Kristie's Kritters Dog Training

11/16/2025

We're excited to share that our Kristie's Kritters T-shirts are now available!

*A portion of every sale goes directly to
Green Acres Rescue to help with supplies and expenses for the dogs in their care.

*Limited quantity available - once they're gone, they're gone!
*Sizes available: men's medium and large
*$25 each

Order yours today!

11/16/2025

Teddie was such a good boy for his groom with us🥰

11/05/2025

They're just "off".
Something has unsettled them and we just cant see it.
There's no dog around.
No people either, but they are struggling.
Time to look a bit deeper.

Candles, diffusers and even a change of your perfume can be deeply unsettling for a dog.
If you have two dogs and need to take one to the vet or the groomers, sometimes the welcome home is confusing.
Colder or even aggressive.
Their friend looks the same but they smell totally different (and scent is everything to a dog).

Of course dogs can be stressed by storms but before that thunder and lightning they may be acutely aware of a change in the atmosphere, long before we even notice.
It doesn't need to be an actual storm either, a change of weather is sometimes enough to unsettle dogs.

Those ultrasonic devices we have in our homes, the pest control devices can cause dogs anxiety but so can our modern TVs and devices on standby. Some can emit high frequency sounds that we can barely hear. Even a heat pump turning itself on and off and adjusting output can trigger dogs and even the compressor unit outside cause stress.

We often think of triggers they can see and miss all the other ways our dogs can be affected.

Back to the candles, oil burners and plug in air freshener units for a second.
They may be pleasant for us, but deeply disturbing for a dog.
For some dogs, they can really take a toll.

Maybe rethink if you really need them.

You may be surprised just how relaxed your dog is when you don't use them.

11/04/2025

Build trust, skills and a working relationship with your dog.

Why do we continue to push them?
Distressed barking in carparks because they would be "bored" at home.
Sitting in bars while they cower under a table to "help them become exposed to life".
Walking around busy hardware stores where they're confronted by machinery, people, dogs and smells and they're completely overwhelmed.
So why do we persist?
We've seen (or think we have seen) a glimmer of relaxation in that chaos.

We crave fast results and visible “progress”.
We take the smallest piece of calmness and stillness as a positive.
Those glimpses of coping aren’t always comfort.

Far from it for many.

We've often misread just how comfortable they are and we think that's enough of a signal to push them far more.

It's not.

So how long do you have to do the bars, cafes and stores before they just accept new environments?
For many in just those scenarios, pushed that much, they may never accept them.
You'll be doing the same in 2 months and still doing it in 2 years.
Or, their world will quickly become much smaller because their reactions will be stronger to the point they will screech, lunge or feel they have no choice but to use their mouth.

We need to stop throwing them in the deep end when they can barely cope "paddling" around.
They need careful exposure, not just exposure.

It's the old "they can, but should they" debate.
Not much of a debate for me.

11/04/2025

Let’s Talk Expectations....

With the holidays coming, so many rescue dogs are wishing for forever homes.
Can you make that happen? We would love nothing more.

BUT FIRST, let’s have an important talk.

When you bring home a new dog, especially a rescue, there will always be a gap between what you imagined and how things actually go.

Sometimes it’s just small things you adjust to.

Other times, it’s big things that make you stop and wonder, “Is this how it’s going to be forever?”

Take a breath.
Then take a look through your dog’s eyes.

Change is hard on anyone, but even harder on a rescue dog.
And if we’re being honest, harder still on a husky.

Patience is everything.
Trust takes time.
Love takes consistency.

If you’ve adopted a dog, we’d love to hear your expectation vs reality moments. Big or small.
Your story might be exactly what another struggling adopter needs to hear today.

10/23/2025

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!

It may be really disappointing or frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many people assume dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and proper socialisation is really important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable or socially selective to varying degrees.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout a dog’s lifetime.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label or try to fix every person that has an argument; doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, dislikes some people, or just prefers not to be social as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that dogs are not comfortable with.

10/15/2025

"Your dog isn't social".
And?
Do they have to be?
Yours may be "friendly" to a wide variety of dogs but that doesn't mean all dogs should be or need to be.
It doesn't make a dog that is selective any "less".

What about dogs that prefer their people and ignore other dogs?
Should their dog be viewed differently because they choose to ignore other dogs?
They love and adore their human family and for whatever reason, they prefer it this way.
Where is the issue with that?

"He only likes his own breed".
Nothing wrong with that whatsoever.
He is most comfortable with familiar body shapes and body language in dogs that look similar to him and his littermates/family.

"She'll only approach quieter dogs".
That's what she prefers and there can be good reasons for this too.
Maybe she doesn't appreciate boisterous play or perhaps she had a negative experience with a dog whose energy/movements were more unpredictable.

"He likes the "full on" dogs".
Excitement can be contagious and your dog may be attracted to that energy.

Sociability can be fluid too!
As they age and have more experiences it can change where they sit on the very large spectrum.

All of this is natural.
Time to see it as such and stop the preoccupation that all dogs must play with all other dogs to be "social".

10/08/2025

10/04/2025

09/22/2025

Some of our recent grooming photos

09/16/2025

My very handsome buddy, Nash posing, while I was telling his mom about all his playful shenanigans today.