and happy hound university probably wouldn’t exist! Happy gotcha day a day late, Regie Roo!

08/23/2024

A HUGE congratulations to our puppy 2
graduate from this week, Ernie!

And to our puppy 1 graduate Lucy!

These are some very good pups who made great progress in their classes and will continue to learn and grow with their awesome parents!

08/22/2024

A plea for those of you with young puppies:

If your very young puppy is anything less than eager to meet new people, start working with a positive reinforcement trainer NOW. Do not wait, I am begging you.

Young puppies who are in their critical window of socialization (which starts to close around 16-18 weeks of age) should be mostly happy and excited to meet new people. They may show a little bit of trepidation right off the bat, but after a few minutes they should warm up quickly and happily interact with new people.

If you have a puppy that hides and stays hiding around new people, that growls or snaps at them, that reacts negatively by barking and lunging towards strangers, or any other manifestation of real, frank fear, your puppy will NOT “grow out” of it. There are very few behaviors that puppies simply “grow out of”, and unfortunately fear is a behavior that is incredibly easy to install but difficult to extinguish.

At the risk of sounding alarmist, you ARE on a timeline, and the longer you wait to work with your puppy on this fear the harder it will be to convince them that strangers are good and safe as adult dogs.

Please, PLEASE do not wait to see if your puppy grows out of their fear.

08/21/2024

"What's in your pouch?" Wednesday

I recently have had a few people ask me for different treat recommendations, since I encourage my students to change up their reinforcers for the novelty factor and to keep introducing their dogs to new foods. So I decided one of the better places for me to post about this might be on our social media!

A small heads up, the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that I will receive a small commission from these purchases at no additional cost to you!

This treats my dogs have been enjoying this week have been:

- Ziwipeak Airdried Food: https://amzn.to/3SXMaj8. This is a great option particularly if your dog is on a "diet" and needs limited treats; this is technically a diet, so if all your dog ends up getting on a certain day is some ziwipeak you at least know that they are getting a rounded meal!

- Purebites Freeze Dried Salmon: https://amzn.to/3X9T1Za. If your dog likes fish based treats, these will likely be their FAVORITE. Freeze dried salmon is a single ingredient treat that is pretty stinky, which means most dogs really go crazy for it!

- Fruitables Bison and Apple Jerky: https://amzn.to/4dv2srM. This jerky is soft enough that it can be broken into pieces, but not crumbly, so it works well for training!

How about you and your dog? Have you recently found a treat or food that has been working well for your training? If so, please comment below! And happy training!

08/20/2024

New class offering!

"Jumping Beans Anonymous: Real Life Skills for Polite Greeting and Less Jumping!"

This 3 week "mini class" will introduce crucial concepts that dogs need to stop jumping and start keeping four paws on the floor! We will cover multiple applications of sit/stay, a go say hello cue, introduce go to place, and discuss all of the ways that we can better manage our dogs to prevent their jumping in the first place!

Please note, you must be a graduate of our puppy or good manners 1 class to enroll in this class, and this class is not appropriate for dogs who are reactive towards other dogs or people, or dogs who are very fearful of people.

Email [email protected] for more information or to get signed up!

08/19/2024

Myth Busting Monday: "Make sure to mess with your dog while they're eating to get them used to it!"

Lots of old school trainers, uneducated breeders, and bad websites will encourage dog owners to touch their dogs and stick their hands in their bowl while the dog is eating, particularly if they are a puppy. The folks who tell people to do this claim that this is necessary and teaches a dog to "get used to" someone messing with them while they are eating.

The truth is that some dogs, especially if you are working with a particularly forgiving or resilient individual, MAY tolerate this process. They'll be eating, you'll stick your hand in the bowl, they'll politely back up and look at you with a face that says "um what the hell", and then resume eating once you're done. They may never bite, but they certainly won't be pleased about what you're doing.

But some dogs are not going to be this unfazed. They may freeze. The human will probably miss the freeze, because that's not a warning sign that humans are good at reading. When the dog realizes that their human isn't listening, they'll escalate to a growl or snap. And look at that: you've just created a dog who feels the need to defend their food because they've learned that humans are rude and pushy during meal times.

I cannot think of a time where I've had to take my dog's meal away while they were eating, or a time that called for me sticking my hands in their dish. There is a point where our behavior around dogs has to retain some common sense and be FAIR to the dog; sticking our hands into a dog's bowl while they're eating isn't fair or smart.

