Wise Canine Training, LLC

Letting your dog sniff on walks isn’t just about giving them some time to explore—it’s essential for their well-being! Sniffing engages their brain, reduces stress, and satisfies their natural instincts. It’s like a mental workout that keeps them calm and happy. So next time you’re out for a walk, let your dog take the lead and enjoy the sniffari! Today was a “1-mile SNIFF!” 💕💕💕 #CanineEnrichment #Sniffari #HappyDogHappyLife #WiseCanineTraining #ForceFreeTraining #DogWellness #LetThemSniff #DogsNeedSniffing #DogBehavior #WalkWithYourDog

Working with a little dog who’s reactive to other dogs while on a leash can be challenging, but it’s so rewarding to see progress. 🐾 We recently started desensitization and counter-conditioning to help this pup change the way he feels about other dogs approaching.We began by keeping a lot of distance—far enough so that he could notice the other dog without feeling overwhelmed. Slowly but surely, we’ve been closing that gap, always watching for his comfort level. With patience and consistency, he’s learning that other dogs don’t have to be so scary. Every step forward is a victory, and I’m so proud of the progress he’s making! 💪🐶 #DogTraining #ReactiveDog #Desensitization #PositiveReinforcement #SmallStepsBigResults #wisecaninetraining

Loose leash walking can be done with positive reinforcement!

Taking a walk with my dog on a loose leash, using only positive reinforcement and force-free methods. No prong collars, choke chains, or e-collars here—just trust, patience, love and treats!! However, sniffing is a must! Dogs must sniff too! Training should be about building a bond, not about fear and pain. #ForceFreeTraining #PositiveReinforcement #DogsDeserveBetter

Why train down? Down is a great cue for dogs that need to learn to relax in one place for long periods of time. It is also excellent for jumpy dogs because jumping up from a down is harder than from a sit. And lying down can be helpful for big dogs by making them less intimidating when meeting children or people nervous around dogs. Floyd you are amazing!

Why train leave it? The leave-it cue is great for calling your dog away from things not intended for him, like appetizers set out on your coffee table or a baby’s toys or diaper, or things that are downright dangerous, like chicken bones left on the street or in the trash. Rylee did amazing during our session!

Is your puppy timid? Find a dog that is very confident and that is very gentle with puppies. I know the temperament of my dog, so he is a perfect match for a timid puppy. Today we got little Luna, who is 4 lbs outside, and she was so happy to be exploring with her new buddy. Eventually, I will wean her away from her anchor dog, so she can explore on her own. However, we will move at her pace! #PuppyReels #DogTraining #DogTrainingReels #BergenCountyDogTrainer #MIKIDog #Pomeranian #Socialization

I have been working with Rylee to get her desensitized to wear a harness. We finally went into the yard to see how she felt. She has not been walked a lot at all because she is overexcited when she sees people and is pulling and lunging. Before we actually walk her on the street, we need to get her comfortable walking in her yard. In addition, I will be working on desensitizing her to triggers (people walking by) at a distance. I love how she plays in the yard. She’s the thrower and the catcher! She’s so adorable! She reminds me of many Foster dogs I have worked with in the past.

Little dogs are quick. Make sure your recall is reliable!

Luna is a 9-month-old golden retriever that has spent the last 7 months jumping up on her human siblings. Sometimes, movement from children or vocalization after they do that is very reinforcing as the dog may think it’s a fun game. Therefore, the behavior continues and as the dog gets bigger it's scarier for the kids. So what we began doing was teaching boundaries for both the kids and the dog. The dog’s pen is her place to retreat and rest. No children are allowed there. In addition, the kids aren't walls to bounce off of. There are a few cues we teach when approaching the kids; she is to come over and lie down. It’s an incompatible behavior to jumping on them. Then she can get a treat, a toy or pets - if she so wishes. Changing a habit takes time, so it's important to be consistent. I’m excited to be working with this family and Luna!

We have been working with Athena’s big feelings about the car that are linked with going to the groomer. She doesn’t mind getting groomed aside from the noise of the dryers. So at the same time we are working on getting her comfortable going in and out of the car again, we are working on desensitizing her to the sound of dryers. Our first new grooming experience will be getting her comfortable with the new groomer. It must be a completely new place and new experience. Coincidentally, it’s a new car too. All good things to follow! #wisecaninetraining #cooperativecare #reels #dogtraining #behaviormodificationfordogs

Lola’s rocking day training with learning how to wait instead of pulling her owner down the stairs. It was quite dangerous for her owner so we working on teaching “wait” and slowing Lola down. She didn’t mind, she was reinforced with yummy treats when she waited. Win win!

We are working on getting Athena to enjoy the sight of her harness again. After about a year old, Athena became afraid of putting on her harness and going out, especially if it meant going in the car. We don’t know what caused it. Once we get her to enjoy her harness again, we will begin step 2, which is going outside and looking at her car. Once she’s comfortable looking at her car, we will begin step 3, which is going in the car. Once we do that, step 4 is turning on the car and so on. Working with fearful behavior in dogs cannot be rushed. We need to change the way a dog feels about something. We are changing their conditioned emotional response. It takes time, and they let us know when it’s okay to move forward.

Lovely Lola is an energetic 7-month-old Boxer/Pug mix that goes a mile a minute in the home. She has also grown to be quite large, to her owner’s surprise. She is more Boxer than Pug, apparently! It’s been quite a ride for her owner who reached out for help as she was at wits’ end. We worked on getting Lola to settle down and relax. We also worked on general house manners. One big win was her owner being able to walk her finally! This has helped increase their bond together as well. Things are looking brighter and there’s much better communication between Lola and her owner.#PositiveReinforcementDogTraining #BergenCountyDogTraining #DogTraining #Boxer #Pug #rescuedogs

It’s been such a pleasure working with Buddy and his owner. She’s the sweetest lady and sent me home with a delicious homemade scone today💕. We have been working on basic cues for the last few weeks. It’s not always comfortable for her to be standing for long periods, so we practiced teaching Buddy everything when standing and sitting down. Dogs don’t generalize well, so it’s important to teach a dog from every position - seated, standing and lying down! We practiced place, stay and go find it. It’s a little game they can play when she’s seated and Buddy can get some exercise and mental stimulation. He’s only 10 months old, so he needs it!

