A Matter of Manners Behavior and Training

A Matter of Manners Behavior and Training We believe in force-free training and behavior modification that uses rewards to build, strengthen, and modify behavior. Dog and cat training.

Whether you want your furry friend to learn basic manners or crazy tricks, I can help you! I am a graduate of Jean Donaldon's The Academy for Dog Trainers (CTC), and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and have experience training dogs of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. From puppy socialization to advanced tricks and everywhere in between, A Matter of Manners is ready to train.

Thank you, Santa Fe! We are nominated for Best of Santa Fe - Best Dog Training once again and so honored. There are GRE...
04/23/2025

Thank you, Santa Fe! We are nominated for Best of Santa Fe - Best Dog Training once again and so honored. There are GREAT options in our category this year!
You can vote for A Matter of Manners (or one of our fantastic fellow force-free trainers, there are several in the top 6 this year! WOO!) by going to:

vote.sfreporter.com/pets/dog-training

Voting is open until May 15th.

Thank you for your business, support, and nominations!
Don't forget to vote in other categories for your favorite local business!

More new offerings! Go to amatterofmannersdogtraining.com/classes to see what's on the class menu (for now, more to come...
04/21/2025

More new offerings! Go to amatterofmannersdogtraining.com/classes
to see what's on the class menu (for now, more to come soon) and to sign up.

If a full class is a little too much to commit to, OR you just want to see how you and your dog do in a group setting, OR you want to see what all the fuss is about trick training, I'm offering TWO Tricks Workshops in May.

These are 1 hour group classes for only $50 including tax. You do not need to come to both workshops, but you sure can if you want to! We will learn different tricks in each workshop.

Up first on May 6th we have Around Me, Leg Weaves, and Peekaboo! We will learn each trick and then how to flow from one trick into another.

May 6th and May 13th, 5:30pm on Tuesdays at the 2nd Street Studio.

May 13th will be Paws Up and Say Your Prayers. 🙏

Go to www.amatterofmannersdogtraining.com/classes to sign up!

Exciting news! A Matter of Manners will now be offering socials and classes on Tuesdays at Faithful Friends and Santa Fe...
04/20/2025

Exciting news! A Matter of Manners will now be offering socials and classes on Tuesdays at Faithful Friends and Santa Fe Dog's shared facility on 2nd street. We are delighted to be able to offer group classes again (coming soon, look out for those!), and to have a space for our super fun and casual puppy socials.
Click below to sign up!
https://amatterofmannersdogtraining.as.me/puppysocialclub

What are puppy socials and who can come?
--Our puppy socials are not formal classes, but there is a lot of learning that happens for the humans and the puppies! Socials are for play time, an important part of puppy socialization. Play is refereed, carefully orchestrated to ensure all puppies feel safe and have fun, and narrated to teach about appropriate interactions. Socials are also a time for socialization to strangers, even kids, who are welcome!
--Everyone from the confident puppies to shy wallflowers can come and separate areas will be created depending on confidence levels and other needs.
--The social club is for puppies 8 weeks to 5 months old. 1st round of shots required.* The earlier you start safely socializing, the better!
--Socials aren't meant to be a replacement for puppy classes or private puppy training/socialization. Socials are a great addition to more formal classes/training!

Join the Puppy Social Club! Starting Tuesday May 6th at 11am, we hope to bring puppies together to learn, play, and socialize in a safe and sanitized space. We are so grateful for the many yards that have been offered over the years for our socials, and now we won't have to worry about pesky weather issues!

Click here to sign up! You do not need to come every week, though we would love to have you. Sign up for just 1 or all of them currently on offer! Social Club officially starts May 6th and 13th as an intro to the space, then we will have a small break before we continue with more socials in June.
https://amatterofmannersdogtraining.as.me/puppysocialclub

*Per the AVSAB Puppy Position statement, we require the first round of puppy shots with 7 days between the shots and the social.

