SideKick Dog Training

23/01/2025

22/01/2025

TIP TUESDAY
When our SideKicks are getting into things, finding mischief, or are extra pesky, almost always, I suggest folks provide their SideKicks with more physical and mental exercise. Why? The extra energy your SideKick is using to tear apart your couch cushions or go bonkers at a squirrel out the window could be burned chasing a ball or figuring out a puzzle instead. Channel the extra energy for good!

- Teach a new trick.
- Hide their favorite ball in the yard and work with them to find it.
- Take them to the pet store to pick out a new toy.
- Plan activities and enrichment opportunities for them just like you would for a two year old kid during the Winter months!

Need ideas? Shoot me a message - I've got lots of ideas for you!

20/01/2025

When I'm working with a group class or I'm visiting someone's home to work with their dog, I sometimes hear some comments that I absolutely LOVE: • "It's almost like you're training the human more than the dog!" • "Dog training seems to be 50% about the dog and 50% about training us, humans!" .....

16/01/2025

Just a reminder that your dog's toybox should be checked periodically to make sure everything is still safe!

16/01/2025

The latest issue of Shepherd Express includes Jenn's latest article - "Dog Parks: To Go or Not To Go?"! Check it out on page 56! https://issuu.com/shepherdexpress/docs/shepherd-express-january-2025

15/01/2025

TIP TUESDAY
Training is two-way communication between you and your SideKick! There are times when the language barrier gets in the way, but working to keep in mind that the two of you have much to learn from each other helps so much!

13/01/2025

It's been a really busy couple of months at my house and that's because my husband and I brought home a new addition to the family at the en

11/01/2025

Help us welcome Rebel to our Board & Train program! This gal is only about 5 months old and is staying with us to work on a solid foundation of all things doggo! Her young age makes her a sponge for learning and we're so excited to see her grow and progress over the next couple of weeks!

09/01/2025

Fight, flight, freeze, faint or fidget are the 5 main responses to fear.
We only have to look at our own behaviour to know different personalities have different reactions and so do our dogs.
So when it comes to observing behaviour, we need to keep our individuals in mind and stay curious as we do so.

For more body language videos and handouts, check out the body language bundle. (Link in stories and bio)

How does your dog show fear?

09/01/2025

Scout went home after her lovely Board & Train stay earlier this week! As you can see from the video, she had a beautiful mix of work and play and was able to really come out of her shell! Scout is a bit of a sensitive gal, but, once she found her groove, there was no stopping her and it's so hard not to smile at her bouncy, wiggly antics! We can't wait to hear how she continues to progress with her family!

06/01/2025

Yayglee joined us last week for a Board & Train stay to start the new year! He is an adorable, derpy, gangly teenager and has already been such a joy to host! Yayglee is with us to work on a lot of the classics that adolescent doggos struggle with: leash walking skills, Recalls, Drop It and Leave It, dinner table manners, and polite greetings! He's going to miss when Scout, our other Board & Train doggo currently, leaves, but a newbie arrives soon, too!

02/01/2025

Have you noticed that your dog zigs and zags on walks? Your dog isn’t trying to drive you crazy. They’re following their incredibly powerful sense of smell, which is how dogs experience the world!

Humans have 6 million olfactory receptors, compared to dogs, who have up to 300 million!

Those zigzags (and let me tell you, Finch is the zig-zaggiest) are your dog following scent trails, catching up on neighborhood gossip, and gathering information. (If only they could share what they learn with us!)

If you start to feel frustrated on walks, remember that sniffing is essential to your dog’s happiness, enrichment, and well-being! ❤️

Alt text: A small gray dog on a blue background with a speech bubble that reads, “Walking in a straight line is more of a human thing.”

31/12/2024

I have to admit; I cringe a little bit inside every time I hear this question - and I get it on, at least, a weekly basis. People I work wit

28/12/2024

Miss Ina was a super sweet and gentle puppy we worked with last Summer - I'm sure she's a fantastic adult doggo now! Her pawrents hadn't had a puppy of their own before and wanted help giving Ina the best start they could! We worked on a variety of puppy-specific topics and behaviors, while also introducing her and her family to basic behaviors and cues to use around the house, on walks, and in public!

26/12/2024

Chili went home after her Board & Train stay earlier this week! What a wonderful doggo and a beautiful stay - as you can see from her video clips! Chili is a leggy gal and can sometimes take advantage of her size; she learned some really great skills to take home to her family's farm and we can't wait to hear how things go at home! Coincidentally, Chili's stay overlapped with Scout, a lab, and Chili's family has a lab at home, too!

23/12/2024

I love my job; I love it SO much! I get to meet and work with some really wonderful and amazing dogs and people; I don't regret for one minute leaving the full-time cubicle job I had!But, since the start of the pandemic, there are more people than ever looking for help with their dogs. A lot of the....

21/12/2024

Say Hi to Penny! We met with Penny and her pawrent a couple of times to help the two of them enjoy their walks together a bit more! Penny isn't a huge fan of other dogs and can be pretty vocal about that; her pawrent already had a bit of a foundation to work with Penny's reactive behavior, but we worked on fine-tuning her strategies and helped to build more engagement, since Penny had a habit of mostly ignoring her human to look for other dogs! Penny was excited to participate and showed a lot of potential for more enjoyable walks in their future!