Doggie Do-Over

08/13/2024

Congratulations to Remmy for graduating from Doggie Do-Over!
Remmy is an Australian Shepherd/Corgi mix. Her owner reached out because she is also a shop dog but she was chasing out parts guys that would come in through the back door and biting at their heels. She growled at strangers coming in through the front door and people would try to pet her over the gate and she would nip at them. There was a sign put up instructing people not to pet her and that did help.

I worked with Remmy and her owner for about 5 months 1x/week to 1x every other week. At first I tried to get her used to people coming in through the doors but after continuous effort, it was not sticking with her due to no one being able to implement the training while I wasn’t there because they are busy running their business!

The owner and I decided that muzzle training was the best solution for everyone involved. After about a month of working on getting her used to the muzzle, she let me put it on today. She kept it on for a few minutes and then I took it off. I did this several times with her, making sure to give her lots of treats for having it on.

She is comfortable with the muzzle being put on and that is a huge step for her journey! There was a couple times where I showed her the muzzle and she backed away, at this point I did not force it on her - instead I put it away, gave her a break and some love. When I presented it again, she put her nose in it. I then worked from there and was able to put it back on her after a couple of minutes.

I had her owner do the same steps while I was there and she let him put it on too.

I am so proud of Remmy for getting to this point. I am proud of myself for helping a dog get comfortable with a muzzle. She is the first dog that I have had the opportunity to work with on this.
I am proud of her owner for his patience, understanding and willingness to work with Remmy and do what’s best for her.

Go Remmy! Thank you for accepting me into your friend group and trusting me through our training journey. ♥️

08/07/2024

Congratulations to Blue on graduating!
Blue is a Black Lab/Airedale Terrier mix. His owners reached out needing help teaching him to be calm as people passed the house and not jumping on the door when someone knocks.

After a few weeks, Blue has made some massive improvements with the training and is learning quickly. His owners have done a good job keeping up on his training as well.

Blue has shown an eagerness to learn and really enjoys his training sessions! Now his owners just have to continue reinforcing the training we implemented and Blue will continue to shine and learn that he doesn’t have to bark at everyone.
Go Blue!

07/08/2024

Here are some graduates from a couple months ago! Comet & Yeti (left) and Violet (right)

Both dogs and families were pleasures to work with. Violet now has an excellent recall off leash and gets to play at the beach with other doggie friends!
Comet & Yeti bark less at the neighbors fence and have a better recall!

06/26/2024

Everyone please be on the lookout for Dash. He is a very good and calm boy. His owners love him very much!!

04/27/2024

Come see me at the Port Angeles Petsense adopt-a-thon event today from 12-2!
Oh and bring your dogs!

04/03/2024

Congratulations to Goose for graduating from Doggie Do-Over!

Goose is a doodle puppy and he needed help learning some basic manners like not biting the leash when walking and being calm when he saw another dog.

He is so smart and learned very fast! He was such a joy to work with and his owners did great foundation work with him to make our training journey a breeze.

Isn’t he just the cutest!? ♥️😍

03/22/2024

I am happy to share that I am furthering my education and have started a new course regarding reactivity! The course is taught by SpiritDog Training online and is positive reinforcement and science based!

I am excited to learn more regarding reactivity and help dogs become more comfortable around their triggers and teach their owners how to manage their reactivity as well.

Time to hit the books!

03/16/2024

**ALL ITEMS HAVE BEEN TAKEN

FREE!
I have a client who is moving and asked me to give these away for her! I have 2 - 8ft ramps, 2 medium sized (30-40lb dog) wire crates with no bottoms, 1 medium plastic crate (35-45lb dog), a medium soft crate (20-30lb dog) and a 2 step staircase.

I would love to give these away to anyone who needs them! Please message me if you are interested or know someone that would be!

02/28/2024

Congratulations to Saturn & Venus (white puppers) & Michiko (black pupper) on graduating from Doggie Do-Over!

These pups are located in Sekiu, WA.
The owner of Saturn/Venus reached out to me explaining she needed some help with her dogs. She mentioned her neighbor was interested in some training as well so it was the perfect opportunity of “killing 2 birds with one stone”

Venus was resource guarding food & the owner. Saturn was a leash puller, jumper & didn’t come when called. They both have some separation anxiety from each other and are protective of their Mom when they are at the beach.

