Fluency Dog Training

Fluency Dog Training San Diego & East County San Diego, CA

02/20/2025

When you think of dog training, you probably imagine commands like sit, down, and stay. You might think stopping your dog from lunging and barking. But dog training can be about nurturing confidence, helping your dog feel safe, and building their resilience. Sometimes sit & stay isn’t enough.

From scared to neutral in two weeks—this transformation is incredible. I don’t often share before and after videos because I never want to intentionally put a dog in a stressful situation just to capture footage. But these first moments were naturally documented, and the change was too profound not to share.

From barking anxiously at people 20 feet away to peacefully sleeping, eyes closed, on a restaurant patio with children playing nearby, this journey shows the powerful impact of patience, understanding, and compassionate training. Every dog deserves to feel safe and secure, and seeing them achieve that is truly heartwarming. This is why I choose quality over quantity at my board and train.

These apply primarily to fear reactivity, let’s break them down: - Encourage your dog to use their nose. Dogs are meant...
02/18/2025

These apply primarily to fear reactivity, let’s break them down:

- Encourage your dog to use their nose. Dogs are meant to take in the world through their nose! When they become too fixated on sights and sounds, their perception can become skewed. Encouraging sniffing helps them gather better information and feel more secure.

- Leash Skills Matter – A tight leash without meaning leads to frustration and confusion. Teaching your dog to check in, adjust walking speed, and understand leash guidance reduces stress on walks.

- understanding advocating builds trust. A dog that naturally returns to their handler understands that their safety lies with you. When they trust that you will protect and guide them, fear and uncertainty have less room to take over.

Finally It’s Okay to Ask for Help – There’s so much conflicting advice out there, and trying to manage reactivity alone can be overwhelming. Your emotions influence your dog, too! Embarrassment, frustration, irritation… Sometimes, the best thing you can do is let a professional help your dog first, then rebuild your relationship with new skills in place.

If this resonates with you, like, share, and support others who are working through reactivity. Every small step forward is progress, and you and your dog are not alone in this journey!

02/16/2025

owners feel free to share!

Yes, the dog is cute.
No, the dog doesn’t want to say hi.
No, I’m not just saying that to be a B.
No, you are not the exception.

Read that again.
YOU. ARE. NOT. THE. EXCEPTION.

Signed,
every trainer and owner working to help their dog feel safe in the world

02/14/2025

🦁 🐯 🐻… 🦓 ?!

But seriously, there are too many people trying to enrich their dog’s lives in the wrong ways.

Your dog doesn’t want to solve the puzzle for a piece of kibble. - They want to hunt the mouse smell on the hiking trail.

But if you can’t give them that life, coming up with an enriching alternative is great. Have them hunt for their food around the house.

And when you do it, label it, “hunt” so they know this is the time we look for food. Then end the game, “all done” and let them settle. This way they aren’t constantly searching your house.

There are times to do things, and times to not do the things. It’s up to you as the owner to determine the appropriate outlets for your dog. 🐶

ps enrichment will not solve separation anxiety

pss no coyotes were harmed in the making of this video 🤣

02/09/2025

Here’s why it works:
✅ Consistency & Repetition – private daily structured training to build better habits.
✅ Controlled Environment – No surprise triggers, just calm & focused learning.
✅ Professional Handling – I read the dogs body language & adjust techniques in real time.
✅ Behavior Modification – Teaching emotional regulation, not just basic obedience commands.
✅ Desensitization & Counterconditioning – Gradual exposure to triggers = less reactivity.
✅ Breaking Bad Patterns – Removing old habits & creating new, better responses.
✅ Neutral Socialization – Learning to coexist peacefully with distractions & triggers.
✅ Owner Education – I outlined everything your dog learned and set you up for success when your dog comes home!

Board & train isn’t just about obedience—it’s about transforming reactivity into confidence 💪🐾 giving them a fresh start at home

📩 DM us to learn more!

AKC Canine Good Citizen testing only ✨Registration through All Breed Obedience Club (east county San Diego) $10 to testY...
02/06/2025

AKC Canine Good Citizen testing only ✨

Registration through All Breed Obedience Club (east county San Diego) $10 to test

You can find a complete list of the skills needed to pass the exam at the All Breeds Obedience Club website or the AKC website.

Can’t wait to see you there!

02/06/2025

A few pro tips:

Starting at a close distance will help keep the arousal level lower enable your dog to understand the rules of the game before there are a lot of extra distractions.

