Quick Brown Dogs

02/01/2023

Quick Brown Dogs is currently taking a hiatus as of February 1st, 2023

09/22/2022

Mmm, fresh baked farm bread from Benny's Bakery. Sorry its not dog related, just delicious.

09/19/2022

When training dogs who are reactive, I always try to prioritize the dog having freedom and choice over getting closer to a trigger.

During this walk with Arlo, if I wanted, I could have walked past those dogs much closer if I was really monitoring his every move, or telling him constantly to leave it. However, this leads to a dog who can really only deal with their triggers when their human is really focused on their every move.

While I give a lot of praise and reward for the choices Arlo made, I don't try to give him a lot of cues to follow - instead letting him deal with that stress in his way, but at the distance where he can handle it.

03/13/2022

This is such a fantastic video! Kikopup (aka, Emily Larlham) has some amazing resources. Honestly, I would say that 80% of the training I do is what's shown in this video which is basically desensitization and counter conditioning to various "triggers".

The key to good and long lasting training is figuring out how to break down the steps into manageable chunks that the dog can succeed at, and to figure out the dog's body language when they're having problems, but before they react explosively.

This video is footage of a private dog training lesson with a wonderful rescue dog named Mowgli. Mowgli can become excited by the sound and sight of a skate...

02/02/2022

This is a fun way to let your dogs dig, and it's great mental simulation. Plus, it's a great snowy day activity!

When first trying this out, start easy with maybe just one blanket in a shallow box, then as your dog gains experience and confidence, you can add more stuff to it. And yes, this even is fun for larger dogs, although you likely won't get the butt-in-air pose!

11/02/2021

To sign up, follow this link: https://www.quickbrowndogs.com/classes-nov2021

I'm offering classes again in Milan at Your Pets Desire, starting Nov. 9th (in a week!). Reducing Rewards is for dogs that already know things like sit, stay, come, but maybe only do them when you've got a treat in your hand, or when they know they'll get to play with a toy.

Manners 101 is a fantastic introduction to learning to communicate with your dog while also learning the basics like sit, stay, come.
Let me know what questions you have!

09/25/2021

While I'm preparing for my upcoming class I wonder what kind of class would you get excited about? More than just training fundamentals, what problems need addressing between you and your dog?

Shameless plug:

I’m excited to announce that I am partnering with Your Pets Desire, a fantastic pet store in Milan, MI. I will be offering both a puppy and basic obedience class. Each class runs for 4 weeks, giving you a fantastic overview of training. Additionally, each class can be taken multiple times, and I w...

09/24/2021

If you're not sure if play is good between dogs, the key is to look if there's give and take between the two. Even though Laika in this video was rude, Laika slightly diffused play by running away, and then Merlin still wanted to play and showed that by running after her.

Note that this intensity of play wouldn't be appropriate in a public setting like a dog park! If Laika and Merlin were in an area with other dogs, I would have stepped in far before this and redirected them to do something else, like sniffing something, or following me.

09/22/2021

Happy Equinox! I absolutely love fall, and Laika, Merlin and I are looking forward to when the leaves will be changing, and when it's no longer too warm to cuddle up on the couch.

09/21/2021

Happy birthday to the best girl, Laika!

Laika is the original Quick Brown Dog - the reason why I am a dog trainer. Many professional trainers had a personal dog who was just... hard. Learning to train that dog is what made them get into the profession. Laika is that dog for me.

You might not believe it now, but when I first got her, she had separation anxiety, fairly severe resource guarding, was eating walls, was so energetic she wouldn't settle even after hours of exercise, literally screamed every single time she saw critters, and she outsmarted me every step of the way.

Through her I really had to learn about enrichment, mental simulation, dealing with "stubbornness", enrichment training, assessing needs, teaching a settle, reading minute body language, and just so much more.

She was not an easy dog, but she is amazing. She's now my decoy dog I use for dog reactivity cases, my demo in so many videos, a fantastic dog sports partner, and just an amazing pet and friend.