Can you tell my dogs LOVE their or what? 😂 I love to make them happy! I think these shouldn't be so delicious but what ...
04/09/2025

Can you tell my dogs LOVE their or what? 😂 I love to make them happy! I think these shouldn't be so delicious but what do I know? My boys will point out the pantry where we keep them and ask for their Greenies. I'm not getting paid for this but I really feel I SHOULD get paid for such good advertising. 🤣 Diego makes me laugh every time because he shows all his teeth when he takes his, he's SO enthusiastic about his chewies!

Did you know that sometimes, dogs are too scared of other dogs sniffing their butt that nose to nose greetings are not j...
04/07/2025

Did you know that sometimes, dogs are too scared of other dogs sniffing their butt that nose to nose greetings are not just ok, but preferred? There's a lot of nuance that is missed when we get black & white about dog greetings. Dogs should never meet on leash (I used to believe this), dogs should never meet nose to nose, dogs should never go to a dog park, dogs should never mix sizes, or dogs should never meet when one is on leash & one is off. Do many dogs struggle with on leash greetings? Yes, absolutely & for those dogs, it's better to avoid leash greetings. Are greetings where dogs approach & circle each other for butt snuffs the more natural way to greet? Yes, absolutely, BUT most dogs I work with who are concerned about other dogs are actually MORE scared when the other dog goes to circle them or sniff their butt.
Get ready to clutch your pearls. When I introduce Myles to a dog who is scared of other dogs, I usually keep him on leash & do not let him approach or circle around the other dog, while the other dog is loose. 🙀 Myles is very practiced with this & totally comfortable. If he were loose, or if I immediately let him circle around the other dog, I may be pushing that scared dog into a much too scary interaction too quickly.
Does that mean I suggest everyone do that? NO! For most dogs, if you are going to do leashed greetings, I recommend short & sweet, keep loose leashes, encourage them to circle around each other for butt sniffs. For dogs who don't do well with leashed greetings (lots of dogs!), I recommend avoiding dogs on leash & doing intros off leash. I usually say all dogs off OR all on leash.
It's crucial to remember that not every dog is the same. Not every dog likes to greet other dogs the same way, some dogs are too scared to have other dogs go behind or beside them to sniff, & some dogs LOVE to meet dogs on leash while others prefer not to meet other strange dogs at all. When I hear things like "NO nose to nose greetings ever!" or "NEVER go to a dog park!" or "NEVER let big dogs and little dogs meet" or "NEVER let dogs meet on leash!" it reminds me we often forget about individual personalities & needs.

The ever enthusiastic Bode shows off his orbit trick from last month. It's actually gotten even smoother and faster with...
04/05/2025

The ever enthusiastic Bode shows off his orbit trick from last month. It's actually gotten even smoother and faster with a smaller hand signal since then, but I love his faces in these pictures! Orbit is a backwards circle around me and is an advanced trick that involves a lot of hind end awareness and is SUPER impressive and cute! Trick training is fun, do more of it with your pets!

Reminder that Saturday the 5th is the mass mobilization! Protests are planned all across the country so find one close t...
04/01/2025

Reminder that Saturday the 5th is the mass mobilization! Protests are planned all across the country so find one close to you and get out there!! If you are in or around Santa Fe, here are the deets.
This is not a time to be be wishy washy or complacent. It's also not the time to give up, even though I KNOW that's how many of us are feeling because this is all terrible and very scary and incredibly depressing. We can't though, we absolutely cannot.

First of all, how are my dogs so unbelievably cute? I really can't take it sometimes. And now the point of the post, her...
03/21/2025

First of all, how are my dogs so unbelievably cute? I really can't take it sometimes.
And now the point of the post, here are some upcoming dates to know about. It's actually most of May that will be unavailable, but there are still a few appointments left the first week and one day mid May. I'm going to the behavior conference the second weekend (plus a few days), and currently planning on an England visit to Dan's mother land the last two weeks of May (unfortunately with the state of the country, we will need to keep an eye on things to be sure this is a safe trip, or rather that we can both safely get home, but this the current plan. Protests all over the country are planned for April 5th, by the way, hope to see you at the Roundhouse. Resist fascism!).
There are appointments left in April, so if you have been waiting to book your sessions, go ahead and get them scheduled as we aren't likely to have time together in May.
Because of the busy May schedule and only a few appointments left in April, I do not have availability for Behavior Consultations for new clients at the moment. I will probably be scheduling some emergency consultations but have no room for new client sessions until June.
Give your dogs/cats a cookie from me and call your representatives!

