Star Dog Training & Behavior Specialists

19/08/2024

Let me read my news in pees! ☮️

You wouldn’t like it if someone pulled you away from your news and messages all the time, so don’t do it to your dog. Sniffing on walks is how dogs get information about their environment. It’s their version of reading messages, newsfeeds and emails.

Let your dog ‘snift’ through its ‘peemail’😁

🐕

17/07/2024

If you’re in the market for a puppy or dog, It’s a great opportunity when a rescue has mama and puppies together. Behavior does have a genetic component, so when you can meet a mama with her pups, you get a bigger picture of potential.
And don’t forget to socialize the heck out of puppies! Puppy classes guided by behavior specialists like me are crucial for setting you and your pup up for success :)

27/06/2024

HELP YOUR DOG LIKE FIREWORKS AND THUNDER!

I posted about this years ago but it’s a good reminder!

Here’s what works for many dogs I work with (including my dog who every year forgets that fireworks and thunder aren’t scary):

ACT LIKE YOU LIKE THE SOUND - When the “bad noise” happens, acknowledge it with a positive, but not-too-over-the-top cheerful voice, “ooh fireworks!” Your emotions become your dog’s emotions if you’re consistent.

MAKE THEIR FAVORITE THING HAPPEN BRIEFLY immediately after “bad noise” and your positive response. For my dog it’s playing with his toys with him. Your dog’s favorites might be ice cubes, ball, belly rubs, bacon, whatever works! Keep in mind this isn’t coddling, it’s creating a strong positive association to shift an emotional response.
🌟 Keep it to ten seconds or so, then go back to what you were doing. 🌟 Favorite thing only happens immediately after the noise occurs. This gives your dog many times associating a positive with the scary thing!

REPEAT, every time the noise happens.

PLAY MUSIC and SHUT WINDOWS & DOORS - reggae or light classical music (best for stress reduction). A fan or white noise machine also work okay. Closing windows and doors helps dampen the sound too.

IF THEY JUST CAN’T

Their favorite thing isn’t helping?

Continue with the positive response to the “bad noise” and happily make them a nest where they usually take shelter away from exterior walls where it’s quieter. “Ooh, thunder! Let’s make your bed!” Again, not too over the top.

Try a dog calming wrap, DIY style. It’s pretty cute! Look it up 😊

Look into doggie ear muffs

Look into calming supplements like CBDs, Rescue Remedy, or calming chews made for dogs such as Composure or True H**p Chews. Don’t rely on these - they won’t shift the negative response like we want to, they usually take the edge off just a little. It’s best when paired with the positive association exercise discussed above.

Do set-ups: Play a recording of the noises at a volume they can tolerate and associate it with things they love. Over time, work up to louder volume (you can work on this year round and build up slowly, but it’s tough to do at this time of year).

If none of the above works, consider talking to your vet about meds and start working with a behavior specialist (like me!)

27/06/2024

Walks with this boy are such a joy. Blessed with a lovely, temperate evening and a most wonderfur companion! ❤️

19/05/2024

How to introduce dogs:

With the help of some human friends, I introduced my dog Bucky (right) and Jack (left). I’ve helped train and am currently dog sitting Jack so I know him and Bucky well enough to trust they’ll get along. Even then without a proper introduction, things don’t always go smoothly. With a little know how, you can successfully introduce your dog to new friends too!

FIRST, Find a neutral area - an open space where neither dog frequents regularly is an excellent option.

NO face-to-face meetings!! Dogs stiffen up, feel tense, and can’t get a good read for eachother - not to mention all of the fighting parts (teeth and claws) that are right near vulnerable areas such as the eyes, face, and neck.

INSTEAD, start with parallel, distanced walks. As long as the dogs aren’t reactive on leash, walking the two dogs parallel to each other at a distance of about 10 feet helps them watch each other’s body language and figure out they’re safe. Throughout this, praise and be happy about the dogs glancing at each other and then away from each other! Yay, friends!
Don’t let them meet quite yet! Wait for it…

NEXT, have them both follow some cues they know, such as sit or down. Engaging the brain helps get and keep dogs calm! It’s also a good indicator of how comfortable vs nervous/excited they are. If either is unable to respond to requests that they are normally able to, give some more distance between them and try again. Once that goes well…

FINALLY, find a way for them to meet off leash in the open space. Bucky and Jack had some initial testing and posturing toward each other but they diffused it themselves. That’s almost always the case so don’t helicopter mom them! They establish boundaries and play preferences this way and learn each other. It’s best to walk around a bit and keep praising them and enjoying the budding relationship!

