The Good Dog Co.

12/03/2023

We had a setback recently in which Echo tried to show the neighbor dog, Courage, that he’s the toughest dog on the block.
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I’ve had Echo for 8 years and there have been very few days that managing his big feelings hasn’t been a challenge. And, truthfully, that’s my favorite thing about him. He pushes me to learn more and train more and has taught me exactly how to help all of you.
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He is the reason that I do what I do. However, I think, as consultants and trainers, we have such high expectations of ourselves. If our own dogs aren’t perfectly trained, perfectly behaved, how can we ever be qualified to help someone else? And when this happened, that is exactly what I thought. Am I qualified to do this? How could anyone trust me to help them?
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It’s funny because I tell my clients all the time, training dogs like this is a lifetime commitment. You will have bad days. Don’t you dare be so hard on yourself.
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And, yet, it took me weeks to be this kind to myself. I’ve always said that if a consultant or trainer tells you they have a perfectly trained dog, they’re lying to you and you should pick a different one. And I stand by that now. We know what you’re going through because we’ve been there. We know how it feels because we’ve felt it. And I think that makes us uniquely qualified to help you fix it.
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To my fellow consultants and trainers, if you wouldn’t say it to your clients, why would you say it to yourself? We’re allowed some bad days too.
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And it doesn’t hurt to have a great support system telling you that you’re not a failure.
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Happy Sunday and happy training. Eventually us trainers will believe in ourselves just as much as we believe in all of you. 🖤
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11/08/2023

Many trainers are against dog parks due to the risk associated with taking your dog to one. I, personally, do not recommend them, but it is important to keep this in mind if you are going to take your dog to dog parks.
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Dog parks are a place for well-socialized dogs to socialize. They are not a place to take an under-socialized dog to “get them used to other dogs”.
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They are not intended to teach your dog HOW to socialize. We often see that taking a nervous, under-socialized dog to a dog park makes those behaviors worse and creates bad habits.
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11/07/2023

Charlie is hanging out with us for some training time! His favorite activities are counter surfing and sock stealing and he’s perfected the majestic doodle p**f. 🐾
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11/01/2023

Happy Halloween, friends! 🎃
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10/31/2023

Do you have family and friends visiting for the holidays? Is your dog used to the activity, the noise, and the smells of having several new people in their home?
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If not, now is the time to start getting them ready and setting them up for success!
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• Teach a ‘place’ command to help your dog settle.
• Think about where your dog can go when they are overwhelmed.
• Talk to your family about giving your dog space and time to calm down from overstimulation.
• Most importantly, learn your dog’s cues if you don’t already know them.
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Our dogs are counting on us to not push them into situations they can’t handle and they do their absolute best to communicate with us. It’s up to us to listen. 🖤
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07/18/2023

•Xena•

She is a four year old rescue looking for a home! She is a very sweet girl and up to date on all vet care.
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Her current family is unable to keep her due to babies in the home. She would do very well in a quieter home without a lot of stimulation.
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She needs to be the only dog and cannot go to a home with very young kids. The family loves her very much and is looking for a good fit for her.
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She will come with several pet supplies and a training session with The Good Dog Co is included for the family that takes this sweet girl home.
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DM us for more info!
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07/16/2023

Happy Sunday! We hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are. 🐾
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05/30/2023

The first thing we always focus on in any training plan, no matter what your behavioral concerns are, is the bond you have with your dog.
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It’s about trust and communication. Building that bond is easily one of the most important steps towards a happier, calmer life for your dog.
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This isn’t to say that everything will be fixed once your dog trusts you; it still takes time and patience and consistent training, but your relationship with your dog always comes first for us. 🖤
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10/17/2022

We have another dog needing your help! This is Turtle and she is looking for a home.
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She’s from an American Bulldog breeder and is about 1.5 years old.
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She’s a very sweet girl, but will have to go to a home without any other dogs or cats.
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She’s fully potty trained, crate trained, and knows basic commands.
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Message us if you are interested or would like more info!

