Rogers Dog Professionals

04/22/2025

Creating habits for our dogs 🐾

Our dogs are ALWAYS learning. They may not always be learning things we want them to, but they’re learning regardless.

Oftentimes when we think about training, our first thoughts go to ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘heel’, and ‘come’. These can all be great in their own way, but can confuse us into thinking that training must be a physical position and/or our dogs responding to a command. Sometimes we overlook the daily operations of our home and how our dogs will fit into it.

If we don’t teach our dogs what to do, they will have to decide for themselves. Building routines, schedules and habits from the beginning can help avoid unwanted behaviors from occurring in the first place. Waiting before exiting the car, pausing before going down the stairs, waiting for food, walking away from the angry toddler, finding space when a birthday party becomes overwhelming, and letting the mail man stop by without having a fit are all things we can practice daily. Being mindful about how we respond and how our dogs are responding does take practice and a little extra time, but the benefits are unmatched. 🐕

04/21/2025

Congrats to Peanut who is finishing up a 2 week training program with RDP! Peanut showed signs of fear, anxiety and stress across different contexts, especially when she perceived confinement or separation. Peanut has come incredibly far over the past two weeks of one-on-one training and has not only gained much more control in stressful situations, but has also learned how to walk nicely on leash without reacting to dogs or people, how to politely greet others, and has great improvement on her recall 🐾

03/31/2025

Congratulations to Harley who just completed a two week training program with RDP! Harley has made such great progress with loose leash walking, impulse control, and obedience. We are so excited to see him continue to practice his new skills! 🐾

03/19/2025

Meet Mushroom! 🍄 (the “perfect” name for her according to our 3 year old 😂) Mushroom (5 months old) has been fostered by Rogers Dog Professionals for the past week receiving daily one-on-one training, and is now currently looking for her forever home! Mushroom has done great meeting and playing with dogs, and has been exposed to all three of our kids (ages 3 and 1) and has done extremely well with them. Mushroom can get rambunctious and mouthy when excited and when playing with other dogs, but has responded really well to training over the past week. Mushroom would do great to have an owner that is committed to training her through the next few months, and when adopted will come with 4 free training sessions at Rogers Dog Professionals. Mushroom is currently being fostered at another foster home, so if you are interested in adopting her please send us a message or reach out to Joe at (440) 527-4332 to schedule a meet and greet. 🍄🐾

03/08/2025

A great opportunity if you’re just getting started in dog training! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! 🐾

Looking for an opportunity to give your pup a safe place to practice their skills, train or to socialize? Rogers Dog Professionals is offering pop-in classes starting on Sunday, March 16th!

This opportunity is great if you are just starting training, looking to socialize, working on practicing commands in a distracting environment or if you’re unsure what level of training you and your dog are at. This is also a great chance to let your dog become comfortable working with you around the shelter before signing up for our structured classes, which can be found here: https://friendshipapl.org/dog-training-classes/

This type of environment may not be appropriate to work through all types of behavior and it is not a class for dogs showing aggression towards people or other dogs. If you aren’t sure if your dog's behavior is aggressive or if this class is a good fit please reach out to Joe at (440)527-4332.

01/23/2025

For some, it’s not deciding whether or not to train your dog, but figuring out when to fit it into your busy schedule. We get how hectic life can be! Whether you’d like us to come to your home to train your dog while you’re at work or want to schedule an evening or weekend session, our in-home training sessions offer plenty of flexible times to fit professional dog training into your life. Contact us today to get on the schedule! 🐾

01/14/2025

Rogers Dog Pros Tips & Tricks: Preparing your house for a new dog 🐾

Sometimes bringing a new dog home is so exciting we forget that we need things other than the dog! Setting up your house as much as possible beforehand gives you all the more time with your new pup. Whether you’re adopting or buying a new puppy, day 1 in the house is most likely not the ideal time for their first pet store trip. Here’s a list of supplies & strategies to prepare for bringing your new dog home.

To start, you will need several basic items. Food bowls, water bowls, a leash & a collar are your absolute basics & a must. It’s often a good idea to bring the leash & collar to the shelter if adopting.

Next, think about confinement. You may not want your dog to have access to the entire home at first, & for many dogs limiting the space they have initially can help them acclimate to the home quicker. This is why baby gates & crates can be life savers! This is especially true if you have kids or other pets. Depending on the age of the children & many variables with other pets, you should never leave them unsupervised with a new dog. Accidents happen, & if we aren’t there to prevent it, then confinement of some kind should be used. In addition, you don’t want to leave your dog home loose alone if you don’t want them making decisions alone. You also ideally want to condition your dog to love “their space”, & really try to make it theirs.

When it’s not time for the crate, we want to make sure that we are interacting with our pup & ensuring they are getting the enrichment they need. This is where toys & equipment can be used- long lines, clickers, whistles, balls, & tug toys can all be used for different kinds of play & training. Ideally, your dog won’t be able to tell the difference between the two!

When it’s time for training (but don’t rush this!) we need treats of all kinds! High value treats like chicken, hotdogs & cheese and low value treats like dog kibble, hard biscuits & soft treats.

The last thing you need is patience- & lots of it, for both you & your new pup! It’ll take time to adjust, but patience is key to setting up a long & happy relationship together. 🐕☯️

01/09/2025

We are excited to be partnering with Friendship Animal Protective League to offer group classes to our community! Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Happy !

Friendship APL has teamed up with Rogers Dog Professionals to provide dog training classes for the community. The Life Skills Class will strengthen the bond between you and your pet, while teaching them the skills they need to navigate our world.