If you ever need help or run into a hitch with this, or if you would feel better with a little guidance, reach out to a behavior specialist, like me! I love helping dogs enrich their lives with doggie friends and fun!

18/04/2024

Training a solid recall!

Chloe, Snoopy and Coco loved their first training session, and their humans did too! Dachshunds can have big personalities, and like a lot of dogs they usually have strong opinions about what their “job” should be.

A fantastic recall is no minor feat when working with independent-minded, prey-driven pups, especially with bunnies in the backyard!
I love teaching people how to harness their dogs’ innate desires in order to build a solid response when they hear, “Puppies, come come come!!”

Three important tools:
20-30 foot line
Yummy treats for responding
Let ‘em go do what they wanted in the first place! Within reason of course.

Make it happen 90% of the time! This way, they aren’t choosing between listening to you and the thrill of doing Dog’s work - in this case, chasing varmints down their hidey holes!

26/02/2024

Had a great Doggie Q&A event at Sunroom Brewing! Lots of adorable pups and awesome people :)

16/01/2024

Cooped up with the pup? Get that puppy energy out at Puppy class tonight at southwest veterinary clinic - 6pm! See more information at StarDog-training.com!

18/12/2023

Paw rum pum pum pum! 🐾 StarDog Training Puppy Class and Good Dog Grade School start in Littleton on Tuesday, January 9th. Happy pup, happy human, happy howlidays!
Sign up now to help you and your furry friend be the best team ever at StarDog-training.com

13/12/2023

Christmas shopping? This one will make dogs AND their people happier! Puppy socialization classes, training classes, and private sessions are a wonderful gift for anyone who has or is getting a dog. Or treat yourself and your dog to it! Visit StarDog-training.com for more info. Happy Howlidays!

01/12/2023

Why do we teach “sit”???
If a dog is sitting, then it’s not jumping up, eating your shoelaces, chomping on your hands or doing a myriad of other things we humans don’t prefer. It took a handful of minutes for little Lenny to get the hang of it, but once he did, he was all about it and started offering a “sit” often because he realized everybody thinks it’s great, and he likes people to think he’s doing a wonderful thing! One session and the very next day, his people came home and he sat for attention instead of jumping up!
We also taught him “put your paws up!” That way, he has permission sometimes to put his paws on you and other things - an outlet for his desires. “Paws up” only gets rewarded with attention, but sit is rewarded with attention and, often, a treat for now, that way the more rewarding option is sitting. He’s a super sweet fellow and his humans adore him. His sister Rosie, I worked with years ago to help her be such a sweet, polite lady! She wasn’t sure what the big deal about learning “sit” was because she’s had it nailed furever 🐶 🥰

19/11/2023

Bonnie was a real treat to work with! 4.5 month old Berners are big but still puppies at heart. She still puts everything in her mouth so we worked on keeping her attention with lures and rewarded plenty for paying attention on walks. That, combined with a little understanding that though big for her age, she still won’t want to walk very far and needs time to process all of the exciting things in this big big world! Sweet Bonnie Lovebug, you’re a gem! ❤️

31/10/2023

I’ve known Nala since she was a tiny pup in my classes almost nine years ago, and now she has a big little bro, Gus! They’re such cute, sweet pumpkins! Jehane Walsh it was so good to see you three!

27/10/2023

Just about the cutest thing ever! My client’s daughter dressed up as Wally, their rescue pup, for Halloween 😭 ❤️ Spot on costume!! No pun intended. AND they do “spin” side by side, which they learned in my class! My heart just about broke in the best way.

25/10/2023

I’m so excited to announce that I’m STARting up my own business again!!
Dog training and behavior help for everything from basics to anxiety, fear, and aggression.
Over a decade of helping people and their dogs with cruelty-free methods!

30/06/2020

Today in Veterinary Practice News:

Grain-Free diets are not linked to Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

“We wanted to gain the best understanding of this issue, so we examined the results of more than 150 studies, which taken together, did not support a link between grain-free and legume-rich diets and DCM,” says Sydney McCauley, PhD, an animal nutritionist and the review’s lead author. “What the science does make clear is DCM is largely an inherited disease.”

