The Village Trainer

08/28/2024

The Village Trainer is fully booked through September 15th. I do have availability the last weekend of September and have openings in October and am willing to accept a few new cases. If interested, please send a message with what you are needing help with. Thanks!

08/27/2024

Bellatrix is getting bigger every day! ❤️

08/24/2024

Hopefully this will help some of my followers!

I spent $89.68 on the following grocery items today:

5 pounds of bone in ham steaks
4 Totinos pizzas
2 lbs of mashed potatoes
5 lbs of breakfast sausage crumbles
6 luncheables
3 packs of cookies
2 vegetarian power bowls
2 hand soaps
4 cans of room spray
4 cans of coffee
1 bag of coffee
1 2 liter of pop
1 2 liter of fruit punch
2 bags of Veggie chips
5 pounds of chicken breasts
5 pounds of chicken nuggets
3 pounds of chicken tenders
2 pounds of sliced ham
1 box of popcorn
2 bags of candy
4 boxes of breakfast protein bars
1 pack of bratwurst
2 bags of skinny popcorn
1 tub of leave in conditioner

I bought all this from a local Amish grocery store. I truly believe that today's grocery prices are not high because of inflation, but rather because of corporate greed. You can't find these types of prices at any corporate owned store. Shop and support local small business and you may find a huge price difference.

08/22/2024

This post is unrelated to dogs, but amazed me so much that I needed to share.

You can buy 5 pounds of blue cheese at the Amish bulk foods store in Bloomingdale, for $3, If you're into that sort of thing.

And yes, I bought 5 pounds of blue cheese today. 😆🥹

08/16/2024

The smile you let out when you get to stay with your trainer for the whole weekend! 🥳🐾

08/16/2024

Dobby and Bellatrix are enjoying our new Bangor office!

08/15/2024

Notice : The Village Trainer is fully booked for the remainder of the month. We are also in the process of moving our services to Bangor, MI. In order to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to each case as well as my family responsibilities, I will not be able to take any new cases until mid September. In the meantime, keep an eye on my news feed, as I do post useful canine behavior tricks and tips.Thank you!

08/12/2024

Calm, confident and assertive handlers can correct almost any unwanted behaviors. Below is a very helpful video for those struggling with their canines behaviors. Tsch is a move that I use regularly with my training clients. Though Caesar and I have different training styles, much of his technique does work. Some of it is for show, so I always tell clients to keep that in mind. But much of what Caesar teaches can be helpful, especially his use of Tsch and the body language behind it.

Some of the more dominant/alpha techniques that Caesar uses, like pressure point strikes and flips, I would not recommend except in rare and extreme cases. With certain breeds, like sporting dogs, you really should never flip them or use the pressure point strike. (Poodles, Doodles, Labs, Retrievers.) With those breeds, that is a great way to give your dog depression and make them hate you. You have to be careful with Alpha tactics. Those tactics really should only be used with specific personalities in specific breeds.

Cesar Millan explains the origin and proper use of his unique audible cue.➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoWILDSubscribe ...

07/18/2024

We would like to introduce everyone to Bellatrix, or Trix for short. Trix was dumped off at a property with her sisters in Hartford. Just like how Trigger's bite mark on his nose drew us to him, this little girl has a club tail that drew us to her. The end of her tail was either broken at some point, or it's a birth defect. She is fine, she just has a funny looking tail. 😊

She is sweet, but shy. Investigative, but also reserved. She's got some big shoes to fill, but she's already fitting right in with the family.

07/17/2024

You spend all those years thinking that your dog is the one relying on you. Then, when they're gone - you realize that it actually was you relying on them. A dog trainer without a dog is like a barber without scissors. A cook without a pan. A doctor with no patients to heal.

If anyone has any leads on German Shepherd puppies or a young GSD or Belgian Malinois in need of adoption, please let me know. I wanted to wait, but I just can't. I am hurting very very badly and I know that I can turn that hurt into love for a pup who needs it.

07/16/2024

Our best friend is no longer in pain. We tucked in our boy last night, covered him with Bruce's shirt, & surrounded him with toys that smelled like his babies.