So if I ever help you and your dog, just know Laika is the one who sent me.

09/21/2021

Sign up at https://www.quickbrowndogs.com/classes

I’m really excited to be offering Manners 101 at Your Pets Desire in Milan, MI starting October 5th! In this 4 week class, we’ll be going over the basics like sit, stay, loose leash walking, but also what to do when your dog is misbehaving, how to prevent behavior issues, and how to get your dog to listen, even if there are distractions!

Class is at 6:15-7:15pm Oct. 5, 12, 18, and 26

There aren’t many spots left, but you can easily sign up online: https://www.quickbrowndogs.com/classes

I’m excited to announce that I am partnering with Your Pets Desire, a fantastic pet store in Milan, MI. I will be offering both a puppy and basic obedience class. Each class runs for 4 weeks, giving you a fantastic overview of training. Additionally, each class can be taken multiple times, and I w...

09/15/2021

I'll be out of town until September 13th. You can still schedule consultations and training appointments on www.quickbrowndogs.com, but I will reply to all your inquiries on Monday.

09/14/2021

I don't know about you, but I have days when I just don't have time or energy to train. On those days I like to just do one or two little things before I give my dogs their meal. It's actually really effective!

Short but frequent training usually beats out long and infrequent training.

09/13/2021

It's smell-o-vision time!

09/11/2021

I love when they're cute donuts!

09/10/2021

Laika's highest value reward is going outside - that's better than any food or toy for her. So I can use that to help her learn to wear a muzzle! (full video coming - I'm filming every step of the process)

By putting on the muzzle first and then going outside, she'll start to learn that the muzzle leads to great things.

09/09/2021

Merlin got a bit startled by a drain pipe during our walk. Just letting him check it out at his own pace and just supporting him nearby means he won't be as scared of the "goblin" in the future.

09/08/2021

I saw this all the time when working in dog daycares! Dogs would be playing and then it could quickly flip over into not-so-nice behavior due to trigger stacking. This can also spill over into behaviors later in the day!

Fast, exciting play is amazing and fun! But like everything, you need moderation! I like asking my dogs for behaviors they know well (touch, sit, jump up) to help them break when they need it. The great bit is if you do this enough, the dogs often learn how to break themselves!

Fast play increases arousal chemicals in the brain and body. This can be part of an undesirable process known as trigger stacking.

Dr. Batson also noted that fast play reduces blood sugar, which reduces sugar in the brain. The pre-frontal cortex in the brain moderates behavior. To work properly, it needs to be full of sugar to make rational choices.

Her suggestion to keep arousal levels in check is not to eliminate fast play, but to shorten sessions and add more "slow" activities like sniffaris, walks following your dog's pace, and watching the world go in tandem with your dog.

09/07/2021

Fall is coming! And I for one am so glad. It makes having patience for decompression walks so much easier if the bugs aren't eating you alive.

07/02/2021

I started training as a survival technique. After hours of walking, this girl was still nuts. Obedience and dog sports were an important part of finding a way we could all live together.

07/01/2021

Bodhi barked every time I rang the doorbell, even if he knew it was just me ringing it. So I decided to record and play back the doorbell on my phone, and that let us progress to the real doorbell!

06/30/2021

Hiding dinner in a towel can help work your dog's mind

06/29/2021

Merlin's love of tug has been a huge asset in training

06/28/2021

Our Chief Kibble Officer has informed us that supplies are critically low.

06/26/2021

This is a platform, right? I've decided this is a platform.

06/26/2021

There is a good chance you already have the stuff on hand to make a scratch board. Trimming your dog's nails can be a pain, so it's great to teach your dog how to take care of their front nails themselves!

06/24/2021

Laika cooling off after a hot walk. It really surprised me how excited she was the first time we gave her an ice cube as a treat.

06/22/2021

Laika is the adventurer, and Merlin is always tagging along

06/21/2021

I've been working with Stella on barking at new people and dogs. She's been great, but sometimes you need to abort your training if things are getting a bit too hard!