Grunt Style Canine Training

12/20/2025

12/17/2025

Apollo is a Krewe dog now (still with me in foster care)!

12/16/2025

I’ve decided to become a cult leader:

The Cult of Seasonal Superiority

Manifesto

We believe in the Sun.
Not metaphorically. Literally.

We reject the doctrine that all seasons are equal. They are not. Equality among seasons is a polite fiction invented by winter people to justify their suffering.

Summer is not merely a season—it is proof of correctness.

12/13/2025

Happy Birthday, Traci Lynn Swearer

12/11/2025

Note: I often talk about being in the fire—those moments when dogs are first introduced and everything feels uncomfortable. I do that intentionally, so you know I’ve been there too. I understand the tension, the uncertainty, and the urge to intervene or escape it.

The difference is this: I stayed in the discomfort long enough to learn how each dog actually communicates.

I know you want certainty, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Dog-to-dog socialization is uncomfortable, and it does carry risk. That part is real. But labels like “social” or “not social” create a different problem. They offer relief, not understanding.

Those labels shut down curiosity. They end the conversation before we ever ask how a dog socializes, what they’re saying in the moment, or what information is being exchanged under pressure. Instead of listening, we seek comfort—and the dog keeps communicating whether we’re paying attention or not.

Discernment doesn’t come from avoiding the fire.
It comes from staying present in it long enough to learn the language.

12/11/2025

Round 2 with Blink- this is not a necessary step. I like to move and it appeases my need for activity. You could stay on the bench and teach this.

12/10/2025

Shaping the muzzle with Blink:
I recommend getting two of the same style muzzle. The first one I would modify by cutting the front openings so I can deliver rewards through the cracks more easily. This makes the shaping process smoother — especially when moving from static work to dynamic work, where I’m asking him to actively drive his nose into the muzzle while following the lure.

The second muzzle would remain completely intact and be used for real-life scenarios: wearing it around the house, dog-to-dog interactions, and general management. By the time we switch to the intact muzzle, he’ll already be fully conditioned to the behavior and comfortable with the equipment.

12/10/2025