Honest To Dog

07/01/2024

Sunday lounging.

31/12/2023

Afternoon nap.

19/11/2023

Hey cutie!

11/11/2023

Lazy afternoon.

09/11/2023

After a great check-up with our favorite veterinarian, Dr. Mason, at we popped into for a bacon cheeseburger ice cream treat!

08/10/2023

Cleaning plates is tough work. I'll need a little nap.

11/09/2023

What a smile.

18/05/2023

Buongiorno from Naploi.

07/11/2022

17/10/2022

Middle of the night snuggles.

19/08/2022

We have a new puppy in the household! Here is a picture of one of the areas we chose to protect with a pen while our pup is still exploring everything with his teeth. This sets us all up to be successful as we begin training. Both puppy and electronics are safe. It's a temporary set up so while doesn't look stylish it is an easy tool to manage the space. And yes, he may test the sturdiness of the set up so it doesn't take the place of supervision. It does make our job easier!

28/04/2022

Work challenges popular idea that breeds have specific, reliable behaviors

18/02/2022

Enjoy the movie but don't think a Mal is the right dog for you!

There is a movie coming out on Feb 18 called "Dog". It stars Channing Tatum and a highly trained Belgian Malinois. It's a road trip/buddy movie.

People are going to see this film and many will want their own Belgian Malinois. This is not going to end well for this breed.

A highly trained Malinois is a work of art. So is Michelangelo's statue of David but I don't necessarily want it in my living room.

This breed can be amazing in the right hands but they require a lot of everything. If you are considering getting a Malinois, please, first go meet some Malinois of all ages at your local rescue.

Be honest with yourself about the amount of time that you have to dedicate to training one of these dogs. Not the person that you want to be but the person that you are right now. Sitting on your ass and reading this post.

If you are still determined to get one. You can stem the inevitable tidal wave of Malinois that will be surrendered to the shelters by sourcing your dog in one of 3 places:

Your local shelter
A local Malinois rescue
A real, ethical breeder (researching one is hard work but an ethical breeder will prove their dogs and require that you return the dog to them if you can't keep it)

DO NOT get a Malinois from the guy down the street. Don't help backyard breeders line their pockets. Pure bred doesn't equal good breeding.

If you see the popularity of these dogs sky rocket and think you can make a quick buck by breeding some. May all of your financial ventures fail one after another.

From the bottom of my heart, I love this breed. I know what's coming and so do the shelters and rescues

-copied from another page but we back this all

29/12/2021

Write off whoever you need to but PLEASE don't mess with the dog (or cat, horse, bunny, etc., etc.)! Who's with us?

29/12/2021

Your dog is not fully developed at a year old. We need to adjust our expectations.

This is exciting! A new study in dogs provides new evidence that their brain is not fully developed by one year of age (based on brain activity during sleep, which changes throughout development). This is so important because we don't have a good idea of when development ends and dogs transition to adulthood. Many assume dogs reach adulthood at 1 year, but this research suggests that is NOT the case - they are still developing at that age!
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02117-1?fbclid=IwAR0iQJZAz3Ksd0P4H7Dk_egF4wN2alRq0NJC6cKGTbwTkpELvmIw5S6miB8

20/12/2021

17/12/2021

Callisto will be auditioning for the role of Wolverine. Move over Hugh Jackman.

30/11/2021

A wonderful local colleague REACH K9 is doing a fun December online activity. I'm going to do this with my dog!

Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st!?

We will be launching a super special event, right here on FB, to encourage everyone to take a minute and have fun with their dog amidst all the holiday chaos. It's free to play along and post. We will also be offering commemorative medals - that double as tree ornaments- for 10$ if you'd like something to remember the event by.

If you aren't a FB person, that's okay! Our feed also shows up on our website, and we will update the event under "news" on our website as well.

So check back tomorrow- right here- for Day 1! :)

21/11/2021

Thanksgiving safety tips from our friends at Clever Critters, LLC.

Thanksgiving is coming up! What have you done to prepare your pets and set them up for success?

08/11/2021

You're not fooling anyone. -Your pet

02/11/2021

Puppy Socialization is a phrase a lot of new puppy owners hear thrown around quite a bit.