It's a peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Animal Science.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs is largely an inherited disease and not the result of a grain-free or legume-rich diet.

28/06/2020

Shaking, cowering, hiding... Is your dog scared of storms and fireworks? Treat it like this to help them feel okay with it.
Step 1: noise happens and you immediately acknowledge with a happy voice (your emotions become your dog’s emotions over time).
Step 2: direct them to something they love (treat, toy, fetch, etc.)
Step 3: repeat repeat repeat.

Also drown out noises with reggae or light classical music (best for stress reduction). A fan or white noise machine also work fine.

If they can’t be directed to something else like treats or toys when loud noises happen:
1. Provide them a room away from exterior walls where it’s quieter.

2. Try calming supplements like CBDs, Rescue Remedy, or calming chews made for dogs such as Composure or True H**p Chews.

3. Play the noises that bother them at a lower volume they can tolerate and associate it with things they love. Over time, work up to louder volume (you can work on this year round and build up slowly, but it’s tough to do at this time of year).

4. If all of the above doesn’t work, then talk to a vet about meds and start working with a behavior specialist (like me!)

15/06/2020

Heartbreaking!
If anyone knows anyone with leads in this area please reach out.

31/05/2020

My friend’s dog is so freaking funny. What a nut!

29/05/2020

Everything you never knew you didn’t know about getting your dog to drop things!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SGtdJZAibYI&feature=youtu.be

How to teach a drop it, and troubleshooting when drop it isn’t working for you and your dog.

28/05/2020

Pop quiz! Do you speak dog? What body language do you see here between these two?

26/05/2020

Reactive dogs or excitable dogs need this!
It’s distraction training 101 and without practice your dog will have a tougher time listening during real distractions. If you missed how to initially teach “watch me” there’s a video on my YouTube channel 😊
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ZhqUC-9a4

A great way to begin impulse control training is to add low level distractions to cues your dog knows, then build distractions gradually. Star-dog-training.com

25/05/2020

Watch Me is a great calming cue to work on with your dog.

25/05/2020

Y’all! I’m on YouTube! It’s unedited and way too long, but covers all of the important things you want to work on to get started with leash walking training. 😃
I hope to post a bunch more soon, and I promise to make them shorter 🐶
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uMwQT9F99AE

Three principles of leash walking - Encouraging the correct position, dealing with pulling, and limiting zig-zagging in front of you.

15/05/2020

Cat and dog manners... something I’ve worked on so many times with so many clients.
I love the cat’s look when the dog goes too far... “Dude, wtf is wrong with you?!” Bahahahahaha

15/05/2020

Loki is a Swiss Shepherd puppy in Germany, and I’ve been working with his human to tackle his puppy behaviors.
Like most pups, he’s energetic, and likes to explore his world. A COMMON ERROR IN TRAINING is to use your hands to remove your pup or get him away from something. She was pushing him off when he’d get up on furniture and it wasn’t working. Most folks don’t know this is rewarding for dogs (yay, human touched me!! Is this playing??!!)
I coached her to USE A VERBAL CUE AND HAND SIGNAL to get him “off” of furniture instead.
She demonstrates this beautifully in the video that she was kind enough to send along. Great timing on both interrupting the behavior and praising when the appropriate behavior is offered.
Progress!! ❤️🐶❤️

06/05/2020

Don’t scorch Fido’s feet! We’re lucky it’s warm and sunny a lot here in Colorado, but when it’s warm out, your dog will prefer to go walking on surfaces other than asphalt. Lighter colored walking surfaces are better. Grass or trails are best. 🐾 🐕 😊

28/04/2020

Just finished up a virtual session with a new puppy client - got a text right after that makes me happy! 😊
Sometimes, just having a plan and a knowledgeable person in your corner makes all the difference!

11/04/2020

Something lighthearted - reminds me of my puppy classes when I narrate puppy play for owners! https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=4k65KM_i1BE&fbclid=IwAR294blgQGGyLZJptrnA59Vpaw6F8Y9zuYVtqVx9JeVwFlUeu2jq373HaD4

Watch This BBC Sports Broadcaster Give Colorful Commentary Of His Dogs Fighting Over A Chew Toy show your support and subscribe to our channe!!

22/02/2020

My two favorite species being snuggly together 😃 Good company makes lives richer. ❤️