Kat The Dog Trainer

19/02/2024

Indica, my service dog in training, on the clock!
It’s been a couple months since we’ve been out due to the virus that was going around.
She’s still got so much to learn but I’m very satisfied with where she is at currently.
Yay Indy!

17/02/2024

When Maggie came to me; she had no leash manners. She did not care who was at the end of the leash she just wanted to GO! Check her out now. This was our first outting in public and she did really well. Here’s a short clip of her heeling in a “let’s go” command. There was loud noises, people and kids. She did so well. Go Maggie!!

16/02/2024

Maggie got to go to Home Depot today!
So happy to see her do good, she rocked it. Even with a busy store. I’m guna be very sad once this girly leaves. She’s such an awesome dog.

16/02/2024

While on a walk, you want your dog to walk nicely next to you with a loose leash. Your leash should almost make a J. The leash is simply an extension of you, a way for you to communicate with your dog. A way to steer your dog. A way to give your dog direction.

Dogs learn through pressure and release. Applying constant pressure on the leash on a walk makes it very difficult to communicate with your dog. You'll most likely end up with a dog that continues to pull and has no understanding of leash guidance.

When teaching a dog pressure and release. The dog doesn't learn that once the pressure is applied, the learning moment is when that pressure goes away.

A good example is a dog that pulls you towards something on the leash. The dogs pulling, pulling, pulling until it gets to whatever it pulled us to, then we release that pressure. Basically, we just taught the dog if it pulls us towards whatever it wants. The pressure will go away once it gets to whatever it's pulling towards.

26/01/2024

Do you want more control of your dog like Kira? It’s all about the state of mind when being asked to do things. Message me if you’re interested in doing some training!
**I do not do bitework training for the public**

15/01/2024

Let’s give a warm welcome to miss Maggie!
Maggie is with me for off leash obedience AND scent training! I’m so excited to work with this sweet girl. So smart and very food motivated. (Ecollar is at a low setting because it’s not being used, just getting use to it being on the dog)

07/01/2024

Kat, the driving force behind Kat The Dog Trainer, has amassed extensive experience within the canine realm since commencing her journey at the age of 13. Her tenure began within kennels and rescue organizations, serving as the bedrock for her evolution into the esteemed trainer she is today. Bolstered by a diverse array of mentors, she has honed her craft across various breeds, ages, and disciplines, spanning from fundamental obedience to advanced training and encompassing canine sports such as agility and dock diving. With an unwavering ardor for canine education, Kat has wholeheartedly committed herself to a lifelong career in dog training. Her methodology is rooted in being a reward-based balanced dog trainer, adept at employing food motivation and aversive techniques. Notably, she specializes in off-leash training and is recognized for her proficiency as an ecollar dog trainer.

Looking for training in the Roanoke/Christiansburg/Blacksburg/ Lynchburg area? Look no further.
Services offered ;
🐶Board and trains
🏠Boarding (only to previous clients)
🐶Daycare
🏠In home boarding (where I come to your house)
🐶1-1 training sessions
🐶Group training classes
🐶Basic obedience
🐶Advanced obedience
🐶Off leash training
🐶Leash handling class
🐩 Grooming

Book your services now before schedule fills up for the summer.
📞 Call 540-589-3353 today to schedule !

23/11/2023

Hello everyone! I hope you guys have a great thanksgiving.

Unfortunately with this new dog sickness out, I will no longer be accepting any new boarding clients. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this brings anyone.

**STAY AWAY FROM DOG PARKS AND HIGHLY TRAFFICKED AREAS***
Sickness presents its self as kennel cough and progresses to more over time. This illness is new and still being studied. Stay safe guys!

29/10/2023

Welcoming fall with some lovely hikes!
Don’t forget I’m still running a special through the end of the month! $100 off any package offered! Get booked soon before spots run out!

14/10/2023

Do you want to go out more with your dogs this fall and enjoy hikes?
Let’s do it! This is Ruby and Sprout. They are on a trail with me. For some of the hike, they are to stay beside of me in a heel. They are to not be free until I say their release word. Then, they get freedom to run and play! But let’s not forget our emergency recall! Check out the boys near the end to see the er recall.
Your dog can do this too! If your looking for off leash freedom, let’s get together! Hope everyone is enjoying the week. We’ve gotten some nice days!

03/10/2023

Hey guys!
Running a deal on grooms! Message me for prices and questions. Book now! 💖

19/09/2023

Hi guys! Fall is right around the corner and what a better way to spend time with your dogs!
$100 off any package price! Book now!

19/09/2023

Things that are hard telling clients:

To not let their two puppies be together the majority of the time.
People get two puppies to keep the other one entertained. But what I've seen and dealt with more times than I can count are two dogs that can't be 4 feet apart without pi***ng themselves or having a panic attack. They rely so heavily on each other that their owners end up being meaningless.
Litter-mate syndrome is a real thing and it doesn't just effect puppies from the same litter. I've seen puppies similar in age have issues. I've seen young dogs attach to an older dog with the same issues.

That their dog needs to lose weight and feeding a good quality food.
Some owners welcome this, but it's never fun to bring up.
I've seen issues that could have been 100% avoided if they never let their dog get overweight/obese in the first place.

