Mr. Dog Training; Voted #1 in Maine

05/02/2025

It’s my first bingo winner!

Now in my brilliant basic classes, I give the humans a fun game of bingo for them to play over the six week course.

If you get a bingo, you get a coupon for $15 off the next class that you register for!

Congrats, Sue and Digby for being our first bingo winner!!!!

04/02/2025

If I were a dog I would most likely be reactive 😅

I am a creature in need of autonomy and I do not do well when my choices are taken away.

What is something you would react poorly to if you were a dog that we (as a society) expect as the norm?

03/02/2025

Piggybacking on my post last night about my reduced cost classes…
Remember, I also offer a referral program that gets you cash to use for classes for sending folks my way!

I don’t just reinforce dogs…

Mr. Dog Training has run primarily off of referrals for the past 12 years!

I am forever grateful to everyone who trusts me enough to send their friends, loved ones, neighbors, etc to me for help with their dogs.

I’m proud to offer a referral program to all clients who have worked with me in the past!

Refer someone to me and they sign up for a single class or private session and you’ll get a $5 credit to use towards Mr. Dog classes, videos, courses, etc. and you’ll get a $15 dollar credit for anyone who signs up for a session of group classes!

Referred individuals must enter the name of the individual who referred them in the form when registering for a class/classes.

Credits will be emailed out the first week of each month!

Remember, with my virtual classes you can refer anyone in the world to me…who will you send my way next?

02/02/2025

In an effort to offer more affordable options to help you continue to work with your dog, I’m now offering a handful of 30 minute four week class sessions, as well as single half hour classes, with a lower price tag than my hour long sessions.

I know that money is tight for a lot of people these days. This is my attempt to help, while still being able to support myself with my business. I do not have a “day job“. I pay for my housing, my car, my food, and all of my utilities and living expenses from the income I make training dogs.

It’s a vicious cycle, isn’t it? Prices go up, which causes us (small business owners) to have to charge more to make our ends meet.
Our higher prices end up losing us business, but we are unable to support ourselves if we do not raise our prices. Talk about a difficult situation!

Here are my low-cost class options:

🐶Enrichment Stations Express single $30 min class, $15
In person class

🐶The Great Canine Puzzle Challenge, four week session, 30 min classes, $100
Virtual Class

🐶 Fancy Pants Intermediate Skills, four week session, 30 min classes, $100 (you must’ve completed a basic class with me to register for this class)
Virtual Class

🐶Awesome Adolescence, four week session, 30 min classes, $100 (you must’ve completed a basic class with me to register for this class)
Virtual Class

🐶Free Puppy Preschool, offered once a month for pups up to 16 weeks and FREE!
In person class

Link to register for these or any of my other class sessions, which I like to think are still very affordable, check the link in my bio on Instagram and in my comments on Facebook. 😎

01/02/2025

Here we go with our February team of the month…

Abbie and Willow!

This team has been with me for quite some time. They started their journey together in my Puppy Academy class and have taken virtual Basics, Noseworks, and just graduated from Intermediate 1 today!

Abbie is a great question asker. She’s a frequent poster in my Mr. dog family group, always asking great questions and looking for feedback and is wholeheartedly committed to doing everything she can to help Willow live her best life 🙌🙌🙌

A dream team in every sense of the word, these to have fun together and their commitment and caring for each other is an inspiration to myself and their classmates.

Cheers to you, Abbie and Willow, here’s to many, many more years being a fantastic team!

As a prize, this team has won $25 off their next session of classes with me.

I asked Abbie a few questions about their relationship, and this is what she had to say:

DOG’S NAME/AGE/BREED:

Willow, 1 year 9 months, Labrador Retriever

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR DOG?

My favorite thing about Willow is her facial expressions and her eagerness to learn new things.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR DOG?

I would like Willow to be a superstar of loose-leash walking and to become a master at finding sheds.

WHAT IS THE SKILL THAT YOU LEARNED IN CLASS HAS BEEN MOST HELPFUL IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP/DAILY LIFE WITH YOUR DOG?

I think the skill I use the most in daily life is knowing the correct dog body language. It has helped me tremendously in training and bonding to know how she is feeling.

WHAT IS YOUR DOG'S FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU?

I would say Willow's favorite thing about me is that I’m always up to take her on adventures and play with her frisbee.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY TO DO WITH YOUR DOG?

I love taking Willow on hikes, as well as beach trips as she loves to swim!

WHY DID YOU GET THIS PARTICULAR DOG?

I got a labrador retriever because it was a perfect fit for me. They have an eagerness to please and high intelligence mixed with an affectionate and loyal personality.

31/01/2025

I got this email recently from students in my Sunday morning virtual Brilliant Basics 🙌🙌🙌

I only have two open spots left in my only remaining open February session if you want to grab one!
Class meets weekly for six weeks on Zoom, is fully interactive, includes my dog body language 101 video, and costs $185.

My classes are not about shouting cues at your dog and constantly telling them what you want them to do. They’re about teaching the dog how to respond in situations without you telling them what you want them to do just like Davy now is doing.

Dogs making “good” choices 😎

Link to register in my bio on insta and in the comments on FB.

28/01/2025

28/01/2025

Allow me to introduce the first ever Pierogi’s Picks!

Since Poerogi has strong feelings about the things that he likes, I thought I’d let him make his recommendations here 😊

Today’s pick is his favorite new coat in honor of the cold weather that we have been having. He likes that it covers his undercarriage, so it keeps his sweater dry and cozy even when walking in wet snow.

It also doubles as a harness so no need to try to figure out how you’re going to fit your harness over or under this jacket. 😎

They also come in an assortment of groovy colors so that you can embrace your dog’s personal style.

Link will be in my stories on Instagram and in the comments on Facebook

Stay tuned for more Pierogi’s Picks!

26/01/2025

I just got this video from former Team of the Month winner Cheryl with her two collies Willow and Ash.

She said they decided to take advantage of the cold weather we’ve been having and refresh some of their tricks that they learned back in Tricks! class.

Look at this awesomeness !!!! 😍

25/01/2025

Terminology Tuesday ~ Learned Helplessness 🐶

As trainers who work closely with families, we are often asked the question of “will they just get used to the baby/ toddler over time?”

Something we always take into consideration is avoiding something called learned helplessness at all costs… But what does that mean?

Learned helplessness in dog training happens when people intentionally or unintentionally put their dogs in situations that the dogs are uncomfortable in repeatedly until they seemingly stop reacting.

This lack of a reaction doesn’t mean that they are comfortable, it means that they feel that no matter what they do, they will be forced into the situation so they begin to shut down emotionally. They feel as if they don’t have any other choice.

This is very dangerous as it can result in bites or reactions that people often describe as “out of nowhere” - which we know there is often no such thing as an “out of the blue” bite

To avoid learned helplessness in our dogs, we want to actively watch their body language for clues to how they might be feeling and respect their boundaries when they tell us that they are uncomfortable by adding in success stations and space!

We want to provide choice, not force 💚

25/01/2025

New blog post is up!
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the read.
Link in comments.