SideKick Dog Training

21/11/2025

✨ Can’t take your dog on a traditional walk? That’s okay - you’ve got options! 🐾 Try one (or all!) of these fun alternatives, and don’t forget to give yourself some grace too. 💜

Which one is your dog’s favorite?

20/11/2025

This beautiful, brindle baby is Hendrix! I've worked with his family on and off for about a year - life sometimes gets in the way of scheduling sessions and such - and, though their goals and the things they wanted to work on shifted and evolved as we went, the biggest one has been helping him to contain his excitement when guests come over! He's not a tiny boy and his excitement is even bigger than he is, so it could be a big much for not-dog-people, kiddos, or older family members! Super happy to report that he's much improved in that area and is doing well! 😄

19/11/2025

Help us welcome Taco to our Board & Train program! He's been with us a little bit and I'm a tiny bit behind on posting him, but he's with us to work on a variety of basics that are important to stay consistent and persistent with as an adolescent: Recalls, Leave It, Drop It, polite greetings, and Off. In addition to these things, Leann is helping Taco navigate the big feelings that can come with being a teenager - specifically around strangers! He's been doing well and he's such a lovely boy; we're excited for the remaining bit of his stay and the progress he'll make when he gets home!

17/11/2025

Just tuning in now to the Mythbusting Miniseries? Check out the first myth we wrote about!Using positive reinforcement does not mean that we're giving our SideKicks permission to run wild and do anything they like. This myth, or misconception, likely comes from a phrase you may have heard before:"Fo...

14/11/2025

Despite having some hip problems, Rilo went "full sploot, frog legs" several times during his session and didn't care that his pawrents weren't excited about it. 🤦‍♀️

Rilo's pawrents had a small variety of topics they wanted to discuss with Rilo, but the big one was how quickly and easily he got overstimulated - and resorted to using his mouth on everything and everyone! He needed some help learning that humans are more fragile than him (even with the aforementioned hip problems) and what he could be doing instead of chomping on the hoomans! He's a cutie pie and very sweet, so I hope that they're doing well with him!

14/11/2025

13/11/2025

This cutie is Hershey! Though he doesn't live in a super dog-heavy area (hard to find those these days, it seems), his first-time pet pawrents were struggling with his big feelings and reactions to other dogs. He's a super smarty pants and LOVES treatos, so he picked up on the exercises we practiced really well!

12/11/2025

TIP TUESDAY
Much like us, our SideKicks have personal bubbles. They have different moods when they may be more cuddly than other times or when they want more space.

Regardless, it's always important to err on the side of caution and give a dog your approaching the space to choose: If they want to be pet, they'll come closer - no need to force your love on an unwilling dog (kids are notorious for this). Another important time to consider your SideKick’s space bubble is when they're sleeping. No one likes to be rudely woken up - your SideKick included!

11/11/2025

Each Monday during the month of September, we're going to tackle a new myth about positive reinforcement training. The back to school time of year seemed like a good time to introduce a new, educational series of information. To kick the Mythbusting Miniseries off, here's our first myth!In a nutshel...

08/11/2025

I posted Sadie last month as a baby puppy when we first started working together about a year ago and here she is after we had been working together for a couple of months!! Puppies grow up so fast and Sadie was rocking everything we worked on and taught her and her pawrent! Since she lives near me, I've seen her a couple of times since our program ended and it's lovely to check in and see if she remembers me (spoiler - she does!)! 😄

07/11/2025

Help us welcome Gracie to our Board & Train program!! Miss Gracie is a pint-sized gal - one of the smallest doggos we've had in our program, so she's a fun change of pace from some of the larger doggos we've had lately! Gracie had a pretty rough first 24 hours settling in, but has improved so much in the last couple of days, which we're so happy to see! She's here with Leann to work on Recalls, jumping and polite greeting (though she's small, this is mostly to eliminate or reduce the excitement or submissive urinating she does during greetings and other times), and other calm behaviors, like laying down and chilling on a bed! We can't wait to see what kind of progess Miss Gracie makes during her stay!!

06/11/2025