The Puppy Care Company

06/20/2025

Go to Your Spot! 🐾 Mat Work for Puppies

Is your puppy…

🙈 Jumping on guests (human or canine)?
😩 Underfoot in the kitchen?
🤨 Sneaking snacks off the counter?
😠 Growling when asked to move off the couch?
😕 Overwhelmed in new places?

You can build stationing—teaching your pup to relax on a mat, bed, or crate. This isn’t just a cool trick—it’s a game-changer for calm, focus, and confidence.With mat work, your puppy learns to:

✔️ Settle in stimulating environments
✔️ Focus even when there are distractions
✔️ Feel safe and secure—whether at home, on the go, or in new places

📍 Serving Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, and beyond. Let’s help your pup find their spot—and love it.

06/07/2025

Rescue dogs with behavioral problems probably haven't been abused...

It is a really common misconception that dogs who resource guard, do so because they've been starved.

Dogs who fear people, do so because they've been abused.

Dogs who hate dogs, do so because they've been attacked.

Reactive dogs haven't been socialised.

While this definitely can sometimes be the case, it's actually fairly unlikely.

It's more likely that these issues are the reason dogs have ended up in rescue. Contrary to popular belief!

I have met many, many dogs from abuse cases, who have been starved or beaten, Who have no issues with people/dogs/ food.

So what causes these issues to arise?

More often than not- genetics, breeding, pregnancy, personality and early learning.

Most dogs who resource guard do so because they're genetically predisposed to do so. That paired with environmental factors that encourage it ( such as an owner snatching food from them) causes it to escalate into a big problem. This is why Certain breeds are much more likely to resource guard, it's in their genes.

Reactive dogs who are bred from are much more likely to have puppies who grow up to be reactive. Low frustration tolerance being found to have a genetic marker in studies.

Stress in pregnancy, an aggressive mother who over corrects puppies physically (not normal behavior btw, despite these ridiculous videos claiming it is ) has also been proven to produce puppies who are likely to grow up anxious or reactive.

Touch sensitivity, fear of people, fear of dogs, reactivity, separation anxiety and aggression have all been found to have clear genetic markers.

My own pup, shares her behavior concerns with the majority of her siblings, despite being brought up completely differently and in completely different homes! Some of the litter have no issues, because genetics are inherited by each pup differently, and also are then influenced by environmental factors.

It doesn't mean genetics will always result in these behaviors, it also doesn't mean that these dogs are a lost cause.

For example, snatching food regularly from 2 dogs can produce very different results. 1 dog, who is not genetically predisposed to resource guarding may never develop it, even in this situation. Dog number 2, who is genetically predisposed, may quickly develop resource guarding which continues to escalate when managed poorly.

So I'm sorry, but it might not be your amazing training skills that landed you with an emotionally sound dog 😳.

The reason however I think this is important to point out is because people always assume a dog with these issues is a rescue, or, that they have been badly treated.

The reality however often is that these are loved family pets, they have a genetic predisposition to these issues and a family who have raised them in the same way you raised your dog, but have ran into much bigger problems that without extensive training knowledge are very hard to navigate.

Obviously there are other factors, training, socialisation and trauma can and will influence behavior problems in a big way. But you can do everything "right" and still have problems. Just as you can in humans!

This is why the breeding industry needs to be regulated. Behavioral traits can be passed onto puppies from parents and grandparents. No dog should be producing puppies if they have not been thoroughly health and temperament tested by a professional. Their line should not show any behavioral concerns.

The breeder should take huge care during pregnancy and the first 8 weeks to ensure the mother is healthy, happy and very well cared for. This costs thousands of pounds.

In my opinion, you shouldn't be able to breed a dog without a qualification in how to do this properly!

So what can you do if your dog is genetically predisposed to these issues?

Firstly, you need to recognise them early. For example, I recognised my pup was very fearful, and scared of people. This meant normal ' socialisation' that people would do, would have been far too much for her. Pushing her into normal situations such as a BBQ with lots of visitors, would have terrified her and encouraged reactive behaviour down the line. In a naturally confident puppy, it would have caused no problems.

If your puppy is displaying any fear, guarding or otherwise problem behaviours, please get a qualified, experienced force free professional involved. I'd highly recommend a clinical animal behaviourist, not your local ' dog trainer'.

You can manage genetics to prevent them escalating, you can teach your dog alternative ways to cope, you can improve problems with training. You can't " fix" the dog. They're not broken.

It takes a lot of time, skill and support to make improvements. And it takes a lot of management and acceptance to live with more sensitive soul.