It's also largely misunderstood by most dog owners.


Because of the ambiguity around socialization and what it looks like in practice, many new pet parents can get it wrong.


And what happens when you get it wrong?


More often than not, it means that new puppy owners are accomplishing the exact opposite of what proper socialization is meant to accomplish.


And that can create a lot of really big behavior problems down the road


So let's take a minute to look at what socializing your puppy SHOULDN'T look like.

1. My dog must meet and greet everyone we come into contact with.

This is not doing you or your dog any favors. And is setting you both up for trouble down the line.

Some puppies will absolutely love this. These are the puppies that grow up to be dogs that pull you toward every strange person and dog within sight. Which, needless to say, is not on anyone's list of goals.

Some puppies will hate it. And if you don't have a keen eye for canine body language and how our puppies tell us they're uncomfortable, you'll likely wind up with an adolescent or adult dog that is displaying reactive or aggressive behavior on walks. Once again, not on anybody's list of goals.

2. You think socialization means going to the dog park and interacting with a many different dogs as possible.

This type of environment and interaction can do quickly and easily go sideways and end up being a very traumatic experience for your puppy. Which will almost certainly turn your puppy into an anxious, fearful, reactive mess.

Not to mention, many pet homes will never have the need for their dog to do well interacting with other strange dogs. So it isn't a vital or necessary area of socialization for most situations.

3. You see a startle or fear response from your dog and think "uh oh! Let's get closer so you see it's no big deal"

When socializing your puppy, PLEASE listen and react accordingly when your puppy tells you they are scared or uncomfortable. No- your puppy does not need to interact or get closer to the scary thing or person. Show your puppy that you are going to step in and relieve that stress by giving them the choice not to interact. Then work with a certified trainer or behaviorist to create happy, comfortable feelings around the scary thing.

4. Waiting until your puppy is fully vaccinated before you do any work with socialization.

Most puppies aren't fully vaccinated until around 16 weeks. When it comes to socialization, waiting this late makes things much more difficult for you and your puppy. There are plenty of safe ways to socialize puppy before this age. Like in-home socialization, taking your puppy places in the car, going through a drive-thru, sitting in your own front yard and watching the world go by, going to areas where you can carry or put your puppy in a cart or carrier.

5. Over-doing it.

I've seen many new pet parents take puppy to every social gathering possible or spending hours some place with no real goal in mind or being implemented. For most puppies, adolescents, and adult dogs, this is entirely too much for too long of a time period.

For many dogs this will cause absolute mental and emotional overload. And that does nothing for our puppies' social and behavioral development.

When socializing, keep it short and sweet. And allow for down time for their nervous system to recover between big events. If you're having people over (because it is that time of year), allow puppy to be a part of it some but make sure you're implementing breaks. Yes-even if your puppy is "loving it". Puppies are seldom able to regulate themselves when there is a lot going on around them. Make sure they have a safe quiet space and some calming, quiet enrichment activities to focus on.


Proper socialization should build confident, resilient, happy dogs. That's a huge cornerstone of our puppy and adolescent program. If you want to learn more, reach out. Link in comments🦴

12/09/2021

Join us for a webinar that looks at the relationship between dogs and humans from the perspective of animal scientists and animal training professionals. We’ll look at famous cartoon dogs from the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum’s latest exhibition The Dog Show: Two Centuries of Canine Ca...

10/09/2021

Mom made me get up at 5am so we could drive up the mountain to take this picture. You people better like it.

09/09/2021

Splish splash!

08/08/2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Whenever I comb my 9-pound Poodle, Peach, she cranes her neck, coos with pleasure, and wiggles her way into my lap to be as close as possible. She doesn’t approve when I try to comb her legs and feet, but having her neck combed when she’s not wearing a collar sends her in...

14/07/2021

Even experienced pet owners can miss the signals that a pet is in pain. These tips will help you recognize and respond to a painful pet.

06/07/2021

From our fantastic friends at The Family Dog

My dogs just handed me this!
Apparently, they want us to tell kids (and grown-ups!!) everywhere EXACTLY how they'd like us to say hi!
You wouldn't want to disappoint the pups now, would you!!?
Share away - it'd be rude not to!!