High Hopes Dog Training

10/29/2025

Thank you, Hannah, for posting this 5-star Google review for High Hopes!

"Hope has been such a wonderful resource for 10+ years with all of my dogs. Most recently, she helped me with my new deaf dog, Junie. It was so nice to have a trainer who is so knowledgeable about special needs dogs. If you need help with your deaf or stubborn dog, High Hopes Dog Training is the best!"

Hannah, Junie, Mooshi, and I did a 90-minute Zoom lesson. Look at how much we covered:
1. SIT--
Do the sign for "sit".
Then thumbs up and sign "good girl".
Then reward Junie and walk BY her with sign for "all done".
Do this 5-10 times in a row.
2. LOOK--
Hold treat in your fist with your finger pointed.
Start by Junie's nose, then point to your eye.
Alternate doing the point, thumbs up, point, thumbs up, etc.
Then drop hand to reward her.
Do 5-10 in a row.
Practice this A LOT. Junie needs to be looking at you in order for you to communicate with her, so LOOK is a very important sign to reinforce.
3. TOUCH--
Hold a treat under your thumb with your hand out to the side.
When Junie nudges your hand, do a thumbs up, and give her the treat.
Switch hands. Do 5-10 in a row.
4. FEELING SAFE IN THE BACKYARD--
Pair being in the yard and on the deck with something special and wonderful for Junie. For example, do training on the deck and in the backyard; give her special frozen, stuffed toys or chews like collagen sticks, bully sticks, split antlers, Himalayan yak chews. The stuffing in the lick mat and rubber toys should vary. For example, oatmeal, canned food, pumpkin, peanut butter, yogurt, cheese whiz, cream cheese, baby food. Also let her play Smell & Search—you toss pieces of cheese or treats in the grass, and she has to smell and search for them.
5. WHEN HOME ALONE--
Things to try for separation anxiety: Use a DAP plug-in, pull the couch away from the half wall, add a speaker on the floor with bass vibrations, spray Chill Out or a similar calming spray, try Calming Bites by Zesty Paws, try a CBD product for dogs, give her safe, yummy things to keep her mouth busy.
You need to be CALM when you leave and when you come home. Do not add to the emotional component of Junie being left or a big reunion when you come home. I do the sign for "I'll be back" and "I love you" every time I leave Mooshi, and I then give him his lick mat with canned food smeared on it.
6. MISC.--
Get a treat pouch or f***y pack for training sessions.
Make a list of the signs Junie knows and keep it on the fridge.
Check out www.deafdogsrock.com for great articles and info.
Thumbs up means you just did the behavior I asked for. A treat should always follow the thumbs up. Add the sign for "good girl" before or after you give her the treat.
Sign the behavior AS IT HAPPENS so she pairs the sign with what she is doing at the exact moment.
7. SIGNS TO GRADUALLY ADD--
I love you
Potty
I'll be back
Gentle vs Calm Down/Easy
No
Outside
Inside
Friend

10/06/2025

09/28/2025

When I first started working with Maverick, a 3-year-old rescued Weimaraner, he was reactive to other dogs while on leash. He pulled, vocalized, stared, and lunged. I taught Maverick's mom how to work with him and how to interpret his body language at those moments. By taking the time to understand Maverick's emotions, we learned that he does not know how to interact with other dogs, therefore, he feels uncertain and nervous around them. He definitely prefers a human's company over a dog's! Maverick's mom will continue to properly expose him to other dogs without any pressure, so that he has time to feel safe and get to know a potential dog friend on his terms.

Thank you to Maverick's mom for posting this review about her High Hopes experience:

"Great experience working with Hope. Her love for dogs comes through. She took a gentle approach to allow time to understand my rescue dog's temperament and provide tools for me to continue working with him. I can't recommend her enough!"

09/27/2025

Hi. My name is Peppermint. I'm a 13-week-old mini Goldendoodle.
My parents and I are learning a lot from our lessons with Ms Hope. I am learning sit, touch, down, and bell-ringing. My parents are learning how to manage me in the car and on walks, how to help me feel safe and secure when I'm left alone, and how to deal with play-biting. There's so much to learn!

09/27/2025

Just a few more hours to take advantage of this great deal!

09/20/2025

Thank you to Jon for leaving this 5-star Google review:

"Strongly recommend! Hope did a great job with our dog, Bodhi. He was a stray and had some past trauma and was pretty reactive to other dogs which was stressful for everyone. Hope patiently worked with us to develop techniques and strategies so Bo would remain calm when we encountered other dogs while out walking. Huge success! Encountering another dog is now much (much) less stressful for Bodhi and me!"

09/17/2025

Check out these reduced prices for our awesome, easy-to-follow, very educational online dog training courses!