Michiko was a leash puller, dog reactive, bolts the door and jumps on people.

We did 3 visits with 3 weeks in between sessions and our last session was 8 weeks from the 3rd session. 4 visits in total and by the 4th visit all three dogs are much better behaved.

Venus and Saturn are fed separately which helps eliminate potential resource guarding and Venus has learned to share her Mom better with her sister.
Saturn is walking better on leash but still needs reminders not to pull, she is not jumping on people nearly as much as she used to and her recall is getting better but she still likes to pretend she can’t hear us from time to time.

Saturn and Venus are in the process of muzzle training - they are comfortable wearing their muzzles and their Mom is starting to take them for walks with them on. This is so she can take them to the beach to play off leash and not have to worry about them being overly protective towards somebody.

Michiko is the queen of knowing what gets her a treat and what doesn’t. She has mastered the skill of ignoring other dogs and she will even walk next to her owner off leash! If she starts to go ahead, she will come back when you call.
She has gotten much better at waiting for people to come in before she goes rushing up to them, she isn’t jumping as much but still is learning to hold her stay while guests enter.

I am so proud of both owners sticking to the training with their dogs and learning how to effectively communicate with them. They were all so well behaved when I last saw them and I am certain the owners will continue to do great things.

02/06/2024

Congratulations to Miss. Myla for graduating from Doggie Do-Over! When we started she was having a little trouble learning some basics like stay, walking nicely on leash etc.. she was also slightly reactive to dogs - more in a playful way but she has a big bark!

After a few weeks of training and the owners dedication to her she is now much more better behaved. She has her basics down and she is more focused on her owner during their walks. She is less reactive to dogs now but there is still the occasional dog that seems to get her going.

Her owner now has all the tools to continue working on lessening her reactivity on walks. She has a few doggie friends and is becoming better each day.

Thank you to her owner for his dedication to training a working breed and for the patience required to work on her reactivity!

01/01/2024

2023 has been a great year. I have helped 60 families learn how to communicate with their dogs by giving clear cues and integrating play time during training to help strengthen relationships.

I got to work with about 60-70 dogs (some households had multiple dogs) and there is no better feeling than helping a dog become better behaved.

We had 22 graduates (some are not pictured), a few “one-timers”, a few that decided to not continue training with me and many that are still currently in training and looking to land a spot in the 2024 graduates!

I learned a lot from my first year in business and I can honestly say that I am proud of myself and my work. I appreciate all of the people and dogs I got to work with! I truly try to be the best trainer I can be and it wouldn’t be possible without the owners cooperation and dedication to their animals.

Special shoutout to Jerod, my boyfriend for being apart of training sessions when I need him!

Thank you for all being apart of my training journey in 2023 and here’s to an exciting 2024!

12/31/2023

Meet Rocky! Rocky is a Jack Russel terrier mix. He is working on being comfortable with people on his property and in his house.
Rocky has bitten people before on the ankle when they have entered the yard. He also developed a habit of going after one of the son’s shoe soles due to him pacing back and forth around the house.

We have been training Rocky to get more comfortable with quicker movements and new people in the house/yard.

One of the first things I taught Rocky was when I approach him/walk around, he goes into a sit or lay down. He picked up on it very quickly and now whenever I get up or walk around the house he goes into a sit.

Rocky’s bite incidents started some time after the other dog in the house passed and on a day where his family was packing up suitcases to go on a trip. We think between those 2 scenarios and him being a guarding/herding breed are big factors to his biting.

We introduced brain games to Rocky and he absolutely lives for them! I saw a big change in his anxiety level when he would spend a couple minutes figuring out how to unknot a towel to get the treats inside.

There is still work to do with Rocky but he is already doing much better than when we first started our journey.

Thank you to the owners for their patience and undying effort to help Rocky learn that there is a better way!

*I do not own the rights to this music*

12/31/2023

Congratulations to Sophie on graduating from Doggie Do-Over.
Sophie is a Vizsla/Weimaraner mix and needed help on walking by people/dogs calmly and not barking as much when strangers approached the house.
After our first session, Sophie was making huge progress with the door knocking - she learned fairly quickly that a knock on the door meant go sit on the couch.

Sophie’s biggest issue was confrontation with other dogs. She is used to being walked off leash with her sister and they both have amazing recall. However, Sophie was a little temperamental with certain dogs - never seriously aggressive, just trying to be dominant.

