Mary Alverson Dogs

12/01/2024

11/19/2024

11/18/2024

My handsome bub, Rumor. Enjoying the beautiful weather at Island Beach State Park.

11/17/2024

Harlow was WB at KC of Philly yesterday and I'm just floating on cloud nine right now!!

11/16/2024

Someone did a thing today at Kennel Club of Philadelphia.... 🥰

11/16/2024

We're here! Harlow is excited about getting lots of pets from the public. We're in Hall A Row 15.

11/15/2024

I love her expression and feminine head.

10/25/2024

Building drive with tug.

10/23/2024

This morning's lick mats for the dogs. Peanut butter (xylitol-free - check your labels!!), carob chips, wild blueberries, banana and a little coconut oil. These can also be popped in the freezer to make them last longer.

10/15/2024

Second Basic Training Class now added on Wednesday nights! The next start date is 10/30. Only a few spots left!

09/28/2024

We're soaking wet, but had a lovely morning regardless. With only 5 splashes this season, her first ever, Harlow earns her Dock Junior title today!

09/22/2024

Tricks x 2. 😁🥰

09/21/2024

They never believe me when I say "all gone" 😂

09/18/2024

The label "dog trainer" is a bit of a misnomer. I use it because it is industry standard and in general people understand what I mean in a broad sense when I say "I am a professional dog trainer".

Technically, I am a teacher of humans, and my subject matter happens to be dogs and their behavior. Yes I offer some services where I take your dog into my home and train him/her myself but ultimately my goal is to teach YOU, the human in the equation, to understand, manage, and teach your own dog.

Right now I am in the middle of a wonderful applied ethology course and working to earn my Family Dog Mediator certification. I love that label: Family Dog MEDIATOR. Because it is more descriptive of what I do: step in and mediate the relationship between dogs and people, helping everyone understand each other better and live more harmoniously. I am more about teaching humans to manage and care for their dog, and teaching necessary behaviors, as opposed to coming in and just saying DO THIS THIS THIS and it'll stop the problem (if it were only that easy!)

Many people come to me with "problem" dogs and the issue is less the behavior and more a lack of understanding of the nature of the dog, and lack of management. Easy fixes are often achieved with just a slight tweaking of the dog's daily life, and implementing easy management changes, setting up the environment so the dog can succeed. If a behavior is causing strife and harming the relationship, I take that seriously and want everyone's needs to be met - that means the dog's as well. A lot of behaviors are normal dog behaviors and we just find them problematic. You cannot train out hardwired, dog nature. But we can find ways to mitigate issues and redirect the dog into other appropriate outlets for species-specific behavioral needs.

But it's all about the human learning to relate to the dog and how to have a better relationship with him/her. How I work might not be for everyone - sometimes things are a quick fix, but more often than not, changes and improvement take time and commitment. If you are looking for a way to live harmoniously with your dog, understand him/her better, and solve dilemmas you are having, I would love to work with you!

Send a message to learn more

09/18/2024

The Oct 7th Basic Class is now full. Stay tuned for the next announced start date! I'd love to have you and your dog in an upcoming class. 😊

09/17/2024

Walks for enrichment, exercise and for teaching loose leash walking skills are a big part of day training. Sadie and I enjoyed our walk today on this warm later-summer day.