He died knowing he was loved. He truly was the best dog and I am going to miss him for the rest of my life.

Rest in Peace
Trigger Bear Meyers
05/25/2013 - 07-16-2024

07/08/2024

The night before last, my sweet boy had what appears to have been a stroke while he was sleeping. The past 48 hours has been touch and go, but Kara & I are seeing some progress and are not ready to take him for his final car ride just yet. He is not suffering, but he is weak and I believe he lost some sight during the event.

Before it was Kara, Bruce, & kids - it was just Bruce and Trigger. I was fresh out of the Army, just moved to Kalamazoo from Daytona Beach - no friends, no local family. When I met Trig, everything changed for me. He hasn't always been a good boy - this dog took ALOT of work and training. I spent thousands of hours reading books, watching training videos, and actively working with him. The ONLY reason I became the dog trainer that I am is because of him.

Without him, we simply wouldn't be who or where we are today and I am beyond thankful that I have had such a loyal best friend for the past 12 years.

As of this post, I am making myself unavailable for any training sessions. I promised this dog 12 years ago that I would never give up on him and never leave his side and that's what I intend to do. Whatever time he has left, I will not leave his side for anyone or anything. If this is the end for my best friend, I am also going to need a few weeks after he passes to mourn. I am very much a person who prefers to be alone when something like this happens. I haven't felt this way since my mother passed away in 2014 and I know I am going to need time to accept it and figure out how to move forward. I'm really not quite sure how to adult without him... with due respect, I know myself well enough to know that I am not going to want to see or talk to pretty much anyone during this time. Thank you in advance for the space that I know I am going to soon need.

06/16/2024

Happy Father's Day! I got a nice picture with all 5 of my kiddos today 🥰

05/22/2024

From your dog's perspective.

This is how a canine sees a red toy vs. a blue toy. If your dog is frustrated or biting at non-toy items, take a look at what colors your dog's toys are. Red and green are the same color, in a dog's eyes, and they can easily misplace red items.

Whenever I buy an item for one of my own dogs, I try and always choose blue or black colored items. Never red. From toys to leashes and collars, these two colors are easy for a dog to spot, which will help them to better communicate their needs/wants with you.

I also always recommend a blue place rug or place mat for those dogs who have a hard time controlling their excitement and blue snuffle mats & lick mats for those with anxiety.

I can almost guarantee that your dog's favorite color is blue. It's practically the only color they can see other than yellows and grays.

Replace your dog's red toys with blue ones and see if they play more often. A dog that plays has less anxiety, better health, and is happier overall.

05/12/2024

Always remember - your dog won't be your best friend for your entire life. They will be a chapter in your life. But to them? You are their best friend for their whole life. You're not just one chapter, you are their whole book.

05/09/2024

A Special Announcement to our clients -

We are excited to inform you all that we are entering the next chapter of our family business. This upcoming week, we will be signing documents to secure our new location in Bangor, Michigan.

Our number one goal through the process of finding our forever spot - was to try and find a location that is still close by for our customers. We believe we accomplished that, in the form of a 10+ acre blueberry farm in Bangor, just 12 miles away from our current location. The property currently contains a field of blueberries, 2 garage pole barns which we intend to convert into grooming rooms, and a home of which we intend to make our family homestead.

We want all of our Lawrence clients to know that the decision for Kara to leave her home town was not an easy decision to make. There are a lot of reasons that we are moving, the most important of which being the overwhelming feeling that this is the right thing to do for our children and our family.

This move will also provide our family with a big decrease in taxes and expenses, which will allow us more freedom in the future to be able to offer different services accompanied by different discount programs, community events, and more.

05/02/2024

Is your dog naturally anxious? Try planting chamomile flowers in your garden this year and then dry them out and make tea with them. Chamomile is good for the human body and the aroma of the flowers being boiled also has a calming affect on dogs! If you keep dried chamomile around your home, this will induce a natural calm in both people and animals.

04/27/2024

This poor little fella has been through a lot. From being kicked by a mean man, to getting attacked by a pack of coyotes, there was a reason that Bruno didn't have trust for anyone.

