Drop the Leash LLC Dog Training & Behavior Consultant

11/18/2024

Your Dog Isn’t Broken, and You Haven’t Failed!

Are you frustrated with your family dog’s behavior? You’re not alone. Many dog owners feel stuck, wondering how to help their dog thrive in a world built for humans.

The truth is, your dog’s behavior isn’t about obedience or compliance. It’s about how they see their world—and how we can better understand and support them as part of our families.

That’s why I created Behavior Insights, the first level of the video, on-demand Family Dog Connections programs.

This foundational course will help you:

✅ Learn how your family dog interprets and reacts to their environment.

✅ Build calm, cooperative routines that make everyday life easier.

✅ Address problem behavior with practical, real-world solutions that work.

This isn’t about control or gimmicks—it’s about giving you the tools to help your dog thrive as a beloved member of your family.

Why Choose Behavior Insights?

🐾Created by a licensed and certified professional with over 30 years of experience helping people just like you.

🐾Proven, simple strategies for real-life challenges.

🐾One year of on-demand access, so you can learn at your pace.

This is Just the Beginning

Behavior Insights provides the foundation to better understand your dog’s behavior and guide them effectively. It sets the stage for deeper learning in Levels 2 and 3, ensuring your family dog has the skills and support they need for success in the long term.

Bark Friday / Cyber Monday Sale🐾

For a limited time, get Behavior Insights for just $49—a 50% savings!

⏳ Hurry—this special offer ends Cyber Monday at midnight.

🐾Learn how to better support your family dog.

🐾Build routines that make life easier—for both of you.

🐾Get started today with simple tools you can use right away.

👉 Click the link below to start helping your family dog today

Use code BARK50 to get $50 off of the Behavior Insights video on-demand program!

Click HERE: https://www.droptheleashdogtraining.com/courses/level-1-behavior-insights

11/14/2024

Want to know more?

I’m a dual licensed Family Dog Mediator in Training and Behavior.

I’m also a Certified Canine Enrichment Technician.

If you want to learn how to incorporate enrichment play into your dog’s life message me!

Play isn’t just fun for dogs—it’s essential for their well-being and development. Did you know that a dog’s preferred play style often reflects behaviors they were originally bred for? In nature, one of the main functions of play is to help animals fine-tune skills they’ll need in life, with each type of play rewarding the animal for practicing key behaviors that support survival and success.

For example, herding dogs might enjoy stalking, chasing, and barking as they play, while retrievers often love to fetch. By engaging in these instinctual play behaviors, dogs are tapping into skills passed down through generations. What does your dog’s play style say about their history and instincts?

11/11/2024

10/31/2024

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

10/30/2024

How Feeding Your Dog Can Be Enrichment!

I’m transforming dinner into an adventure by using food enrichment toys filled with my dog’s dinner to activate their natural seeking system. This taps into one of the core emotions in dogs, encouraging them to explore, sniff, and solve puzzles—all while getting their meal!

When we turn mealtime into an activity, we’re helping our dogs do what they naturally crave. With enrichment feeding, they’re not just eating; they’re discovering and engaging with the world around them.

Want to know how little changes can make a big difference in your dog’s behavior and happiness?

Drop me a message!

From enrichment ideas to addressing behavioral challenges, I’m here to help your dog live their best life.

10/14/2024

Many people don’t realize that tools like shock collars, even just using the beep or vibration, work by creating discomfort or fear. While the outcome might seem effective, it's important to ask—at what cost?

This article explores why these tools rely on unpleasantness and why it matters for your dog’s well-being.

At Drop the Leash LLC, I believe in building trust and understanding through humane methods, without pain or fear.

If you’re curious about more compassionate and effective ways to work with your dog, reading this article is a great place to start.

Every dog and every situation is different, but one thing I’ve seen time and again is that when we build trust and focus on communication, amazing things happen.

I’ve worked with families who felt stuck using tools like shock or prong collars, unsure of other options. One dog in particular, Koda, had a habit of lunging at other dogs while on walks. Instead of relying on fear or discomfort, we focused on teaching him what we did want—through trust, positive reinforcement, and understanding his needs. The results were life-changing, for both him and his family.

I’d love to hear your experiences.

Have you tried different methods with your dog? What’s worked for you, and what challenges are you still facing? Let’s talk about the options you may not have considered!

By Ren Volpe

10/13/2024

Everyone’s Idea of a “Good Dog” is Different

What makes a “good dog” can vary from person to person, and that’s okay! I don’t expect your dog to behave exactly like mine. Instead, I help guide you in fostering the behaviors you want in your dog.

