Path & Paw

Your journey to better canine communication! At Path & Paw we believe that animals are individuals and deserve to be understood and cared for as such.
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Because of this we strive to build relationships with each of our daycare and training clients, to create a safe and fun learning environment for you and your animals, to help you better understand and communicate with your pets, and to help you create a plan to achieve your training goals. Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie, owner and founder, is a KPA certified dog trainer, who uses modern, science-based

, cruelty-free methods. Whether you'd just like to brush up on some basics while your dog visits our daycare, or are interested in getting hands-on private sessions, we can teach you how to better read your dog's body language, motivate your dog, and create good habits that will help your dog be a better companion. Contact us today for a free consultation!

09/03/2021

In-person classes are up and running at the East Bay SPCA! We have classes available at both our Oakland and Dublin locations - see you there!

05/29/2021

Sometimes when I work with families on management and boundary setting with dogs and babies or toddlers, people start to think that I’m suggesting zero interaction. In reality, I recommend parent-guided interactions based on the comfort level of the dog. Koa is quite comfortable with brushing, and we use goodies to make it an enjoyable experience. Here’s one way my little guy has started joining me on dog care - with some parent guided brushing! I keep Koa the treats flowing while I show Wiley how to brush out her fluff, and help him use the brush appropriately. Fun for everyone!

05/22/2021

✨Big news!✨ I was recently offered my dream job of Behavior & Training Manager at the East Bay SPCA 😱 This means I’ll be relocating the whole fam bam out to the East Bay for a brand new adventure. It also means Path & Paw, in its business form, will be no more, as I’ll be putting all my professional energy into this exciting new endeavor. This Instagram account will continue on in some form or another - I really enjoy sharing dog/baby tidbits and snapshots of shelter life, as well as seeing all the amazing content shared by so many incredible behavior professionals. I may pick a new handle, as I feel like Path & Paw has run its course and I need something new to mark this new chapter. We’ll see what that may be! 📷

05/14/2021

Poochie was overjoyed to have his good pal Dougie come for a visit! Koa was just, well, Koa... 😂 Setting these three up for success for two nights of sleepovers looked like: letting Doug explore the yard a bit and get acclimated after her long car ride, bringing Mooch out on leash first to say hi - he LOVES her but can be a bit too exuberant, removing his leash when Doug was ready to play, putting him back inside once they were ready for a break, and bringing Koa out on leash, allowing some brief sniffs and then encouraging Koa to give Doug space, allowing them to casually coexist for a bit, and then back to Moochie play, using the gate dividing my living space for all mealtimes and any time when we weren’t actively supervising the dogs, blocking access to the hallway as we know Koa is sensitive about dogs approaching our bedroom, rotating who had access vs who was more contained, and lots of praise and snacks for being lovely. Having friends with realistic expectations about what a safe and comfortable visit looks like is everything! It may sound counterintuitive, but I actually find it easier to set up play dates and dog walks with other people who have dogs with some sort of behavior challenges. People who have easy going social butterfly dogs often just don’t understand the nuances that are required for dogs that are sensitive about sharing space or resources or may be reactive 🤷🏻‍♀️

Address

Sacramento, CA
95826

Telephone

+17075361288

Website

http://www.pathandpaw.com/

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Videos

Are you excited to nerd out about body language with me on Sunday? Here’s another great example of some subtle “no thank you” body language. First, notice Shadow’s ears. In the beginning of the video they’re pinned back. When I move back a bit, they come back to neutral. Then I extend my hand and the ears move back again. Now let’s look at his face/mouth. This isn’t a hot dog - the room is temperate and we had only taken a short potty walk prior to coming into the office. This is a good example of “clown face” which is a sign of stress. Notice the lip lick when I extend my hand the second time? Another subtle stress signal. He also averts his gaze right around this time, which shows that he’s uncomfortable with my proximity. Now, let’s talk about the paw life. Cute, right? Well, yeah, and he probably has some reinforcement history for this behavior, but in this context, with the rest of his body language taken into account, I’d say this is a space creating behavior. By offering a (very perfunctory) paw to my outstretched hand, he’s able to pause the forward movement of my hand and prevent further proximity. About 20 minutes after this video, this dog was climbing into my lap and soliciting all kinds of pets! But in this moment he really needed some space.