Woof It Dog Walking & Training

09/07/2022

One of the goals with muzzle training is to create a positive conditioned emotional response. In other words: dog sees muzzle, dog says 😍😍😍

We want your dog to feel GOOD about the muzzle game!

I think Zelda here feels pretty dang good about her muzzle. What do y’all think? 😉

08/25/2021

First up is Piere!

This little guy was recently adopted from the humane society and came home with some… Surprise Feelings about other dogs on walks. 🐕

His Person has been working incredibly hard with him in my Reactivity Rewired Program, and she reported to me this week that he went on his first reactivity-free walk! 🙌

He is learning that other dogs are really no big deal and that they even sometimes predict Good Things for Dogs, like chicken raining from the sky! 🍗

So proud of you Piere and Silvia!

08/24/2021

Confession: I am HORRIBLE at social media.

I don't use it nearly enough, and that's a shame, because my clients deserve some public 👍 positive reinforcement 👍 for doing such an amazing job guiding their dogs through their training journeys!

So this week (and next!) I'll be highlighting each of my client's dogs and their progress. Help me celebrate these awesome teams! 🙌🎉🍾

03/04/2021

My lovely vet said it best, so I’ll just say “ditto” for Woof It! clients!

Masks will still be required!

Westridge Pet Hospital Mask Policy

In light of recent announcements from city, county and state officials around mask mandates, we wanted to share the following:

Masks are still required for everyone entering Westridge, including clients and employees, and those who have been vaccinated.

Why are we doing this?
· We are continuing to follow the guidelines and recommendations from the CDC, other science-based organizations, and our medical experts.
· More infectious variants are circulating in Texas, and millions more people need to be vaccinated.
· We know that wearing masks work in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Thank you for understanding, and for helping us protect our clients, families and employees.

12/31/2020

This too! If I can get away with it, meaning if the dogs in my care don’t need this level of support, I tend toward a more hands-off approach with enrichment toys like Kongs (see my previous post for more on that). But if yours is really scared, or if they’re new to your home and you don’t know how they’ll react, this is the most sure fire way to make sure they associate a fireworks Boom with good stuff (aka super tasty treats!). This can change bad feelings to good/neutral, or prevent bad feelings from forming in the first place. In my house, I have certainly had my fair share of Boom=Cookie nights, and now we’ve mostly graduated to food toys. But this is the ideal place to start! Happy Boom Cookie Day everybody!

Side note: not literal cookies! I suggest string cheese, hot dogs, or canned or freeze dried dog food! Save the cookies for you 😉

12/31/2020

Great tips for reducing stress during fireworks. Particularly love the tips for reducing the flashing of lights inside your home. We tend to think it’s all about the sound, but the flashes can be really scary too!

And remember, it is MORE than okay to comfort your dog! Contrary to popular belief, comforting your dog will not enhance or reinforce their fear. (If you lived alone and your house got broken into, and a friend brought you dinner and ice cream, stayed with you over night, and let you cry on their shoulder as much as you needed, it wouldn’t “reinforce your fear.” It would help you feel better/safer). I recommend modeling your own calm. Take slow, quiet breaths. Don’t make a big fuss at your dog, especially if you wouldn’t normally, as strange/new behavior from you can definitely increase stress in your dog. But if your dog is comforted by petting, or seeks it out, by all means pet your dog. Even just proximity or slight contact can be helpful. Play and enrichment toys can be helpful too, especially for dogs with milder concerns or puppies who are experiencing this for the first time.

My plan:
- white noise machine, fans, window a/c unit, and tv on slightly louder than usual (no gun fight shows!).
- I already have blackout curtains in my bedroom.
- CBD oil as needed.
- Feeding dinner early so we can get potties done early, and being prepared to be woken up in the middle of the night for unexpected potties since I will be so rudely changing the little prince’s routine (thankfully, the prince has a “snooze” function when it’s not urgent, but I’m prepared for 3:00am demands to be made).
- Comforting all animals as much as they need. Big boy will want to lay close on the floor but not be touched, and Arden will want to be glued to my side. Shorty has minimal fireworks concerns. He’s just going to be in his default state of burrowed under a blanket.
- Chewies and frozen kongs/lickimats for everybody
- Wobbler food dispenser for big dog at the start (this has helped in past firework events. It’s its own loud on the wood floor, but a familiar loud to all the dogs here, and it seems to help by way of drowning out fireworks, and/or just tiring the boy out. May not be appropriate for super sound sensitive dogs. We follow it with a Kong for a cool down.)
- Generally acting like it’s a totally normal couch-sitting, tv watching night!