It's exhausting being such a good boi! We've been helping Ollie gain confidence in busy places and around new people. It...
03/21/2025

It's exhausting being such a good boi! We've been helping Ollie gain confidence in busy places and around new people. It's tough when a dog is THIS cute and everyone wants to pet them, but Ollie does not want strangers reaching for him. It's scary! It can be extra confusing when dogs choose to approach a person initially, but then get scared when the person reaches for them. When this happens, it's usually because the dog wanted to sniff and investigate the person but didn't want a full on interaction. It's important to always monitor your dog's body language and advocate for them everywhere you go. It's ok to say, "No!" and run away if people are trying to pet your conflicted dog. It's also ok to not let your conflicted dog fully approach someone who you are sure they will be too scared of once they get up close, especially if they are already displaying nervous, conflicted body language.

Another new face, another toothy grin. 😁 Beau is soooooooo cute, eager, and smart! He started a training package to work...
03/14/2025

Another new face, another toothy grin. 😁 Beau is soooooooo cute, eager, and smart! He started a training package to work on some basic manners and life skills. Welcome to A Matter of Manners, Beau and family!
He's a teen, and adolescent dogs usually have a TON of energy and need more mental and physical exercise. They're also generally barkier, bitier, jumpier, and humpier during this phase of development and that's totally normal and healthy! Teen dogs also can forget a lot of their previous training, and they begin to explore their independence a bit more. They often lack impulse control as well, and sometimes they just CAN'T "control" themselves when asked to calm down, especially around super exciting things. Teen dogs need lots of outlets to go crazy, party it up, go nuts. We shouldn't focus solely on calm, calm, calm. This is all normal, and it's ok to lean in to the craziness that is dog adolescence and laugh when they do outrageous things. You don't need to correct or "fix" behaviors dogs do during their teen phase that they will often grow out of. They aren't being bad dogs, they're being teenagers! Enjoy the wild ride and remember , it's temporary!

I couldn't choose just one picture of this LOVELY girl, I adore her toothy little grin! Meet Nalia, she is really someth...
03/14/2025

I couldn't choose just one picture of this LOVELY girl, I adore her toothy little grin! Meet Nalia, she is really something special and her mom loves her so much. She started her package last week and I was immediately so taken with her. She has a delightful personality, and just look at her! (Belated) Welcome to A Matter of Manners, Nalia and Carolyn!

Welllllllll this is Dulce and I'm 100% obsessed with her. Dulce started her Empowered Puppy Package last week a couple d...
03/06/2025

Welllllllll this is Dulce and I'm 100% obsessed with her. Dulce started her Empowered Puppy Package last week a couple days after she came home. But her people were prepared before she was even born, getting a puppy package spot reserved months before baby would be coming home. We had a puppy consultation a couple weeks before they picked her up. And that all makes me so happy! This beautiful puppy was well bred and so well socialized and litter box trained by her breeder at and I will always stress what a difference it makes to research your breeder and find someone who makes the effort to socialize very early, does appropriate health testing, and only breeds behaviorally healthy dogs. Dulce is sassy, confident, social, super smart, funny, and just fabulous!! Dulce's people happen to be my first ever puppy clients from 10 years ago with CKCs Will and Grace, and I'm very happy to welcome them back to A Matter of Manners. And happy to welcome Dulce to A Matter of Manners 🥰

02/24/2025

A down is a down, right?! 😍 Saint is growing up so fast (although her people would love for her to go through this challenging teen phase a little faster, I'm sure!) and she is soooo cute. She's a leaner, I love a leaner! I love this girlie. Reminder to all my teen dog parents, it's a temporary phase, and it's normal for your teen dog to be extra WILD. Be patient, be kind, give them extra mental and physical exercise and remember you will get to the other side.

