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A Better Dog

Offering specialized dog training that works around your schedule. Our focus is to give you the tools to improve your relationship with your dog.
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ABD seeks to improve relationships between dogs and their owners through focused, attentive training sessions to address a variety of issues including pulling, lunging, jumping up, resource guarding and aggression.

11/19/2025

When training sooner than later pays off…

This 5 month old was found as a stray in Florida. With that cute face you can see why her family went all that way to get her.

The family recognized with in the FIRST WEEK that they might want some professional help. Little Ms. Harvey decided that biting and nipping was her preferred method of communication. For a family expecting their first child, this was a concerning development.

We started our session focused on using food to increase engagement. Harvey showed a great desire to learn and follow instructions. But we also got to see the other side of Harvey when she grabbed a mouthful of my new pants 🦈🦈. That behavior was met with an immediate correction which ended the behavior. Harvey made no future attempt to repeat this behavior during the rest of our session.

We also spent time on leash introducing Harvey to the structured walk. Once again she rose to the occasion showing the family what was possible with this young puppy.

I made sure to emphasize a few points with the family to keep Harvey on the right path…
Continue to make use of the crate
Limit furniture privileges

With the pending arrival of a child, both of these things will help Harvey to make better choices around the baby and reduce the stress for the parents in day to day interactions.

The following is a text message from the client a couple days after training…

“We have had a great couple of days with her, amazing what a difference some of those slight changes have made. We know the progress won’t be linear but we are leaps and bounds from how I was feeling end of last week. THANK YOU!!”

Remember the sooner you reach out for training the sooner (& easier) things can change for the better.

10/31/2025

Halloween can be a scary time for your dog so here are some suggestions for your consideration…

Whether you take your dog out on the town or you stay in and pass out candy, taking your dog for a structured walk immediately beforehand can help to drain some mental energy ahead of time.

Before heading out with the kidOs evaluate if dog is confident/stable enough to be exposed to kids in costume coming and going in all directions while they scream & yell for their friends or siblings to keep up.

If your dog is going to help you pass out candy remember, each time you open the door could be more stressful than the last depending on a variety of factors. Consider keeping your dog on a leash for an added bit of security.

Additionally, if your dog is very young or very new to you remember they may not be confident enough in their relationship with you to properly respond to these new stressors.

This evening is like no other. If your dog has not experienced Halloween you have no baseline to gauge their possible responses so plan accordingly and have fun!

10/29/2025

Arnold is a 5 year old Frenchie with some bad habits. For starters he is reactive to any animals on leash and he started to nip at people.

When I arrived Arnold was on leash in his driveway. He intruduced himself with several lunging attempts to bite me which was not a good first impression. We got Arnold on a structured walk straightaway and after a couple of corrections for reactive behavior there was a mental shift in the dog. Holding him accountable was a game changer. The next two squirrels we passed garnered barely a glance from Arnold.

The client also had a special request. Stop the dog from chasing after the vacuum!

We started with Arnold on slip lead away from the vacuum. Then had him near the vacuum. And finally, calmly sitting off leash on a mat watching the vacuum
pass by. This only took 5 minutes but more importantly it showed the client that he could help Arnold make positive changes rather quickly.

10/15/2025

That’s never happened before…..

We recently had a second visit with Ranger. One of the issues we were there to address, was the dogs’ skittish responses to many things.

We addressed scary Amazon packages and items falling on the floor before heading outside to tackle those nerve racking trash cans. We were wrapping up outside when a hot air balloon appeared overhead. It was so low that the pilot told us himself he was trying to land in the street (right next to us). The winds changed and the balloon landed a few houses away. During all this the blower for the balloon was repeatedly in use which scared the 💩out of Ranger so we went inside.

We finished with some Place training to keep his brain busy and focused on something positive

After a session focused on challenging the dog to overcome his fears you can see the result in the picture of Ranger. One happy boy!!

10/08/2025

Using stress can be a game changer…

I first met (5 month old) Josie’s parents while out training with another Bernadoodle. They wanted to know if there was hope for their rescue dog. They had not been able to pet the dog in the 5 weeks they’d had her. Josie would take treats but would immediately move away. And if mom or dad got up from their recliner Josie would immediately leave the living room.

We used a leash and gates to limit her ability to flee during our session. We then spent several minutes using the yes/no of leash pressure to move Josie around the space. The breakthrough came the very next morning when Josie allowed dad to sit next to her and pet her for several minutes.

For the next session, we used the same recipe to begin on leash walking in the backyard. The family lives on E. Main and the noise from the cars was scaring the dog making walking impossible so we started out small.

