On Point Dog Training LLC

01/02/2026

Happy New Years!

These two beauties are celebrating in their hats!

What are your training goals for the year?

12/31/2025

Meet Rocket!

Rocket is now 3 months old. I found her in some holly bushes, alone and crying for help. She was only 5-6 weeks old. I hadn't realized how small she really was until she finally came up to sniff my shoe; I quickly and sneakily snatched her. She hissed at me once and then melted into me, suckling on my neck. It was clear that she had been alone for days and was cold, starving and lonely. I had a spot open at my home; so I decided to keep her and make her my travel buddy.

You may see Rocket join in on training sessions. I found her on a Saturday; on the following Monday she had her first vet visit and on Tuesday she began coming to work with me. Rocket rides along in a carrier backpack and will come out during sessions when appropriate.

Rocket has been to nearly every training session with me since November. Her biggest adventures so far have been a trip to Kentucky for family Christmas and a visit to Christkindlmarkt in Cullman.

At this age, it's imperative that Rocket get out several times a week. Overall, she does very well out and about but sometimes she still gets nervous at first.

I'm not sure about you, but I've found it very difficult to get out over Christmas break. Rocket hasn't been out for almost a week. I knew that I HAD to get her out today but again, struggled to make it anywhere. So, I decided that we would go for a walk on my property trail.

At first, she clung to me inside of my jacket, shivering out of nervousness. About a quarter way through the walk, she asked to get down to explore. She did so but kept her belly close to the ground and walked slowly and carefully. About halfway through the walk, she began to walk more confidently and soon after began romping with Luke (my dog).

I say that to say this; training sessions do not always have to be grand. One of the things that I tell clients is "even five minutes is better than nothing."

Today, rather than getting no training in, we conquered several training challenges in only fifteen minutes.

1. Harness/leash work
2. Desensitization; to the wind, to smells, to sights, to textures
3. Recall

It doesn't have to be grand. It just has to get done. Your dog (or cat, goat, horse, etc) is only as successful as the amount of time and effort you put in. If that's only five minutes, that's better than nothing at all.

12/07/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CHDhCCFRh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Fromm Family Foods voluntarily recalled the Bonnihill Farms BeefiBowls Beef Recipe of gently cooked frozen dog food after receiving complaints of plastic contamination.

11/28/2025

Karma went with me to get her picture today with Santa. Unfortunately, he was a no show but we did get her picture with the Grinch! She did so good and it turned out super cute!

Although we did this for fun, there's quite a few skills that she has learned to be able to attend events like this.

1) Socialization
2) Desensitization
3) Leash manners
4) Greeting people properly for petting

Karma was able to accomplish all of these skills because her owner was so dedicated to the training! He really put in the work and it shows!

Side note: Would anybody be interested in getting pictures done with the Grinch in my yard (set up with decorations)? I would take it on your phone! Let me know what you'd pay for a few shots!

11/25/2025

PSA!

I will preach about this ALL DAY EVERY DAY!

It is one of the items that I cover with my clients if not in the first session, within the next few. Please watch until the end!

Had this dog not been secured in the car, it would've become a projectile and it CERTAINLY would've taken off if not when the biker first opened the drivers door, for certain when he tried to get the dog.

Even the most confident, well trained, loyal dog will likely run after an accident (even a fender bender). Think about how shaken up you are after one; now imagine all the loud noises, scary uniforms and chaos PLUS you don't understand what's happening.

PLEASE strap your dogs in for EVERY car ride! I'll link below the seat belt that I use for mine.

Here are some ways that you can secure your dog in the car:
1) In a crate; ideally crate is secured with a tightened seatbelt or ratchet straps.
2) Secured with a seat belt (or trunk latch) attachment via their harness.

DOGS SHOULD NEVER EVER BE IN THE FRONT SEAT OR BED OF THE TRUCK! NO EXCUSES! It's incredibly distracting and dangerous!

https://youtube.com/shorts/AJzKEETcT9I?si=qCUE2wOOBkWLM1ek

11/14/2025

Figured it may be time to re-introduce myself.

11/14/2025

Check out this update on Rommel!

From Rommel's owner, Doug:

"I called Andrea to help me with a 1.5 year- old Cane Corso that had been traumatized at a younger age with getting into vehicles. Rommel weighs 170 pounds and if he doesn't wanna go somewhere, he is not going. Andrea was awesome and never gave up and I'm pleased to say that Rommel has no issues getting into the truck now. If you're looking for a trainer, I can't recommend Andrea enough. She's an awesome person and has a great rapport with animals."

Below is a picture of Rommel on his first car ride since beginning his training. He happily got right back in the truck when asked, after returning home. He is still currently going for car rides willingly. 🩷

Rommel and his owner are the prime example of where following through with your homework will get you. Doug never gave up, not once, even when things got tough (regression is NOT fun). He powered through, trusting the process and completing his homework nearly daily, as instructed. Solid proof that your dog's success is directly related to the amount of time and effort you put into it.

09/17/2025

Imagine this:

It's a sunny, gorgeous, fall day. You want to take your sweet pup for a walk at the park. Unfortunately, the park isn't within walking distance of your home. Good news, it's just a short car ride. Bad news, you can't get your dog into the car and he's too large for you to pick up.

Getting into the car isn't really something that we think about being challenging; after all, most of us have been riding in the car since a few days after birth. It isn't scary for the vast majority of us. So why would our dog be afraid? Shouldn't that "All American Family Dog" want to jump right in? You're taking them somewhere fun, so why wouldn't they? Why don't they get it?

This is actually a fairly common issue. There could be several reasons and most of the time we will never know exactly which one. This can be overcome!

In just a short three weeks, this gentle giant is making enormous strides of progress! I could not be any prouder of how brave and willing he is. When you let the dog lead the session and ensure that they are comfortable and confident with each step before continuing, these are the results you get. We still have a long way to go (closing the door, going for a ride, getting back in). But this progress is absolutely incredible. I can't wait to see what happens at the next session! Stay tuned!

09/16/2025

You just never know what you'll see when you're out for a training trip!

It looks like Nux is pulling, but he's actually sitting perfectly still. I'm not sure he even noticed the giant camel! I was holding the leash tightly just in case!

Nux was a great boy. We went on a Saturday morning. Not only was the camel there, but a farmers market was also going on. He sat perfectly still for every pet that he got and even waited patiently in a sit while we picked him out some new gear!

09/13/2025

You never know what you might find while you're training!

Yesterday while training a chocolate lab named Lincoln, I found this precious little baby on the sidewalk of a popular public park. I gently moved him to the other side so nobody could harm him! This is a non venomous baby gray rat snake. They can her 6-8 feet in length at full grown!

*I have been professionally trained in handling non venomous and venomous snakes. Please just let snakes be when you aren't sure what species they are. It can be very confusing and it is very easy to misidentify.*

08/07/2025

This is so exciting! This is the first time that my business has been nominated for a community vote! I would greatly appreciate you taking a minute out of your day to nominate On Point Dog Training LLC! Thank you to anyone who nominated me, and thank you for voting for me!

Official 2025 Community Voting Awards Platform for Birmingham, AL. Where the community votes for their favorites every year.

07/21/2025

How many of your pups go get pup cups? Let's see yo ur videos and pictures! This is just too cute!

1.3M likes, 2287 comments. “🐶: Hi, I need a pup cup!!”