Next Level Obedience

25/11/2025

Enzo is learning to walk on a treadmill. It's not a permanent replacement for off-leash running and exploring, but his people know that they will be able to run him on the treadmill more often than running him outside. He'll pick up the skill in no time!

25/11/2025

Meet Scarlet and Millie! These two flashy little dogs get a rush by barking and growling at any dog they see (and most cars and people too). We're going to fix that together so that they can behave just as nice as they look!

24/11/2025

I was without a voice for most of last week because of a lingering cold. It made me abundantly aware of how I talk to dogs -- both mine and my clients. I chat to my dogs regularly. I include them in conversations they can't understand just so they can hear my voice and my affectionate tone. But I was pleased to discover that I could live in harmony with my dogs almost entirely silently. I could still whistle, so I could still recall my dogs on our off-leash adventures, and otherwise I barely had to speak. I experienced something I hoped was true: my dogs don't need to be verbally controlled to be nice dogs. And honestly, that was lovely to experience with Finch because he is such a teenage boy at times! I did learn that I rely a little too much on my "wait" command at the door instead of having an implied wait (i.e., don't run out my door without permission). I want an implied wait; I guess I'll have to work on that.

I keep thinking of the challenge that used to make the rounds on social media: Can you live 24 hours without saying a word to your dog? In other words, can your dog be polite and live in harmony with your household without being under constant verbal control? If not, you have something to work on. If you want to try the challenge but it seems WAY too hard, you can make it a little easier by clipping a leash to your dog and letting them drag it around the house so you can have physical control if you need it. I'd love to hear if you try it and what things you learn about your dog or yourself!

17/11/2025

This episode is now on my list to send to everyone who mentions to me they might be getting a dog! Great overview of all the things to consider: breeders, rescues, how to go about actually acquiring a puppy without blindly buying one off Craigslist.

How To Podcast · Updated Weekly · Two dog trainers, Monique Anstee from The Naughty Dogge and Jill Brown share raw conversation as they preserve the art of dog training. With different dog experiences from different venues of herding,…

13/11/2025

Reminder - no puppy class tonight!
Junction Kennels

13/11/2025

It's one of my favorite weeks of the year! In case you don't know, my business will be completely shut down the rest of the week as I will be at the Feed My Starving Children mobile pack (Make A Difference Dekalb County). If you have a spare two hours, come volunteer! And if you need me for dog stuff, I'll be responding to texts and emails next Monday.

11/11/2025

Two birds, one stone, as they say. Boaz German Shepherd needs some practice keeping his wits about him when interacting with other dogs in a non-work setting. In other words, he's great if he's in class or in a formal heel, but just going for a walk and passing neighbor dogs is difficult! So all my day school dogs got the same lesson yesterday, and then they all got to run together for an hour and tire each other out. Win/win/win!

06/11/2025

Intro to agility class!

06/11/2025

Last night bravery class. I love cardboard box week!

04/11/2025

I guess Monday is gray dog day for Day School now!

03/11/2025

Nothing like the joy of a new toy!
This is Dagmar, by the way, not Finch. I can't imagine why people think she's only 9 months old . . .

01/11/2025

What a pleasure to meet this gentleman this week! Ollie was recently adopted from . He is a happy, playful guy who needs just a little help reigning in some of the exuberance, but talk about a fast learner! Within moments, we had him grabbing a toy instead of biting hands and sitting instead of jumping (we never told him to sit, by the way. He came up with that alternate behavior all by himself)!