Whole Dog University, LLC

11/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/19vN3EgDik/?mibextid=wwXIfr

❤️❤️❤️🐶🐕‍🦺🦮🐩🐕

MRI studies have revealed something amazing about dogs. Their love for their owners goes beyond food, toys, or even other dogs. Scientists discovered that when a dog smells its owner, a special part of its brain actually lights up more than it does when the dog smells food or another animal.

This part of the brain, called the caudate nucleus, is connected to feelings of love and reward. The reaction is so strong that it shows dogs aren’t just recognizing a familiar scent, they’re feeling joy and affection.

It proves that when our dogs look at us or come running to greet us, it’s not just habit. Deep inside their brains, they truly love us, in a way that’s powerful and real.

11/10/2025

For those who have puppies who are just experiencing the snow for the first time, show us your pup and snow pics! (Check one more thing off your socialization checklist!)

11/07/2025

Thank you to each and everyone one of you…past and present (and thank you for your referrals.. it means so much!)

These are challenging economic times for all, so I truly appreciate your choosing WDU for your early puppy development needs, obedience training, behavioral assistance, and/or canine leadership education needs. You are a blessing to me!

10/10/2025

This is why I say over and over and over that dogs don’t always understand baby cries / sounds and often can mistake them for wounded prey…to dogs, babies are more strange creatures than your beautiful child. Thank God for a tough cat with good instincts that potentially saved this baby’s life or at least prevented serious injury. Parents put your dog up when you are not right next to your baby. While some dogs do great with babies, if your dog has not been well socialized to babies and children from young puppyhood on, then things like this are more likely to occur. It’s just not worth taking the chance, put them up / secure them when you are not physically right beside your baby.

09/29/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1779FNs8QU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

❤️🐶

MRI studies have revealed something amazing about dogs. Their love for their owners goes beyond food, toys, or even other dogs. Scientists discovered that when a dog smells its owner, a special part of its brain actually lights up more than it does when the dog smells food or another animal.

This part of the brain, called the caudate nucleus, is connected to feelings of love and reward. The reaction is so strong that it shows dogs aren’t just recognizing a familiar scent, they’re feeling joy and affection.

It proves that when our dogs look at us or come running to greet us, it’s not just habit. Deep inside their brains, they truly love us, in a way that’s powerful and real.

08/26/2025

Today is National Dog Day!!! How rich our lives our to be able to share them with our beloved dogs for the brief time that we have with them!

Show us your pics of your dog(s) so we can celebrate with you!

08/02/2025

Just let them be. (Most importantly, teach children this).

I know they look adorable when they're snoozing....but look and don't touch.
Sleep is just as essential for dogs as it is for ourselves.
Chronic sleep disruption can actually contribute to irritability, anxiety, and unwanted behaviour.
They need that good quality sleep to regulate hormones, repair their body and it can even help with training too.
Those little bodies have a lot of work to do when they are at rest....and yet....we just want to grab their lil chubby chops and tell them how much we love them.

Just because they are dogs doesn't mean we have the right to interrupt their well earned sleep.
They need to be left in peace.
That may mean encouraging them to rest elsewhere (other than the busy lounge) when they start to show they are tired.

Quality sleep helps everything.
As humans we know it helps us.

Why do we think our dogs are different?

07/17/2025

Ayla is making great progress as we are moving through week 2 of her program. She is doing great for this point in her program.

We are at the point where we are practicing her obedience skills in public places (neighborhoods, various dog-friendly stores - here at TJ Maxx, a park, eventually we’ll go downtown Lebanon, weather permitting).

She can be a little shy socially in unfamiliar settings but she is getting better with each venture into those kinds of places. As she is getting more comfortable, now it’s to get her to understand you can’t break command to go greet someone or say Hi to another dog in public.

Overall, I’m really pleased with what I’m seeing in terms of her progress. Isn’t she such a pretty girl?!

07/09/2025

This happy girl is Ayla…a 1 yr old German Shepherd x Husky mix. Ayla has come in for on-leash basic obedience training and sone off-leash recall training through our longer Residential Day-Training program. You can’t tell it here, but she is a big girl! For those who know my Madison, she makes Madison look tiny. She is very tall and solid.

Ayla is a very friendly, social dog who is learning her way / finding her place in this domesticated world of humans. Her owner got her off to a good start and she is just here for a little refinement and to take things to the next level.

I’m sure you’ll see us out and about. As you do, be sure to wave and say hello.

07/04/2025

Too cute not to share. Happy Independence Day, America!!

07/04/2025

So sad to announce that I had to say goodbye to training helper cat, Milo, this morning. He helped lots of young puppies and adult dogs with socialization and their behavior around cats for about 12 of the 14 years I’ve been in business. Milo was 16 and had been battling a type of skin cancer for the past 16 months. This week he began to show signs & symptoms that his time with us was drawing short. In consultation with his veterinarian this morning, we were in agreement it was time to let him go.

Milo was a very special cat. He was so good with dogs and never met a stranger when it came to people. He loved to have visitors at home and often greeted people with the dogs at the door. He had quite a personality…and will be greatly missed. My heart is heavy…this is the 3rd loss (dogs and cat) in 18 months…it’s hard. It doesn’t get any easier as most of you know.

07/02/2025

It’s that time of year again for big fireworks displays, firecrackers and neighborhood amateurs shooting off fireworks. Is your dog afraid of fireworks? Hopefully not, but if so, hopefully you have your plan in place for the next several evenings / nights and maybe even next weekend.

Here are some helpful tips:
1) If your dog had major fears of this kind of thing, hopefully by now you have talked to your vet about medication to help them through.

2) Exercise and potty your dog for the night an hour before sunset and have them on a leash attached to a snug fitting collar or harness (with ID tag or air tag in the collar) whenever out with them.

3) Once dark, consider keeping the blinds / curtains closed to help muffle the sound and keep them from seeing the fireworks if that is a trigger for them. Turn up the TV some for some background noise.

4) Play with or engage them inside with fun activities while the fireworks are taking place. Use a basement if that helps

5) Consider playing through a good Bluetooth speaker, a sound track on YouTube with calming music like this one. (Link below). I’ve used this with great success with my anxious dogs and cat through the years. https://youtu.be/6shjAYiD8fc?si=L5NsW1bCHCN2cHfJ

5) Stay calm yourself and don’t pour lots of physical affection and cuddle your dog if they are afraid…that only makes things worse in the long run. Let them hang out with you inside, lay by your feet, and if necessary, crate them in a quiet place in the home. Some dogs feel safest in a crate during fireworks. If you aren’t going to be home, provide a safe place like a crate for them to be until you return.

Lastly, be careful around doors… terrified dogs can dart out doors or garages, or open windows in attempt to flee what is scaring them without realizing the noise is coming from outside and sadly this is when some dogs get lost and never return or are killed from being hit by cats as they run in panic.

If you need help desensitizing your puppy / dog to fireworks in preparation for next year’s Independence Day (or News Years), give us a call.