Placid Paws

12/16/2023

Our new way to get around town! I can't wait to get my own license to drive this cutie on my own 🏍️

11/29/2023

Finny boy being sooo good with his teeth exam 👏🏻 Like a lot of high energy and anxious dogs, he wouldn't stay still and would get sensitive to any kind of body handling. We've been working on getting him to relax and to choose to cooperate for physical touches for a while. And now he is getting one step closer to better and calmer vet visits! Way to go Finn! 👊🏼

11/14/2023

Pacing, sniffing around, whining, and barking; without a single nap for 12 hours a day. This was Ella for the past month. She has been going through extensive medical treatments for a few months, and that's probably why her anxiety level has gone up a bit.

A bit of medication helped her calm down a little, but barking and whining never quite went away.

We started to teach her today that we can help her really relax with physical touch, and helped her realize that relaxation can actually feel good.

This was Ella for the first time in 3 years that she fully relaxed during the day 🥰

08/28/2023

We have to cherish this marshmallow phase of Dasher before he grows up! 🐾🐶

07/28/2023

Lucy: ya'll talking too much.Where are all the treats and belly rubs?
--
But seriously, Lucy has gotten so much more patient and gentle when we sit on the couch and have a conversation. No more jumping or face licking 👏🏻

05/06/2023

Can you see the path through the tall grass in this picture? It's just started to be a bit more visible after a few dozen times I've walked on it. It was harder to walk through this tall grass in the beginning. I needed to lift my legs high and I got wet brushing against the wet grass. It took more effort. But it's becoming much easier to walk through this as the path has become more beaten.

Dog training (or any mindfulness training) is like this. The meadow is our brain and the paths are neuro pathways of emotions. The more you walk on the same path, the more easily your brain takes that path.

The new path we're paving for our dogs should be relaxation and optimism.

It's not easy at first as we are training our dogs to take a new way that their body & brain are not used to. But it'll get easier and easier as long as we keep up with it.

Don't give up. Keep on walking.

04/01/2023

Phew 🫡 finally the storm has passed. Hope everyone did alright through the thunders and the tornado warning ⚠️

Mugsy and her humans did awesome through this and my heart is full 💚

03/22/2023

Hi! It's been a minute 🕧 I was on a long vacation to Thailand recently, the country I used to live about 10 years ago. It felt like a homecoming, yet it felt different this time in a few ways - objective changes due to simply the time passed, and some personal changes that allowed me to see different things.

One of the things I noticed more this time is the dogs. There are a lot of dogs on the streets in Thailand. I don't think that has changed much since my last time there. But I got to pay closer attention to the dogs behaviors this time.

Each street dog seems to have their own home-base where they hang out most of the times and get food from people both directly and indirectly. Often it's just one dog in each corner. They interact with other dogs, but each one has their own territory. They all carefully pay attention to other dogs behaviors and navigate through their own social dynamics.

Most dogs keep their distance from passerbys but not aggressive towards people (at least in the parts of the country I traveled this time). If someone has food, they come closer and wait REALLY patiently.

So I bought some treats from a grocery store to give them. But, boy I was wrong ❌ Every dog I offered the treats refused to eat them! No, it wasn't because they were wary of strangers. They are just not used to eating process food! So I bought some sausages, and they gobbled it up 😆

I was curious if our dogs at home would refuse this same treats too. And They. Gobbled. It. Up 😂 Their eyes dilated too after tasting it for the first time. That must give you some food for thought 😜

Here are some pictures of the few dogs during this trip who were super friendly towards me. I hope they keep being lovely towards people, so people take care of them more 💞

10/16/2022

Great update from team Josie! Josie is a super sensitive girl who gets easily stressed out by things around the house i.e. moving boxes, loud noises, even her human mom's mood. We have been preparing to help her be ready for their big move, and new babies arrival for a few months.

One of my favorite parts of this update is that they knew to use the training protocol impromptu when Josie felt stressed and made progress by themselves. 🙌🏼

09/26/2022

Be a good guest with some clean-up skills 😛

09/19/2022

Adam (my husband) and I had a special weekend with Placid Paws' long-time students Henna and Carter at their shore house 🏖️

The dogs learned to be calm on their porch watching dogs, people and squirrels walk/run by. We practiced walking calmly on the streets. And just worked on overall manners in their weekend home including staying out of a guest room.

All work on a vacation? No, they got spoiled enough with some pedicures and LOTS and LOTS of snuggles 😊 - Yes, they enjoyed getting their nails clipped. Even Carter, Mr. Sensitive!

Great to be able to continue to help these guys throughout their life 🐾

09/17/2022

If this face gives you any hint, this girl used to be a WILD hot mess 😅 But to be fair, coming from a tough street life in Jordan, settling in a new home wasn't easy.

Her human guardians have been doing lots of good work with her since they first got her a couple years ago, yet there were still some challenges left to resolve.

For the last few months implementing system, Peach has been getting much calmer and more affectionate towards her people. Lots of big and small improvements throughout her daily life. And some of the issues (i.e. barking in her crate when her dad walks in the room) were resolved without even being addressed directly as a result of daily relaxation training.