What you CAN do, if your dog isn't already a guarder, is throw "bonuses" into your dog's food bowl while they're eating. Simply approach, throw a handful of yummy food into their bowl, and walk away! Teach them that being approached while eating is a GOOD thing. Now THAT is a necessary life experience.

08/15/2024

STOP 👏🏻 ANTAGONIZING 👏🏻 SMALL 👏🏻 DOGS 👏🏻 FOR 👏🏻 SOCIAL 👏🏻 MEDIA 👏🏻 CLOUT

It’s not funny, it’s not cute. Small dogs deserve to be listened to and respected too.

That’s it. That’s the post.

08/11/2024

We just had a last minute cancellation for our good manners 1 class starting THIS Wednesday, August 14th at 6:30 PM!

If you have been looking for a positive reinforcement training class for your dog, we'd love to have you! Good manners 1 is appropriate for dogs 7 months and older who need to learn the "basics" like sit, down, leave it, stay, come when called, polite leash walking and more!

Our class sizes are small to allow for one on one questions and attention, and we only use training methods that are fun for both you and your dog!

If you'd like to join please email us at [email protected]!

08/09/2024

A HUGE congratulations to our puppy 1 graduates from this week, Albert and Poppy!

Our good manners 1 graduates, Apollo, Remy, and Libby!

These are some very good pups who made great progress in their classes and will continue to learn and grow with their awesome parents!

08/08/2024

"What's in your pouch?"

I recently have had a few people ask me for different treat recommendations, since I encourage my students to change up their reinforcers for the novelty factor and to keep introducing their dogs to new foods. So I decided one of the better places for me to post about this might be on our social media!

A small heads up, the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that I will receive a small commission from these purchases at no additional cost to you!

This treats my dogs have been enjoying this week have been:

- Pupford's Cheese Crunchies: https://amzn.to/4cbWue0. Heads up, these are VERY crunchy! So if you have a dog with sensitive or missing teeth, or a dog who only really likes soft treats, skip these!

- Gaines Family Elk Chips: https://amzn.to/4d8OD26. These guys are somewhere between soft and crunchy, almost a jerky like texture!

- Only Natural Pet MaxMeat Dog food: https://amzn.to/4fCoBWD. This is actually an air dried dog food, but my dogs like the jerky-like pieces of food so much that it works as an effective high value treat!

How about you and your dog? Have you recently found a treat or food that has been working well for your training? If so, please comment below! And happy training!

08/07/2024

Things that ALL puppies will do, regardless of their breed, where you got them from and how much you exercise them, manage them, or train with them:

🐶Have occasional accidents in your house for several months, and not know to “ask” to go out until they are much older. Some puppies potty train faster than others, but on average most puppies will have occasional accidents the first months you have them simply because life happens and we forget to get them out often enough! If they have an accident, don’t panic, just go back to basics and set your puppy up for success!

🐶Use their mouths to try and communicate with you. Puppies bite. A lot. They bite clothes, they bite hands, they bite feet, you name it they bite it. This is a NORMAL part of their development and should be expected. This means if you have young children, you must be prepared to heavily manage your puppy around your kids. Because they bite. A lot.

🐶Use their mouths to explore their world. Puppies use their mouths like human toddlers use their hands; they chew on things and grab things to figure out their world. It’s our job to make sure puppies are staying safe!

🐶Jump up on you to say hello. Puppies are impulsive and excitable. With impulsivity and excitability comes jumping. Can you start training four on the floor starting the very first day you bring puppy home? Absolutely. Does it mean your puppy will never jump? Nope. Humans forget our manners sometimes, puppies may too!

🐶Put EVERYTHING in their mouths. Again, puppies explore the world with their mouths. It’s normal, natural, and should be expected that your puppy will pick up sticks, and chew on leaves, and grab large wood chip pieces when they get the zoomies. Start training them to trade anything potentially harmful, but know that if you bring a puppy home you can expect them to grab EVERY THING.

🐶Shred and tear things for fun. Puppies are destructive little monsters. Be prepared to need to protect your favorite house plants and to have designated “puppy clothes” until your puppy outgrows their needle teeth!