That their dog is genetically off. That the dog may never love other people. We can work on the dog tolerating people and learning appropriate behaviours, but it may never be the dog that does great at barbeques. Or the dog doesn't have the genetics to do what the owner wants it to do. Some dogs don't have the right drives for protection work or for agility.

Early spaying and neutering. This is a very personal choice, but I feel owners should be aware of the consequences of doing it too young. There's a ton of research out there explaining why it's better to wait, if you can.

Not taking your 12 week old puppy on a 10 mile hike. Doing any extensive exercising while the puppies bones are growing can be detrimental to their health. The spacing between a puppies growing bones is huge. They need time to fuse together. Too much exercise too young can cause a ray of issues.

Don't expect too much from your puppy or dog/don't compare your puppy or dog to someone else's. Every. Single. Dog. is different. They learn, grow, mature at their own pace. Let them be puppies and help mold them into the dog you want them to be without putting too much pressure on them or yourself.

Hand feeding. I can ALWAYS tell who hand feeds their puppies/dogs and who don't. This helps create a bond and teaches them a work ethic. It helps you dedicate 3 to 8 minutes twice a day to your four legged best friend. If your dog won't work for their food in their living room with you, how do you expect it to work with 4 to 6 other dogs and people?

Crate training. This is the number one way to make sure your dog is SAFE! This is also setting it up for success for potty issues and eating things they shouldn't. Micromanage them so they earn the trust and freedom instead of giving too much freedom and ending up in a situation that was 100% preventable.

A lot of these things aren't fun to bring up, but I do it for the health and benefit of your dog.
It's up to you to take my knowledge and years of experience and utilize it or not.

I will continue having the uncomfortable and hard to have conversations. If it helps or educates or saves one person or dog, it's worth it.

-Leah VanDeBogart

11/09/2023

Safety is always first guys. These are our babies, our best friends. Crash proof crates are so worth it.

06/09/2023

Hey guys! Hurry up and book for upcoming classes! Spots are filling up fast.

04/09/2023

Hi guys!!
So we are finally done with the move and settling in nicely. Now it’s time to open up some spots!
I have 5 spots open for my next group class. This class will be $250 instead of $350 and go on for 5 weeks. We will meet weekly as a public spot, like a park or Home Depot.
Things we touch on—
Come when called
Name recognition
Sit
Down
Place
Leave it
Leash manners
Door manners
Crate training
Potty training

Let’s see some of those new pups!

24/08/2023

Well, I have some good news and some sad news. Sad news first, I was unable to find a place in time in NC. The situation was just not in the cards for the time being. Good news!!! I will be staying in Roanoke and continuing to offer services.
There will be a new price list going up soon. What will still be offered —
Grooming
Board and trains
Daycare
Group classes
1-1 private sessions
Boarding
Ecollar(off leash) training

Looking forward to seeing all my previous clients and hopefully some new friendly faces!

30/07/2023

Don’t forget I do grooming too!
This is Sarge and he quickly became one of my favorite clients. He behaved so well for me and let me do the groom hassle free! He has a past of not doing good for baths. Did he scream the whole time like I was pouring acid on him? Yes. Yes he did😂 but look at that turn around! I absolutely love doing summer blow outs.

Need grooming? Schedule today 🐩 ☎️

29/07/2023

NO DOG PARKS EVER

The big three.

Of course there’s more ways to undermine your dog’s stability, trust, and behavior around other dogs, but these are the ones I’ve seen consistently create the most fallout most often.

If you think about each, you’ll see some common themes: The opportunity for dogs to be pressured, to be overwhelmed, to be scared, to be bullied (or to bully). Attempts at “social” interactions while dogs are in exceptionally hyped-up, overly-aroused, elevated states. Poor/uniformed human supervision.

Add these components up, and mix in the right, or wrong dog, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for creating reactivity, mistrust, and aggression. (Client after client has relayed the development of reactivity and/or aggression after one or multiple negative experiences with the big three.)

Yes there are dogs who frequent dog parks and have zero issues. Yes there are dogs who meet on-leash and enjoy it. Yes there are daycares where the dogs are protected and advocated for in a safe and knowledgeable fashion. It’s up to you to know whether you have one of these dogs, to know how to manage interactions, and to find places that are safe and reliable.

It’s also up to you to understand the risks you’re taking with each, regardless of your skill, knowledge, or temperament of dog.

28/07/2023

Everyone give a warm welcome to Charlie!
Charlie is with me due to some puppy issues! Bad thing is, Charlie is a large puppy! He’s 8 months old and full of energy. He has no boundaries at all, which he is here to learn! Keep an eye out for videos of him!

28/07/2023

24/07/2023

The best hiking buddy there ever was

20/07/2023

The internet is ablaze with opinions of what constitutes 'force' in dog training; what is too much, why is it used at all, etc.

There are entire philosophies built on the theory that any force is too much force, but those arguments sort of fall apart the moment a leash is attached to a dog using any conveyance- whether that be a zero-circumference slip type collar, a martingale, a prong, a buckle, or a harness or head halter.

