I Speak Woof Training

01/15/2025

Former rescue board and train Kenzie (now Delta) came to me with a lot of concerns. She was deaf and a little misunderstood. I quickly realized that this girl thrives watching the world go by in high traffic areas. She loves taking the whole world in. So, when we got an application in Brooklyn, NY with an amazing owner...I knew it would be perfect. She has been absolutely perfect. Hand down one of my favorite training and rescue stories from 2024. Happy tails Delta! ♥️🐾

06/09/2024

Game time!

Louie says hi and that he is enjoying his first boarding experience. He also bets that you can't guess his breed mix....there are 4! ;)

05/24/2024

Sweet Susie and Chelsea were not totally sure why they were riding in my car...but they seem pretty excited to be staying here at the farm for a few days. They definitely knew where they were when they got here!! I love being in an environment where I can have clients come to my house for training, so if they need to come stay with me, the transition is pretty seamless since they have been here for training before! ♥️ Love these 2 girlies.

04/28/2024

Princess Lena got a present!!! Welcome to the farm Benny!! Now to break it to Lena that he is only staying a week....... 😂😂😂😂

Bull Terrier Rescue Mission is truly the best. I love working with them!! Mister Benny Boi has a lot of medical going on. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!!

04/17/2024

Ruby Roo had her first "on the farm" training session this week! Loving having a physical location where we can do some intentional set ups with some of the resident dogs here! ♥️🐾

04/15/2024

Archie is the most adorable dog ever!!! I'm so obsessed with him. When he is done with board and train, he will be ready to find his forever home where he can keep training and playing and learning how a lifetime!! 💓 Pink Heart Rescue

04/12/2024

Dad!!! Take me for a walk please!!! These adoption photos are not necessary!! 😂😂

I have cried many tears of joy today. I have to admit, on paper, I was not totally sure this was a perfect match. And then I met Jay. And I saw the magic between him and Leroy. And after our second meet, I knew Leroy chose his new dad and that it was time to pass the torch.

I have never been so humbled by the words of someone. Jay doesn't text much, so his lengthy texts of positives truly left me speechless and feeling so blessed today. I have prayed for a clear sign from Leroy that this was it, and I am so grateful to see that loud and clear. I think guardian angel Lisa Ziliak is to thank for this one. ❤️😭🐾

From Leroy's dad: Thanks for all your work with Leroy you really made his transition easy. He would not leave me alone until I took him for a walk I thought it would take a lot longer for him to boss me around boy was I wrong. I took him on a walk to the conservation trail about two miles we passed a couple of people and he was fine he just came up and licked me in the face and laid his head in my lap. I think we both will sleep well tonight. He didn't pull the whole time and walked perfect again thanks for all your hard work it is really paying off.👍❤️🌹 You should shed tears of joy he was broken and you fixed him thank you we can't say that enough thank you again Andrea your the best! He keeps bringing me toys to play with trying to figure out which one I like lol

I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!

Thank you Nikki Sanders and Taffy's Touch Senior Dog Rescue for being the best rescue partner ever and Nikki Moore for being his shelter advocate before his spirit entirely broke. Rescue has truly introduced me to some of the best people that I am so grateful for. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

04/10/2024

Welcome Archie from Pink Heart Rescue !!!

He has already had a lot of fun sniffing, playing, and passing the camp swim test! 😂😂

Archie is a young, adorable, and adoptable boy who is here for board and train. He is deaf, but that certainly doesn't stop him from being a dog! We are going to boost his confidence and socialization skills, get him potty trained and crate trained, and get him ready to be the best boy he can be! We can't wait to see him learn and grow!

04/07/2024

Another super sweet update!!! Milton was here a couple months ago for a week of board and train before heading to foster. He thrived in his foster home and now he is hit the lottery with his new forever home and he's going to be so spoiled!!! ❤️🐾 Happy tails Milton!!!

ADOPTION ALERT 🧡🧡
It’s a celebration day as Milton found his forever home! 🎉 He’s such a sweet boy that deserved a fighting chance, and now he will be spoiled for the remainder of his days. Happy tails, sweet boy 💙

04/06/2024

♥️ Leroy Update!!! ♥️

Leroy had a very experienced owner who reached out and wanted to meet him. After our second meet and greet today, I am very optimistic that Leroy has chosen his new daddy! 4 weeks of love and hard work training and decompressing has led this loving but nervous boy to learn to trust more and be more confident. I knew when his dad picked up the leash and Leroy immediately ran to him and jumped up and kept booping his nose on the leash that he was ready to transfer his trust in me to his trust in someone who was a total stranger to him just yesterday. We will likely do an extended home visit and finalize adoption within the next week! I could not be any happier!