We started meeting at busy trails and walking her on leash and rewarding calm behavior as she passed them. She was definitely more reactive to dogs that reacted to her first. After a few weeks, I brought my husky along. There were moments when she was okay with him and others where she did her snapping.
At some point during our weeks of training I suggested getting her some pet CBD oil from NūVita to help her become less anxious and a bit more calm.

On our 2nd walk together, we let her off leash and she went into full play mode with Vettel - she had major zoomies and didn’t snap at him once. Between the positive reinforcement training and having her on some CBD oil during high stress situations it seemed to be the formula that worked!
She can now walk by people calmly (unless they look or act suspicious) and she’s even a lot better meeting dogs off leash. She doesn’t even need the CBD every time on her walks now!

Thank you to her owner for their dedication, open mindedness and patience with Sophie and my training methods!

12/27/2023

Meet Annie! Annie is a lab/dachshund mix (we think). She is about 4 months old. Annie has come and gone through Doggie Do-Over training and passed with flying colors.

Her owners reached out for help with learning basic puppy manners and in general, how to train a puppy since this is their first puppy in a while. They wanted to be up to date with the latest positive training methods!

Annie learned how to sit, stay, lay down, walk nicely on leash, touch a hand target with her nose and come to her owners when distracted!

Her recall was amazing. I would throw the ball, as she started to run to it her owner would call her. Without hesitation or a second thought, Annie immediately turned and went to her owner. She was pretty amazing at it and impressed us all.

Her down took a bit more time. We shaped her down, meaning we did not ask her to “lay down” because she didn’t know what it meant. Instead we stared at the ground and said nothing. At first, we rewarded all of her downward movements (looking down, nose to the ground, paws moving forward etc) - after she was doing those behaviors consistently we waited a little longer until we rewarded her to see if she would try something else for the treat.
SHE DID!
Her next “guess” was laying down and we made a big deal out of it. She was so so happy when she got it and after we made a party for her after the first time, she started doing it a lot more quickly following that.

I am so proud of Annie and her owners for sticking to our training plan and helping to turn her into a well mannered pup!

**I do not own the rights to this music**

12/13/2023

**Effective January 1, 2024**

We will be slightly increasing our prices for NEW CLIENTS ONLY. It will not affect current clients that have started training as late as Dec 31, 2023. This price increase is to help cover business related costs.

Furthermore, a cancellation policy will be going into effect, that will affect ALL CLIENTS.

If you cancel your training session within 48 hours of the scheduled date and do not reschedule within a week of the day you cancelled, you will be charged a $35 cancellation fee. If you reschedule and then subsequently cancel the rescheduled appointment, the fee will apply as normal regardless of any further rescheduling.

Thank you so much for all of your patience and support.

10/31/2023

Congratulations to Luna and Ed or as I like to call him “Big Head Ed” on graduating from Doggie Do-Over!
When we began, Ed needed help with some basic puppy manners and being calmer on leash when around other dogs and Luna was pretty dog reactive but her owners felt since she was older she may not be able to break her habits.

Luna also has only one eye. I had a feeling that her reactivity could be happening because of dogs “popping” up on her side where she can’t see them and she’s reacting out of being surprised.

We quickly learned that Luna responded SO well to verbal praise when practicing her dog reactivity. She does take treats but she is so much happier when she is told how good she is! She would wag her tail and have the biggest smile on her face when going back to her owner after being calm around my dog, Vettel.

Eddie took a little longer to teach to be calm and he is still super strong and loves other dogs but his basics have vastly improved and he does listen better now.

We learned that Luna and Ed do better passing other dogs when they are separate from eachother as Ed’s excitement feeds Luna’s reactivity and vice versa.

I am immensely proud of their owners for sticking to the training plans and working hard to help both of their dogs be successful.

Unfortunately my Big Head Ed has suffered an ACL injury and has to get surgery. He actually walks completely normal but when he had some x-rays done it definitely showed an ACL tear so wish him a fast and speedy recovery!

10/19/2023

Congratulations to Bubba on graduating from Doggie Do-Over!
When we first started Bubba had a pretty intense fear of new people and dogs. As a result he would bark, lunge and pull towards people and dogs when he saw them. He also didn’t have a very strong recall.

His owner has been so dedicated to his training plan and works with him almost everyday. As a result, we have helped Bubba learn to walk by dogs and people calmly. He has learned that his Mom is his safe space and she will do everything she can to help him be successful in high stress situations.

