Blue Dog Training & Behavior

Home
United States
Madison, WI
Blue Dog Training & Behavior

Science-based dog training and behavior services by a Certified Professional Trainer and Behaviorist

Internationally acclaimed Certified Dog Behaviorist, Trainer author & speaker Sarah Kalnajs provides in home behavior consultations, private training and specialty services such as "Bringing Home Baby" in Madison and seminar destination cities.

07/10/2025

Can you name the breed of this adorable 12 week old puppy currently being trained here in Blue Dog Training’s force free - fear fear one on one puppy board and train program?

Here is a hint , his name is Lekker and he enjoys water and tulips 😊!

03/25/2025

THIS THURSDAY 3/27/25

7PM EST

Only $19.95 Before the Live Event on 3/27/25 at 7pm Eastern ($29.95 after)
A recording of the webinar will be available if you cannot attend live!

Beyond the Basics: The Complexity of Canine Body Language in Aggressive Behavior
In this presentation, we will go beyond the basic canine body language cues that most of us understand - yawns, shake-offs, tooth displays, and so on – to look at the complex clusters and sequences of cues that are often displayed by dogs during aggressive behavior.

We know that body language tells us about a dog’s internal emotional state, but did you know that it may also indicate possible underlying causes of the aggressive response such as resource guarding, territorial behavior, neurologic problems, or a medical condition? Recognizing these signals gives us the opportunity to involve a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist when necessary and to create effective behavior modification plans.

How predictable are a dog’s body language cues? Are the cues displayed toward humans the same as those displayed toward other dogs?

What about human body language? What do dogs get from us? Does our body language influence their behavior? How much can we actually communicate with a dog using our own body language or by mimicking theirs?

Join Sarah for this information-packed, fresh look at body language, with loads of video examples that will provide the answers to these questions and more!

12/19/2024

This is 1 yr old Havanese Molly.

Molly just graduated from Blue Dog’s Foundation Stay & Train (our new force free/fear free home based board & train program for non puppies without serious behavior issues).

When Molly arrived
- She wasn’t certain where to go potty
- she knew “sit” but no one had ever been able to teach her down after an earlier negative experience with a trainer who physically forced position changes
- She ran the other way when she heard the word “come”
- she had an amazing temperament and was friendly with kids and dogs but could be a bit too exuberant at times and had a low tolerance for frustration (which really means she was just tired of humans not understanding her communication)!

Molly has wonderful human guardians who love her joy for life and wanted to make sure she knew basic cues that could help them keep her safe.

3 Weeks later….

- Molly has the fastest and most enthusiastic “down” cue.

It took patience and allowing her to build trust while teaching her simple easy to accomplish behaviors that she had no negative experience with.

We were building what we like to call a trust bank account. You may spend days or weeks building up that trust account with your dog, but by doing so you can ask for things that might be a little more difficult and require your dog to trust more.
Your dog is then willing to try because you’ve built up that trust account.

- Molly learned that people can understand what she is communicating and also she learned a verbal marker that let her know clearly when she had made a correct choice. This type of training, reduces uncertainty and frustration in your dog and opens up an entire new world of possibilities.

- Molly graduated with A wonderful recall behavior, an impressive “rest on Mat” behavior that we like to call “there’s no place like home” and a slew of tricks that she is happy to show anyone who is willing to watch!

- She learned to eat her food on a schedule which helped with her house, training issues and had only two accidents in three weeks!

11/03/2024

Please take a look at the reel we just posted to see baseline video of a puppy showing “pink flag” behavior around the food bowl and how we start the process of preventing this from becoming a serious resource guarding issue!

(also, if anyone happens to know how I could get the post and the real to go together, this non-millennial trying to figure out the ins and outs of Instagram would be very appreciative indeed)!

10/26/2024

Something about fall makes me reminisce about my OG pack.

I can’t believe they’re all gone now. So many amazing memories, so many wonderful moments, so many heartbreaking losses.

Don’t get me wrong, I have six dogs now and I love each and every one of them but there’s something about the OG’s. The dogs in this photograph are the ones who taught me.

They taught me about communication, they taught me about training each dog as an individual and how different the motivators for dogs within a breed can be.

They showed me the lovely subtle dance that dogs do to resolve conflict when living in a group (and thanks to them what was once subtle to me is now obvious when I watch groups of dogs interacting).

They let me weep into their fur when I lost my parents and they let me share my deepest secrets without any fear or judgment.

I carry them in my heart every moment, but today is one of those days when so many things remind me of them. I’m so grateful.

I’d love for you to share a photo or a story about your OG dog(s) on this post!

10/23/2024

Blue Dog Puppy Stay & Train student Skye out for a socialization session on a gorgeous fall day at Hilldale Mall.

In Blue Dog’s puppy camp program it’s not just about skills training, it’s about teaching young puppies, how to navigate the world around them and while we’re at it, teaching humans while we are out and about how to interact appropriately with puppies!

No force, no fear, just fun and games that leads to a lifetime with a happy, well adjusted and properly socialized puppy.

10/21/2024

Attention dog lovers, trainers, rescue and shelter staff, veterinarians, and vet techs! Dr. Ian Dunbar, a leading figure in modern dog training, will be in Madison, WI this Friday and Saturday. We rarely get internationally reknowned speakers locally, and Dunbar, founder of Dunbar Academy, is one of the best. He'll address reactive dogs on Friday, a common issue that makes attendance highly recommended, even if only for a day. Ian Dunbar Dunbar Academy

09/26/2024

32 years of marriage
38 years together
18 dogs
6 cats
1 hedgehog
12 mice
1 chinchilla
1 bunny

It’s been a heck of a ride so far!

Happy Anniversary .research 💖

also, for anyone, wondering, this was our engagement photo, and my thick permed hair took up a third of the photo all on its own! You have to love early 90’s hairstyles!

09/15/2024

Between hateful political rhetoric and dog trainers arguing endlessly with each other on social media….my emotional tank is close to empty.

Our solution?

Take a long walk.
Take a deep breath
Listen to the “Footloose” soundtrack
Enjoy the crisp fall days (if they ever get here… It’s almost 90 today)!
Tell our friends how much we care about them.
Practice a random act of kindness every day.

HELP DOG OWNERS IN NEED - work that I feel privileged and lucky to be able to have as a full-time career for over 20 years now!

09/02/2024

Archer the Clumber Spaniel! This breed is not very common here but they are really interesting dogs. Medium size….sturdy….intelligent and adorable!

Archer visited Blue Dog to learn how to share his toys - a lesson all two year old mammals seem to need 😜! His people are really fantastic and willing to make the necessary adjustments so I see a bright future for this handsome fella (notice his little rascals hair sticking straight up from the center of his head 🥰).

Seeing a qualified, experienced behaviorist who avoids the unnecessary use of pain/fear to create the false illusion of modified behavior for any type of issue (including severe aggression) creates long lasting changes that strengthen relationships and avoid the inevitable behavioral fallout coercive methods risk.

07/28/2024

Oliver would like to remind you (and your fur kids) to stop and smell the flowers today!

Address

1830 Helena Street
Madison, WI
53704

Telephone

(608) 213-5304

Website

http://www.bluedogtraining.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Blue Dog Training & Behavior posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service in Madison?