"At Rogers Dog Professionals, our training style is heavily focused in positive reinforcement and relationship-based training methods. And positive reinforcement & relationship-based training is so much more than just giving your dog treats & love! It’s an intentional decision to ensure that we have our dog’s trust & making proactive choices to set our dogs up to succeed in a world unnatural to them. It’s consciously deciding to approach our relationship & how we tackle challenges with patience & understanding."

https://airtable.com/appqnfohdKyudnI0M/shrWTIuErcySAOJFF

The first 6-week session will begin on Sunday Febuary 2nd at 5:30pm. The classes will be held at our shelter at 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH. Please use the link to sign up above. You must sign up and fill out the form and then Joe will reach out to you! The cost for the 6-week session is $300, making each class $50. If you have any questions email [email protected]!

01/08/2025

Our new website is now live! 🐾

Visit the site to learn more about us & our services, to book, & to contact us! Link below & in our bio! ⬇️

https://rogersdogpros.com

12/12/2024

At Rogers Dog Professionals, our training style is heavily focused in positive reinforcement and relationship-based training methods. And positive reinforcement & relationship-based training is so much more than just giving your dog treats & love! It’s an intentional decision to ensure that we have our dog’s trust & making proactive choices to set our dogs up to succeed in a world unnatural to them. It’s consciously deciding to approach our relationship & how we tackle challenges with patience & understanding.

First, we do our best to evaluate the individual needs of the dog & ensure those needs are being met. The welfare of our pets comes second only to safety. If we build meaningful relationships with our pets & provide them with the physical, mental, emotional, & social enrichment they need, we significantly reduce problem behaviors to begin with.

Our goal is to help our dogs learn to solve problems in positive ways. This type of training helps them build positive expectations when encountering novel people, things, or experiences. It creates positive associations with learning & training, & motivates the dogs to do more because they like it.

We focus our training on teaching dogs what we want, not what we don’t want. We set them up to succeed & then reinforce the behavior when they do them. When we encounter behaviors that are unsafe or unwanted, we manage them to ensure safety & then take steps to understand the function of the behavior & the circumstances that are eliciting the behavior. We work to teach them new ways of solving their problem while building new associations.

This type of training does require time & intention, but the benefits last a lifetime. 🐾

12/10/2024

Effective, practical, & compassionate dog training 🐾

Our training style integrates aspects of positive reinforcement, relationship-building, enrichment, & management to ensure we meet the needs of you and your dog.

Contact us for a free consultation to see how we can can help! 🐕

https://pocketsuite.io/book/joseph-rogers

12/09/2024

Are you thinking about adopting a shelter dog? With my experience working in shelters & bringing my own shelter dogs home, I know how overwhelming it can feel! If you start the process by being intentional on who you choose, you can save yourself a lot of headache. Here are 5 tips for choosing a dog that’s right for you & your lifestyle ⬇️

1. Write down what you are looking for in a dog! Decide on your dealbreakers & what you would like to be able to do with them. Consider the following:
- do you live somewhere with breed or size restrictions?
- do you have time/want to house-train a puppy?
- do you want a dog that can go hiking or running, or do
you prefer a dog that will cuddle on the couch? (or both!)
- have you considered a senior dog?
- what behaviors are safe to manage/train in your home?

2. Bring a friend! Amongst the flurry of furry butts & squishy faces, it can be easy to pick the first dog we see! Having a friend to keep you grounded can be very helpful, & can also make the experience more fun & relaxing.

3. Talk to the shelter staff & volunteers. It can take days, weeks, or even months for dogs to feel comfortable enough to show their true colors. Adopters usually only have a couple hours to interact with dogs, so you don’t always get the full picture of who the dogs are. Thankfully, there are people at the shelter who the dogs have had time to warm up to, & they are usually very eager to talk to you about them!

4. Don’t rush yourself. Just because you walk into a shelter, doesn’t mean you have to leave with a dog that day. The reality is, shelters have many new dogs coming in on a regular basis & while from one perspective it may seem like a sad state of affairs, it also offers communities a wide variety of options. Taking care of an animal is a big commitment, so it’s best to take the time you need to find the best fit.

5. Have fun! Many people fear that shelters are dark, sad places where they will be faced with desperate animals. That’s rarely the case! The shelter is one of my favorite places to be, & getting to hang out with a bunch of dogs is always a fun time. 🐾

12/04/2024

Rescued & afraid?

Living with a fearful dog can be embarrassing, confusing, & defeating. Having lived with & worked with many fearful dogs, we know how true that can be. Fearful behavior can also lead to, or exist with, reactive or defensively aggressive behavior.

We can help you & your dog live in peace with trust & excitement for your time together. ☯️

Contact us today for a free consultation & free information on management. 🐾

05/15/2024

Dogs learn - even when we don’t want them to! 🐾

Thankfully, dogs can learn quickly through practice & repetition. Unfortunately, that is also true when they practice behaviors we don’t like, like barking out the window, digging holes, or peeing in the house.

In conjunction with training &/or behavior modification, management can dramatically affect the success of any behavior or training plan. Dogs often simply don’t know that we expect them to act a certain way. If we are not going to be present to guide them in a specific situation, then we should work to prevent that situation from happening. For example, if we are going to be gone for the day, crating a dog instead of letting them have access to bark at the front window will prevent them from practicing that behavior when we are not around. Setting our dogs up for success is key! ✨

04/29/2024

Enjoying this sunny Monday 🌞
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