🐶Need to be supervised until they are well into adolescence. Puppies are puppies until they are about 6 months old, at which time they become adolescents or “teens”. Your puppy is not an established adult DOG until they are 2 or 3 years old. So be prepared to play the long game, and don’t be surprised if your 9 month old teen still needs lots and lots of guidance and supervision!

I think sometimes people fool themselves into thinking that if they get the right puppy from the right breeder or they get the puppy at the right age, or if they start training right away, they’ll be able to side step these issues. But the truth is that all of the above are completely NORMAL developmental milestones for puppies. If you bring home a puppy you must be prepared for potty training, crate training, biting, chewing, jumping, shredding, barking, grabbing, tugging, and more! These are NORMAL puppy behaviors and puppies deserve our patience when dealing with these issues!

08/06/2024

Don’t forget to let your dogs sniff on their walks!

Sniffing is one significant way that dogs regulate their behavior (so definitely encourage sniffing for fearful or reactive dogs!), and it vastly increases the amount of enrichment that your dog is getting out of their walks.

Sniff-less marches around the block are so 20th century! Let 👏🏻 them 👏🏻 sniff!

08/06/2024

It sounds like a lot of people are concerned about Pocket Puppies in Pleasant Prairie. A recent post on social media went viral and we are happy to see so many people that are speaking out against this kind of business!

If you are wondering where Wisconsin pet stores get their puppies, look no further! We have done that research for you :)
Click here:
https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-mill-maps/cvi-data/wisconsin/

If you are interested in getting involved with puppy mill education or advocacy in Wisconsin, contact us today about volunteering! https://bailingoutbenji.com/how-you-can-help/volunteer/

08/05/2024

Happy Hound University is so excited to announce our newest service, sliding scale puppy socials!

One of our biggest focuses at Happy Hound University is our puppy services. Well socialized puppies are easier to live with, stay in their homes, and are safer members of the community!

Our puppy socials are for puppies 17 weeks and under at their first social. Our floors are cleaned with veterinary grade disinfectant so that even very young puppies are safe to attend! For more information about safe socializing see this link:https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf

We are still offering our group puppy classes and we recommend signing up for socials in addition to puppy classes where possible!

For more information about how our sliding scale pricing works, and to get signed up, go to: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppy-socials!

Or email [email protected] with questions!

08/02/2024

A HUGE congratulations to our puppy 1 graduates from this week: littermates Crockett and Tubbs, and Leo the shepherd mix!

These are some very good pups who made great progress in their classes and will continue to learn and grow with their awesome parents!

07/31/2024

"My husband and I adopted Waylon and Wi******er, a bonded pair of 3 yr old-ish basset hound mixes. We quickly learned they were reactive to pretty much everything -- lunging and jumping full force and howling at top volume when spotting squirrels, other dogs or neighbors on porches -- and we realized we needed a professional trainer for all four of us. Our first try, a program using prong collars, was a complete failure -- Wi******er figured out how to shake his head hard enough to unclip the collar and Waylon sat down and simply chewed through his leash.

Enter Mary -- hands-down the best dog and human trainer around! She quickly became W&Ws favorite person and ours as well--she gave us four the positive reinforcement skills we needed to build the right habits and calm routines for more relaxed walks and a better connection. Mary worked one-on-one with us in our home neighborhood, then encouraged us to bring W&W to Good Manners 1 classes separately --not only were they more attentive in class, having one stay at home helped to reduce their separation anxiety.

Mary's in-class training suggestions were tailored for each dog and helped us know what and how to practice at home; we still use her homework sheets for training sessions on walks and around the house.

Fast forward to earlier this spring - I was walking W&W solo and out of nowhere appears a medium-large dog, no leash and no human in sight. What months earlier would have been a panicked encounter, Mary's training kicked in and I remained calm ... and there were W&W quietly sniffing the new arrival in greeting. W&W then calmly waited while I gave them many treats from my f***y pack and a lot of praise.
Mary is knowledgeable, endlessly patient and supportive. Mary's training techniques work wonders. We cannot say enough good about her. We'd give her 100 stars if we could - Thank You Mary!"