Roll the ball. Dogs get injured with sudden starts and stops and quick turns. If the ball is slowly rolling, you are far less likely to have an injury occur. As always use your best judgment when playing with your dog.

Take small breaks. Food and exercise generally don’t mix, just like with humans. Use just one or two pieces of food at a time. Allow time for the dog to chew.

If your dog likes toys, more than food, use two of the same toy. When they bring toy one back, ask for the drop, show them the other toy. Once they drop it throw toy 2.

01/31/2025

Sometimes, in our passion for helping our dogs, we forget to use a little common sense.

Take this situation: The dog was a little unsure about crossing the bridge. So, I went first—to show her it was safe.

She hesitated, but then she followed.

Now, if I had gotten to the other side and started applying leash pressure, I would have only added to her stress. Instead of helping, I would’ve made her feel trapped and overwhelmed.

When a dog is already uncertain, adding leash pressure doesn’t create confidence—it creates stress and a sense of helplessness. Instead of figuring out the challenge on their own, they freeze, shut down, or even refuse to move.

But when you give them space to problem-solve and navigate the challenge at their own pace, they build self-reliance and true confidence.

Leash pressure can be an effective technique in the right context, but if your goal is confidence-building, sometimes the best thing you can do is step back and let the dog find their own way.

As says: “Help as little as possible, and as much as necessary.”

01/30/2025

Clip one he’s not even in a collar, and in number two he is in a flat collar.

His recall was 💯 taught through positive reinforcement, and proofed through negative reinforcement, and proofed again against wildlife with an ecollar to ensure no other animals were harmed.

My previous dogs were herding dogs, they always had off leash reliability without ever using electronics. However, this guy is a little more spicy and a little different from a herding dog.

My goal with him was off leash reliably no matter the environment. This summer he’ll be three and I’m comfortable and confident in taking him anywhere.

Don’t let other peoples agenda control how you live your life with your dog. 💛

Inspired by cerebral.canine

01/16/2025

Phew 2025 came in fast 💨 I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were discussing that 2024 was a rough year for dog trainers and business was really slow. 😔 At that point I had written down my numbers, but I hadn’t done any analysis.

That night I got home and took a dive into my numbers from 2024, and compared to them to 2023. My first thought, “wow I was lucky.” 😮 But then I thought about my clients & the dogs I had worked with, and a different thought came into my head. 🤔 What if I wasn’t lucky, what if people are just starting to demand better. What if people are done with one-size-fits-all dog training chains and stores. What if I was just doing something right by putting the dog first. By focusing on the solution and not the numbers or money.

A 240% growth in private sessions, and I more than doubled my board & train. I took six weeks off last year in a combination of family time and continuing education because quality matters to me.

My focus has never been to grow a huge dog training business. My focus has always been TO PROVIDE THE BEST TRAINING I CAN, WITH HEART, FOCUSING ON QUALITY. I will always choose quality over quantity.

If you’re new here 👋 welcome! Stick around you might learn something new. The magic happens in my stories 🪄 if you’ve been here from the beginning 🙏 thank you.

🌟AKC Puppy STAR 🌟 All Breed Obedience Club (ABOCI) is offering basic obedience and puppy star in January - REGISTER NOW!...
12/28/2024

🌟AKC Puppy STAR 🌟

All Breed Obedience Club (ABOCI) is offering basic obedience and puppy star in January - REGISTER NOW!!!

First day big girl field trip of board & train and she made it look easy 🤩 You can see move of her adventures in storie...
11/22/2024

First day big girl field trip of board & train and she made it look easy 🤩

You can see move of her adventures in stories 🫶

Temperatures have finally cooled off🍁and I’m back from a week of advancing my dog training knowledge 🤓. It’s a perfect t...
11/10/2024

Temperatures have finally cooled off🍁and I’m back from a week of advancing my dog training knowledge 🤓. It’s a perfect time to get together, stretch our legs, and improve our dog’s life skills. 🐶

As always, I do limit the number of participants for safety - if you want to join please message me so I can get you set up!

When your done ✅ with training and your brain🧠 is full! This sweet girl was given a rough start in life. Lucky 🍀 for her...
11/03/2024

When your done ✅ with training and your brain🧠 is full!

This sweet girl was given a rough start in life. Lucky 🍀 for her she found some great active parents who can’t wait to develop her and uncover her potential.

🐶

Address

Del Charro & Rancho Miguel
San Diego, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 7pm
Saturday 7am - 7pm
Sunday 7am - 7pm

Telephone

+16193631037

Website

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