Cold Nose Canine, LLC

02/02/2026

We've all heard about the rule of 3 for adopted dogs. It's finally been researched! Adjustment can take more than the 3's we hear so much about.

26/01/2026

Looking forward to the Pet Expo MKE!! I will have a booth set up with some information, but will be spending most of my day helping to run the show. It's such a great day! I hope I get a chance to say hello to you!!

We are excited to welcome Cold Nose Canine, LLC to the Pet Expo! 🐾 Stop by to learn more about their training programs and services for dogs of all ages.

26/01/2026

All of these things! And it's ok!!

I’m a professional dog trainer of 23 years, so here’s a list of things I can guarantee you my dogs are better at than most -

1. Begging for food. That’s right. My dogs 100% know how to turn on the drool and charm when I’m eating or cooking. Does it work? Maybe. Do I always pay cheese tax? Absolutely.

2. Taking over my furniture and bed. Yes. My dogs sleep with me, lay on me, take up real estate on the couch, my lap and anywhere else they find comfort.

3. Getting super excited at greetings. My dogs jump up and hug me all the time. In fact, I don’t ever wear anything I care about. It’s super fun in summertime when I’m in shorts.

4. Chewing stuff that isn’t theirs. Shoes, the corner of a rug, we’ve even lost a chair leg to adolescent teething. Toys? Oh sure they have TONS of them, that I rotate and fill with food and freeze and hide - but what are toys compared to a family heirloom?

5. Ignoring me. Why come back when I’m calling them when it matters most? Why not make me stand in my underwear at 5am for a few minutes. They sure do love to keep me on my toes. It’s even better when it’s in public and I’ve just told people I’m a dog trainer!

6. Getting sick at the worst possible times. It’s not a vacation if someone doesn’t start pooping water or ingest something unknown while I’m gone. Or when I’ve just finished putting the kids to bed and cleaning the house, they are SO good at vomiting right at the bottom stair so I can step in it barefoot on my way downstairs to “relax”.

7. Barking at nothing, and everything, at all times. Leaf fall? Vacuum going? Small creak in floor? We could all die and they keep me safe. Without them, I may fall into the awful spiral of having peace and quiet, and who wants that?

8. Pointing out my flaws. Nothing like an adolescent saint bernard or a screaming dachshund to make you recognize you need more work on your patience, timing and delivery. If it weren’t for them, I’d never have to really work on myself!

9. Leaving too soon. Just as we’ve figured out all of each other’s idiosyncrasies and habits and settle into a friendship of a lifetime, they have to go. We get a few amazing years together, and then my heart gets absolutely shattered, yet I still wouldn’t have it any other way. And THEN, I choose to take the journey all over again.

10. Being my best friends. Long day, feeling gloomy, struggling to see a bright side? They are there through all of it. Making me laugh, keeping me grounded, never taking things too seriously and always ready to try again for me. At my best and my worst they adore me, what better friends can you get than that?

I’m a dog trainer, but I still have dogs. They are not perfect, neither am I. My dogs are still allowed to be dogs as they accept that I’m still allowed to be a human. They are gonna dig a hole in my favorite spot of the yard and I’m going to take away the soggy tennis ball they found in the swamp. They will shred a new bed I bought for them and I’ll ask them to walk politely next to me instead of dragging me down. They will bark at a suspicious plastic bag and I will ask them to perform silly behaviors in front of people. They need to smell a tree branch for 10 minutes and I want to watch this new Netflix documentary. It’s a two way street and I’ve learned to embrace it instead of try to control it. That’s the only way I’ve found for it to be truly fair to them and to myself.

If you want a dog trainer who doesn’t advocate for allowing dogs to be dogs, and humans to be humans, and finding a compromise that’s fair and humane, I’m not your trainer - and that’s okay with me. They aren’t here long enough to make such big deals out of such little things for the level of friendship and devotion we get in return with them. Love your dogs everyone. For them, and for you.

- Helen St. Pierre

07/01/2026

Any time you see a shift in behavior, it's worth a call to your vet to determine if there is an underlying medical condition. A large percentage of "aggression" is related to undiagnosed pain.

One of the most common things dog professionals hear is, “There are no signs of pain.”

Yet the dog’s behaviour has changed, escalated, or become unsafe.

Here is the key point. Behaviour is how dogs communicate discomfort. Dogs do not use words. They use actions. If behaviour changes, that change is a sign.

Dogs are biologically wired to hide pain. In the wild, showing weakness reduces survival. Research shows dogs often compensate for discomfort by shifting weight, altering posture, avoiding movement, or becoming more sensitive long before obvious limping appears. By the time pain looks “clear,” it is often advanced.