The following are some partial text messages from the client over the next few weeks….

“Guess who walked a block and a half down the street and back!”

“Hey Phil. Josie is doing really well with walking on the leash. We go every night! I’ll send a video of how excited she gets…”

Appropriate stress is a valuable tool in training dogs like Josie. These fight or flight dogs do not need to live like that day in and day out. Professional help is a must if you want to move these dogs forward to a better life. This video speaks for itself!

10/05/2025

We are partnering with Portage Soccer Club for their 40th anniversary party with an auction basket for your furry friends! This basket includes:

-1 in home dog training session with us
-$120 gift card to Pet Supplies Plus
-Training treats
- Treat pouch
- Slip lead
-Toy
-Lint roller
- P**p bags
- Halloween cookie for the dog
- Food storage container
🐶Total basket value: $370
Disclaimer: Emma not included!!!
Join Portage Soccer Club at their 40th anniversary party from 5:30-7 at Portage Soccer Complex to bid on this basket and raise money for the club!!

09/30/2025

Do not be fooled by this cute face! 5 month old Maggie has been a handful for her “first time dog owner” parent. As a new puppy she guarded her food (and pretty much anything else); was reactive to people and other animals and tried to turn her mom into a pin cushion. Many of us know how deflating that can be.

So our journey to a “new attitude” started the moment I showed up. I had mom put Maggie on slip lead for my arrival. The slip lead leaves the dog with less choices, both physically and mentally which meant a calmer all around first encounter and great start to our relationship.

We ditched the retractable lead and set the dog up for a structured walk making mom the primary focus for the dog instead of the environment.

We also worked on recall and Place training where the dog learned that good choices lead to good outcomes.

We discussed crating the dog a bit more and keeping the her in the same room as the owner… no more wandering for Maggie.

We ended our session showing mom how to use the dogs’ food to assist with getting equipment on/off and condition the dog to be receptive to body handling & grooming.

Number of times guarding took place..zero
Number of people nipped or bit… zero
Number of dogs mentally tired.. ONE

09/29/2025

Daisy was struggling with car rides. She would stand on the center console and pant as soon as the car started to move.

During our session we first went for a walk to drain some mental energy. Next, we looked at different strategies to help the dog calm down. Crating was not an option so we settled on using a harness and seatbelt tether. We then hopped in the car
for a little test drive. With a few small changes Daisy’s behavior was noticeably better.

Fast forward to last week when we got this update from the owner….

“Phil I hope you and your family are well. I just wanted to thank you again for the support with Daisy. Car rides are so much better for her!”

If you have a dog struggling like Daisy was do not be affraid to seek professional assistance. The road to better behavior is shorter than you think.

09/26/2025

We were recently contacted again by Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan to help a local foster family with some training issues for 5+ year old Daisy.

Daisy was now in (at least) her fourth home. She is reactive on walks to the extent that her mom got pulled off her feet. She has also taken to fence fighting with the neighbor dog. Obviously these are huge obstacles to a forever home.

We started with a structured walk. It wasn’t perfect by any means but the dogs’ reactivity was less intense and she was quick to recover when she did have an issue.

We also worked on recalling the dog using treats which went very well.

From what we know Daisy has missed living with structure and guidance. That is set to change for the better. As with any dog, behavioral improvements are dependent on consistency with rules, engagement and leadership. Luckily for Daisy her foster family is well equipped for the job.
Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan

09/19/2025

We just had a session with 14 month old Hendrix who’s had a tough go of things lately.

Less than 2 months ago an injury led to her having a back leg amputated. Just a couple of weeks back the eldest dog in the home passed away.

Hendrix’s happy nature was on full display when I arrived but there was a part of her that was slightly unsure. Mom was getting her arm pulled out on walks so that was job #1. We worked to increase engagement and maximize on-leash communication. The result was a dog who spent more time focusing on her mom and less time focusing on everything else.

Next, we worked on recall to exercise the dog mentally…the girl loves her treats!

We also introduced Hendrix to “Place” where the dog learned the value of doing nothing. Hendrix was quick to pick up on this as well. For the first time since I arrived the dog was calm and quiet, even falling asleep on the cot.

Dogs are incredibly resilient and Hendrix is a great example of this!

09/10/2025

Here is a jump start for your morning… volume up!!!

ABD started from my time as a K9 handler (with an all black GSD like this one). This video highlights the tremendous amount of time and commitment necessary to get the most out of a K9 partner. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CJSVwcWRZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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Centre Avenue
Portage, MI

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