The Good Dog Co.

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Minneapolis, MN
The Good Dog Co.

Kelsey Smedley, BA•CACTP

09/09/2025

Sweet Stella graduated puppy class recently! We can’t stress enough the importance of socialization in puppies.

Allowing puppies the opportunity to socialize allows them to learn good communication with dogs of different sizes and play styles, as well as getting them out of the house for training.

Our puppy classes offer 20 minutes of socializing and 40 minutes of obedience training. Your dog knowing how to read other dogs is just as important as ‘sit’ and ‘down’ and is so often missed during this crucial puppy phase.

Check out our website for start dates and full syllabuses on what our classes include!

08/29/2025

We have a new addition to the family! This is Rune 🐾 We’ll be training him to be a demo dog for our clients, as well as a family dog.

We’ll keep you updated on his progress and give tips on teaching calm behavior in public, which is vital if you have any interest in having your own dog do some work, such as emotional support for others.

He was rescued from and we couldn’t be happier with the process and how thorough they were when selecting adopters.

If you can believe it, he’s mostly husky and lab 🤯, so follow along to see what quirks he picks up from those breeds!

08/26/2025

I know I’ve been hard to reach for some time now. I started this business for Echo and to help other dogs like him. We learned and grew together. Every time I furthered my education, it was to find new ways to help him and, subsequently, my clients. But he was at the forefront of this business.

And then I lost him and everything was a little more grey and a lot less meaningful. I found it very difficult to continue to grow and continue to learn when I wasn’t doing it with him.

Now it’s been several months and I have that drive and that passion again. And I’ve realized that I’m still doing it for him, but now it’s in his memory. It’s for all the dogs just like him and all the owners doing their absolute best. It’s to keep dogs like him in their homes and with the families who love them.

With this goal in mind, we have some new services and classes coming soon and I will post about them in the coming weeks!

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients and, of course, all of the good dogs.

For Echo 💙

11/03/2024

I said goodbye to Echo today after a very sudden decline in his health. For the past 10 years, every decision I’ve made was made with him at the center. I do what I do now because he taught me everything I know about managing a dog’s big feelings.

He was never the dog that loved everyone, but once he chose you, he loved you forever. He was the dog I didn’t pick, but the universe knew I needed and I’ll be forever grateful to have been loved unconditionally by him. He was the other half of my soul and, more than once, my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Dogs give us their absolute everything, everyday. We owe it to them to let them go when they’re ready.

So, to my best boy, I’ll love you forever and it was an honor to be with you until the very end. I am truly forever changed, as a person and a dog owner because of you 💙

To my wonderful clients, please bear with me as I might be slow to respond in the next couple of days.

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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Address

Minneapolis, MN
55406

Website

http://thegooddogcomn.com/

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