05/25/2025

If you are going to have a dog, you are going to have to make sacrifices. You cannot expect to have an animal that was designed to live primarily outside and bring it into your house and not have to make changes or adjustments. A dog is not an ornament, a commodity or a display. A dog is an animal. You are sharing your life with another species. This is life with a dog.

Your yard will not be pristine. The grass will get burned from their p*e. Holes will be dug, bushes shredded, mud will come in the house. You cannot ask them to not p*e in your house and then also try to control even their outside bathroom. Please see how unfair this is. This is life with a dog.

You house will need management. Your counters will need to be clear. Shoes will need to be put away. Laundry room blocked. Kids toys picked up. Some things will get destroyed anyway. This is life with a dog.

They will bark at noises. They will protect their territory. Sometimes fiercely. They will not welcome strange people into the home easily even if you “know them” because this is in their genetic DNA. They don’t understand family gatherings and they don’t always see things the way we do. They won’t love playing with every dog they meet. This is life with a dog.

They will need enrichment and work and productivity. They will need training that is kind and fair and consistent and then maintenance to maintain that training. They will need guidance and coaching and lots of reinforcement to help them perform unnatural behaviors against their natural phenotypes. This is life with a dog.

They will mature and change and modify in their likes, behaviors and preferences as they age. Their behaviors aren’t guaranteed. They are not robots and they can be mercurial as they grow into their own personalities. They are allowed to change their mind and shift naturally just as we do. They need to be seen for what and who they are, not what and who YOU want. This is life with a dog.

Life with a dog is not a human right. It is a privilege and a responsibility and an education. They are animals and should be treated and expected to behave as such. That doesn’t make them any less loved or family members and it doesn’t make them any less deserving of respect, in fact it makes them more so.

Enjoy your life with a dog, and help them enjoy life with a human.

- Helen St. Pierre

05/21/2025

Happy Spring 🌸

04/08/2025

Positive reinforcement is a pleasant approach to our interactions with animals (and even fellow humans). Used correctly, positive reinforcement can be beautifully nuanced, scalable, infinitely adjustable to the specific animal’s preferences, and calibrated precisely to sending clear messages ranging from “nice job!” to “Holy smokes, what an outstanding decision made under difficult conditions!” In short, R+ is awesome!

What I often see, unfortunately, is a somewhat clunky use of positive reinforcement. The reinforcement often becomes just food treats or maybe a toy rather than a range of possibilities. The pay scale is sometimes just one treat, no matter how difficult the behavior. Rewards can devolve into promises and prompts with the handler reaching for the treat pouch as the dog looks about ready to do X. This happens without the handler even noticing – but the dog sees it and read it correctly, and it all becomes part of the interaction.

The power and the presence of intrinsic reinforcement goes unnoticed or misunderstood, though it speaks to the individual dog’s interests and joys. Instead, we reach for the extrinsic reinforcers which can be powerful, but can also set up both handler and dog for disappointment and frustration when not used with skill. Or when the dog expects to see a prompt or promise.

I read through various forums and discussion groups, so I get to see how a wide range of R+ trainers recommend working with this or that behavior problem. Most troubling to my way of thinking is that many behavior problems are treated as if the dog has a chicken or cheese deficiency. So many techniques frame behavior issues as something that can be addressed with sufficient supplementation of chicken or cheese.

Read more at: https://suzanneclothier.com/widespread-chicken-and-cheese-deficiency/

03/31/2025

If you’ve been confused about the FETCH debate, this might be helpful—

Why do trainers seem to have the wrong of the telescope on so many issues? Let's take the once again issue being raised of how bad it is for dogs to play fetch, or get excited and run and jump and play hard. This concept has been around for ages, and it drives me batty.

Long ago, I grew weary of the argument that running and jumping and fetching etc were bad for dogs, caused blood cortisol levels to spike, created stress, etc. It's been around a long, long time. Calm walks only, no chasing, etc. What's the grain of truth at the heart of such advice?

Do some dogs have problems self-regulating? Yep.

Will some dogs play till they keel over? Yep.

Do some dogs have a tendency towards compulsive behavior? Yep.

Do some dogs have physical limitations that mean long-term certain activities will cost them dearly? Yep. But *they* don't know that and so delight in a game is not a matter of informed consent - hell yes that's true for so many dogs.

You know, dogs are just like people in so many ways. Like us, and for so many reasons including human interference and selective breeding and appalling raising practices and unnatural lifestyles and god awful structure and obesity and poor conditioning and crazy expectations, dogs can struggle with making healthy choices that support adaptive and functional behavior.

Imagine if the whole discussion was reframed in terms of functionality - can the dog self-regulate even in the presence of exciting stimuli? is the dog physically capable of doing X at that level of intensity? how does this affect relationships with others?

