Black Dog Training

Black Dog Training Dog training that is:
★ Positive reinforcement-based
★ Humane
★ Backed by science

Together we can work on:

- puppy socialization
- basic obedience
- foundation behaviors
- manners
- cooperative care
- enrichment
- building confidence
- problem solve behavioral challenges

My girls are so different; they honestly may be complete opposites! They have different personalities, different needs, ...
11/15/2024

My girls are so different; they honestly may be complete opposites! They have different personalities, different needs, different learning styles, different motivators, and they find different things reinforcing.

And they’ve both been challenging in their own ways.

They’re teaching me so much and are making me a better dog trainer and a better person; and for that I will be forever grateful to them. 💜

11/15/2024

If you’re in the area and you’re looking to improve your dog’s basic manners, come train with me! 😊 We always have so much fun in class!

07/28/2022

This is me training my dog 😊 For Aspie she is mostly right and never wrong. And the number one rule is that we have fun! It’s a must!
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I’d say: Training goal achieved!
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On unconditional love and dog sports:⠀When I brought Aspen home I brought her into my life with the purpose of her being...
07/13/2022

On unconditional love and dog sports:
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When I brought Aspen home I brought her into my life with the purpose of her being a sport dog that I would compete with. I brought this tiny puppy home that had been on the planet for 9 weeks and I had her whole future planned out. I know many people do this and are successful but it meant our first maybe 5-6 months together were a struggle. And it was because I was trying to make her fit into my vision rather than seeing what was right in front of me.
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I’ve done this before and you’d think I’d know better but when we set goals and have dreams for ourselves and our dogs it can be hard to let it go, reassess, and readjust.
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Aspen was in heat for 4 weeks recently and we ended up doing literally nothing but hanging out together.
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And while our relationship has been improving for a while now, us doing nothing while she was in heat really catalyzed the change with our relationship.
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The pressure has been taken off.
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The results?
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- Less deflating when we do train (which isn’t very often at all!)
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- I’m getting WAY more tail wags than I’ve ever gotten from her before (😭💜)
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- A more eager learner when we do work on things (which, like I said, we really barely ever train)
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I’m not saying we aren’t working towards certain goals, because we are. But I’ve readjusted my mindset and it has done wonders for our relationship.
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- We’re moving WAY slower than some of my dog trainer friends (so hard not to compare!)
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- And, we honestly may never compete (which is hard for me to accept but I’m not going to force Aspen to be or do anything)
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What I do know is she is my dream dog. She is so socially appropriate with other dogs and people and kids it’s insane, she is so biddable, she is a great hiking and running and adventure companion, she is so so sweet, she is goofy, she is cuddly, she can go anywhere and do anything!
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Sports are not the end all, be all. But the pressure is real!
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At the end of the day what matters is the relationship I have with my dog. And I can say with utter confidence and happiness that our relationship has never been better and I cherish Aspen so much 💜
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We ask a lot of our dogs. They are doing their best 💜
05/11/2022

We ask a lot of our dogs. They are doing their best 💜

03/11/2022

There is something so special about walking in the woods with dogs 💜

03/08/2022

Aspen has been having tummy troubles so we have put any real training on hold while I figure it out (don’t worry we are working with our vet and things are looking up, by the way!).
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The time off from thinking about my goals for her and I has been really good for us, and has given me space and time to really reflect on some things.
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I wrote a blog on some of my thoughts. Give it a read if you are so inclined! Link in bio 💜
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Much love to you all
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02/17/2022

I am DYING of cuteness 😭💜

Girls who crate together stay together 💜⠀
02/08/2022

Girls who crate together stay together 💜
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Our goals for 2022?⠀1) PLAY PLAY PLAY!⠀2) Make deposits in our trust and relationship accounts⠀3) Focus on the study of ...
01/31/2022

Our goals for 2022?
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1) PLAY PLAY PLAY!
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2) Make deposits in our trust and relationship accounts
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3) Focus on the study of one
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What are your goals for you and your dog this year?
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I hope you all have a happy new year!! Taking a break from social media to recharge and focus on Aspen, Jenna, and my fa...
12/30/2021

I hope you all have a happy new year!! Taking a break from social media to recharge and focus on Aspen, Jenna, and my family and friends 💜⠀
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I hope you all make sure to take care of your mental health and remember what is most important in your life and the life of your dogs. ⠀
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Much love to you all! 💜

Happy holidays! 🎄🎁
12/24/2021

Happy holidays! 🎄🎁

From screaming bloody murder to this… ⠀⠀We tried out a lot of different confinement set ups before I figured out that th...
12/15/2021

From screaming bloody murder to this… ⠀
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We tried out a lot of different confinement set ups before I figured out that the crate was actually better for Aspen.⠀
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My original plan was to create a puppy play pen palace with a crate attached and then slowly introduce her to the crate. But I quickly had to pivot. I tried giving her more space (i.e. full run of the kitchen and hallway with plenty of space to run around and play with all the toys and chews I’d leave there for her) but that seemed to make her panic even more than the play pen! It turned out giving Aspen more space in terms of her confinement set up stressed her out more than the smaller space of a crate.⠀
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It took a while to figure this out (and it still wasn’t always smooth sailing but it was better than any other set up I tried) and she really scared me at points but I’m so glad the problem solving and working on crate training paid off; and now she’s very cozy whenever I leave her in her crate.⠀
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What’s your dog’s preferred confinement set up? ⠀
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Getting in the Christmas spirit with a super busy outing to ! The girls absolutely rocked it! 😊💜 ⠀⠀
12/04/2021

Getting in the Christmas spirit with a super busy outing to ! The girls absolutely rocked it! 😊💜 ⠀
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12/03/2021

Husbandry and cooperative care are some of my top priorities with Aspen. Part of ensuring her welfare and ensuring I can take care of her is helping her be ok with being handled: having her nails clipped and having her ears, eyes, mouth, body checked. My goal is for her to be totally comfortable with most of it (in reality, there will probably be times where she’s uncomfortable).⠀
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We are just at the beginning of our husbandry/cooperative care journey. Only recently has she started offering her paw and doing a chin rest fluently in my hand. Prior to this I have been touching her all over and pairing that with treats and that has been going really well!⠀
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In this video I am working on developing her chin rest and paw behaviors into start buttons. Placing her chin in my hand means I will check her ear. Giving her paw means I will pick up the nail clippers and touch them to her paw. The idea is to have her opt into having her ear checked/having the nail clippers touch her paw. ⠀
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She does not have to offer either, but you can see that she does! I love start buttons for cooperative care!⠀
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And I’d just like to add that if your dog is uncomfortable with being handled, it’s ok and it’s no reflection on you. We all (humans and dogs both) are doing our best 💜 start where you’re at and just do your best 💜⠀
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11/30/2021

Best game ever? Playing in a pile of leaves 😂

Feeling thankful for so much and for having so many supportive, kind, caring, badass people in my life this year 💜
11/25/2021

Feeling thankful for so much and for having so many supportive, kind, caring, badass people in my life this year 💜

10/31/2021

Let’s talk real life with a puppy: it can be FRUSTRATING!⠀
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There’s no way around the fact that we are human and we have feelings and good days and bad days too. ⠀
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I’m learning that are incredibly sensitive and this level of sensitivity to my emotions is new to me. It’s a real challenge! And my relationship with Aspen is so important! I don’t want to damage it!⠀
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So, I’m working on two things: being silly during difficult times and counter-conditioning certain things I may say and certain noises I may make when I’m frustrated.⠀
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Thanks to for all the support and good ideas!
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Northborough, MA
01532

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