What the handler has just done was limit the dogs' ability to escape or avoid the handler's sphere of influence. That in itself is a form of force. Now that the dog cannot escape, his options become fairly limited, fairly quickly. The dog can fight, and some do, but the only option that remains, if we do nothing but simply hold the leash, is the dog simply accepting his condition and offer no resistance.

The other issue is the understanding of the term reinforcement and punishment.

Reinforcement strengthens a behavior. Punishment weakens a behavior.

This is where people get lost in the weeds.

Positive means to add, so positive punishment means adding something unpleasant to deter a behavior, and positive reinforcement means to add something pleasant in order to encourage a behavior.

Negative means to subtract, so negative reinforcement means to remove something unpleasant in order to encourage a behavior, and negative punishment means to remove something desirable in order to decrease a behavior.

The average layperson reads that and faints...

The next huge hurdle in reading comprehension is further muddied by the use of the word pressure, which is simply the action of a force against an opposing force.

So, what is force?

People tend to dwell on the negative; automatically assuming that an individual is being coerced through the threat of violence to do something against their will. Although I agree that it may be against the dog's will, it is not through threat of violence.

I'm going to go a little cerebral here and further define it as a vector quantity.

Mathematicians and scientists call a quantity which depends on direction a vector quantity. A quantity which does not depend on direction is called a scalar quantity. Vector quantities have two characteristics, a magnitude and a direction. Scalar quantities have only a magnitude.

Why does this matter? Because in dog training, the physics of what we do is mitigated through pressure direction, pressure magnitude and pressure duration.

Sciency!

We know that applying directional pressure in a specific way will yield a repeatable result.

Physics dictates that the presence of the leash acts as a sufficient deterrent to many behaviors that are associated with escape. If the dog cannot flee, we have successfully removed it as a tactic of avoidance. He can fight, but it is unlikely, as long as we are careful not to increase the amount of pressure to the point the dog becomes defensive.

We aren't really trying to cause inertia, but where escape or avoidance are unavailable (depending on the moment in time created by all of these external applications of reinforcements, punishers, pressure and force), the dog could potentially renew his fight/flight or he might realize his predicament isn't all that bad, and relax.

Without doing anything more than having the dog wear a leash, we have directly affected his ability to make choices, the choices he has available, and the outcome of the choice he makes.

That is powerful. And still, the only active contribution we made to this effort was a leash.

This is the crux of the argument that the positive-only tropes tend to not be able to move past.

The tool just helps deliver information. Folks get caught up in the application of aversives. We don't even need to do anything. We just need to let it happen.

If the dog is given the opportunity to discover how to achieve something it wants, you can believe he's gonna work harder to achieve it.

Make the alternative enough of a deterrent to motivate the dog to choose correct action- you have just duplicated the evolutionary learning pattern of successful survival instinctive to all animals.

In a sense, it is rocket science, because physics plays a significant role in the mechanics of how dogs are trained.

If you have additional questions, I am only a message away.



If you like this content, feel free to like, share, and follow!

16/07/2023

LET’S TALK TOOLS

Red Arrow: Harness that fits around the dog’s body and when connected to a clip leash, creates a pulling reaction from the dog. This pulling reaction triggers the shoulders and chest muscles to be used which then influences the dog to use strength to get where they need to. If you have properly trained your dog to walk right next to you on a harness, you will not experience the pulling. Congratulations, I have yet to see this. 😂

Orange Arrow: Flat collar, usually used to connect a clip leash to and often times sits on the bottom of the neck due to gravity and the dog’s head being higher than the shoulders. This then triggers the dog’s shoulder muscles and the pulling starts. Again, this teaches the dog that strength needs to be used to get where they need to. If you have properly trained your dog to walk next to you on a flat collar, you will not experience the pulling. The majority of dogs I see are pulling during this setup.

Blue Arrow: Slip Leash is very high on the neck where it is placed behind the ears, behind the jaw bone, and it allows us to influence the dog’s head and brain. Shoulders and chest muscles are not triggered and physical strength is not used during the walk. When used correctly, little to no pressure is on the leash and physical strength is used by the dog to get from point A to point B. If you have properly trained your dog to walk next to you on a slip leash, you will not experience any pulling.

Out of the 3 tools shown, the slip leash is one of the most productive tools to create a structured walk, a calm mind, and a solid relationship.

Ever watch anyone walk a horse by the saddle?

Yeah, me either.

That’s because when you walk a 1000lb animal, you need to influence the brain and not the body.

Let’s start influencing our dog’s mentally and not physically.

13/07/2023

💭 Oh how many times I've heard "he was fine as a puppy and how he hates [breed]".

✨ This is normal. Most dogs are selective with the dogs they interact positively with.

🤏🏼 A small amount of dogs stay dog social into adulthood.

If your dog doesn't like unknown dogs, that is normal. They're not being naughty or mean, it's normal.

01/07/2023

6 month old Prada getting in her training for the night.
This young girl is practicing her “competition heel”. It’s not perfect and we both need to learn some! Just thankful to have this sweet girl to teach me how to be a better handler. 🐾🥰