Canine In Focus

10/16/2025

One of the only daycares I recommend locally has openings for small breed dogs once a week! This is a daycare run by a certified trainer 🤩

Please check out our registration forms below. The registration form is required to enroll you at Canine to 5. If you have more than one dog, fill out one form for each dog. Please feel free to download and fill out the form prior to your arrival.

07/02/2025

Adrienne is back after taking some time off to be with her new baby! Adrienne has limited weekend availability, but she's open and taking new clients now.

Adrienne is a highly skilled trainer and holds several certifications, including as a nosework instructor and trick dog trainer and judge!

Fun fact: Adrienne was one of Yasmin's mentors when she went through her first certification program!

Yasmin's books are currently closed, but reach out today to book with Adrienne - [email protected]

06/17/2025

Hi all! Meet Margaret (Mugs), a 6-month-old Goldendoodle x Brittany with a heart full of energy and a coat that doesn’t shed!

This sweet, clever girl is looking for an active home where she can stretch her legs, use her brain, and be part of the action.

Mugs thrives on adventure, whether it's hiking, playing in the yard, or learning new tricks. If you're looking for a loyal sidekick with a zest for life, Mugs might be your perfect match!

Mugs belongs to some wonderful folks who have realized her exercise needs are higher than they can handle at the moment. Potential homes will be screened carefully and thoughtfully.

Please share!

06/12/2025

Hi folks!

I’m often asked for pet sitting recommendations, and I have some great news: there's a new trustworthy pet sitter and dog walker in the Rockford area! I recently met Ezra, and I wholeheartedly trust him with both my own pets and my clients’. He’s a fantastic resource for anyone looking for reliable, compassionate care.

Ezra Star: [email protected]

05/28/2025

Happy Pride from Canine in Focus!

We have special edition Canine in Focus tees available for order with all proceeds benefitting The LIAM Foundation, a local LGBTQIA+ Resource Center located in Rockford, IL.

Order shirts at https://www.bonfire.com/canine-in-focus-pride-2025/ (or scan the QR code)

Learn more about The LIAM Foundation at https://theliamfoundation.org/

05/24/2025

Possession is 9/10 of the law 😉

This is a bit nuanced, but those of you with dogs who don’t “give up” toys during play might find it interesting 🎾

This tug is a very valuable toy to Fenna, so even though she takes her mouth of it when I toss treats, you’ll see that her paw remains on the tug. This is not just by chance, she’s deliberately holding down the tug to make sure I don’t take it (and I didn’t because that would be rude lol).

Fenna, and many of my client dogs, have big feelings of possession & it’s not easy to change those feelings 🐕

04/30/2025

My clients are just the absolute best 🥰 I love working with these dedicated teams! They make this work so meaningful and gratifying 🥹

04/25/2025

Meet Finley 😍

Finley’s guardians reached out about her reactivity to people, dogs and cars, and her loose leash walking skills.

We started out by making sure Finley’s exercise and enrichment needs were being met. Now that she gets to move her body more, we can focus on her big feelings 😉

Finley is doing great so far & her guardians are really putting in the work!

04/10/2025

We’ve gotten a few questions recently about when the best time to start training a puppy is. The answer is…ASAP! It’s never too early to start, in fact, the sooner the better 🐶

The earlier we start rewarding our puppies for behaviors we like, the more they’ll offer them ✨ and the less undesirable behaviors they’ll develop as they mature.

Teaching a puppy to make good choices is *worlds* easier than undoing problem behaviors later on 🐕 Don’t wait until your pup is a teenager (about 5 months old until *at least* 2 years olds), you can start the moment you bring them home!

03/15/2025

I looove letting my dog roll while we’re on a walk! Mostly she’s just rolling in grass, but sometimes it’s dead rodents or even p**p 🫣

I know, I know, it’s gross, but it’s so important to me that she gets to just…be a dog!

Don’t get me wrong, if she was about to roll in something stinky and I didn’t have time to bathe her after, I’d ask her to keep walking with me, but usually, that’s not a problem for us, so I let it happen & I can see how happy it makes her!

Moral of the story is…Let Them Dog 🐕

01/28/2025

I talk a LOT about to importance appropriate exercise for our dogs. My preference will always be that this exercise take place in nature, but that’s not always possible.

My reactive dog clients know how hard it is to find walking locations where they’re unlikely to run into triggers, but one of my favorite spots for walks for these dogs are church parking lots/fields!

Here I’m walking my dog on a 15’ leash in a big church parking lot with a large field attached to it. We didn’t see a single person or dog! This is a great alternative for days where you don’t have time to make it out to a forest preserve or if you have a reactive dog 🤩

Some other options:
🌱 cemeteries
🌱 business parks
🌱 empty baseball fields
🌱 Sniffspots

12/26/2024

My favorite bully sticks are on sale for Boxing Day! I like that this brand has various size options (regular, thick, jumbo, monster).

https://bullybunches.com