GAL Dog Training

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United States
San Diego, CA
GAL Dog Training

Professional Dog Trainer

08/04/2023

Nominated for training dogs with separation anxiety - this San Diego Animal Hero Awards nominee shines through in her extensive qualifications and experience! GAL Dog Training

▫️Leeyah is uniquely knowledgeable and compassionate when it comes to supporting dogs and their human counterparts through these challenging issues. SHE IS A HERO!

💛 Visit our link & join us August 19th!

❤️ & SHARE TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

07/23/2023

Dogs are speaking all the time. Their behavior (aka their voice) is often just misheard, ignored or suppressed.

07/14/2023

Congratulations to Mollie and Libby for graduating our separation anxiety training program and achieving 3 hours of comfortable alone time!

I’m so happy to see Mollie being able to get out of the house to do the things she needs and wants to do while Libby relaxes in bed and patiently waits for her to get back.

Not only do I get to work with the most incredible and dedicated dog parents in the world, but I also get to see their dogs develop trust in the safety of their guardian leaving.

Working through your dog’s separation anxiety requires time, consistency, and commitment, but the freedom and fulfillment you get is worth all of it.

04/21/2023

I've come to realize that being too focused on perfection can stop us from enjoying the present moment. I struggle with this a lot because of my anxiety and OCD. It's like my brain is always looking for something to fix or control. But that's not helpful at all!

The only thing that really matters is the here and now. We need to remind ourselves that we're doing our best, even if things aren't perfect. It takes practice, but we can learn to let go of the need for perfection and appreciate the beauty of the present, imperfections and all.

02/03/2023

When I decided to pursue a career in dog training, I had no idea that it would bring the most likeminded, kind hearted, genuinely wonderful people into my life.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Ezra’s parents while they were in town. We’d worked together virtually the year prior on Ezra’s separation anxiety and to hear that our work had set them up with a foundation that allowed him to be comfy while they traveled was incredibly fulfilling.

I’m grateful I was a part of their training journey and that I now have some amazing friends that I got to sit and enjoy Latkes with.

12/26/2022

A recap of what we’ve accomplished this year.

1. Through medication, management and training we’ve seen a 75% decrease in George’s behavior disorder.

2. We had a full year without any separation anxiety regressions. (Does this mean I can relax now?)

3. We started cooperative care and have helped him feel more comfortable with ear cleaning and teeth brushing. Still have a long way to go, but we’ve made already made huge progress.

4. I adjusted my expectations of what our lives *should* look like and finally started appreciating where we’re at.

Also, we took this photo while we were waiting for our turn at a fenced park tonight. A year ago, George wouldn’t have been able to settle outside a park. He would have been whining and pulling. Today he made the choice to self-settle. That’s progress and I’m celebrating it.

08/19/2022

The biggest mistake in separation training is going too fast.

Always pushing for the longest your dog can handle is still stressing them out!

A lot of people tell me their dog can ‘handle’ x amount of time.

My first question is what does the behavior of ‘handling it’ look like?

Often it’s that the dog is still uncomfortable even though the *big symptoms* like barking/crying/whining aren’t seen.

If your dog is not settled, comfortable or relaxed they are not learning what we want them to be learning.

They are still learning alone time is UNcomfy.

Even if the durations seem smaller than what we’d like to see, we NEED to make sure your dog dog is learning by associations that alone time is SAFE + COMFY.

07/20/2022

Which little mx are you? Separation anxiety dog parent edition.

I’m all 3.

04/09/2022

I wholeheartedly recommend letting your dog sleep wherever they want 💛

ESP if that happens to be your bed 😍

03/19/2022

Supporting the human side of a dog - human relationship is an important aspect of being a trainer.

You are one of the most important parts of your dog’s training plan. And if you’re here, and want to do what’s best for your dog, then you must be an amazing dog guardian.

Just some positive reinforcement for you today 💛

03/06/2022

The three part treatment plan:

1. HEALTH: Consult your dog’s vet and talk about medication

2. TRAINING: Expose them to alone time in a controlled, gradual way and avoid leaving them any time that’s longer than they can COMFORTABLY handle

3. PATIENCE: There is no magic or way to speed your dog’s recovery up. In fact, the only way to effectively get your dog through their fear is to go at their pace. Not your pace, the pace your friends and family think it should be - your dog’s pace.