This may seem like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. If you prepare now, you have what you need for next time, and it just becomes routine. Most of the stuff listed above is part of my dogs’ daily life anyway. Good luck tonight, dog people!

12/22/2020

Kids and Dogs - an awesome combo!
Especially when there are three whole puppies to wrangle, and the kids involved are such great handlers/teachers to their animals!
I have had SO much fun with this family. The progress they have made is truly remarkable considering they are all first time dog owners, we’re in a pandemic, and I can’t say it enough - there are THREE puppies to raise! Each with very different personalities, I might add!
Nevertheless, these kids and their adults have done such an incredible job with the dogs. We spent our last session in their package having some fun with a new trick, Middle. It just warms my heart to see these dogs who I’ve grown to adore having such a fun time with their people.
And to those young people, a message:
Andrea: your energy and positive attitude are infectious. The dogs undoubtedly pick up on it. You make training so FUN for them! And I love watching how much fun you have doing it too!! ❤️
Alex: Your calm and HIGHLY consistent manner is so stabilizing just to watch, imagine how the dogs feel interacting with you! You make their learning easier by being clear and helping them succeed, and they respond so well to you!🧡
Gabe: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that musician’s timing is spot on. You know exactly when to mark and treat. Plus, your tugging with Bruno the other day was awesome. He LOVES it. Keep it up!💚
Seth: You always have a good time. I almost never know what’s going on behind me when you and Marcus are goofing off, but I love hearing your laughter! Never take training so seriously that it stops making you laugh. Your dogs are happy when you’re happy. 💙
Marcus: Like Alex, your consistency is noticeable. You have awesome instincts (don’t think I don’t hear you say “see???” to your family members under your breath every time I make a recommendation lol). Follow those instincts, man, and those dogs will keep following you. 💜
Happy holidays to all of you and to my entire Woof It! family of students. Love and appreciate every one of you!

11/22/2020

Mental Health!
Let’s talk about it. I don’t know about y’all, but I have been experiencing an incredible amount of anxiety lately. Like, throwback to being nine years old and hyperventilating into a paper bag while my mom or dad rubs my back, full on panic attack type of anxiety.
It’s not an easy time for people right now. But when I get to spend time outside in nature with this silly, happy, beautiful dog, I feel okay.
To my sweet sweet girl: thank you for panting awkwardly in my face while I cry, being patient with me when I take a little longer to get out of bed in the morning, and to you and your brother, thank you for bringing a daily smile to my face just by being you. I am not sure I’d be okay right now without you two.
If you’re sad right now and you have a dog that you love spending time with, take them on a hike. It’s healing.
And if you don’t love spending time with your dog right now, well, maybe I can help with that. I’d love nothing more than to teach you and your dog how to live more in connection with one another. It’s a really really good feeling.

11/08/2020

Welp. It finally happened.
My dachshund mix, Shorty, sustained a back injury. Dachshunds are prone to back problems, and he’s circa 10 years old now, so this day was inevitable. But man did it sting this momma’s heart to see him in so much pain!
The awesome vet over at Emergency Pet Clinic on Broadway/410 ordered limited activity for a few weeks and suggested I start planning long term for preventing him going down stairs and jumping off of furniture/out of the car.
She gave great training recommendations for helping him feel more comfortable being picked up and for teaching him to wait at the top of the stairs to be carried down. I got to tell her that I’m a trainer and will totally implement these things, which made the teacher’s pet in me quite gleeful 😂
More importantly, It really made realize the importance of having a few training basics under your belt. I don’t train a ton with Shorty anymore. He’s a pretty chill dude, and his sister’s training needs seem to overshadow his much of the time. But what I have taught him has been invaluable during this time of rest and healing. Things like:
- muzzle training (for the vet)
- station training
- wait at the door and other thresholds
- comfort in a crate
- familiarity with shaping
- probably others that I’m not even thinking of right now
These skills seem kinda boring, and in our day to day I don’t notice them much. But they are skills that we definitely had to work for! And because we have them, this transition to a new routine for Shorty (and Arden for that matter!) has been pretty seamless.
Training really is something that every dog owner should know how to do! You’ll never know when you need it!
Stay tuned for vids of Shorty’s new morning routine!

