Stacy's Wag'N'Train

11/14/2025

Indigo is so handsome! Don’t let this calm poise fool you; he’s a goofy playful puppy with a lot of energy to burn and manners to learn!

Do you have a who could use a little training? I can help, with over 25 years of experience solving dog behavior problems with science-based ! Expert, personalized coaching available, virtually or in person for Silicon Valley pet owners. Contact me at wagntrain.com or see the link in my bio. You’ll love your well-trained dog!

11/14/2025

Eos is very nervous about strangers and didn’t really overcome that fear with me after an hour - though we could walk a few feet apart side by side after a while. Some cases take more time!

11/13/2025

There has been a law suit in California brought against a maker of shock collars, with some interesting conclusions. Here's one quote:

“In reality, Shock Collar Products are far from safe and harmless. In fact, the use of electric shocks is gravely dangerous to the pets’ physical and psychological well-being. Hundreds of documented cases—which Defendant is aware of—reveal that the use of shock collars can cause pets severe injuries, including, inter alia, skin ruptures, bruising, inflammations, skin burns, and infections.“

Did you know that I participate in Project tRade, in which I offer a 10% discount to any client who trades in their shock collars for positive-reinforcement training help?

Dozens of peer review studies have demonstrated the dangers, potential short- and long-term impact of using shock collars (e-collars) on dogs. And just now a $1.9 million consumer class action arising out of misrepresentations and omissions by parent company Radio Systems in connection with its manu...

11/12/2025

Repost from .doodle.hazelnut
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what the world needs now… is more dog love. 🤍
dogs have a quiet way of comforting us.
just steady love that makes life feel a little easier.
pretty sure we could all use more of that. 🐾

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11/11/2025

Thank you to all who have served, including my dad and father-in-law, and a few of my friends and children-of-friends. And especially thank-you to those who have risked your life and physical and mental health in combat.

And to all the dogs and other animals who have served alongside their humans!

11/09/2025

There are tons of fascinating videos like this - dogs who do big aggressive displays through doors or gates, only to stop suddenly when the gate is opened.

I think it has more to do with barrier frustration than this Chi acting "too big for his britches". But it's one of those situations that make me say "I don't answer the 'why' questions!".

Thanks to Lisa Hettler-Smith for sending me this!

11/09/2025

Some serious "tissue alert" subject matter here!

"it's okay to pull your beloved pet off the tracks when you see the train coming. You aren't required to wait for the big crash"

I can't count how many times, now, my trusted vets and I have stood opposite each other of an exam table, both looking at one of my dogs, and discussed what "quality of life" really looks like.

On a scale of joy, the determinants vary with each soul in question.

I've had to say goodbye to dogs who have lost their vision. Their world grows dark and their new hindrance leaves them confused and afraid. You give them time to adjust, provide comfort and direction, but their joy is gone as they fail to find all the things they used to love. Quality of life doesn't have to be a complete body failure, sometimes it's just the loss of their most precious sense that leaves them as just a shell of who they used to be.

I've had to say goodbye to dogs in kidney failure. The constant plea to get them to eat, coupled with a consistent need for medication and fluids starts to create a hesitation on their face where they were once so happy to see you. Pushing pills and poking simply to try and buy more time can create a much more stressful end to a life well-lived than it has to be. Sometimes it's okay to just offer peace.

I've had to say goodbye to dogs with heart disease. You find yourself sitting on the couch with two gentle fingers on the inside of their back leg, counting heartbeats and feeling the irregularities. You know you have to get them to take their medication, but their condition makes them feel terrible and they don't want to eat anymore. Their breathing becomes labored and you know the doctor told you there was fluid present around their heart, but you can't get them to eat their hidden medication in every food source you can think of and forcing the pills creates a coughing fit that makes you feel even worse than you already did. Sometimes it's okay to simply manage the best you can and give yourself some grace when neither you, or they, can conquer that battle anymore.

Seizures, cancer, collapsing trachea, liver disease and mobility issues. No matter the ailment, no matter the story, the ending has never changed. There are times I had held on too long because my own heart wasn't ready, selfishly asking a failing body to keep trying. One thing I tell myself, and have repeated to friends, family, and my vet; is that it's okay to pull your beloved pet off the tracks when you see the train coming. You aren't required to wait for the big crash.

You don't have to wait until it's the worst day they've had to make a decision, and I encourage you not to when you know they are fighting a losing battle. If there is anyone who needs to hear this, please know that you do NOT love your pet any less if you decide to offer mercy when you see their little light start to dim. You do NOT love them less if you can't afford a myriad of specialty and university vets or the rabbit hole of diagnostic testing. It's okay to simply love them until the end. That's all they want from you, anyways. Just to be by their side until they take their final breath.

I took a final walk today with Sissy, just the two of us. It was quiet and peaceful and she sniffed around and followed me faithfully as I took slow steps to match hers. As I explained Sissy's struggle to breathe lately to Dr. Hegg, I brought up our walk and commented on how alert and happy she was in that moment. He responded, "Isn't it good you'll be able to remember her that way?" And it is. I didn't wait until Sissy was completely unable to breathe or find her passed away through the night and wonder if she suffered. I get to look back and know she still had it in her to take a final walk with me, and I'll choose that memory every time.

Loving old dogs has come with a lot of "heart practice" and ability to find the strength to make some really hard decisions. While I am always thankful for the ability to provide care, I am also thankful for the ability to prevent suffering. Loving them enough to say goodbye when it's time is the last gift we can give them.

11/07/2025

Would you be interested in trying "bikejoring" - riding a bike while your dog pulls, and you direct with your voice to choose the correct path?

11/06/2025

Does your dog have a nickname - or several?

Fletcher is Der Puupy Der Dooog or Puupy Dooog for short (said in your best Muppet Swedish Chef voice), Fletchie, Dork, and Puppy.

All of my clients' dogs are referred to as Buddy by me, when I don't want to necessarily cue them to look at me and am just making conversation!

11/06/2025

The Dog Who Started It All

Diesel would have been 12 today. I think about him every day. Happy Heavenly Birthday to him.

He took me from being “just a dog mom” to becoming a purpose-driven dog training professional. Through him, I found my life’s calling and a community of incredible people. He was the one who found me — and completely changed my path.

Since he’s been gone, I’m still learning how to carry the loss. Some days I’m okay. Other days I reach for his leash without thinking. I’m not at peace with how it all happened, and maybe I never will be. But I keep walking, the way he taught me to — patient, curious, and present.

When Diesel began struggling with chronic health issues, every day was a balance between hope and heartbreak. Even with people around me, I often felt alone. That experience opened my eyes to how many caregivers are walking that same road — loving deeply, advocating tirelessly, and carrying the emotional and financial weight of caring for an animal with ongoing challenges.

Out of that journey came Diesel’s Footprint (DieselsFootPrint.org). It’s my grief-child, something I created to keep him close while helping others who are living what I lived. Today, as we launch the Caregiver Support Program, I can’t think of a better way to honor him. This program is for every caregiver navigating chronic medical or behavioral challenges with their pet, who might feel unseen or alone.

Diesel was my anchor and my home base. His lessons live in everything I do — in every act of compassion this organization carries forward. I often catch myself wishing he could see what his life inspired — the care, the community, the compassion that now reach others in his name. I miss him. I love him. I’m still walking.