Bubba also now has a much better recall and will look at his handler when called around dogs and people. He still sometimes reacts to a dog if that dog starts barking aggressively first. To manage this, we create space and get him away from that dog to lower his stress and reward his positive behavior.

Bubba and his owner now have all the resources to continue being successful. He has a small group of friends and dog friends that he trusts, he is even getting along better with the cat in the house!
I now take him for training walks occasionally when his owner is stuck at work late. We continue to work on creating positive associations with people and dogs on our walks.

He has come such a long way and I am so proud of him and his owner!!

09/25/2023

Happy Retirement Rowdy!
My 14 year old Golden Rowdy has officially retired from his hard work with Doggie Do-Over. It is getting hard for him to walk around for long periods of time nowadays and it is not fair to put him through dog reactivity sessions. He has served us well and was the best helper.
Now Rowdy can enjoy getting pets and scratches all day and taking some snoozes, dreaming of running around in fields of flowers!

Wish Rowdy a happy retirement! 🧡🧡

09/22/2023

Congratulations to Nemo on graduating from Doggie Do-Over!
Nemo’s owner reached out to me because Nemo was stranger reactive, he would bark as soon as somebody entered the shop and he wouldn’t stop.
Nemo is super smart and has a great foundation of training, it was a great start to help lessen this reactive behavior.
After a couple sessions, his Mom reported that his barking had lessened dramatically. He would do a low grumble and sometimes bark once or twice but then he would stop.

We taught him the cue “quiet” and we would practice with me coming in, his Mom telling him “quiet” and then rewarding him as soon as he stopped barking. He caught on fast.
Over the last couple of weeks I had friends come in as strangers and I would change my outfit to appear like a new person to Nemo and it helped him a lot.

Nemo now will only grumble or bark once or twice but quiets down significantly faster then when we first started. I have his Mom working on his observant behavior. Basically, when Nemo looks away and observes his surroundings, he gets a treat. This will help him become a little more independent/confident and not be taken by surprise when a stranger pops up.

Thank you to his owner for all of her hard work and dedication to Nemo. He couldn’t have gotten this far without you.

09/14/2023

Meet Buddy!
He is a 2 year old Blue Heeler/Catahoula mix.
Buddy’s owner reached out needing help with training him to not react to people walking by the fence, stop getting in the trash and to be calmer when people approach the car.

Buddy is super smart and is already showing improvements after a couple sessions. His car reactivity is going to take the longest but he was already getting better by the end of our 2nd session.

I love to see the improvements we can make through training and I love working with people who are equally excited about seeing how training can improve their dogs behavior. Thank you to Buddy’s owner for always asking questions and willing to learn!

*I do not own the rights to this music*

09/12/2023

Don’t have time to walk your dog? Or maybe your dog is too rambunctious on leash and you can’t ever enjoy your walk.
No problem.

We are now offering training walks. A training walk with me will cover everything from training loose leash to helping dogs learn how to behave on their walks.

This is beneficial to you if you have a busy work schedule, don’t like to walk in the rain or cold, or if you don’t want to worry about training while you walk with your friends.
Message me today about rates and to schedule an appointment! 🐾

08/25/2023

Meet Luna & Eddie!
Luna is a black pittie with 1 eye! She used to play with random dogs at parks but now is a little dog reactive. We think it has to do with her losing her one eye and seeing dogs pop up on that side catch her by surprise! She is excelling at staying below threshold when she sees Vettel and is so proud of herself when she’s told she’s a good girl, just watch that happy tail!

Eddie is a gray and white pittie who is super strong! He loves to play with other dogs and doesn’t know how to greet them calmly on leash, he just wants to pull towards them. He is so goofy and just wants to meet every dog he sees but not every dog wants to be met so we are working on it with him!

Thank you to the owners for being dedicated to their training and following instruction very well!

**I do not own the rights to this music

08/25/2023

I started a blog to provide some insight to the dog training world! The highs and lows, the success stories and not so success stories; and everything in between. Feel free to subscribe if you are interested in following along!

https://open.substack.com/pub/thetrainersjournal/p/the-dog-training-world?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

08/13/2023

Meet our staff member, Incra!
Incra is an approximately 5 year old dachshund/beagle mix. I rescued her in 2020 from California, she was hit by a car down there and couldn’t use her front left leg, she was set to be euthanized for space until our local shelter transported her up here.
I immediately fell in love when I saw her. I took her to receive acupuncture and after about 5-6 sessions, she was able use her leg like normal!

