Tiff Score - Free To Be Dog Behavior

25/11/2025

Join the movement!

If you haven't yet - please take a moment to send a letter to the County Commissioners and the Editor of the Pilot Newspaper. We’ve made this incredibly easy — SEVERAL NEW sample letters and the email addresses are ready for you here: https://mooreanimalalliance.com/email-decision-makers. These letters take only a few minutes but carry enormous weight. Please send yours today.

Be sure to mark your calendars - for our first march around the Historic Moore County Courthouse at 4:30 and then inside for the public comment session of the Commissioners meeting on December 1st - ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.

22/11/2025

BIG NEWS 🎉🎉🎉

Play & Learn Puppy Classes officially kick-off January 4, 2026 at Urban Pet Co., in downtown Southern Pines.

These socialization classes are open to puppies 9-16 weeks old and run Sundays from 2-3 pm. No need to wait to join — you can start anytime there’s an opening.

AVSAB recommends puppies get into socialization classes as soon as possible as “behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.”

Not to worry though- we ensure our classes are clean, safe, and fun; prioritizing your puppy’s physical and behavioral health.

Cute chaos only works for so long. Visit us at www.freetobedog.org/puppyclass to learn more and enroll — your shoes will thank you 😉!

21/11/2025

Could they be any cuter or cuddlier?! 🥹🥰🙃

20/11/2025

You know it’s been a long day when you door dash your dogs’ dinner 🤣

17/11/2025

I absolutely love what Everydog does! We refer people there often — they even offer virtual training!

10/11/2025

Happy Veteran’s Day long weekend, everyone! We are celebrating in the TN mountains with all 4 dogs 🐶.

Winston and Rex even rode the ski lift to the Sky Park — and a whole lotta people took their photos and videos 🤣.

I’m thinking about adding a section to our blog specific to traveling with dogs. Would this be of interest or helpful for you guys?

Let me know! Traveling with dogs can feel overwhelming but having some guidance and a few key pieces planned ahead of time can make it (almost) a breeze!!

01/11/2025

Happy Adoptiversary, Winston!!

Cheers to a fabulous 4 years and many more to come! Love you to pieces 😘

🐾❤️

27/10/2025

🐶 You love dogs. We do too.
But not every dog wants to be greeted by strangers — and how you say hello can make a big difference in whether they feel safe or stressed.

Swipe through to learn the dos and don’ts of greeting unknown dogs, then hit the link in our bio to read the full blog:
👉 “Just Say Hi (From a Distance)”

Let’s help every dog feel safe, seen, and free to be 🐾

22/10/2025

🎃🐾 New Client Resource Alert! 🐾🎃

We’ve just added a brand new handout to your client portal: “How to Prevent Halloween Howls” – your go-to guide for keeping your pup happy, calm, and safe this spooky season! 👻🐶

Inside you’ll find practical tips like:
🔒 Secure the Door
🚪 Ditch the Doorbell
🧠 Distraction Wins
🗓️ Plan Ahead

Don’t let Halloween frights turn into doggy distress – log in to your portal now to check it out! 💻🎃

15/10/2025

Hello from George! 👋

Yesterday we officially welcomed George into training and kicked-off his package with lots of work. During our time together, this teenaged boy will be working on:

• taking treats softly
• exercises to develop impulse control
• loose leash walking
• off-leash, no-fail come when called

The adolescent phase is a tough one for many pet parents. Dogs are in one of the trickiest developmental phases, which is why we see this phase as the most common age for relinquishment to shelters.

Luckily, hiring a trainer can do more than teach your dog some important life skills. We also support you! Knowing what’s normal, what’s not, and how to come out the other side of adolescence in tact is worth it’s weight in gold 🤪!

Tips for surviving your teen tyrant:

• stay patient; i promise all the work you did during puppyhood isn’t lost forever — it’s just in hibernation… 🤦🏼‍♀️😂
• keep doing what you’re doing — despite how it feels, your dog is learning and benefitting
• provide physical and mental enrichment, daily (this can be very dog specific to be effective but play around and see what your dog responds well to)
• hire a good trainer who works *WITH* your dog’s finicky brain 🧠 *AND* appropriately supports you!
• take breaks from your dog. get away for the weekend. go to dinner with friends. a little time apart will do wonders for your patience and is healthy for both you and your dog.
• don’t be afraid to outsource some of the work. i love when clients hire a dog walker to take just a bit of the workload off their plate.

10/10/2025

Fall is here and in my opinion, it’s the best time of the year! Weather is top notch for adventures with your four-legged co-pilot.

We are planning a little adventure to Gatlinburg, TN next month and hoping to squeeze in a hike at Pilot Mountain before then.

What’s your next adventure? Tell us in the comments so we can draw some inspo from you too! 😊🐕⛰️