Take Dobby, for example. Earlier today, we picked apples, and now he’s asking for one from the bushel—he’s right by them, groaning gently, even though he could easily help himself. In our home, our dogs have learned to ask for what they want, and we never punish them. We manage the environment, recognizing their limits and teaching them to self-regulate, just like we would with a 3-year-old child.

This approach goes beyond food. It’s about teaching dogs how to respect boundaries, both physical and social. In our home, the same skills apply to many behaviors, like:

Waiting at the door
Staying within property lines
Waiting outside the kitchen
Asking to go outside
Requesting playtime

But it’s not about control.

This kind of teaching is balanced with enrichment, freedom, and choice. For example, we focus on activities that meet our dogs’ needs too—like letting them express their natural foraging instincts, chasing toys, hunting, chewing, breed-specific drives like herding, and providing variety in their diet.

Offering outlets for these natural behaviors helps dogs manage themselves and feel more confident, while reducing anxiety and negative stress. It’s about giving them the freedom to make choices within set boundaries, building a deeper bond based on trust.

We focus on finding opportunities to reinforce good decisions. As puppies, if they pause before grabbing something, we either tell them it’s okay to have it (reinforcing their decision) or offer them an alternative reward that’s just as good or better. Over time, they learn to ask for things we don’t necessarily want them to access on their own—not just food, but many other desirable things.

For example, if Dobby or Roo were to ask for a leftover piece of pizza on the counter rather than jumping up to grab it, sometimes they’d get a piece, or even the whole thing! If it’s something we felt wasn’t healthy for them, we’d provide something else rewarding, like a game of fetch or a yummy treat. The key is, our dogs know how to make good decisions because we’ve built trust and understanding—without commanding “leave-it, leave-it, leave-it!”

Ultimately, the idea of a "good dog" is unique to each household. I’m here to help you shape the behaviors that fit your vision of a good dog, based on trust and understanding—not punishment. Every dog can thrive when given the opportunity to make good choices in an environment that supports their natural needs and your family’s goals.

10/12/2024

Did you know?

Every dog, no matter the breed or mix, has a story that’s been shaped by generations of selective breeding for specific traits. Some breeds were designed with intention for tasks like hunting, herding, guarding, sitting on your lap while others evolved naturally, adapting to their environments.

These inherited instincts are part of what makes each dog unique, and they often drive the behaviors we see today.

Take my dogs, for example—they’re displaying their natural hunting instincts when they work together to chase a chipmunk (No chipmunks were hurt). This kind of behavior, rooted deep in their genetics, is more than just fun for them—it’s enriching. It gives them a chance to use their minds and bodies in ways that fulfill who they are as dogs.

Many of the struggles people face with their dogs today come from living in environments where their natural instincts are stifled. Dogs often experience a kind of captivity—limited in their ability to make choices, express themselves freely, or simply be a dog. That lack of freedom can lead to behaviors that seem problematic but are really just a reflection of unmet needs.

Understanding your dog’s unique history and what drives their behavior is a key piece of the puzzle. This applies to mixed breeds, too! Not sure where your dog’s instincts come from? You can visit thedogkey.com to learn more about your dog’s breed group.

The key to a more harmonious life with your dog is knowing how to meet their needs in a way that honors their natural behaviors. If you’re struggling to connect with your dog or feeling overwhelmed, I can help you create a plan that makes life better for both of you—rooted in understanding, not control.

10/11/2024

I’m not here to create robots or a piece of furniture that just sits in a corner of the living room. We are all here for the same reason, to enjoy life.

I’m a professional dog trainer of 23 years, so here’s a list of things I can guarantee you my dogs are better at than most -

1. Begging for food. That’s right. My dogs 100% know how to turn on the drool and charm when I’m eating or cooking. Does it work? Maybe. Do I always pay cheese tax? Absolutely.

2. Taking over my furniture and bed. Yes. My dogs sleep with me, lay on me, take up real estate on the couch, my lap and anywhere else they find comfort.

3. Getting super excited at greetings. My dogs jump up and hug me all the time. In fact, I don’t ever wear anything I care about. It’s super fun in summertime when I’m in shorts.

4. Chewing stuff that isn’t theirs. Shoes, the corner of a rug, we’ve even lost a chair leg to adolescent teething. Toys? Oh sure they have TONS of them, that I rotate and fill with food and freeze and hide - but what are toys compared to a family heirloom?

