Cult of Dogs, Eugene, OR (2025)

05/30/2025

Cult of Dogs group classes have arrived! I’m thrilled to bring you 2 brand new entry level group training classes!

Initiation: Training Basics
-begins June 15th
-For pups 16 weeks and older. Learn basics of communication, practical skills, and get help with common behavior issues. This class is the perfect intro to dog training concepts and will provide a solid foundation for long term success

Puppy Play and Learn
-begins June 22nd
-For pups 10-16 weeks old. Get puppy raising advice and learn some basics while your puppy socializes in a safe, stress free environment

Comment “Initiation” or “Puppy” and I’ll send you the full details! You can also email [email protected]. Enroll by June 5th for a sweet discount!

05/01/2025

Super loud jingley tags could be drawing unwanted attention from other dogs! For many dogs, the sound of tags jingling is a cue that a dog is about to show up, or if that dog is reactive- can be a trigger itself, causing that dog to bark even if they can’t see your dog yet!

So if your dog struggles the most when other dogs are looking at or barking at them, tag silencers can be a great way to make your dog a bit more incognito during walks. Just google “dog tag silencer” there’s a variety of options out there!

04/22/2025

Swipe to see the most chaotic image of Luna ever captured 🐶➡️👹

Believe it or not this was mid-play and she was having a great time 😂 she’s always been a very intense player. When assessing body language of dog play, you have to look at the whole picture which includes movement, where is the weight shifted, is the body loose or tense, what direction is the dog choosing to go or look, are they giving the other dog space, what is the other dog doing (trying to get away? Reciprocating?).

She was probably making insane gremlin noises in this photo too. Growling or barking in play is not always a sign that something is wrong. Some dogs are super vocal! Again you have to look at the big picture.

04/19/2025

Deysi and her emotional support paper towel 🥹 A little backstory-

Deysi is a rescue from Mexico. We don’t know much about her history, but after a month in her new home she’s struggling with a wide range of fear & anxiety related behavior. Her people have observed separation anxiety, noise phobia, resource guarding, fear of the car and walks. They also noticed she was doing a lot of repetitive grooming & licking behavior. We discussed finding an alternate self soothing outlet for her (like a licki mat), and then she discovered the emotional support paper towel 😂

Many people would probably say “no don’t eat that!” But the fact the MY clients send me videos because they are proud their dog is shredding something… makes me so proud 🧡 (also it’s adorable)

A case like this is tough when there are SO MANY issues happening at the same time. First steps for Deysi are making sure she’s healthy, eliminating all unnecessary stressors like car rides and alone time, and giving her plenty of opportunities to build confidence, make choices, and build trust with her people. I’m really looking forward to seeing this sweet pup come out of her shell.

Oh by the way! This is an online client in SoCal. Online training is a fantastic option for nervous pups 🐶

04/10/2025

I could write a whole book on this topic 😅 people sometimes think rewards based training will not work due to their dog’s lack of interest in treats. NOT TRUE! It is true that some dogs are less interested in food than others. So if you’ve been told “all dogs are food motivated!” it’s not necessarily accurate. Dogs are individuals and “food drive” varies.

However… here are 2 common reasons your dog may be less interested in food:

1. The environment is too distracting or other things in the environment are MORE valuable than food. Try a higher value treat, but most likely you’ll have to spend more time building up your dog’s skills in increasing levels of distraction.

2. The dog is too stressed to eat. This is likely if you are dealing with reactivity or anxiety related issues. If your dog is happy to eat treats at home, but then in a new environment or under stressful circumstances the dog will not eat, this is not a motivation issue.

When I do encounter a dog who genuinely doesn’t care that much about food, I like to spend some time building food drive because it can be so helpful for many training scenarios! But food is not the only reinforcer available. We can use play, toys, access to the environment/sniffing & exploring, and even attention/affection.

I NEVER suggest depriving a dog of food to increase motivation. That is not food drive, it’s just hunger 🙃

*note I’m talking about food rewards in a training context. If your dog is not interested in their actual meals, that could be a health issue and you should call your vet.

04/07/2025

Dogs will tell you what they need if you know how to listen. I don’t consider myself a pack leader (or a cult lead for that matter 😉). Cult of Dogs is about understanding and protecting the relationship with canines that has endured over 25,000 years.

People I work with generally have really good instincts about their dogs- which makes sense given our history! I think we all have the capacity to speak dog. The look of relief in people’s faces when they realize they don’t have to be a dominant, “pack leader,” disciplinarian never gets old for me. I love sharing easy, effective, and kind training solutions that allow people to connect with their dogs.

04/03/2025

You’re getting help now, and that’s what matters most!

01/01/2025

✨Happy New Year ✨ And a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Cult of Dogs for the last 2 years (what??). I’m going into the new year so thankful for the privilege to be able to do what I love every day. I’m also excited to announce some new projects and services I’ve been working on! Hope you all have a peaceful start to 2025!

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays 💚 Can’t wait to see you all in the new year!

11/12/2024

You could replace “stay” with “place” (or any stationing cue). I use wait & place with my pups, and probably we use wait more frequently. I think there is value in teaching both!

06/12/2024

Dogs are great problem solvers, but sometimes we don’t like the solutions they come up with. From your dog’s perspective, pulling on a leash is a great way to get where you want to go faster, jumping on humans is a great way to get attention, barking and growling are a great way to make something scary go away. So how do we help our dogs solve problems in a way that we like? It depends on the dog, but a general training outline might look like:

1. Make sure your dog’s needs are met (exercise, health, safety, mental stimulation)
2. Prevent your dog from doing the un-wanted behavior
3. Teach new skills that help your dog solve their problem

05/25/2024

Client win! These boys had been in a few resource guarding related scuffles recently, one resulting in minor injuries. Their people were heartbroken over the idea that life would never be easy and carefree again. Recently I got the update that they were all able to watch a movie together on the couch as a family 🥹

We did very little “training” in this case. We focused on safety and management, understanding WHY this behavior happens, understanding subtle body language signs, and learning how to set boundaries and intervene appropriately.

Love these updates and so SO proud of my clients for the hard work they put in!

Cult of Dogs

05/30/2025

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