10/13/2022

Everyone meet Chewie! He’s a 6 month old sheepadoodle looking for a home. He’s great with other dogs and kids and LOVES people. He will need some general training, but is fully potty trained.
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He’s an excellent dog and has been well socialized. He’s fully vaccinated and neutered.
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If you’re interested in more info or meeting him, just reach out to us here!
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09/12/2022

Archie is our newest graduate from puppy class! Our puppy course is a 6 week program to teach all the most important basics of having a puppy. Check out the website for more info! 🐾
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06/18/2022

Spending this weekend enriching my dogs’ lives 🖤
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05/20/2022

Guess who has stopped having accidents in his crate?!
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Socks will now whine when he needs to go potty instead of going in his crate.
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The key to fixing this is catching him before he p*es in the crate and making sure all of the bedding or blankets are clean.
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In order to do this, we were up about every two hours for the first three nights.
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It isn’t a matter of him being unable to hold his bladder. It is the fact that he has learned it is okay to p*e in the crate. Because of this, he will go as soon as he feels the need.
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It’s a difficult issue to fix, but not impossible! And Socks is killing it 🖤
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05/19/2022

I often ask my clients what their dogs truly enjoy.
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If your dog could do their absolute favorite thing, what would they choose to do?
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People say things like “bark out the window all day” or “pace in circles”. These are anxiety based, reactive behaviors.
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Your dog isn’t CHOOSING to do these things. It’s very enlightening and helpful to think about how well you actually know your dog, especially when it comes to their enjoyment.
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So, if you allowed your dog to have a choice, when they’re at their absolute best and anxiety free, what would your dog choose?
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05/15/2022

Everyone meet Socks. He’s a Biewer Terrier and our newest board and train puppy.
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He’s super smart, but struggling a bit with potty training. He’s one of the few puppies that will potty in his crate, so that will be our goal for the week.
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In my professional career, I’ve only come across two other puppies that will have accidents in their crate (not related to anxiety or being left for too long).
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Who else has struggled with this with their pups? I’ll be posting tips on how to retrain this throughout the week 🖤
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05/11/2022

It doesn’t matter how old your dog is or what you are working on, training NEVER stops.
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You won’t ever be done because your dog will never be done learning and thinking.
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You will get over certain hurdles only to run into new ones or have the need to touch up on old ones.
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But more than that, you should always be challenging your dog. To try new things. To be more independent. To learn something just for fun.
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Training doesn’t always have to be the big, hard things like reactivity and separation anxiety.
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I always give my clients one thing to work on just for fun. A trick that is easy and will always allow them to have a win, even on the toughest days.
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Training is never done, but isn’t that part of the fun of having a dog?
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04/07/2022

We’ve got some crazies in this round of puppy classes, but that’s what makes it fun!
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Cookie rocked her first week and look at that sweet, floofy face 🖤🐾
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As a reminder, check out the website for more info and to get signed up with your new pup!
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04/02/2022

Screaming happy birthday to the baby of our group!
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Atlas spent most of the day with a tennis ball, his one true love ❤️
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Please help everyone at The Good Dog Co. wish him a happy birthday 🖤🐾
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04/02/2022

When it comes to reactivity training, all of the hard work starts in the house, with no distractions.
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If we start exposing the dog to their triggers right away, we are setting them up to fail.
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Your dog must know their commands without fail before we start adding in ANY distractions.
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Your dog needs to know the plan. They need to know what you are going to ask of them in these situations.
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If done correctly, by the time you get to the point of desensitization and counter conditioning, no one else will know your dog is reactive because they won’t be having those big reactions and big emotions any longer.
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Start small and set them up to succeed! 🐾
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03/18/2022

03/16/2022

Puppy class is hard work 😴
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The Good Dog Co. is now offering puppy socialization classes! Each class will teach your new puppy important obedience, as well as proper play manners with other puppies of different ages and sizes.
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All classes are open to puppies from 8 weeks - 6 months old and are held at Lakeville Family Pet Clinic. Check out our website or theirs for more information!
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The Good Dog Co offers puppy playgroups for puppies of all ages and sizes in order to help them become properly socialized. We take each dog's personality and circumstances into account to offer the best class for each pup. Most important, we know that at the end of the day - they're all good dogs.