Check out my blog on my website to learn more about systematic desensitization and how to get started with separation training for your dog. Link in bio!

02/28/2022

You want to set up the separation training exercise to be as easy for your dog as possible, as well as reduce as much external stimuli as possible.

Start your training session after your dog is already relaxed. Help facilitate that relaxation by meeting their needs and reinforcing relaxed behaviors like with relaxation protocol.

When George was in adolescence and we were doing our training exercises, I had to avoid times like 6-7pm when he was most active.

It’s our job to set up the environment as much as we possibly can for our dogs to succeed as easily as possible.

02/23/2022

I am so honored to have been nominated AND that is highlighting positive reinforcement dog trainers.

I’ve been bringing George to two incredible sniff spots in San Diego since he was a baby.

You can vote for me using the link in my bio!

01/26/2022

01/13/2022

I am SO proud of Milo and his mom for the incredible commitment and progress they’ve made.

We’ve been working together for almost 2 months, and he’s gone from jumping up and following his mom to the door immediately, to watching his mom leave and continue laying down for an entire 9 minute absence.

🤩😍

Every dog is different and Milo has made huge progress in a relatively short time. This is due to his mom setting him up for success in every way possible and just happens to be Milo’s pace. Some dogs take a lot long to get to similar durations, and it completely depends on the dog and situation. There is no normal!

01/05/2022

Back to our regularly scheduled programming…. separation anxiety in our pups ⬇️

I am so sorry to anyone who has been told this backwards advice and missed out on the absolute joy that is sleeping with your furry family member.

My biggest piece of advice? If you get advice that feels wrong - it probably is.

Photo credit of one of my favorite little separation anxiety warriors, Ezra 💛🐶

01/04/2022

I GRADUATED 🐶 👩🏼‍🎓

apprenticeship course 🐾

I’m so grateful for the education and mentorship I received as the foundation to my dog training career.

I’ve learned so much - most of all that I will always continue learning as this industry grows.

I will continue achieving continued education and honoring my promise to help dogs by coaching their people how to live their best lives together.

FORCE FREE IS THE WAY TO BE 👏🏻

11/27/2021

While your dog doesn’t know how to read a clock or care about the concept of time, studies on animal memory show us that dogs do understand the passage of time.

Does your dog get bored when they’re home alone all day?

They can. Destructive behaviors can be stemming from frustration, separation anxiety or due to under stimulation or exercise.

11/04/2021

A few ways I nurture the bond with my dog:

I put his needs above my wants
I give him my full attention and engage in play sessions
I listen when he communicates he needs something
I provide him opportunities to engage in species specific behaviors that he enjoys like digging, shredding and chewing
Managing triggers in his environment and building confidence through training
Setting him up for success and avoiding unnecessary stress

What are some ways you nurture your bond or build trust with your dog?

10/28/2021

Buddy and his mom are literally on the other side of the world, and through the power of technology we’ve been able to work together as if we were side by side.

I’ve seen Buddy gain more and more confidence everyday with our training exercises and been able to celebrate every step of the way with his mom.

I’m so grateful to be a part of Team Buddy.

10/15/2021

Is this the most effective way to teach any dog how to be alone?

Yes! Wether you have a brand new puppy who hasn’t yet had to be alone and are teaching for the first time or a dog with sudden onset of symptoms the METHOD is the same.

There’s differences of course, like management strategies and each dog’s threshold but the training plan and goal is the same.

Teach your dog through gradual exposure that every SINGLE time they experience alone time it’s successful *to them. Meaning they are comfortable, under threshold and not experiencing any anxiety!

If you’re having trouble getting started book a free virtual consultation with the link in my bio 🐾

10/15/2021

Is this the most effective way to teach ANY dog how to be alone?

Yes! If you have a brand new puppy who hasn’t yet had to be alone and are teaching for the first time or a dog with sudden onset of symptoms the METHOD is the same.