Pain and behaviour are not separate. Pain alters the nervous system, lowering tolerance and increasing irritability and fear. Studies consistently link pain with aggression, reactivity, anxiety, night-time restlessness, avoidance of handling, and sudden snapping (Mills et al, 2020). Treating pain often reduces these behaviours, not because the dog is “nicer,” but because the dog is more comfortable.

A dog can still run, play, and appear happy while in pain. Adrenaline and excitement mask discomfort. Many painful dogs show subtle signs instead, such as pulling on the lead to offload weight, reluctance to sit or lie down, stiffness after activity, sensitivity to touch, lip licking, or increased reactivity in the evenings.

“Mild” findings on scans do not mean mild pain. Research shows pain severity does not always match imaging results. Behaviour reflects the dog’s lived experience, not the appearance of an X-ray.

When pain persists, behaviour often worsens. Chronic discomfort sensitises the nervous system, making dogs defensive and reactive. Training alone cannot fix pain. Addressing discomfort alongside behaviour support leads to better learning, regulation, and welfare.

Behaviour is not separate from pain.
Behaviour is often the symptom.

29/10/2025

Thank you to Tails & Trails for hosting the nose work workshop last night!! A sniffing good time was had by all!!

22/10/2025

I enjoyed sharing ideas with the staff at Tails & Trails!! I am grateful for the opportunity!!

Thank you to Holly Lewis from Cold Nose Canine for meeting with our team this week during our lunch ‘n learn! As a team, we’re always looking to further our knowledge on dog behavior, health, and training. Holly’s expertise in the training and behavior field and passion for helping dogs and their families provided us with helpful insights, tools and knowledge for continuing to provide the best service we can to our pups and their families 💕

13/08/2025

All the "F's"

WHAT THE F? –
Stress responses in dogs

Fight or flight are well known reactions to fear or stress, but these other “F” words are also important to understand and be aware of as they may not always look obvious.

Freeze, Fawn, Fidget and Fool around are also responses to stress or fear and are also commonly seen in people.

Some dogs may have a genetic predisposition to one type of response while some react based on previous or a learnt experience - what has worked before or what hasn’t.

Some dogs will have different reactions depending on the specific context.

Recognising and taking note of situations or circumstances where these responses are seen is important to understand how our dogs are feeling.
Take note and be aware of what an individual dog’s signs of stress look like and try to avoid exposing them to situations where they feel stuck or trapped.

Try to give dogs as much appropriate choice as possible. Look at using positive reinforcement to help dogs form new, neutral or positive associations.

When we take the time to recognise a fear or a stress response, we are able to intervene and advocate for our dogs before the situation escalates or becomes a learnt pattern.

31/07/2025

30/07/2025

Know what positive reinforcement really means!

“I tried positive reinforcement, but it didn’t work.”
That’s a common phrase, but it’s actually not accurate. Just because you give your dog a treat does not mean you are using positive reinforcement!

⭐ Positive reinforcement is an OUTCOME, not a methodology, as far as behavior principles are concerned.

A behavior that has been reinforced is a behavior that, after a particular outcome (aka, result or consequence), occurs more frequently. Learning is about behavior patterns, and the only way we, as trainers and behavior specialists, can determine if a behavior has been learned in the way we intended is to observe whether the behavior increases or decreases in frequency. In other words, what does the animal do next?

A reinforced behavior is one that gets repeated. A behavior that gets repeated is one that has been reinforced.
And here’s the important part: that reinforcement is often not tied to what you, as the trainer, thought you were teaching or “reinforcing.”

If you're trying to reinforce Behavior A in a specific situation but Behavior B keeps happening instead, then positive reinforcement isn’t being used effectively.
In fact, reinforcement is happening, just not for the behavior you intended.
How do you know? By simply watching your pet’s behavior patterns.
What happened after you tried to reinforce Behavior A? What behavior showed up next? That’s where the real reinforcement lies.

At Synergy, whether we are working with aggressive behavior or training in scent work, our trainers always consider this question: What is reinforcing this behavior?
It is almost always about an animal attempting to meet their emotional and physical needs. Once we answer this question, we are then able to help meet this animal’s needs in a way that also meets the human’s needs- and because we understand the principles of reinforcement, we never have to utilize pain or fear to accomplish this goal.

Reinforcement drives behavior!

28/05/2025

No judgment, just support—that’s what it should be all about when it comes to training. Every dog and every owner has their own unique journey, and the last thing people need is to feel like they’re being criticized. You will find no judgement when working with Cold Nose Canine!!