11/04/2020

His little hooded eyelids are like mini sun visors ❤️👁🌞

10/27/2020

Nose bridge target!
I taught my sister’s dog a new trick this morning. It took 5 minutes. I wore pjs. We had fun. 😊
This is a pretty low stakes behavior for this dog, since Dax is really good at coop care and already has a few other duration target behaviors, so he doesn’t *need* a nose bridge target. But it was fun to teach nonetheless, and I’m sure we can find some use for it!
A target like this can be used for cooperative care - either as a way to examine teeth, a start button for other care procedures, or even just a way to desensitize a dog to hands coming over their noses as might happen during a vet exam. Pretty neat!
P.S. please ignore my lack of cupboard doors 🤦‍♀️😅

10/26/2020

What do you get when you combine Ketchup 🍅 and peanut butter 🥜🧈? One smart pup!
Here Ketchup shows off his progress with the Leave It cue! He’s leaving his favorite thing in the world, a peanut butter filled Toppl for a scatter of kibble, and of course the chance to go back to his yummy Toppl!
Tip: When training the Leave It, it’s often said that you shouldn’t allow your dog to access the things you ask them to leave alone, because in real world scenarios they will not be allowed to regain access. The things we ask them to leave may be dangerous (a pill dropped on the ground), gross (cat p**p), or simply off limits (human food on human plates on human only surfaces), and so they can’t expect to eventually get access.
This is really great logic, and certainly works! But I tend to teach it a different way. I make use of something called the Premack principle to help strengthen the Leave It behavior a TON. Basically, the Premack principle is using the things your dog reeeally wants to do, to reinforce the things they wouldn’t normally want to do all that much.
It’s like a bonus reward. If you leave your Toppl, I’ll give you an awesome reward AND you’ll get to Toppl again!
Now, for this to work I also build in a very clear cue for when the dog can go get that abandoned reward again. I call that Get It. I then teach the dog to hang out with me until (or unless) he hears the Get It cue. And if he doesn’t hear it, he shouldn’t go get the thing I asked him to leave.
Finally, because the trainers that often give the advice I mentioned above have a really great point, in the system I use I do practice not *always* giving the dog access to the left item. Sometimes I pick it up, sometimes we walk away, sometimes they’re told to Get It, sometimes I throw it for them to chase!
Instead of learning to expect access, they learn to expect reinforcement from me in some form, and direction about what to do next. It’s like a doggy slot machine, they rarely lose, they mostly win, and sometimes they win BIG. And that keeps them gambling on YOU more often.
Have you taught your dog a Leave It? How did you do it? Comment below! 👇

10/23/2020

Zelda update!
This is timely because her little brother has arrived and is coming home from the hospital any day now! Biggest congrats to her pet parents, Taylor and Hunter, who are now human parents as well! ❤️
Zelda has totally crushed her two stroller-intro sessions, and she has been walking next to my ~stroller~ (which is definitely not a wheeled laundry basket, where would you get that idea?) like the champion she is.
You can see here she makes a “mistake” at one point, going ahead of me. This is a rare occasion during regular walks these days since we started training, but it was expected that she may backslide a bit with the addition of a stroller AND a new person walking with us. Remembering the rules is hard when there’s new stuff in the environment, and that’s ok!
Thankfully she knows two things: 1) that pulling doesn’t work to make humans walk forward, and 2) that it pays to be by my side. Because of this, all it took to get her back in position was a gentle reminder. No harsh corrections here folks! Just easy communication between two interspecies pals.
Shoutout to my partner, Diego, for his lovely cameo, and for providing an extra layer of newness under which to practice Zelda’s skills. And for filming other Zelda content to come 😊
Side note: this video made possible by a hands-free leash. Do yourself a favor and get one. ESPECIALLY if you have your hands full. 😜