There’s differences of course, like management strategies and each dog’s threshold but the training plan and goal is the same.

Teach your dog through gradual exposure that every SINGLE time they experience alone time it’s successful *to them. Meaning they are comfortable, under threshold and not experiencing any anxiety!

If you’re having trouble getting started book a free virtual consultation with the link in my bio 🐾

10/13/2021

Nothing makes me happier than celebrating the success and progress of my clients and their dogs.

09/28/2021

My goal is to give you the tools you need to achieve your current training goals and to set you and your dog up for a future of training success.

09/14/2021

Your dog may have a shorter life, but that doesn’t mean they should be expected to learn 7X as fast as humans do.

Think about the expectations you have set for your dog.

To learn how to be alone in X amount of time? Or get through a problem behavior in a timeframe you have set.

There is no average time it takes because there has never been and will never be an average dog.

THERE HAS HEVER BEEN AND NEVER WILL BE AN AVERAGE DOG.

Each dog is an individual with their own background, personality and emotions.

Be patient with your dog, and be patient with yourself. This is exhaustive training, and you both deserve a break.

09/03/2021

So where do you even start training when your dog is having anxiety the minute you walk out the door, or worse before you even get to the door!?

Well it seems simple (and crazy), but you start at the beginning. What’s the very first thing you do when you get ready to leave?

Grab your keys? Well, maybe if they are sitting right in front of you. But if not, you’ll probably have to walk to pick them up. That’s the first chunk. Now break it down into steps. 1 foot in front of the next. 1 step. Then 2.

If you think you’re going too slow… go slower.

08/12/2021

Here’s what we did when Ezra had gotten up to over an hour of alone time and after a recent move was barking immediately when his parents walked outside.

1. PAUSED separation training (and all absences again) and shifted focus to confidence building and relaxation exercises in the new place

2. AFTER a break we started from the very beginning again.

WHAT!? Don’t worry. Ezra caught on so quickly the second time around that within a few days was comfortably relaxing for 10 minutes while his parents left.

3. GO SLOW at the beginning. If your dog catches on quickly, that’s incredible and not always the case. If they have some trouble getting back to where they were - remember that this is an entirely new environment for your dog and they need time to adjust.

Address

San Diego, CA

Telephone

+16192411071

Website

http://galdogtraining.com/

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Videos

Does your dog like to dig? George LOVES digging and as a puppy we let him go to town on the backyard. Fast forward to rainy season and the backyard was a mud pit 😂 Now he can dig at the beach, park OR in a baby pool! Fill with water, waterproof squeaky toys and let your dog have AT it. This is all his. If his nails make holes in the pool, I bought two replacements 😂 DOGS DESERVE MORE

“Just get over it.” - what people told me to do about my diagnosed OCD “Just leave him to cry it out, he’ll get over it.” - what people told me to do about my dogs separation anxiety Leaving George to cry it out was never an option for me. And that’s not because I thought I was better than anyone who feels like that’s their only choice. When you know what a panic attack feels like, you’d do anything to protect your dog from that. I’ve been in recovery from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for almost 3 years. And when I learned that separation anxiety in dogs is an actual panic disorder, not just ‘hey I want attention’ there was no going back to the cry it out method. Having experience with anxiety disorders and how a panic attack felt myself was enough to ignite my passion for separation anxiety dog training and spreading awareness that there’s another way. The treatments are also pretty similar! Gradual exposure therapy, or desensitization always starts with the least fearful exposure. Treatment for my OCD started with touching a doorknob in my own home. If I had started with touching a public doorknob it would have thrown me into a panic attack and not only would I have made no progress, I’d probably still be just as terrified. I had to start with something that was nerve wracking but I knew I wouldn’t DIE from. And that’s what we do with dogs who have separation anxiety. We expose them to an absence that doesn’t put them over into panic (maybe 5 seconds) and ever so SLOWLY increase from there. Not only is gradual exposure the most effective method with the least amount of potential fall out, but it’s also the most humane. A dog doesn’t get to make the choice to experience these fearful exposures in order to pursue recovery, so we must make sure we do it at a level that doesn’t cause more fear.