His Mom called me because he wouldnt let anyone enter her home for a visit. He would bark and bark and if someone tried to approach him - he would attack. To put it mildly, Bruno was scared of everyone and everything and his trauma response was to act very aggressive towards virtually everyone.

The first time meeting Bruno, he bit me. The second time, he barely let me touch the top of his head, snarling and growling the whole time. We took a couple trips to Tractor Supply together and I helped Bruno realize that the world isn't such a scary place. It's okay to let people know you're uncomfortable with a growl, but you will not bare teeth or nip.

Every time we met, he had made progress. Bruno's owner let him spend a whole week with me and he went home a few weeks ago and is back in the shop today for the final test. Would he let us groom him?

Well guess what? He absolutely did!!

Bruno let us give him a bath, clean his ears out real good, moisturize his paw pads, trim his nails, and he even let us use the dremmel to round his nails. Teeth brushing is still a no-go, but that's okay. I expected as much. 😆

He went home smelling like coconut, pineapples, and h**p, with comfortable nails and paw pads - and most importantly, he entered and left the shop with confidence and bravery. This used to only be possible for him with CBD/anxiety medicine. But today? It was all Bruno with no intervention from herb or medicine. 🥰

Sometimes, all a dog needs is a lot of patience and love.

I am so so so proud of Bruno for facing his fears and being such a brave boy over the past month or so of working together. Learning to trust humans again after they hurt you is no easy task but you did it, Bruno! ❤️🐾

04/20/2024

Get 45% off of your Pet CBD! This is a HUGE sale. We very highly recommend this product for canines with anxiety, hip dysplasia, and arthritis. Try some. You won't regret it!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/jMrhK1GB2256pAoF/?mibextid=xfxF2i

We strongly believe that plants grown organically with care will always yield the best medicine. This full spectrum CBD oil is crafted from sun grown Oregon h**p, gently extracted by CO2, containing a rich profile of complementary cannabinoids, terpenes and micronutrients. We know pets are family an...

04/17/2024

Got to spend some time with this snuggly girl today

04/14/2024

Spring is here and allergies are in full effect! I have found several herbal remedies to be helpful with my own pets. Here's a book that I recommend for those with fur babies who have allergies! Dr. Deva Khalsa has a series of books for different canine and feline ailments and her hollistic approach to healing that I have found to be wonderful. Check out the lengthy preview for free on Google Play.

The Allergic Pet: Holistic Solutions to End the Allergy Epidemic in Our Dogs and Cats - Ebook written by Deva Khalsa. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Allergic Pet: Holistic...

04/12/2024

Sometimes, with young dogs and puppies - it is difficult to tell what their personalities will be like as they grow and also difficult to check their intelligence level.

One sure fire way to test a young canine's intelligence at a young age is to lift the puppy up while facing a wall. Slowly walk towards the wall with the puppy outstretched. As you inch closer to the wall, just before your pups face touches the wall, they should put their feet up so that their face doesn't smoosh into the wall.

If the pup does not lift their feet and allows their face to smoosh the wall (gently, of course)... then you know that pup is less reactive and often times will be less intelligent/more difficult to train.

If they do stick their feet up before you reach the wall, or make any noise like "what are you doing?!" - that is indicative of an intelligent canine who is fully aware of it's surroundings.

04/08/2024

After 8 weeks of fostering and training this sweet girl, she went to her forever home today

04/06/2024

It's been a busy start to Spring for The Village Trainer! Bruno successfully graduated yesterday, Tipsy heads home to Florida in less than 48 hours, and Mr. Mater is about 2 weeks away from his graduation! I may have some availability in late May to mid June, depending on the case & what is needed, but I will be unavailable late June to mid August and then will accept requests in mid August, September, and October. 🐾

03/27/2024

Regarding The Village Trainer and The Village Groomer - Lawrence availability :

03/21/2024

Does your pup eat too fast? You need one of these!

03/07/2024

Like & Subscribe for more fun & kid friendly dog grooming and training videos!

Want to see Abby have her own full episode? Like and share this video!

03/05/2024

Tipsy has her summer dress on and says she is ready for warmer weather.