Woodland Dog Academy

02/06/2024

Are you experiencing frequent potty accidents in the house? Follow a schedule that works for you and your puppy and take them out often.

Two changes I would make to this guide:
1) If your puppy didn't go potty outside crate/tether for 3 to 5 minutes them try again.
2) Once your puppy has potties they are probably safe for 10 to 15 minutes of supervised play before taking them back outside. As you and your puppy create a reliable schedule and your puppy ages, the time increases.

02/01/2024

Miss Piper's last day at WDA was filled with adventure. Her favorite part was watching other dogs.
Cheers until next time Piper! 🐾🐾

01/28/2024

Sunday morning walk with Miss Piper followed by an after walk nap. She's living the dog life while her dad is livin' it up in Vegas!

01/24/2024

The most common call I get about puppies is they won't stop biting and at times are out of control. Often, the puppy is too tired. Puppies need 18 to 22 hours of sleep a day. It is your responsibility to ensure they are getting that sleep.

Get your puppy out of their crate, potty him, feed him if necessary, and play with him for a bit. Then potty him again and put him back in the crate. Let your puppy rest for an hour or two and repeat the cycle.

Put your puppy away. Your puppy is tired.

If you need help with your puppy, contact Cami at Woodland Dog Academy.

Photo courtesy of AskVet via Google.

01/19/2024

Bella raced about in the snow for a bit then relaxed inside.

01/19/2024

Today my cup runneth over. 🩶

01/16/2024

It's 2° and feels like -17°. . . The sunshine is welcomed yet deceiving.

Bella on a short walk - Boarding

01/13/2024

White Winter is here! 🩵❄️💙❄️🩵

Lola and Kinley - Boarding

01/11/2024

Dog anxiety in any form is easier to prevent before it's started than it is to overcome after it's taken root.

Prevent anxiety with good socialization, play, boundaries, and rules. Love your dog in a healthy way.

It seems like I get a call a week from folks struggling with Separation Anxiety. Separation Anxiety is often created by owners with good intentions but poor understanding. It is something that is easier to prevent than to overcome.

When you read this you may think I'm telling you to not love on your dog. No, you absolutely must love them! Love them by creating clear boundaries your dog understands, training with your dog to provide enrichment, and playing with your dog for physical exercise.
❤️Love your dog in a healthy way!❤️

How to create Separation Anxiety:
•Pet your dog when they demand it
•Talk to your dog all the time
•Allow your dog to demand interactions with you
•Allow your dog to follow you everywhere
•Allow your dog to be on your lap or laying at your feet anytime you relax
•Pet, soothe, or comfort your dog when they whine or bark for attention
•Pet, soothe, or comfort your dog when they are anxious or scared
•Become emotionally dependent on your dog
•Allow your dog to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants
•Provide no structure, rules, or boundaries
•Refuse to crate train your dog
•Let your dog out of the crate when it whines or barks
•Refuse to correct your dog if an undesirable behavior occurs
•Refuse to show your dog how to be calm, relaxed, and independent
•Allow a free-for-all environment, where your dog has zero leadership and guidance from you
•Avoid anything that you think makes your dog uncomfortable or unhappy

Boiled down, to create Separation Anxiety, you baby, coddle, allow, enable, lean on, and encourage a toxic dependency on you. Instead, teach your dog to be strong, resilient, independent, and alone.

Motivate. Communicate. Play.

01/09/2024

Lola. . . I have known Lola since she was 5 pounds with chopstick legs. That tiny pup has grown and developed into a spunky, smart, fast, independent, sneaky, cuddly, playful, and fierce dog. I'm proud of her and all she is today.

01/02/2024

Dogs seek joy through choices and outcomes. When a choice results in a pleasant outcome, the behavior is likely to occur more often. If a choice results in an unpleasant outcome, the behavior is less likely to occur.

If you put your hand in a bee hive and found the most delicious honey you ever tasted, you would dip your hand back in for more and begin looking for new hives. However, if dipping your hand into a bee hive resulted in a swarm of angry bees and multiple stings, chances are high you’d avoid bee hives for a while, if not the rest of your life.

Choices that create joy are choices your dog will continue making. Joy might be found in playing, sniffing, digging, barking, eating, chewing, chasing, biting, running, pulling, jumping, etc. . . Underestimating your dog’s desire to find joy doesn’t make them a little savage, it simply makes your dog resourceful and intelligent. Dogs seek joy daily. Where is your dog's joy fulfillment coming from? Are you part of their joy or do they seek it from other sources?

01/01/2024

First hike of the year with Archie, Kinley, Lola, Skye, and Capone. Jamie joined us too.

12/29/2023

Just relaxing after hiking and playing.

The Friday afternoon chill hour.

Kinley & Archie - Boarding

12/28/2023

Archie loves chase and catch games and when his ball went under the couch, he figured out how to get it without my help. So smart!

Archie - Vizsla - Boarding

12/28/2023

It was a beautiful day to hike with Kinley and Capone.

Kinley - Mini Bernedoodle - Boarding

12/25/2023

Archie and Kinley wish you a Merry Christmas!

12/21/2023

Working with an eager to please puppy is incredibly rewarding.

Roman - 17 weeks old - Puppy Camp day 8
Capone - 5.5 years - Supervisor

12/20/2023

Grooming magic . . .🪄✨️. . . Ta-da!

Roman - 17 weeks - Puppy Camp

12/20/2023

Even I am impressed. . . 17 week old Roman is holding place while a wonderful Mom Maid team member mops the floor. Well done Roman, well done!

I am thankful for Mom Maid cleaning every week so I can focus on training dogs.

12/19/2023

Diesel is working on yard boundaries using a GPS collar and wireless fence. All WDA training programs are customized to meet your needs.

• Obedience training
• Public leash walking
• Beginner Tracking
• Yard boundaries
• House manners
• Engagement
• Potty training
• Crate training
• Socialization
• Reactivity
• and more

Reach out to schedule your free consultation to begin your dog training journey.

12/19/2023

Heel foundation with 17 week old Roman in Puppy Camp.

He's the hoppiest doodle in the Midwest. Oh, the things I could accomplish with an ounce of his energy. . .

12/19/2023

"Do you really have to do that right here? Well, at least it's not my stinkin' brother."
- Capone's thoughts

Roman - 17 weeks - Puppy Camp

12/19/2023

Chasing snowballs and an accidental selfie, eww!

Diesel - 8 months - Stay 'n Train

12/19/2023

When you say the magic release word and catch Diesel's "launch" from a down.

Diesel - 8 months - Stay 'n Train

12/18/2023

From fall to winter in 24 hours.

Roman - 17 weeks - Puppy Camp

12/18/2023

Diesel working on boundaries with a GPS collar and wireless fence.

Diesel - 8 months - Stay 'n Train

12/18/2023

This afternoon I had the opportunity to work with Britta's focused heel or "Fuss" command. She likes to drop her head when turning and when starting forward movement, so that was my primary focus.

Britta - Training Daystay

12/18/2023

🎶 When the weather outside is frightful, training inside is delightful . . . 🌬❄️❄️❄️

Roman - 17 weeks - Puppy Camp day 4

12/14/2023

Know the purpose of a dog's breed or mix of breeds BEFORE you invest in it.
• Does it suit your lifestyle?
• Do you have time?
• When natural genetic behaviors show up, can you provide an appropriate outlet?
• A small dog doesn't mean less work.

Here are some statements made by pet owners seeking help.

I cannot change your dog's genetics.
I can help you find an outlet for their genetics.