Address

Elk Grove Village, IL

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 8pm

Website

http://happyhounduniversity.com/

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Happy Hound University is now offering “pay what you can” puppy socials. Happy Hound University believes that every young puppy should get the opportunity to be properly socialized with other dogs and people. Puppies that have been well socialized during their critical window of socialization (between 4-16 weeks of age!) are safer members of their community, easier to live with, and stay in their original homes more consistently. Before all of our socials and puppy classes we sanitize our floors with Rescue veterinary grade disinfectant so that puppies who are not yet fully vaccinated can stay safe and still get socialized! We also require veterinary records for any puppies in attendance. These socials are for puppies 17 weeks and under, and we do encourage signing up for BOTH puppy 1 class in addition to socials so that your puppy gets as much training and positive exposure as possible! Our socials are “pay what you can”. We have four different payment tiers so that cost is not one of the barriers for you to socializing your puppy. For complete information about our puppy socials, please see https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppy-socials or email [email protected] for more info. #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Shout out to the dog guardians out there who choose kindness for their dogs. Who know that some training is going to take a LOT of consistency and patience, and who commit to it wholeheartedly. Who hear other people tell them to buy a prong or shock collar, to resort to punishment, but won’t risk their relationship with their dogs and their behavioral wellbeing. Who rearrange their schedule so they can help their dog succeed. Dog guardians like Sini’s person, and so many other amazing people that I am so lucky to work with. When I first started working with Sini and his people, the minute he left the back yard gate it was like holding a leash attached to a freight train. He would pull and pull and pull, and at one point pulled his person down and made her feel unsafe. Sini learned to use all 100 lbs of his body mass when the leash was attached, and practiced that behavior for a looong time. But after a lot of consistent hard work, his guardian now feels confident enough to take Sini out on her own. She knows that if he gets distracted she can easily call his name and “snap him out of it”, and that if she needs to move him away from a big ticket distraction he can be lured effectively or play his 123 pattern game! Shout out to all of you exceptional dog guardians out there! You are the best! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Happy Hound University is so excited to announce our newest service, sliding scale puppy socials! One of our biggest focuses at Happy Hound University is our puppy services. Well socialized puppies are easier to live with, stay in their homes, and are safer members of the community! Our puppy socials are for puppies 17 weeks and under at their first social. Our floors are cleaned with veterinary grade disinfectant so that even very young puppies are safe to attend! For more information about safe socializing see this link:https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf We are still offering our group puppy classes and we recommend signing up for socials in addition to puppy classes where possible! For more information about how our sliding scale pricing works, and to get signed up, go to: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppy-socials! Or email [email protected] with questions! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #puppy #puppies #puppytraining #puppysocialization #puppysocials #socialization #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

A little scene from our vacation in Michigan featuring Phoebe, my sister’s dog Ralphie, and Regis! We’ve had a great week full of swimming, digging, and relaxation! We’ll be back Monday the 29th! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

A well run puppy class will feature appropriate off leash socialization opportunities where all puppies are enjoying themselves and no one is being bullied or frightened! While, yes, manners and obedience training are important aspects of puppy raising, even more important is appropriate socialization taken at your puppy’s pace! We have openings in our puppy classes starting in August! For more information about our puppy classes check out: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program, and if you recently brought home a new puppy don’t delay! Puppy socialization needs to start the moment you bring your puppy home and not a moment later! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Playtime is a key part of a well run puppy class, but it has to be WELL RUN playtime for it to contribute to your puppy’s positive socialization experiences! One of the biggest things to understand about socializing your puppy is that exposure alone isn’t enough, it has to be a POSITIVE experience! Puppy playtime should never be a free for all. If needed the group should be divided by size and temperament and puppies who are shy or too timid to play right away should be given safe spaces to hang out and observe until they’re ready to romp! Lack of positive exposure to a wide variety of other dogs during a puppy’s critical window of socialization can cause issues in the future, so making sure you expose your puppy to a wide variety of personalities is critically important, but it must be done carefully and with special attention paid to each puppy as an individual! We have openings in our group puppy classes starting as soon as this Wednesday! To read more about our puppy classes go to our website or email [email protected]! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Our puppy 3 for midsized dogs practiced some stays with distance and duration this week, along with their “touch” cue! The dogs in this class are all graduates of our puppy 1 and 2 classes and range in age from almost 6 months to 1 and a half years old! These dogs are all good friends and get to play at the beginning of class, but then when asked to focus and engage they’re able to regulate and offer polite behavior! Interested in joining our puppy program? Email [email protected] for more details! Good job, pups! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