Great work Team Peach. Let's keep up the good work! 🌟

07/14/2022

Having fun with 's lil Cookie monster this week 💗

07/02/2022

Help your dog. Keep them safe 💗

You’ll be getting a lot of advice on what you should/should not do to help your dog over this holiday weekend. Much of the advice is logical – keep your dog indoors, make sure your dog has tags on, etc. However, not surprisingly, we are going to go against the grain and offer these thoughts…

Fireworks are VERY stressful for some dogs. On one of the hardest days of the year for a dog who is afraid of fireworks, throw out the “rules” you’ve been told about not coddling your dog and not doing anything to reinforce your dog’s fear.

JUST HELP YOUR DOG.

🎆 Pet them.

🎆 Massage them.

🎆 Talk to them.

🎆 Sprinkle treats around the house.

🎆Play with them.

Give them the support they need.

In our book, this is not a training response. This is a kindness response that helps put the dog in a better emotional state.

There are productive training responses that include specific ways in which you can touch a dog and help them feel emotionally well about fireworks. We can help you. But for now, just support your dog.

06/20/2022

Puppy Socialization Class!🐾
We're accepting applications right now for puppies that are 7 - 16 weeks old (by the time of the class). The classes start in mid July for 4 weeks. Apply now and get a free phone consultation too!

Dates : mid July - August (Wednesday evening & Saturday morning. There are two classes)

More details and applications 👉 https://www.placidpawsdogtraining.com/puppyclass

FAQs
❓7-16 weeks old? I just got my puppy, isn't it too soon to join a class?
🐶 Appropriate socialization (calm but happy) is CRITICAL during the first month you have your puppy (under 4months old). What they experience and how they experience things during that age helps form their personality. But a lot of people miss that window because, understandably, it's a hectic time with the puppy after theit arrival at home. The benefits of this class will outweigh the risks of health issues. But we'll make sure all the participants will have good health - American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior supports early puppy class.

❓My puppy will be a bit too old for this class, but can I still apply?
🐶We keep this class only for really young puppies because they are in a different developmental stage. But we have other classes you can join with your pup. Please go to our website www.placidpawsdogtraining.com and 'Book a free phone consultation' to see other options!

❓Where are you located?
🐶The classes will be held in an indoor facility 'A Place 4 Pups' in Logan Square

❓Is there a size limit?
🐶No, puppies of all sizes can join this class

More details and applications 👉 https://www.placidpawsdogtraining.com/puppyclass

06/20/2022

I’m in a number of online dog training groups. Too many, really. There are two suggestions that are frequently given to resolve reactivity:

(1) Work really hard at obedience to keep the dog’s mind busy or to control the dog in moments of reactivity.

Let me tell you, that often looks like a battle of wills between the human and the dog and sometimes it’s really unclear if there’s even a winner. And playing the game of winner/loser with your dog sounds less than ideal.

Also, have you noticed that during moments of reactivity no dog has impeccable obedience? How could they? In that moment, the challenges are high and they don’t have the clarity to calm their brains and listen.

So let’s admit that very few will have success with this approach and those who do may have to put a lot of force on the dog to do it. It’s our perspective that putting that kind of force on a dog who has no ability to think clearly or do what is being asked is being given a test that it can never pass. That alone is an unfair test.

(2) Exercise your dog until he or she is so tired that all they want to do is go home and nap.

I had a very reactive dog. I used to do this. Six days a week she went to day care. Do you know what she did on Sundays? If you guessed that she was reactive, you are right. The exercise plan is only as good as schedules permit, health permits, wallets permit… basically as circumstances permit. It becomes a thing that the dog needs in order to remain livable rather than something the dog enjoys a bit of as it fits into daily life. Oh, and then there’s that other minor detail of more exercise creates more of an athlete… so what you used to be able to do a few times a week to keep your dog balanced becomes something you have to do more and more to get the same results you used to get when you first jumped on the exercise bandwagon.

If exercise solves your problem what happens when you go out of town, when there’s bad weather outside, when you break a leg…? Or maybe even worse for the dog… what happens if they have to be boarded at the vet or have to be crated due to injury? Frustration overload for everyone involved.

So what do we propose? Relaxation. It works for every lifestyle (it doesn’t dull an active dog or one with great drive - promise!).

Why?
- It changes the dog’s brain chemistry
- It makes for a happier dog and happier humans
- Any one can do it
- Any dog can do it
- It’s a skill and a feeling that the dog can enjoy and use when they want
- It clears the chaos from the dog’s brain and adds clarity and focus
- It has a ripple effect on every part of life and helps with every single behavioral issue you can name - fear, aggression, reactivity, hectic behavior, etc.

When you think differently about the available solutions new possibilities can open up for you and your dog.

Stephanie

06/03/2022

We all know socializing your puppy is important. But think beyond puppy play dates, greeting people!

A small amount of (emotionally) healthy experience is WAY more important than multiple exposures that elicit excitement or startle.

During our Day School, I try to find different opportunities to teach the puppies to see the world and feel calm and optimistic 🐕🌟