Communication
This lis Stella the corgi who has had a few incidents with other dogs in the past. In this video she’s playing, engaging, and most importantly, advocating for herself. Watch as she gives clear signs that she’s done and ready for a break. No growling, no snapping—just her way of saying, “That’s enough for me.”Not all dogs communicate the same way, but they do communicate. Some are loud about it. Stella gives clear signals when she’s ready for a break, and because her signals are understood and respected, she doesn’t need to get bigger about it. Learning to read your dog is one of the most important skills you can have. When we listen, they don’t have to shout.
Stella
Look at Stella go! Her and Daisy hit it off last week and they picked up where they left off.I’m very happy the choices Stella is making especially when June the lab and Zak the poodle get involved and kick up the energy. Go Stella!
Stella
Stella is doing great. Blue joined us! I am freezing. That is all! lol
Good dogs!
Patience is a virtue… But to dogs it’s taught lol.
Setting Stella up for Success!
If you read my previous post I explained how I failed to set Stella up for success when meeting a new dog, Daisy, and Stella had a little outburst. These are the steps that I failed to follow when moving Stella through the house that day. We do this any time she comes out of the kennel and we go outside. We also do this when she is ready to meet a new dog. We do this routine to help her slow her brain down and give her a job to do. The day after Daisy went home we got another chance to set Stella up for success when meeting a new dog, this time it’s June the lab. June came last night and we followed the steps we had in place where Stella is in her space with her visual blocked from seeing the new dog. She can hear, smell and feel the new dog but can’t see her as that seems to be her bigger trigger. After about 15 minutes from June being dropped off Stella was making good choices. As Stella relaxed we would incrementally remove the visual block. After about 30 minutes the visual block was completely removed and they could see each other… neither dog cared at this point. Around an hour after June came we were all hanging out in the living room together. I did not let them interact as I want Stella to get practice of calmly coexisting with dogs. This video shows how their first actual interaction goes. **Warning** it’s very lackluster! That’s the way we like it.
Trainers make mistakes too
Yesterday was the first time I saw aggression from Stella.
I took a step back to figure out ‘why’. What changed? What led to this moment?
Since she’s been here, we’ve had a clear routine—how to move through doors, how to come out of the crate, how to walk calmly in the house, how to transition on and off leash. Every step had a purpose. And today, for the first time, I got lax because I was on a tight schedule and was rushing.
She’s been doing so well, and like many owners do, I took that as a green light to ease up (even knowing better). I didn’t have her sit before coming out of the crate. I didn’t have her walk calmly through the house. I didn’t pause at the door. I let things slide. And in the back of my mind, I knew it was too soon to relax the structure but I ignored that voice.
I noticed her energy shifting—pacing, moving faster, winding herself up. I thought, ‘She’s getting worked up.’ But again, I brushed it off because, overall, she was still behaving.
Then Daisy, the puppy, was dropped off. For Stella, I have been introducing her to dogs with clear structure; Stella in the crate or X-pen with her visual blocked, taking things slow, and unblocking the the visual once she could relax. But today, I cut corners. No covered X-pen and Daisy got within eye sight and Stella charged, barking and slamming into the pen.
That was *MY* mistake.
Here’s the takeaway: Stella’s success so far wasn’t luck or coincidence. It was because of structure. It was because of routine. It was because of the work. Those things helped to slow her down and navigate the situation with guidance. When you stop that, you stop excelling. And dogs like Stella, who thrive on clear direction, feel that shift immediately.
This wasn’t about her being ‘bad.’ This was about me failing to set her up for success. Structure doesn’t suppress dogs, it frees them from the chaos of their own impulses. And today was a reminder that when we step
Stella
Well look at her go! I have dropped the leash and am creating space between her and I so she can make her own decisions. You can watch her explore, start to get unsure and head to the door before coming back out to explore more. This is a mental work out for her and she will be one tired gal tonight!
Stella
Learning more and more about this little onion as we peel away the layers. Stamina when it comes to maintaining composure is not yet her strong suit. So we are doing lots of short reps with the dogs to keep them positive for all. Each round Stella and the other dogs become that much more comfortable around each other.
Stella
Want to see what it should look like when introducing a reactive dog to other dogs. **WARNING** it will be quite boring lol. You will see me give a couple corrections in the video, see if you can spot them. I’m not pushing her over her threshold to get some wild before and after video. I am not letting her get to full blow up then hanging her up to stop her. Everything has been moving slow and at a pace that will set Stella up for successful, non-exciting repetitions of calmly existing with dogs.
Stella
Took advantage of the warmer weather and did some obedience work on the parkway with my current board and train, Stella.
Stella is a 5 year old corgi. She came from a breeder who placed her in a pet home because there was a scuffle or two with another resident female dog. Stella has had a couple more incidents with other dogs since being placed.
She came to me on 1/24/25 and we have been taking our time focusing on being calm and neutral around dogs. Since she came we have only had two barks from her in the kennel, it was the first time a dog walked by. All in all, I’m very pleased.
She is not forwardly aggressive, and as I’m getting to know her I am seeing all the layers to this onion. She is typically a very busy girl, always moving, but without any real purpose. It’s a frantic energy that appears on the surface as confident and pushy/demanding. As I slow her down and her brain turns on, I am seeing the real her. She is actually not that confident, in fact she finds the world a bit spooky once she slows down and has to be ‘present’.
I believe the incidents she has had with other dogs is from a place of ‘reaction’. She is not thinking, just reacting and Corgis are bred to move big angry bulls so… teeth and grit are involved.
When Stella gets worked up and goes over her threshold she goes into reaction mode of a corgi and…teeth and grit are involved, even though she’s going against a dog and not a bull.
By purposely slowing her down and getting her to think I am seeing a more thoughtful and aware dog. I am seeing moments of her wanting to react but instead slowing down and thinking about the situation: observing and not ‘reacting’.
I am confident we will have moments where she gets over her threshold and makes some not so great choices and we will work through those moments. Training is a marathon, not a sprint.
Check out our story for the walk home after this lesson!