A well run puppy class will feature appropriate off leash socialization opportunities where all puppies are enjoying themselves and no one is being bullied or frightened! While, yes, manners and obedience training are important aspects of puppy raising, even more important is appropriate socialization taken at your puppy’s pace! We have openings in our puppy classes starting as soon as THIS WEEK! For more information about our puppy classes check out: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program, and if you recently brought home a new puppy don’t delay! Puppy socialization needs to start the moment you bring your puppy home and not a moment later! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Whelp, this wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card but meet the newest member of the Happy Hound University family, Higgins! Over the weekend we were in Michigan with family and this little guy ended up spending all Sunday hanging out by us, meowing at us through the window, and rubbing on our legs. At the end of the day we knew we couldn’t just leave him, so we popped him in a box to bring him to Illinois and find a shelter to take him. I guess the rule is once an animal enters our home they don’t leave. 😅 After much hemming and hawing Sunday, Monday, and into Tuesday we decided we just couldn’t let him go and would officially become “those people” with a three cat and two dog household. The happy hounds are officially outnumbered by the felines. Welcome Higgins! Please don’t be as naughty as Trinket was as a kitten. #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

A well run puppy class will feature appropriate off leash socialization opportunities where all puppies are enjoying themselves and no one is being bullied or frightened! While, yes, manners and obedience training are important aspects of puppy raising, even more important is appropriate socialization taken at your puppy’s pace! We have openings in our puppy classes starting as soon as THIS WEEK! For more information about our puppy classes check out: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program, and if you recently brought home a new puppy don’t delay! Puppy socialization needs to start the moment you bring your puppy home and not a moment later! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Our “walk this way” polite leash walking class students were hard at work last week teaching their dogs how to practice heeling around the room with the help of a good ol’ peanut butter spoon! This speciality class is all about teaching our dogs, and ourselves, what skills go into polite leash walking! Polite leash walking is one of the harder behaviors that we expect from our pet dogs, so having a variety of positive reinforcement training games to teach our dogs exactly WHAT we’d like them to do is critical! This class is for graduates of our puppy and good manners classes! We have another round of “Walk this way” coming up at the end of July, the last time this class will be offered until next year! If you haven’t taken a class with us yet, we also have openings in our good manners 1 class starting July 3rd! If you’d like to take this class or any of our other specialty classes in the future, good manners 1 is the place to start! Email [email protected] to sign up or for more information! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Are you or someone you know bringing home a puppy sometime soon? Summer approaching means it’s going to be puppy season, and puppy classes are filling up fast! I recommend signing up for class the moment you know you’re bringing home a puppy, and no later! When it comes to puppy classes the sooner you sign up the better. As long as your puppy has been in the home for one week and has their first full set of shots he or she can join class! Starting early and coming to class consistently gives your puppy the best leg up in the socialization department, which is the best thing we can do to help our puppies grow up into happy, well adjusted adult dogs! If you are interested in learning more about the puppy class offerings at Happy Hound University, please go to: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program, or email [email protected] with questions! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #puppy #puppies #puppyclass #puppyclasses #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Happy Hound University has openings for our puppy board and train program! Got a busy schedule coming up, or going out of town but don’t have anyone to watch your puppy? During our board and train program your puppy will stay in our own home, no busy kennels for your puppy! Our program focuses on socialization and also introduces foundational training; this means your puppy will get several socialization field trips a week, attendance at our puppy classes, and daily play time with our own dogs and cats! They will also get introduced to sit, down, relax on a mat, polite leash walking, leave it, and more (depending on how long your program is!) This program is for large breed puppies 16 weeks and under and small and midsize puppies 20 weeks and under! Hesitant to leave your puppy? We get that! You will get daily video and photo updates sent via text or email so that you can see how much fun your puppy is having! Because we only take one puppy at a time space is extremely limited! Do not wait to sign up for this opportunity! For complete information about our puppy board and train go to: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppyboardandtrain, or email [email protected] to sign up for a consultation to determine if our program is a good fit for you! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Are you or someone you know bringing home a puppy sometime soon? Summer approaching means it’s going to be puppy season, and puppy classes are filling up fast! I recommend signing up for class the moment you know you’re bringing home a puppy, and no later! When it comes to puppy classes the sooner you sign up the better. As long as your puppy has been in the home for one week and has their first full set of shots he or she can join class! Starting early and coming to class consistently gives your puppy the best leg up in the socialization department, which is the best thing we can do to help our puppies grow up into happy, well adjusted adult dogs! If you are interested in learning more about the puppy class offerings at Happy Hound University, please go to: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program, or email [email protected] with questions! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #LIMA #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #puppy #puppies #puppyclass #puppyclasses #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