Walking through a pet store while trying to keep your dog focused on you isn’t easy. There are many distractions that compete with their attention. There are other dogs, people, children, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs etc. Not to mention the scents of various dog/cat foods, bones and toys are all very enticing! I have been working with Tilly to keep her focused on me as we walk through pet stores. We worked on this with low distractions until she was ready to go into a store. Why is this important? For Tilly, as a therapy dog, she must be able to walk through many distractions, yet still be focused on me. Once we finished, then I let her sniff to her heart's content as reinforcement for doing a great job. Super proud of Tilly! #positivereinforcementdogtrainer #bergencounty

Follow for more tips! Is your dog afraid of the sound of the blow dryer? Tilly was NOT afraid of the sound of the vacuum cleaner or any other sounds in the home. The first time I turned the blow dryer on she began whining, barking and lunging at the blower dryer. I was very surprised! So I began using systematic desensitization and counterconditioning to help her through it. The first step was letting her investigate it with it turned off. Then, while on a low level, I began feeding her chicken. We kept practicing at low levels until she was comfortable. Then I increased the level of the setting. Now, she’s finally comfortable with the sound of the blow dryer turned up at the highest setting. This works with vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers or anything else your dog is afraid of. It must be done at very low levels so as not to “flood” your dog with the experience. Once they are comfortable, you feed and move up incrementally. #bergencountydogtrainer #wisecaninetraining #dogtrainingtips #dogreels #desensitization #counterconditioning #rescuedogsofinstagram #dog https://wisecaninetraining.com

Therapy dog training. We have been working on “walking by my side”. Normally, Tilly walks ahead on a loose leash and it’s perfectly fine. However, in order to pass the CGC test, she needs to walk next to me. As a therapy dog, you must walk through crowds often so it makes sense. Here you can see how well she did. This was the first try and she caught on very quickly. Now, of course, I add in times of sniffing to keep the walk interesting! https://wisecaninetraining.com

Follow for more tips @wisecaninetraining It happens on a walk. A well-intentioned person walking their dog on a leash asks, “Can my dog say hi to your dog?". My answer is no. First, I noticed their dog pulling toward us. Their dog is generally whining or barking. The person is being dragged toward us as their dog pulls, which is reinforcing pulling on a leash for their dog. There’s a lengthy explanation but here are some reasons why I politely declined the offer and we go about our happy way: 1️⃣ My personal dog used to feel the need to bark and lunge at other dogs on our walks when I first adopted her. I worked very hard to make her comfortable and feel safe when on a walk. She trusts me to advocate for her as well! 2️⃣ All it takes is 1 bad encounter where a fight breaks out to ruin either dog’s future experience meeting other dogs on a leash (single event learning). 3️⃣ I don’t want to teach my dogs to meet every dog on a walk because when it’s not safe to do so, I am setting them up for future frustration when seeing other dogs. There are better ways to socialize your dog with other dogs. On a leash, face-to-face is not one of them in my book. Here’s Tilly my foster/board and train. We have been approached numerous times and asked the infamous question. I don’t know her history is number 1 and I want to set her up for future success on walks. I want her to be confident in the presence of other dogs on a leash. I want her to feel safe when she sees other dogs on a leash. I want her to go on a frustration-free walk in the future. Imagine if every time you went on a walk you had to get up close and personal with every single person, gather information and hope they were friendly and accepted this behavior? I would imagine sometimes it would go well if you were both social butterflies and sometimes it would go very badly! So, no, our dogs can't meet but have a great day! Do you get asked this question a lot? How do you

Follow for more dog training tips @wisecaninetraining This is Tilly, my foster/board and train. All I do from the moment they arrive is gather valuable information. How are they in a home environment? How are they on a leash? Do they pull? Are they barking at dogs or people on a leash? How are they when meeting people? How are they when they see other dogs? Notice, I didn’t say meet other dogs yet 😊. How are they when left alone? How are they when food and treats are given? What do they do when they hear loud noises? How are they when cars, bicycles, scooters pass by? How are they when we pass by children outside? Notice, I didn’t say meet yet 😉. How are they with stairs? The list goes on and on! Then, I begin to work on the things they need help with to prepare them for their forever home. Tilly has shown remarkable behavior with various sounds inside and outside the home. We practiced with lower level noises first. Here she is taking a snooze during our ongoing home renovations. This is very valuable information. I am extremely careful never to flood a dog with new experiences too quickly. Some dogs need a lot of time to decompress! I go at their comfort level. Once adopted, I encourage adopters to do the same, because dogs do not generalize well and you are basically starting over in a new home. Take it slow with exposing them to different people and experiences too quickly as they now need to adapt to a completely different environment. #wisecaninetraining #positivereinforcementdogtrainer #bergencountydogtrainer

My hands were full of chicken (so excuse the haze on the camera lens) trying to get a video as I was working with a client, a former client and current board and train Tilly. We worked at an open field to teach the dogs to remain neutral when seeing dogs outside on walks. They are glowing 😅. They all did so well last night! Super proud of all the hard work everyone has put in. We were able to get about 30-50 feet away from each other with the dogs being calm. My former client has done so well with the reactivity training, her dog was able to be a helper dog! Great job everyone! #dogreativity #wisecaninetraining #bergencountydogtrainer