Incra is used for my dog clients that need to be corrected. She has only been apart of 2 sessions as I do not use her often. She has a little reactivity herself, she wants to be the boss and tries to put other dogs in their place - it is something I am working on with her.

Incra loves her brothers Rowdy and Vettel, playing and cuddling with them daily! She is a little ham!! She has other dog friends as well, it just takes her some time to get used to new dogs.

Fun fact: Incra was my training partner during my certified training course through KPA. She was the best training partner and was my other half on helping me graduate to become a trainer! Hats off to this girl!

08/10/2023

Meet Bubba!
He is a young boxer mix and is learning to remain calm around strangers and other dogs.
He has made quite a bit of progress in the last few weeks and is way more comfortable around strangers except for the occasional tall male that starts to approach him.
He is getting better with other dogs but gets set off if they start barking at him so there is more work to do in that area. However, he does have a couple dogs in his inner circle that he is comfortable around!

Bubba is improving quickly and it’s all due to his owners commitment to him. He is a sweet and quirky boy who loves to camp, chase birds and snuggle.

Thank you to his owner for continuing to work with him and being patient throughout the process!

*I do not own the rights to this music*

07/22/2023

Meet Nala!
Nala is working on walking nicely on leash, not jumping on people and being calmer at the sight of other dogs on leash.

She has made great progress in just 2 sessions working together! She is very smart and super food motivated. Her owner is very dedicated to training her and is eager to learn all the skills necessary.

Nala gets very excited when she sees another dog and we are teaching her to be calmer before greeting which is going well.

Nala is doing so well and I believe she will be where she needs to be in a short amount of time. Thank you to her owner for being dedicated and willing to learn new skills!

**I do not own the rights to this music**

07/17/2023

Meet Bentley! He is a beautiful party poodle who is about 2 years old. We are working on his leash manners, being calm when walking by people/other dogs and greeting dogs calmly on leash.

He has made a lot of progress over the last few weeks but we still want to see him being a little more calm around other dogs, we will keep practicing to get there!

It was unfortunate that we encountered an off leash dog but those scenarios are going to happen so teaching Bentley to behave around that is also important. He actually did pretty well around that dog, he was just super excited.

Bentley is a smart and sensitive dog. He loves to be loved and is very proud of himself when he does the right behavior.

Thank you to the owners for being dedicated to his training and helping him become the best boy he can possibly be!



*I do not own the rights to this music*

07/15/2023

I am proud to share that I have completed the Aggression in Dogs course presented by Michael Shikashio. I look forward to utilizing the new resources and skills I now have access to, to be able to better help my clients who struggle with their reactive and/or aggressive dog(s)!
This course was full of information and I am so happy that I invested in it!

Aggression in Dogs Master Course

07/12/2023

With the owners permission, I am sad to share that we have lost Buster to a Cougar in late June.
Buster was such a sweet and loving boy. He absolutely loved to train and learned all sorts of new tricks in his time with Doggie Do-Over.
His favorite was waving. He loved to wave to anyone who would give him attention.

Buster lived an enriching life and was the best friend anyone could ask for. We miss you very much Buster and I hope you are up in doggy heaven living the best life and waving to your Daddy from above. ❤️
RIP 👼🤍🐶

07/11/2023

Congratulations to Rowan on graduating from Doggie Do-Over! When we started his goals were to learn basic puppy manners, coexist with the cat, Kolie and not rush the car as they drove in.

He is such a smart puppy and has learned to respect Kolie. He will try to play with her but if she hisses at him, he backs off. He has also learned to stay on the grass and off the gravel when his parents drive in. He still needs someone standing there to remind him to stay but it is much better than before when he would just run right up to the car!
He has mastered his sit, down, stay, crate, bed etc.. our biggest challenge has been him trying to jump up at the table while the kids are eating. We came up with a way to manage that behavior by putting up a baby gate to block him from the table and reward him when he goes and lies in his bed.

Rowan has improved so much over our 6 sessions and the owners now have the resources to continue refining his training.
Good luck on your training journey! I better not see you Rowan when you grow up, although I wouldn’t mind 😉