A Dog’s Eye View

08/16/2025

"It doesn't hurt. He's fine."

Assuming an animal is not in pain is one of the biggest dangers to animal care and animal welfare.

When we don't know and cannot confirm if something is causing the animal pain I think we should use extreme caution.

Some things we know:

⭐Pain is different for different individuals as well as different species.
⭐Pain is unique. Your toothache may be excruciating but mine may be very mild. We cannot make a blanket statement about pain.
⭐Some animals hide pain but this does not mean that they are not experiencing pain.

⭐ Some things may not cause us pain because we understand it but if someone, including an animal is startled or does not know where a sensation is coming from it may cause pain.

Example: an invisible fence shock collar. If we try it on ourselves we understand what causes the shock. The dog does not.

The Wong-Baker Faces pain scale does not exist for animals.
We rely on behavior changes, medical changes but it requires observing.

By saying, "s/he's fine" we remove the ability to make those initial observations.
We have already turned off our observation skills.

If your vet says an animal is in pain, listen, and work with your vet to make a pain management plan.

If you are concerned that your dog is in pain but your vet is not, keep talking or seek a second opinion.

No one ever wants their animal to be in pain.
One way to help them, is keep an open mind and seek professional help.

Watch how they get up/lie down, how they move, how they react to sounds or touch. Do they scratch or itch a lot? Keeping an open mind about pain will be the first step to helping your animal.

Pain happens to all ages, not just seniors.

08/06/2025

Thanks to my friend and colleague Liz…stay open, stay teachable, no one has all of the answers. ❤️🐾

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

A client recently thanked me for something unexpected: not having a quick, clever answer for every question they asked. Sure, I had most of the answers. But there were a few where I said, “Let me double check that,” or “I’d like to run that by a colleague first.”

And that moment stuck with me.

Because if you’re looking for a dog trainer, that’s something worth paying attention to and someone who doesn’t pretend to know it all.

None of us do. Not even the ones with decades of experience. And that’s a good thing.

I remember chatting with my mom (who has a doctorate in psychology) about stress, and I mentioned eustress, the kind of stress that’s actually positive and motivating. She paused and said, “Wait, what’s that?”

So here’s a quick refresher for anyone else:
• Eustress = good stress. The kind that gets you moving, challenges you, or helps you grow.
• Distress = bad stress. The kind that overwhelms, shuts down learning, or harms well-being.

Even experts don’t know everything. And good dog trainers know that.

The best ones are the ones still learning, still asking questions, still seeking out different perspectives, still checking their own work. The ones who are open to saying, “Let me think on that,” or “Let me ask someone I trust.”

Look for that in your dog trainer:
✔ Ongoing education
✔ A willingness to consult and collaborate
✔ Protocols that evolve over time
✔ And the humility to say, “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll find out.”

That’s not a weakness. That’s a superpower.

So if you’re looking for a dog trainer, find one who stays teachable.

Because your dog deserves more than ego. They deserve thoughtful, informed, and individualized care.

06/15/2025

Rufus masterfully shows joy, ability to think, and relaxation while muzzled, all things we want to see when muzzle training our pups!

06/08/2025

My Philosophy on Life with a Dog

When you bring a dog into your life, you are choosing something extraordinary- to share your life, your home, and your routines with a different species. One who never asked to be here, never consented to our human expectations, and yet shows up every day with unconditional love. That is a profound responsibility — and a remarkable gift.

Dogs are not toys or lifestyle accessories. They are sentient beings with their own emotions, needs, and preferences. They are not here to obey your every command — they are here to share life with you. They will bring great joy and love to your life, and you should do the same for them. When we choose to live alongside a species that doesn’t speak our language, it’s our job to build the bridge: through communication, compassion, and connection.

Communication means learning to understand your dog — their body language, their stress signals, their joys and fears. It means teaching with clarity and kindness instead of confusion or punishment. It means listening more than you talk and realizing that “behavior problems” are often just misunderstood attempts to cope with a world that they don’t always understand.

Compassion means seeing your dog as they are — not as a project to fix, but as a whole being to support. It means remembering that your dog didn’t sign up for apartment living, crowded sidewalks, or your social calendar. It means adjusting your expectations to meet their needs as a dog, not expecting them to just meet yours as human.

Connection is what makes it all worth it. When you slow down and really see your dog — when you honor their needs, help them feel safe, and give them choices and the freedom to be themselves — something beautiful happens. You become their safe place. And they become yours.