By now many people know that it’s important to socialize their very young puppies, but did you also know that play is equally important throughout a dog’s entire adolescence? In studies done in mammals, the animals who had access to play had increased behavioral welfare and resiliency. The animals who were isolated and did not get access to play often developed maladaptive behaviors, had decreased welfare, and would even desperately seek out interactions with aggressive animals if given the opportunity just for the chance to be social! Just like with socializing a young puppy, the QUALITY of the play matters here, especially if your teen isn’t very confident or secure in their social skills! Don’t just repeatedly bring your dog to the dog park if they’re not having fun in the hopes that they’ll “get over it”! You want to set up play dates and go to play groups where your dog is enjoying themselves and not overwhelmed! This is why I continue to have dogs play off leash in my puppy 2 and 3 classes after the puppy’s critical window of socialization has closed. I believe continuing to give our dogs safe, monitored access to other dogs where they can practice their social and conflict resolution skills is crucial to their behavioral wellbeing! Did you recently bring home a new puppy? Check out our puppy class program! Email [email protected] for more information! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementdogtraining #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Happy Hound University is very excited to announce our newest service: puppy raising board and train! Maybe you just brought your new puppy home, but you're suddenly being called away for work and your puppy is too young to be left alone or at a daycare? Or maybe, you've got too much on your plate right now and you just need a week or so to regroup? Our board and train service is a safe, developmentally appropriate option for your puppy under 16 weeks (under 20 weeks for small breeds!). Your puppy will stay in our home, and be treated like a member of our family. No busy kennels or hours of alone time for your puppy! They'll also get regular socialization field trips, and they'll even attend our puppy classes and get to play with their classmates! You will get daily text or email updates with what your puppy has been up to, and video of the training exercises we're working on (including things like sit, down, leave it, attention and focus, leash walking, and more) For complete details on this service please see our website: https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/puppyboardandtrain or email [email protected]! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #positivereinforcementdogtraining #boardandtrain #puppytraining #puppyboardandtrain #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

Did you recently bring home a new puppy? Did you know that puppies have a “critical window of socialization”? This is the time that a puppy is most open to novel situations. As that window of socialization starts to close puppies who have not been properly socialized will be more likely to respond with suspicion towards novelty, so it’s critically important to positively introduce your puppy to these situations early on! That window of socialization actually starts to close around the 16 week mark, which means you want to start socialization practices before your puppy will be fully vaccinated, but you have to do it SAFELY to keep your puppy healthy! Our group puppy classes are a safe, fun way to socialize your puppy early and start working on their manners training. We verify vaccination records for all puppies enrolled and sanitize our play surfaces before each class. Did you adopt your puppy later than 16 weeks? Don’t worry, we’ve got something for you! We’ve got group classes for puppies 18-24 weeks as well, and adult dog good manners classes too! You can find out more about our puppy classes at https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program or email [email protected]! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #puppyclass #puppyclasses #puppysocialization #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

A very waggy welcome to Happy Hound University’s newest member, Ralphie! Ralphie is my sister Katie’s new puppy, adopted from Second City Canine Rescue(he was known there as Dunfie!) He’s currently 13 weeks old, probably some kind of hound mix, and is the perfect combination of confident, curious, smart, and adorable. Welcome, Ralphie, to the Happy Hound University family! Thank you for helping us to heal after losing Katie’s best boy Buddy ❤️ we can’t wait to watch you grow! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

We’ve got openings in our puppy classes starting in the next few weeks! What do we learn in puppy class? - proper socialization to other puppies and new people; we match puppies up by size and play style and make sure everyone is having a good time together. - confidence building around new and varying objects - a foundation for manners training - tips for building your puppy’s focus and attention - introduction to all kinds of handling and husbandry procedures We pride ourselves on our positive reinforcement, kind training methods and meeting our learners where they are at! Interested in signing up? Go to https://www.happyhounduniversity.com/the-premier-puppy-program or email [email protected]! #dogtrainer #dogtraining #positivedogtrainer #positivedogtraining #forcefree #forcefreetrainer #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreetrainer #sciencebased #sciencebasedtraining #giveyourdogacookie #cooperation #cookiepusher #happyhounduniversity

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