Creature Good Dog Training

06/10/2025

The 2nd episode on crates I did with The Pet Parent Hotline is live! Check it out❤🐕

Think crate training is as simple as putting your dog in a crate and calling it a night?

That’s the #1 reason it fails.

Tomorrow on The Pet Parent Hotline, I’m joined by trainer and behavior expert Ruth Hegarty of Creature Good Dog Training to share the real, sequential process for crate training that actually works, without the crying, chaos, or guilt.

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Build trust and confidence instead of fear
✅ Fix the mistakes most pet parents don’t even realize they’re making
✅ Create a calm, positive routine that makes the crate your dog’s happy place

🎧 New episode drops tomorrow wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website!

03/10/2025

Thinking about crate training your dog?

03/10/2025

🐾 October is Adopt A Dog Month: Why “Easy” Dogs Still Need Guidance 🐾

"My last dog was perfect without any training."

I hear this a lot — usually followed by surprise (and sometimes frustration) when their new dog seems to need way more support.

✨ Here’s the truth: every dog is a unique individual and benefits from guidance, even the so-called “easy” dogs.

That naturally calm rescue you just adopted? 🏡 They still need to figure out how to feel safe and comfortable in a brand-new environment.

That “perfect” puppy? (🐶 like my new pup, Archie) They’re learning all day, every day — whether you’re intentionally teaching or not.

Training isn’t about “fixing” broken dogs 🚫. It’s about creating connection:
💬 Clearer communication
💪 Building confidence
❤️ Deepening your bond

Even the dogs who seem to “just get it” are usually ones whose personalities happened to match their environment. But life changes 🌪 — moving homes, adding kids, new stressors — and suddenly that “perfect” dog becomes anxious or reactive and needs help.

Every dog deserves the gift of clarity, guidance, and understanding 💝 — no matter how “good” they already seem.

👇 Comment "SUPPORT" if you believe all dogs deserve gentle guidance, not just the challenging ones!

02/10/2025

Decoding Your Dog’s Shutdown Moments 🐾

That “stubborn” behavior you’re noticing? It’s not defiance.

When your dog freezes on walks, balks at coming inside, or seems to “ignore” a cue they normally know, they’re usually telling you something important.

This time of year brings fresh challenges—🍂 rustling leaves, 🍁 powerful new scents, 🍃 noisy leaf blowers, and yes, those giant inflatable skeletons. What looks like refusal is often your dog’s way of saying, “This feels like too much for me right now.”

Dogs don’t choose to be difficult. They’re navigating a world that can feel overwhelming.

✨ A dog who won’t pass the spooky yard display isn’t being dramatic—they’re processing what their brain flags as a possible danger.
✨ A dog who suddenly won’t come when called might be completely absorbed in the flood of scents from fallen leaves and hidden critters.

When we shift from labeling behavior as stubborn to recognizing it as struggle, everything changes. Patience replaces frustration. Understanding replaces conflict.

Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time—they’re having a hard time. 💛

👉 Comment UNDERSTAND if you’re ready to see your dog’s behavior through a lens of compassion.

01/10/2025

🐾 October 1-7 is National Walk Your Dog Week — perfect timing to understand why your reactive dog who’s made so much progress on walks suddenly "forgot" everything you worked on!

👉 You ask them to check-in. They don't spare you a glance.
👉 You ask for a “let’s go.” They stay in place.
👉 You cue "leave it." They grab it anyway.

Before you label this as regression or disobedience, consider this:

🐶 Dogs — especially reactive ones — who "ignore" cues during walks are often overwhelmed, confused, or processing something more important to their survival brain 🧠.

🌳 Walks bring SO much competition for your dog's attention:
🍂 rustling leaves trigger prey drive
🐿 squirrels frantically gathering nuts
🌸 new smells from decaying vegetation
🕷 unexpected decorations appearing daily

Your dog isn't choosing to ignore you. Their brain is simply prioritizing what feels most important in that moment. (Humans do this too! 🙋‍♀️)

When your dog fixates on a giant blow-up spider yard decoration 🎃🕷, they aren’t being defiant — they're being a dog whose instincts say "potential threat, must monitor."

💡 This Walk Your Dog Week, instead of getting frustrated when your dog seems distracted and like they’ve forgotten everything they’ve ever learned, reframe the situation as: information about their current emotional state.

👇 Comment "AWARE" if you're ready to see your dog's distraction as communication rather than disobedience!

27/09/2025

Learn what crate is best for your dog, where you should put it and lots of other great tips on dog crates!

Picking a crate for your dog isn’t as simple as grabbing the first one you see on the shelf. Wire, plastic, soft-sided, or furniture-style… each has pros and cons depending on your dog’s size, temperament, and lifestyle.
In this week’s episode, Ruth Hegarty of Creature Good Dog Training and I break down the biggest mistakes pet parents make when choosing a crate and how to find the one that actually works for your dog.

🎧 Listen Sunday on your favorite podcast app!

👉 What type of crate are you using right now? Drop it in the comments!

25/09/2025

Archie loves this interactive cat toy that flaps & tweets and is rechargeable.

Great fun for this rainy day ⛈️

21/09/2025

💔🐾 In honor of Puppy Mill Awareness Day yesterday - a reminder of the countless dogs who’ve endured hardship before finding safety and love.

I had the pleasure of interviewing a devoted dog mom who opened her heart and home to former mill dogs—and their resilience will absolutely melt you. 🐶✨

Let’s spread awareness, celebrate these amazing pups, and keep working toward a world where no dog has to suffer in a mill.

Adopting a dog with a traumatic past isn’t for the faint of heart. But for those who do, the rewards run deep. I recently sat down with Amy, a longtime client and proud dog mom to three former puppy mill survivors, to talk about what it's really like to adopt and live with former mill dogs."Puppy ...