5. Ignoring me when it’s really important. Why come back when I’m calling them when it matters most? Why not make me stand in my underwear at 5am for a few minutes. They sure do love to keep me on my toes. It’s even better when it’s in public and I’ve just told people I’m a dog trainer!

6. Getting sick at the worst possible times. It’s not a vacation if someone doesn’t start pooping water or ingest something unknown while I’m gone. Or when I’ve just finished putting the kids to bed and cleaning the house, they are SO good at vomiting right at the bottom stair so I can step in it barefoot on my way downstairs to “relax”.

7. Barking at nothing, and everything, at all times. Leaf fall? Vacuum going? Small creak in floor? We could all die and they keep me safe. Without them, I may fall into the awful spiral of having peace and quiet, and who wants that?

8. Pointing out my flaws. Nothing like an adolescent dog or a drivey shepherd to make you recognize you need more work on your patience, timing and delivery. If it weren’t for them, I’d never have to really work on myself!

9. Leaving too soon. Just as we’ve figured out all of each other’s idiosyncrasies and habits and settle into a friendship of a lifetime, they have to go. We get a few amazing years together, and then my heart gets absolutely shattered, yet I still wouldn’t have it any other way. And THEN, I choose to take the journey all over again.

10. Being my best friends. Long day, feeling gloomy, struggling to see a bright side? They are there through all of it. Making me laugh, keeping me grounded, never taking things too seriously and always ready to try again for me. At my best and my worst they adore me, what better friends can you get than that.

I’m a dog trainer, but I still have dogs. They are not perfect, neither am I. My dogs are still allowed to be dogs as they accept that I’m still allowed to be a human. They are gonna dig a hole in my favorite spot of the yard and I’m going to take away the soggy tennis ball they found in the swamp. They will shred a new bed I bought for them and I’ll ask them to walk politely next to me instead of dragging me down. They will bark at a suspicious plastic bag and I will ask them to perform silly behaviors in front of people. They need to smell a tree branch for 10 minutes and I want to watch this new Netflix documentary. It’s a two way street and I’ve learned to embrace it instead of try to control it. That’s the only way I’ve found for it to be truly fair to them and to myself.

If you want a dog trainer who doesn’t advocate for allowing dogs to be dogs, and humans to be humans, and finding a compromise that’s fair and humane, I’m not your trainer, and that’s okay with me. They aren’t here long enough to make such big deals out of such little things for the level of friendship and devotion we get in return with them. Love your dogs everyone. For them, and for you.

- Helen St. Pierre

10/07/2024

You don’t know what to do!

You don’t know how to make it stop!

Guess what? Neither does your dog!

If you’re ready to understand your dog better and live a calmer life together, let’s talk.

Message me now to schedule your free 15-minute discovery call now. 🐕

10/05/2024

Feeling stuck with your dog’s behavior?

Whether it’s biting, fighting or something else, I’m here to help you with simple and effective solutions.

Message me and schedule a free 15-minute discovery call to learn how to get things back on track🐾💬

09/18/2024

If you need help with your 21st century dog!

You’re in luck! That’s my specialty.

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

Like David Attenborough Fans for more.

09/17/2024

Interesting conversations about joy.

09/11/2024

Are you struggling with your dog’s behavior?

Are you ready for a mindset shift from what you think you should be doing?

Message me, and let’s start the change!

09/07/2024

Genetics matter!

That "Free to a Good Home" badger labeled as a Border Collie might be funny, but it highlights a serious point—expectations matter when adopting a dog.

Just like you wouldn’t expect a badger to act like a Border Collie, you shouldn’t adopt a Rottweiler expecting Golden Retriever traits. Each breed or breed mix comes with unique instincts and behaviors shaped by genetics.

Understanding your dog’s biological background is key to setting realistic expectations and creating a harmonious home.

Every breed has its own strengths, needs, and challenges. Knowing what your dog is hardwired to do helps you work with them, not against them.

And that’s just one of the many ways I help guardians find lasting success and peace with the dogs they love.

Message me today to set up a FREE Discovery Call to get help.

Drop the Leash LLC Dog Training & Behavior Consultant

08/29/2024

🌏 Exciting news—India, here I come! 🇮🇳

This January 2025, I’ll be embarking on a thrilling field study to observe and learn from the incredible free-living dogs of India 🐕.

The plane tickets are booked, and now it’s time for the next step: scheduling my rabies vaccine! 🛫💉

Stay tuned as I prepare for this unforgettable journey!