10/01/2020

Consent!
🎵Let’s talk about pets, baby. 🎵
Consent is something that comes up in my training and interactions with dogs a LOT. My posts about cooperative care with my dog Arden can show you training that is based in the idea of consent - of giving the learner not just choice, but the opportunity to actually direct their own training by telling me when to start and when to stop. A safe word, if you will.
Even Archie has undergone consent based training to desensitize him to wearing a collar (that doesn’t come easy to all dogs!) and to teach him to accept scary strangers approaching us on walks. I’ll post those at another time because they are really cool! 😎
But using consent with your dog doesn’t have to be part of some big behavior mod project. It can and should exist in the micro interactions you have with your dog every day!
Sam is using a beautiful example of this above. It’s called Pet Pet Pause. When you pet your dog, pet them for a bit and then pause and see what they do. If they lean in or step forward for more, you know you have a willing participant! If they walk away, well, they walk away. No harm no foul. You respect their choice. Try it! Your dog may thank you!
Here Archie is meeting Sam up close for the first time. He is nervous about new people, and had previously been exposed to her at a distance in other ways, but never up close and personal. After having Sam play the Treat Retreat game for a few minutes, I sat next to her and we decided to see if Archie wanted to come up to an empty hand for pets. You can see he’s interested but still a little conflicted (look at his tail when petting starts and stops).
Sam uses Pet Pet Pause and reset treats, or treats tossed away to give the dog a break from social interaction and a chance to decide whether they want to come back, to help Archie feel more comfortable by giving him more agency over this interaction.
Like a good partner/friend, she checks in regularly to ask, “Are you okay?” “Is that still feeling good?” “Do you want to keep going or stop?” Consent is not just for s*x, y’all. It’s for everyone! (But srsly please practice it during s*x too.) 😘

09/30/2020

This may be getting old by now but that 👏 loose 👏 leash 👏 though 👏
Zelda’s parents have worked really hard with her these past few months on things like reactivity to dogs on walks and prepping her for her first ever human sibling arriving very soon!
Now we are working on nice hands free leash skills so momma can walk her and baby at the same time. Next step: add a stroller! I think she’s ready, how bout you? 😉 Freaking 🙌🙌🙌
P.S. no dogs were punished in the making of these walking manners. We can help you achieve the same using kind, reward based, relationship centered training! Call us to find out how! 📲

09/23/2020

Anatomy of a three-puppy Day Training Session!
You read that right - THREE whole puppies! 😍😍😍 Meet Belle, Bruno, and Ketchup.
Raising one pup is hard enough, but these pup’s owners are setting these guys up for success by investing in training early. I see them 4 times a week - 3 sessions with just me and the pups and 1 session with the owners. With a family of 7, they are all hands on deck to give these little ones a good start to life!
We do a LOT each session, so here’s a break down of all the videos you see down there 👇 (click the Instagram link at the bottom of this post to see the videos):
1. Teaching puppies to maintain Place while I provide small distractions of moving around the room. Belle that you see getting up a lot hasn’t quite figured out that my “Good” marker signal means food is coming to her, but she’ll get there! I am also teaching the puppies to only release when they hear their name + the release cue “Free”.
2 and 3. Door manners videos! Puppers don’t go through the door until I’ve said “Let’s Go!” If you’ll notice, Bruno’s wait at the door is a little *too* good 😂
4 and 5. These are examples of instruction videos I supply to my clients so that they can see what we’re up to during the week, get a head start on training before our family lesson if they want to, and so that they have videos of the same exercises we cover in our family lessons, forever - even after our Training Package is finished! This means my clients can review any lessons we worked on together at anytime, for life!
6. Front door manners. Same as the back, but with a leash. 😉
7. Leash work with Belle! All three are learning to walk nicely on leash (and CRUSHING IT), and in this video I had begun to introduce the idea of sitting when I stop moving to miss Belle. Watch til the end for a VERY silly outtake. 😆
Day Training is a great way to give your dogs a jump start to training. It doesn’t replace you doing your part to spend time building relationship and communication with your dog, but it can certainly help lighten the load and get everyone off on the right foot. It’s GREAT for puppies, socialization, reactivity, basic manners, and more!
☎️Call us to learn more about our Day Training services today! ☎️

09/20/2020

LOOK AT THAT LOOSE-LEASH LADY!
Also, shoutout to sister No. 2 (well, technically No. 1), who played the role of client today with puppy Hazel! Hazel had a habit of pulling mom down the street, but just look at her now! 🤩
Wanna learn how to walk your dog without needing a shoulder replacement?
Call me🤙👩‍🦰😉

