Best Friends Dog Academy

12/26/2025

Hey Veterinarians! Continuing Education Credits 👏☺️

🚨Save the Date! 🚨

We’re opening 2026 with our FIRST Virtual CE of the year, and you won’t want to miss it! Join Virtual Veterinary Behavior Medicine on Thursday, January 22nd from 8–9 PM EST for an engaging and informative session with Dr. Maggie O’Brian, MS, DACVB.

🩺Topic: Addressing Stranger Danger in Dogs
In this 60-minute presentation, we will discuss aggression in dogs towards unfamiliar people, including leash reactivity, aggression towards visitors and aggression in the veterinary setting.

You’ll learn how to:
-Identify key clinical signs and triggers of aggression toward unfamiliar people.
-Distinguish common behavioral and medical causes of stranger-directed aggression.
-Apply effective treatment and management strategies to improve safety and outcomes.

Plus, stick around for the final 15 minutes as Dr. O’Brian answers your questions and shares how Virtual Veterinary Behavior Medicine (VVBM) helps clients connect with a Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist, right from home!

Don’t miss this chance to wrap up the year with knowledge, insight, and CE credit!
Link to Sign Up: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wc9j8Z7jRR2jSk--pYT3GQ

Take note: This CE will NOT be recorded. Don't miss out on this great session!

12/14/2025

The world can be a crazy place and full of pressure, for our dogs too

Dogs are mammals living in a world that wasn’t designed for mammalian nervous systems.

Bright lights. Constant noise. Busy roads. Tight schedules. Expectations to “cope”, “behave”, and “settle” on demand.

For a species built to move with daylight and darkness, to read subtle body language, to regulate through proximity, rhythm, and rest — this modern world can be overwhelming.

We see it in dogs who are labelled “reactive”, “anxious”, or “overstimulated”.
But often what we’re seeing is a nervous system under constant sensory load.

And this isn’t just a dog thing.

More and more humans — especially children — are struggling in the same sensory landscape.
Harsh lighting.
Relentless noise.
Little time for regulation, connection, or true rest.

We don’t call those children “bad”.
We recognise sensory overwhelm, developmental needs, and nervous systems asking for support.

So why do we expect dogs to cope with what we’re only just beginning to understand in ourselves?

Behaviour doesn’t happen in isolation.
It lives inside bodies.
Inside nervous systems.
Inside environments.

When we soften the environment, slow the pace, reduce the pressure, and prioritise safety and connection — behaviour follows.

For dogs.
For children.
For all mammals trying to survive in a world that’s gotten very loud.

Maybe the question isn’t “what’s wrong with them?”
But “what kind of world are we asking them to live in?”

💭

12/12/2025

Great article about muzzling!

Do your clients know the benefits of muzzle training? Discussing muzzles with new and established dog parents can reduce muzzle stigma.

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

Not dogs and still cool!
Love seeing examples of learning how to notice and interpret an animal’s state of mind. Understanding how they might be feeling and adjusting our handling and interventions to create a more positive state is integral to welfare.
This video is well narrated to help the viewer.

Tap to view!

12/10/2025

Don't fight against it, work with it!⚡
There is a zone.
It's not mystical or magical, it's neurological and simply the best time to teach.

The "perfect" technique means nothing if we don't respect just how a dog is feeling before we start.
This is a little tricky to explain and seems a bit contradictory to many, but good dog trainers simply won't persist to teach when a dog is not in a true learning state.
That does not mean we give up, it just means we change the conditions first.
We attempt again after we have used those little tricks we know to reduce over arousal, anxiety or we have figured out just what this dog needs.
Even then, we may only get a few golden moments of engagement in.

Then we wait for the next opening.
We see it's coming, we see that arousal settling or that confidence builds again and "bam" we will get another few minutes in.
That's when we can really make a difference.
Those little moments we had together become more frequent and that relationship is building for us both. Perfect!

Find those little moments.
Find what makes your dog "spark" in those moments.
But, respect that sometimes those moments may be few and far between when a dog is either hyper or hypo.

Another point here. This is individual.
It doesn't mean that dogs wont engage with you when they are in those extremes.
There are always dogs that will, and happily!

The zone is there, it just shifts for each individual dog.

12/09/2025

So true!

12/08/2025

We don’t learn good behaviours through fear. We simply learn how to avoid consequences and to appease.

Fear in our dogs is not always taken seriously, with so many videos floating round social media that get a few laughs.

We wouldn’t laugh if a child cowered in fear. We would take action, show concern and the same should go for our dogs.

We have the power to motivate, provide clarity and guide. We should never waste that on scare tactics or intimidation.

Find exercises with a gentle approach on the membership.

12/08/2025

The gut does more than digest food—it plays a vital role in how pets experience fear, anxiety, and stress. Understanding the connection between the microbiome, emotional wellbeing, and physical discomfort can transform the way we care for animals. Join us along with Robin Saar, RVT, VTS (Nutrition...

12/07/2025

Client dog Harry! ❤️
Harry jumps on the back of the couch and sidles up to me, soliciting affection. Oh my heart!
I’m continually amazed at the great efforts of my clients. So much compassion and desire to learn more and understand their dogs on a deeper level. 🙏🥰

Harry and is a rescue with some trauma in his past. He was quite nervous with visitors initially. His pet parents are the magic that Harry needed.

I can’t tell you how good it feels deep down in my heart when Harry feels so confident he jumps on the back of the couch as if to say, “hey lady! Aren’t I silly and cute?! Pet me already!”
Also, he’s rocking scentwork like a pro! 🙌🐾

12/06/2025

Winnie, adopted from the Iowa City Animal Care & Adoption Center stole my heart today.
What a sweet, smart, fun little cookie! ❤️

12/03/2025

New puppy? Or planning on it?

Start learning!