My GSDs are strong and sound. While they love their games, they can also stop when asked. They can adjust themselves to take a break as needed. The same activities they enjoy were inappropriate for my Lab/Chow cross with crappy structure and bad hocks. One of my dogs long ago did not have the sense to know she needed to rest when playing fetch. Thankfully, she had 2 black spots on her tongue that were perfect markers whatever the temp -- first spot showing meant she was nearing her healthy max; second spot showing meant STOP. Wish all dogs came with such clues.

Oh wait - all dogs DO have such clues! It's called behavior. It's called movement. Always available for us to see, if we have developed the observation skills that let us see what dogs are telling us.

Perhaps most critical in this "no fetch" or "fetch is fine" discussion: does the *handler* know how to make those assessments? Can the handler recognize the shifts in fine motor control or balance or cadence or gait or recovery?

Further, does the handler know what to do with the information gained from those assessments? Do they know how to take care of a dog so to promote healthy interactions, play, and activities that support the dog's mental, emotional and physical well being.

That's our job: to be caretakers, which includes quite literally taking care when a dog is not able to be self-protective or self-regulate or when the dog's lack of understanding about long-term consequences means fun in the moment may create harm further down the line. We have to take care that our encouragement or requests or expectations are within healthy limits for that dog, and that means getting our egos out of the way, always seeking more understanding of the dog as a whole being, developing greater observation skills.

When we start to understand self-regulation its importance for any being to function well, we can make recommendations that are appropriate for each individual dog instead of stupid blanket rules.

Being disregulated is good for no one, that much is true. But what healthy arousal and fun looks like varies for each animal.

While I was teaching in Warsaw at a conference, there was a pretty hot argument about horses, racing and jumping. One person claimed horses only ran or jumped because they were forced to, and it was awful for the poor beasts and so stressful. "No horse would jump just for fun." The knowledgeable horse people were outraged by the stupidity of this statement, as their lived experience with horses echoed mine and was utterly counter to the dumb remark.

Likewise, my lived experience with dogs has shown me that some dogs self-regulate beautifully, others do not, and still others have clueless handlers. What matters is the individual dog. SEE THE DOG.

I've watched handlers who bought into the no fetch advice - and you know what? Some had major problems in their relationship with their dog because they listened to stupid humans rather than their dog. Ditto for handlers who listened to trainers telling them to exercise their dog for hours or pack weights or ... fill in the blank of exercise of choice. They had problems too.

What is almost always a problem for the human-dog relationship is this: opinions of humans vs the facts straight from the dog. Blanket statements automatically exclude listening to the dog.

KNOW HOW TO ASSESS your dog mentally, physically and emotionally so you can support them and enjoy what is good and healthy for them! SEE THE DOG. Always. First. Forever.

03/07/2025

Create a DIY lid for your folding exercise pen (x-pen) with these simple steps. Visit a hardware store and pick up a tarp along with a few plastic garden stakes. Secure the tarp to the stakes using zip ties, crafting a durable lid that also provides a snug, dark or shaded space. Note that all the mats and beds are placed on top to keep them safe—unless someone is keeping an eye on Hobie. While carpet squares can sometimes be less tempting for young puppies to chew, some pups will still tear through anything until they outgrow their teething and chewing phase. A reminder to provide enrichment & safe chews in containment.

02/14/2025

Puppy-proofing is essential to keep your little one safe and prevent unwanted chewing or destruction. Secure plants, cords, and anything else your puppy might be tempted to explore.

Using temporary barriers like baby gates are temporary—once your puppy learns the boundaries you’ve set, you’ll be able to remove them. Consistency and patience are key as your puppy grows and understands what’s off-limits.

02/01/2025

If you are going to have a pen and crate attached, you want both to be tall enough that the puppy can't use the crate as a way to exit the pen! A big crate attached to the outside of the pen can work well. Photo Credit & set up from

06/15/2024

Updated information from the University of California study on the effects of spay/neutering.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/when-should-you-neuter-or-spay-your-dog

03/12/2024

Do you play hide & seek with your Pup? It's one of Pekoe's favorite games. This team inspires me to follow through on a new hide idea... I think I'll dress all in green and lay on the grass in the park at a distance next time I'm out with a friend. I'll have them hold him far away and out of site until he's cued to SEARCH!

If you're new to the game -

Start easy 🛋️ behind the couch 🍕 kitchen counter, then advance to behind 💦 the shower curtain, or under your bed blanket, behind your garbage cans etc.

It's so fun when they find you!

01/06/2024

They are so connected to us! Treat training is so fun, but I love the reminder to add more praise more often.