09/17/2020

Loose Leash Walking!
Or, when you hand the leash to your new employee-sis and she walks the dogs better than you do! 😍
These boys have been walking with me for over a year now, and let me tell you it has been a long and satisfying road helping them to feel less stressed and more comfortable out in the big wild world (of their quiet suburban neighborhood 😂).
It took me a month to teach the little one that neither me nor the collar were out to get him. And Poe used to be a freight train without breaks, while at the same time being too stressed outside to even eat! One million urban decompression walks later, and these boys are a dream to walk. I think the word Sam used today was “easy”.
They have come so far with their pulling, their reactivity, their fearfulness, and their confidence that they are ready to move on to a new handler. I couldn’t think of anyone better to hand the leash to. And I can’t think of a better group of dogs to get Sam’s handling chops in tip top shape! 💪

09/17/2020

Literally got asked about dog training on the very first wear. I might have to get one in every color!! 😂 Thanks ❤️

09/12/2020

Nomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom

09/11/2020

Morning doggy ASMR for all you sound lovers out there. 🐽🐽🐽
Zelda just went from barking at those workers in the background and charging the fence to this in a matter of minutes - 4 to be exact. And right after I stopped recording (of course) she laid down in the grass and started grooming herself.
She was not given a single correction or told to stop. She was simply met where she was with understanding and the willingness to help her navigate her big ole feelings about those pesky tree trimmers. Change the feelings, change the behavior!
Your dog can learn to feel differently about strangers too. Wanna learn how? Hit me up for a consultation! 🐶
I’ll teach you how to get your dog to stop yelling, without you having to add to the chorus yourself. 😉

09/08/2020

09/07/2020

Meet Ivy and Murphy! They just moved in together a few weeks ago and after a pretty rocky (read: toothy...snarly...bitey...) first meeting, their parents called me to help them get along. We are taking their reintegration nice and slow and they are doing SO well.
These people are incredibly dedicated and have done so much good work with them already. We are doing a combo of virtual and in-person sessions to help them get back on the right foot. They are learning comfort with muzzles, settling on tethers, and relaxing on a bed (Place) to set them up for success in the home together.
Here we are doing parallel walks, using some Engage-Disengage Game and Mark and Move reinforcement strategies.
Fun fact: when facing scary or exciting things at a safe distance, dogs can really benefit from being allowed to move more freely in the environment. This is why they are both on long lines so that they can stop and sniff and Be A Dog as much as they need to feel comfortable. It is also why we are using Mark and Move - Ivy’s mom marks the behaviors with a clicker, and then tosses the treat and continues to walk to encourage Ivy to . Both Ivy and Murphy have a hard time being stationary; they’d much rather get on with their sniff walks, so we go with it! Wherever they want to take us (besides up to each other, for now) we follow, giving them feedback and reinforcing behaviors we like with our training games all the while.
We aren’t asking a ton of them here. Not asking for sits or heels or other obedience behaviors. This allows the dog to process their environment more organically and learn that they are safe. As we let them to get closer to each other it will also allow them to express their doggy body language and communicate with each other more effectively, which is the key to successful dog introductions.
Can’t wait to see where the next few sessions take us! Love this team a lot! ❤️

09/03/2020

Associative learning! Plus a new team member!
This is Poe meeting the newest member of our team!! Everyone, meet Sam. She’s a badass ginger college student who also happens to be my sister. She’s coming on as a new walker and is helping me out with training!
Poe and his sibs have all had some level of fearfulness around strangers, but walks are a powerful reinforcer for all of them. So we took advantage of this and had Sam meet all three of them out on their walks. Sam is now associated with walkies and cheese. She is totally in the club, as far as Poe, Raven, and Archie are concerned!
For dogs that have fear issues, associating the thing they’re scared of with something they LOVE (food, walks, tug, fetch) can help them feel less scared of the scary thing! If strangers are actually just treat dispensers or ball throwers, maybe they’re not so bad after all!
Plus, we made sure Sam was walking in front and gave each dog the chance to approach and walk next to her if they wanted, or hang back if they wanted. This way Sam was not facing them or looking at them head on, which can feel threatening to many dogs. If they did catch up to her to sniff her they got a nice string cheese surprise from her hand. Now they are real pals! All this from the dogs that a year ago took me a couple weeks to convince I was their friend. Now they are friend making pros! Proud of this whole fam!