The Puppy Ladies

04/17/2025

You know how we feel about shock collars!!!!
Every dog can be trained without hurting them!!

04/10/2025

We help you prevent behavior problems in young puppies! This is vital information written by a veterinary behaviorist. The earlier you expose (safely) your puppy to the world, the better chance your puppy has to grown into a confident adult dog.
Do it right!
We specialize in puppy training.
Puppies can start as young as 8 weeks.

We get our puppies vaccinated on time because we love them and we want to lessen the likelihood of infectious diseases that can cause illness, suffering and even death. Why then, don't people get their dog the vaccination against fear, anxiety, stress, panic and phobia?

Isn't emotional suffering and potential euthanasia enough of a reason to protect puppies as any other infectious disease?

Just like vaccinations, the timing of socialization is critical. You can't do it later. It has to be done before 14 weeks in most breeds.

Not only is the exposure important, but the nature of the exposure. Positive exposures put value in the emotional piggy bank and negative ones withdraw value.

There is no reason to avoid socialization if done well and safely, but there are lots of negative consequences to waiting to expose your pup to the world.

Give your puppy the best of both worlds—protection and preparation for a happy, confident future!

04/04/2025

Please vote for therapy dog, Gertie! Thank you

Be the Solution’s Tally Top Pet Tallahassee Magazine is thrilled to be partnering with Be the Solution and Sweat Therapy Fitness Studio to bring you the 2025 Tally Top Pet contest. Get Ready to Vote! The top 16 pets will face-off in a “March Madness”-style bracket voting contest beginning Marc...

04/01/2025

Intermediate class starts this Saturday at 4 pm. If you’ve taken our Basic Manners course, come join us. Email us for more info or to RSVP! 🐕‍🦺🦮

03/29/2025

03/17/2025

03/08/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Let's talk about the the ever popular word: “No!”. It is a common human response to loudly say or shout “No!” when our dogs present any undesired behavior. This is commonly a first issue that I address with many people. What is the problem with telling your dog “No!”? Three reasons:

1. “No!” is not teaching your dog a desired behavior. Saying or shouting “No!” is interrupting a behavior. Therefore, giving people a false reinforcement that their dog knows what “No!” means.

2. “No!” interrupts a behavior when you are present to see or hear it happening. The end result is that your dog waits until you are out of proximity that you will not see or hear them. Your dog is working on the premise that x behavior is safe when you are not in proximity.

3. “No!” scares a dog and can damage your relationship with him or her. A damaged relationship with your dog can be one of him or her being fearful of you, shut down, possible aggression issues can occur.

What do you do rather than saying or shouting “No!” at their dog’s undesired behavior?

• Be proactive by managing his or her environment (gates to block access to restricted areas, go for outings and walks during off-peak times of day, close window coverings, put shoes and other objects away, etc.).

• Teach your dog alternate behaviors that help both your dog and you to remain under your emotional thresholds including auto check-ins, four on the floor, triggers become cues to check in with you, etc.

• Understand your dog’s reinforcement history to understand why a behavior continues to recur. A primary example is your dog has stolen socks on multiple occasions. In most cases, a dog stealing socks results in a game of chase and keep away. A game of chase and keep away is highly reinforcing to a dog – this is fun. The to do here is to keep socks and other high value (your dog’s thought) out of your dog’s reach or close off access to rooms where there are high value objects.

• Teach your dog the “Leave it” cue to prevent him or her from getting into or taking objects that he or she should not be engaging with. Keep in mind that teaching the “Leave it” cue is a step-by-step process that needs to be taught. Saying “Leave it” may interrupt a behavior, but unless your dog has been taught the cue; he or she does not know what it means.

This week’s wisdom is to stop, breathe, and regroup to help you refrain from saying or shouting ”No!” One time of “No!” can escalate into multiple times resulting in increased frustration for you and your dog and/or possibly damaging your relationship with your canine family member. The goal is two-fold:

• Prevent perpetuating an endless cycle of frustration for your dog and you.

• Reduce your stress by practicing human impulse control. Who doesn’t want less stress in their life?

Above all else, take care of each other, be your dog’s teammate, and work together.

02/10/2025

So many dogs run out the front door! We teach door manners in our classes but if you want an easy solution check this out!

02/08/2025

Advanced classes!!
Have you taken the Intermediate class with us? Have you kept up with the training?
We have FREE advanced classes coming up.
Email us if you are interested!!
[email protected]

02/07/2025

Are you looking at dog trainers? Take a look at the dogs they are training!
Do they look happy?
Check out this 12 month old Lab. He’s in a distracting environment and practicing the “down” cue. He’s happy to do so!
Why? He was trained with positive reinforcement. He’s never been “corrected” for being “wrong”.
We have ongoing puppy classes. Start anytime.
Basic Manners for older pups start in two weeks!
Check out our website for more info: Thepuppyladies.com

02/04/2025

This is the second bed Gloria has destroyed. What do you think of this? This is what I think....
She’s young
She’s got some pent up energy
I need to exercise her body and brain more
She did NOT:
Chew up the couch
Chew up my shoes
Steal anything off a table or counter
I think if all the “bad” choices she could have made and I’m happy with her choice.

02/03/2025

Separation anxiety is no joke! We can help you prevent it by training very young puppies to be alone for periods of time. They must learn to stay in confined areas for safety and comfort. Start young! Puppies can start our in class program as early as 8 weeks. We offer in home lessons, as well.

01/25/2025

Cesar Millan may be a household name, but not everyone is wagging their tails over his methods. Experts argue that some of his training philosophies miss the mark, creating controversy in the dog training world. Here are ten reasons the trainers are barking back. Dominance-Based Training Methods For...