Angels in the Making, LLC

03/25/2025

Good afternoon! As a reminder, our owner and head trainer Teri Thomas has a radio program today at 12:45, with Brittani Wemple of 4 Paws Grooming and Boarding on KAFM 88.1 and 96.9. Tune in for some great dog tips!

03/25/2025

Toys are such a fun activity to do with your dog. They provide a way for your dog to use some of their energy and to have fun while doing it. There are a large variety of toys to choose from, but we really like the toys that give our dogs a little bit of a challenge, like a KONG toy. Kong toys are an amazing resource to have in your arsenal. Not only are they interactive but they can help our dogs practice calmness. KONGs come in different sizes and it’s important to pick the right size for your dog to avoid choking hazards. If you have multiple dogs, choose the size that will be safe for all of your dogs. We also recommend supervising your dog when playing with their toys. Here’s a website you can visit to learn about the KONG toy, how to stuff the KONG, and which KONG is right for your pup(s). https://www.kongcompany.com/

03/24/2025

Good Morning everyone! On Mondays we have been talking about Concepts. What are Concepts in dog training?

Concepts are skills that lead to well mannered dogs. These skills help our dogs make good choices in their daily lives. Dogs who struggle to make good choices, are usually lacking the skills required to make them. As dog trainers, we believe it's important to be aware of these concepts in each individual dog and how to grow them to be stronger!

Here are a few examples of common concepts:
- Calmness
- Focus
- Confidence
- Disengagement
- Grit
- Tolerance of Frustration

The more we understand our dogs the easier it will be to build a thriving relationship through fun and training!

03/23/2025

Bravo puppies! You've completed Surviving Puppyhood and we can't wait to see you again soon!

03/21/2025

It's Friday! For our last post before the weekend we have a fun dog fact. Did you know that all dogs have two switches in their brain? A Seek switch and an Avoid switch. Only one can be on at a time. So if your dog is showing signs of avoidance like fearfulness, running away, shyness, barking, or lunging at other dogs that's the Avoid switch and it's pessimistic. The Seek switch is an optimistic one and it looks like happiness, curiosity, playfulness, and other positive traits. If your dog has their Avoid switch turned on try to activate the Seek switch by giving your dog something to search for. You can use their kibble and scatterfeed them on the ground. This will help your dog realize that those distractions aren't as important as they thought they were. Here is our video on how to scatterfeed your dog and activate that Seek switch. Give it a try and enjoy our first official weekend of spring!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYpDwq5dwW

Scatter feeding is a great game to help your dog disengage from the world and stay in your bubble no matter what. It grows confidence, disengagement and calm...

03/20/2025

Today we would like to share a beautiful story with you. One of our clients had two dogs and decided to add a new puppy into their family. When the puppy arrived the other dogs weren't too happy about the new addition and the owner knew that something needed to be done. We created a special socialization program for this puppy to experience positive interactions with other dogs as well as attending our puppy class. While he was in class the other family dogs were brushing up on all their skills at home.
Four months passed and the dogs were finally ready to learn how to cohabitate with each other. Under supervision and to avoid any fights breaking out, the dogs were trained to ignore each other and learned how to do normal activities around each other. After private lessons and teaching the dogs calmness, disengagment, and tolerance of frustration they were able to be loose in the house and in the yard together, with supervision, and without any doggy tempers flaring!
They continue to do great together to this day and they all have good relationships with each other. Sometimes behavior issues take time and patience. This owner was very diligent and knew we didn't have a magic wand but stuck with the plan. We are so grateful to have been part of helping everyone win!

03/19/2025

Ask a Trainer: Why do dogs wag their tails?
A dog's tail is often an expression of how they're feeling in that moment. It could show that they're content, happy, curious, shy, nervous, or fearful. We look at different parts of the dog like the ears, body position, the tail, and other body language cues to deduce what they're feeling. A big wagging tail could mean that the dog is happy and a low or tucked position could mean that the dog is nervous. It just depends on the dog's overall body language cues, not just the tail. So since our dogs can't speak to us their body language is important and remember that just because their tail is wagging it doesn't mean the the dog is ready to be our friend. Thank you so much for your question! Leave your questions down below for next week's Ask a Trainer and have a great day.

03/18/2025

For our first Toy Tuesday, we are featuring the Snufflemat! A Snufflemat is a great way to start your day with calmness and encourage your dog's problem solving skills. The Snufflemat hides the kibble visually and encourages your dog to use their nose to rummage through the ribbons to find it. This turns into a fun game for your dog and uses their mental energy as well. To use the Snufflemat grab a portion of their meal and scatter it amongst the ribbons and encourage your dog to seek them out, praising them when they find the kibble. Watch your dog enjoy this activity and see them choose calmness over excitement.

Our owner and head trainer Teri Thomas has a radio program next week, Tuesday the 25th at 12:45, with Brittani Wemple of 4 Paws Grooming and Boarding on KAFM 88.1 and 96.9. Tune in next week for some great dog tips!

03/17/2025

Happy Monday everyone! Today we want to talk about the importance of training calmness. Calmness is a key concept to a well mannered dog. It's important to train our dogs to be calm in a variety of situations so they can make good choices and have good behavior. A calm dog is content to relax in your space without worrying about what's going on around them. If you would like to learn more send us a email at [email protected] and have a good St. Patrick's Day.

03/16/2025

High paws all around! This class graduated Basic Angels, kudos to you and a very good job well done!

03/12/2025

Puppy, puppy, puppy!!! These pups are new to the world but they already have so much to offer! Congratulations on completing Surviving Puppyhood!

02/28/2025

Well done on reaching this milestone; you've earned every bit of it! See you soon Basic Angels graduates!

02/25/2025

We have 1 spot left for our Surviving Puppyhood class starting this Sunday, March 2nd, from 3-4 pm. It's a huge opportunity to get your pup under 5 months started in socialization and focusing on you and feeling confident! 4 week course only 4 pups allowed and only $150! What?!?!? Sign up here!
https://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Angelsinthemaking/Surviving_Puppyhood_Mar_2,_3pm

02/23/2025

Alert the pupperazzi!! These new celebrities have completed their Surviving Puppyhood class! Bravo puppies!

02/23/2025

Look out everyone, these dogs are on their way! They've graduated Basic Angels, congratulations!!

02/06/2025

Come join us for some fun while you bond with your puppy! We have so much to teach you in this 4 week course! It begins Feb 19th from 4-5 pm. Here's a sneak peak at confidence week! Only 4 pups per class, ages 10 weeks-25 weeks. Save your spot today! Sign up is easy peezy from this link! https://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Angelsinthemaking/Surviving_Puppyhood,_Feb_19,_4p

02/03/2025

Something new and exciting to look forward to! We are starting our first Tricks class which will begin Weds, Feb 12th, from 6-7 pm. It's a 4 week course but you get to choose what tricks you want to learn and when. Hula Hoop jump? We got it! Play dead and roll over? You bet! Left and right spins? Why not!

Let's do this!Take a break from the seriousness of the world and have some fun with your dog! You can sign up here https://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Angelsinthemaking/Tricks_Class,_Wed_Feb_12_at_6pm

or visit our website for more information (it's at the bottom of the home page!) www.angelsinthemaking.com

We hope to see you there!

02/02/2025

You may say we're dreamers, but we're not the only ones, these furballs just completed Surviving Puppyhood! Now they're off to explore the world and show us what they can do!