03/14/2022

Let’s talk about muzzles.
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For some reason, at some point a muzzled dog came to mean a bad dog. However, muzzles are a tool for keeping your dog and others safe.
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A muzzle allows a dog who gets overexcited or overstimulated easily to take treats, pant, and drink comfortably without having an opportunity to bite.
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A muzzle allows some dogs to have experiences that they may never be able to have without it.
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A muzzle is just another tool, like a harness or a leash. It can encourage other owners to give your dog some space. Most importantly, a muzzle is not a punishment.
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If you’d like to learn how to properly muzzle train your dog or would like more information on the benefits, check out the Muzzle Up Project.
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For those people with dogs that need a muzzle, don’t worry, we know they’re still good dogs 🖤🐾
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03/05/2022

Dog training is very emotional, for you and your dog. Every time we work on counter conditioning and desensitizing your dog to their triggers, we are causing an adrenaline spike.
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With every adrenaline spike, we are pushing them closer and closer to their threshold and then teaching them how to come back down.
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Adrenaline typically spikes due to either fear or excitement. We are pushing our dogs to get past their worst fears and their biggest hurdles.
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Imagine that. Imagine being consistently exposed to your biggest fear. Even when we are with them every step of the way, it’s incredibly hard work and it’s exhausting.
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This is why you will have bad days, days that feel like you haven’t made any progress, but that’s okay! Make sure to give your dog and YOURSELF breaks when you need it. You’re all doing great 🖤
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02/15/2022

If you put your relationship with your dog first when it comes to training, they will always choose to walk by your side.

“You will never have reason to fear me. I will never hurt you. I will never betray you. I will be fair and willing to listen, and I will always try to see your side as you try to see mine.

It may look like you’re walking beside me, but, actually, it’s always been me walking beside you.”

Happy Valentines Day to my best boy ❤️🐾
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01/15/2022

Lately, I’ve been hearing people defending their dogs a lot. They very adamantly explain that they don’t have a “bad dog”.
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I’d like everyone to know that you will never have to say that to me. I know that they’re perfect for you at home. I know that they’ve never hurt anyone in your house.
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I know that you have a good dog and I’m here to help you show everyone else the truth of that. 🐾
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01/08/2022

Vet visits are often stressful for pups, even those that are well-socialized and well-adjusted. Always take treats with you to make it a more positive experience and ADVOCATE for your dog!
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If the staff needs to go slower, ask for that. If your dog is particularly sensitive about certain things, let them know. Anyone who works in the veterinary field loves animals and wants to make the visit as stress-free as possible for you and your best friend. 🐾
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p.s. check out that eye contact. what a good boy 🖤
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01/04/2022

Who made promises to their pets this new year? We can help. For the month of January, all of our consult fees will be 50% off, making your first session $75.
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We’ve been in a position where we needed behavioral help and couldn’t afford it. We don’t ever want this to be the reason you can’t get training advice.
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Check out the website or message us to schedule! 🐾
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01/01/2022

As we go head into the new year it’s important to look back and see how far you’ve come.
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Everyone here knows how difficult working with dogs can be. But we also see how hard you’re working and how much progress you’re making.
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It can be hard to see this progress when you’re working on the same issues everyday. But we see it and your dogs see it too.
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And even when you’re feeling doubtful or think that someone else could be doing it better, remember that YOU are the person your dog needs. Happy New Year, friends.🐾🖤
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12/24/2021

It’s horrifying that there are people out there that call this “training”. This is animal abuse, plain and simple. I, personally, watched the video, but I don’t recommend it. It made me sick to my stomach.

The owner only found out this was the “training” she was paying for after her dog had been at the facility for several weeks. Let’s shut this s**t down. For this dog and every dog that has been affected by this facility. It is In Touch Dog Training & Rehabilitation in Wisconsin.

Shut Down In Touch Dog Training. 7,704 signatures are still needed!

11/07/2021

Happy Sunday 🖤 We hope everyone else is enjoying these last few nice days!
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