Life with a dog is messy and loud and full of surprises. It means muddy paw prints, torn-up toys, chewed-up socks, barking at the delivery truck, and rearranging your life around potty breaks and walks. It means early mornings, skipped plans, and constant management — not because your dog is being difficult, but because they’re a dog living in a confusing human world. You’ll lose sleep. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll spend money. You’ll feel like you’re raising a toddler who never grows up — because in many ways, you are.

But you’ll also get something rare: the chance to build a lifelong partnership rooted in trust, not control. A relationship where two entirely different species can thrive together through patience, understanding, and mutual respect.

Having a dog is hard work. It’s a responsibility. It’s an agreement to show up — even when it’s inconvenient, even when it’s hard. But if you’re doing it right, it will also be one of the most meaningful relationships of your life. You don’t just get a dog. You become someone’s person. That is no small thing. 🐕

04/08/2025

Got to love a happy follow up! Dog and people’s needs met=harmony❤️🐾

“Hi!
Things with duke have been terrific. Hes been happier and friendlier. Ive been working on making more games and ways to treat him that get his brain working, and get him outside more.
Its really like we have him back again and its been so exciting.
Hes eager to see me to in the morning and evenings.
Its just been so much better in every way.
Thank you so much”

04/07/2025

April break is fast approaching for those of you with school aged kids and those who teach. How do you plan to have your dogs’ lives enriched with or without you over the break?

Over February break, while their people were out of town, I got the privilege of spending the days with long term clients and extended dog family Guinness & TJ! It was too icey for outdoor fun, but we played training games, sniffy games, relaxed together, and did lots of puzzles. The best part of my work is developing lasting and trusting relationships with dogs and their families. ❤️🐾

03/27/2025

Willie Jack got on a rock during our walk!!! 🪨

This may not seem like a big deal, but when I adopted her a year ago she wouldn’t take treats on walks, wouldn’t engage with me, and was overall hyper vigilant, busy, and worried. There have been little inklings of her confidence boosting; taking treats when other dogs would while walking, checking in, waiting for me to catch up, etc.

Now she will take treats the whole walk (most of the time), check in regularly, and respond to cueing, including getting up on a rock posing, sitting, and hanging out!

What little victories have you had with your pups that may not seem like a big deal to those not on your journey with you? Let’s celebrate! 🎉👏

03/22/2025

Final ClickerExpo dump, it was a weekend full of love, joy, and knowledge, my cup is full and I am exhausted! ❤️🐾









pouliot.9

03/20/2025

Agatha had a vet appointment yesterday and no matter how well it goes and how force free and fear free a practice is, the vet is still stressful! I try to build daily enrichment, decompression, and self-guided doggy activities into my dogs’ schedules, but I take particular care to do so after stressful events. This includes “positive” stressful events too: high intensity sports trials & classes, training sessions, dynamic exercise (running, ball play), play dates with favorite dogs, visits from beloved family, etc.

Some of my go tos…

🐾Decompression walks dragline or off leash as appropriate.
🐽Sniffy adventures/snuffling.
👅Long-lasting lickable treats & toys.
🦷Chews, bones, beef cheeks, bully sticks.
🪨Digging in dig boxes or designated spots.
💤Sleep/nap time in safe quiet spaces away from the action.

What are you and your dogs’ favorite decompression, enrichment, and self-regulating activities? For more ideas check out Canine Enrichment for the Real World .books and

02/18/2025

Do your dogs sleep in your bed?

👍yes

👎no

🐾sometimes

If they do, what’s your favorite thing about having your 4 legged companion in your bed? What’s your least favorite thing about it?

If they don’t, why not? Would you want them to if they would?

Dogs in the bed is a personal preference, there are many valid reasons for wanting them there and many valid reasons for not. I typically don’t have all 5 in bed with me, but there’s usually at least 1.

12/24/2024

Duke is a bulldog with some complicated medical and behavioral concerns, and a very busy household! I am so grateful to collaborate with Dr. Emmons at Eliot Veterinary Hospital, and Duke’s family in order to holistically get his needs met. These photos are from his first ever Sniffspot adventure!

12/19/2024

Bowdie is an adolescent boy who struggles with visitors to the house, his people were worried about how he would do when they hosted Thanksgiving. When I visited I gave his family some strategies to calmly introduce Bowdie, as well as, creating safe space away from the action, so he could have breaks, enrichment, and be off duty as guests arrive and when his family couldn’t actively manage or train him.

Post-Thanksgiving I received a lovely update that not only was Bowdie able to accept family and guests into the home with minimal barking, but he was able to be a part of most of the day, and made a long-lasting friendship and played some fun training games with his human cousin!