For those who were concerned, no aversive training tools were used in this process. There was a lot of concerns about how board and train can ruin a dog. I never planned to do board and trains, but I saw the need for this as an option, especially within the rescue community, so now I am have provided them for some dogs. I am one human and can only do a couple at a time, but I am happy to be able to provide this service when I can to help dogs maximize their quality of life in a positive environment.

04/01/2024

Training to me is not about fancy cues and teaching a dog to sit, stay, hang out on a place board, or walk in a perfect heel. It is about trust and understanding. It is about decreasing anxiety and changing a dog's responses by addressing the root underlying causes of the behaviors. This is often rooted deeply in the dog's emotions and medical issues. When we seek to understand, we can best help the dog in front of us. We aren't putting a bandaid on things by just teaching a dog to obey commands. We are changing the dog's prescription of the world and the underlying emotions causing their behavior challenges.

When Red (now Zinfandel aka) came here, he came with a behavior history. But Bull Terrier Rescue Mission felt there was something else possibly going on and asked me to help. He had been out of the shelter for a couple months and was struggling with being a typical household pet dog. They sent him here as a "last chance" effort to see if he could decompress and learn the world isn't so scary.

When I met him, he just wanted to sniff around and did not want to interact with me or allow any sort of handling. He just wanted to be left alone to do his own thing. So, I worked on consent testing and letting him get comfortable. Zin went to one of my vet partners for a work up when I suspected some medical issues. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with kidney is somewhere between stage 1 and 2 renal failure. That being said, there are things we can and are now doing to maximize his health and quality of life. We also got some anxiety meds on board to help us expedite his training and to help him be most comfortable.

Zin now has lots of dog friends and is learning people are safe. He loves to snuggle in bed and can settle and relax on a couch. He has very appropriate house manners and is now potty trained and does not mark on everything in sight. He has gotten very good at cooperative care and trusting that I will do those scary things quickly and that there is a big payout coming.

Here is Zin who has learned that the neighbors working outside with their big equipment is not actually scary. It is actually really fun because I give him lots of love and attention. He gets up on my lap and watches, snuggles, and requests belly rubs.

6 weeks of training and this is a happy and loving dog. I didn't teach him sit, down, or place. I honestly don't care if he knows those things. I didn't use any tools. I honestly have used very few treats. I didn't try to be the alpha or take away privileges. I built a relationship with him and showed him empathy. I worked with his rescue to target his underlying issues, and now we have a safer, healthier, and happier dog who shows us his zeal for life every single day. This is what training and rescue should be all about. ♥️🐾

03/30/2024

Thanks everyone who donated in honor of Red!! Donations will be used to help manage his kidney disease. :)

For those who have asked why I picked a new name, the simple answer is that he doesn't like it. I noticed he was doing a lot of subtle stress body language signals when I called him by the name Red. He was somewhat responsive to it, but not majorly. If a dog isn't listening to a cue or shows these stress signals, it means the cue is "poisoned". A simple name change will allow me to gain his attention in a more positive way. ❤️🐾

03/21/2024

Where are my doberman folks at?!?!

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (formerly known as Bronson) has come so far in just a couple weeks. He is thriving here and learning so many new things, but eventually, he will be looking for a just right fit home.

Currently available through Taffy's Touch Senior Dog Rescue . A home without young children or cats is preferred.

03/09/2024

I took on an unexpected project this week...meet Bronson (who I am now calling Leroy).

He was surrendered after being in the same home for 5 years and with limited socialization. Dobermans are extremely sensitive dogs, and his whole world has shattered. He is so very scared of the world, so we are working on getting him to open up more and to be more resilient in the big world.

When Nikki at Taffy's Touch Senior Dog Rescue called me on Sunday, it took us almost 2 hours to get him loaded up and over here, but we finally got him in. We are taking baby steps each and every day we are brainstorming together and celebrating even the tiniest of steps in the right direction. Today, I think we really have taken a few big steps, one of which is that he is starting to play! He likes to take squeaky balls and boop them with his nose and he found a bone he wanted to pounce on and throw around. We believe in you Leroy!!! ♥️🐾

If anyone wants to donate to Taffy's in honor of Leroy, they are one of my absolute favorite organizations to work with!

03/02/2024

Mister Kane Atlas McFadden...

One of my very favorite "projects" that I am so happy that I get to board and spoil rotten when his absolutely perfect family goes out of town. I love Kane and Humane Society for Boone County . This was truly a fairy tale happy ending, and I am so excited to be with him on the forever part of his journey. ♥️

Thanks Betsy Smith for letting me love him when you guys go away. It brings me so much joy!! 😍

02/28/2024

On Wednesdays, mean girls wear pink....but as for us boys, we wear RED! ♥️

02/22/2024

I caved and created a TikTok account this week.... 😂🤦

Red said he wanted to share his story ;)

Check out I Speak Woof Training's video.

02/19/2024

So happy to be part of Kenzie's journey!!!! She is an incredible girl. So full of life and love!! ❤️