Myles update! For those following his cancer journey, I am very pleased to report he is STILL cancer free and overall qu...
02/13/2025

Myles update! For those following his cancer journey, I am very pleased to report he is STILL cancer free and overall quite healthy after his latest monitoring X-ray and senior panel. He is feeling great (like, really great!!), looking a little chunky but overall looking like the most handsome lad, and so far no more tumors. 🤞🎉 We changed things up to make it less scary and stressful for Myles by going to our regular vet for this round of X-rays and his full checkup, which we did sedated this time. He's supposed to be awake for these but we all agreed it would be better to do one round sedated to get the pictures we need and combine the X-rays with his senior workup. We will continue seeing our regular vet for his maintenance X-rays but thanks to my Fear Free vet who knows my dogs so well, there will be arrangements made to make them as fear free as possible for Myles, whose vet phobia has come back in force after everything he's had to deal with this last year. It's so important to have a vet that you trust and can work with as a team, and I trust my vet so much that my own anxiety is always lowered when she walks in the room. I can't tell you what a difference Dr. Long has made in our lives over the last many years! 💗 And I'm just so relieved and happy that Myles is still free of cancer and I hope for many more years with my heart and soul.

It was a double Penny kind of day! Both these adorable girlies started training packages today. Penny the Golden Retriev...
02/12/2025

It was a double Penny kind of day! Both these adorable girlies started training packages today. Penny the Golden Retriever is a 5 month old baby girl, and Penny the Beagley/herding breed something mix of deliciousness is about 4 years old. Both dogs are still somewhat new in their homes and are working on different things, but both are already basically perfect, of course! Welcome to A Matter of Manners, Penny and Sarah, and welcome back to A Matter of Manners to Penny's people, Kaitlin and Michael, who I've had the pleasure of working with before. 💗

Tomorrow. Anyone in Santa Fe going? I'll be there a little late but will find whoever is planning on being there once I ...
02/05/2025

Tomorrow. Anyone in Santa Fe going? I'll be there a little late but will find whoever is planning on being there once I get there.
I know people have expressed concern about these protests with some people saying do not go. I think it's worth the risk. We have to resist, we have to start getting together and making our voices heard. So, go if you can and just be careful, be prepared, be aware.
These are happening everywhere in all 50 states at capitals, so go to yours if you can!
#50501

02/05/2025

From the archives! Desensitization & Counterconditioning to help Daisy feel better when people approach while she has a treasure. Daisy doesn't have to do anything for the food to appear & notice the lack of guarding or concerned body language. Desensitization means the dog feels safe, relaxed, there's no concern. Alex approaching while Daisy has a benebone = food from the sky. If we mess up & get too close for her comfort resulting in any guarding, Daisy will STILL get treats, that's Counterconditioning.
Resource guarding, especially when directed towards humans, is a widely misunderstood & heavily mistreated issue. Many people are offended & take it personally if their dog guards from them; whether it's a toy they guard, the other person in the house, a resting area, or their special treats. I have good news for you! Your dog doesn't like you any less just because they growl at you over a treasure they don't want you to take. Growling is communication. Nor does it mean anything about respect or who is the top dog. Resource guarding is normal dog behavior & who can blame a dog for protecting their favorite resources? Whether a dog freezes over their treasure or snaps/bites, they are not being naughty or trying to be the alpha, they are simply asking for space. We don't need to deny them access to any of their favorite things anymore, and we don't need to teach them who is boss by forcefully approaching & taking away whatever they are guarding (good way to get a bite!).
Resource guarding does not always need to be "fixed." Sometimes the solution is to leave your dog in peace when they have something high value. If the guarding is more serious, for safety & the dog's emotional health, we can help dogs feel way better about people approaching, walking past, or even taking away an object (if it's something dangerous or something inedible that they might ingest).

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Santa Fe, NM
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