Uberdog Training

07/04/2025

🎆 How to Calm Your Dog During 4th of July Fireworks 🎆
Fireworks are fun for us—but for a lot of dogs, they’re downright scary. Here’s how to help your pup stay calm and safe tonight:

🐾 Exercise Early
Tire your dog out before the festivities begin. A long walk or structured play session goes a long way.

🐾 Set Up a Safe Den
Create a cozy, quiet space—like a crate, closet, or interior room. Close curtains and muffle the noise.

🐾 Turn on Background Noise
Play calming music, a white noise machine, or the TV to help drown out the booms.

🐾 Stay Calm Yourself
Don’t coddle or overreact. Your dog takes emotional cues from you—act like everything’s normal.

🐾 Try Calming Aids
Use a ThunderShirt, calming chews, or vet-approved supplements—but always test them in advance.

🐾 Long-Term Solution: Desensitize
Start working on noise desensitization with firework sounds at low volume. Pair it with calm routines and build up gradually. It won’t help tonight, but it will next year.

👉 UberDog Pro Tip: If your dog is crate trained, let them ride it out in their safe space. Cover the crate, offer a chew, and hang nearby without a fuss.

Stay safe and give your pup a little extra love tonight.
Good dog, good life. 🐶❤️

06/29/2025

7-pound Remy the Yorkie is learning to swim laps in his new lap pool—courtesy of Tractor Supply. 🏊‍♂️🐾Beat the summertime heat! Grab a stock tank, fill it up, and let your little dog paddle it out. Big fitness goals come in small, soggy packages. 💦🐶

06/28/2025

Today’s lesson with UberDog Training:
We worked with Ivy on walking past other dogs without reacting.

The focus? Teaching her to stay in her lane, walking in her space with her owner, tuned in and moving forward. No stopping, no staring, just keep it moving. That momentum builds confidence and reduces reactivity.

Shoutout to little Joey for stepping in as our demo dog. Way to go, buddy! 🐾

06/27/2025

Today’s Lesson: St. James with Maggie 🐾
We’re out here working with Maggie on “Pass the Puppy” – a fun and focused way to build recall!

Here’s the rhythm:
✅ One handler gives the “here” cue – Maggie comes straight in
✅ She wraps into a down at the handler’s side
✅ Then gets released with a cheerful “go play!” to head off to the next handler

This pattern builds trust, drive, and clean communication. Plus, it makes recall feel like a game – which is exactly what we want!

06/16/2025

Grounding is a real thing.
Here’s how to include your dog in your daily grounding walk—and why you both need it.

What is grounding?
Also called “earthing,” grounding means walking barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, sand, or soil. It helps calm your nervous system, reduce inflammation, and restore balance. Think of it as a natural charger for your body.

Adding your dog:
Let your dog walk slowly beside you—no phone, no distractions. Take the leash off if it’s safe. Let them sniff, feel the earth, and sync up with your calm energy. Dogs ground instinctively; we just need to slow down and join them.

A calm walk, barefoot, present… that’s the real leash magic.
Good dog. Good life.

06/13/2025

Training Tip: Recall to Heel—Even Before You Leave the HouseWorking in Southport today and focusing on one of the toughest skills: coming back to heel position after a distraction.This can be especially hard before leaving the house—excitement is high, leash is on, and your dog’s mind is already outside. But this is where routine matters.Build a rhythm:
Say your cue (like “Here”)
Let your dog return to heel
Reward the calm return make “Here” mean more than just coming to you—it means coming back to focus. Back to calm. Back to you. Good dog. Good life. 🐾

06/07/2025

Working Through Door Aggression with Jasper

Today we’re working with Jasper, a 9.5-month-old long-haired Chihuahua who has developed some classic door aggression behaviors. Jasper believes it’s his job to guard the front door — not because he’s a “bad dog,” but because he’s been unintentionally rewarded for doing so.

Watch closely and you’ll see something interesting: when Jasper’s owner drops the leash, he actually stops barking. Without the leash connection, Jasper becomes unsure of his role. He’ll bark briefly, then retreat to his owner, seeking comfort or to be picked up — a behavior that’s often been reinforced as a reward in his mind.

This isn’t defiance — it’s loyalty misdirected. Jasper is doing what he thinks his owner wants. Our job is to reset that belief.

Jasper also shows leash-based reactivity toward other dogs, and we’ll address that the same way: by shifting his focus away from guarding and toward calmly following his handler’s lead. Structure, consistency, and clarity will help Jasper feel less responsible and more secure.

05/26/2025

05/24/2025

UberDog Training with Bitsy the Poodle today in downtown Southport, NC.
We took the leash off and let her manage herself — hands-free. An off-leash walk should look just like a leash walk: calm, connected, and in sync. That’s real trust and training at work.