Engaged Dogs; Walking & Training

Engaged Dogs; Walking & Training Offering Family Therapy that includes 4legged friends too! Engaged Walks + 1:1 Training available🐶

Checkout Hudson and Penny Grace’s best dinosaur faces😆🦖🎄The Botanical Gardens are always magical, and this year, the out...
12/09/2025

Checkout Hudson and Penny Grace’s best dinosaur faces😆🦖🎄

The Botanical Gardens are always magical, and this year, the outdoor gardens are dinosaur themed!

Reminders:1: We have a new number! We accept texts at:202-577-5184Email at: EngagedDogs@gmail.comDMs on all socials plat...
12/06/2025

Reminders:
1: We have a new number!
We accept texts at:
202-577-5184
Email at: [email protected]
DMs on all socials platforms:


2: We are always teaching, and our dogs are always learning, whether we are being intentional or not!!
Communicating clearly when they are on the right track helps them better understand our preferences.

3: I have the best job in the world🐶🥰💙

“Did you know....that lack of adequate, restorative rest increases emotional and behavioral reactivity, decreases learni...
12/03/2025

“Did you know....
that lack of adequate, restorative rest increases emotional and behavioral reactivity, decreases learning capabilities, decreases working memory, increases impulsive behaviors and increases nervous system dysregulation in dogs AND humans?
Is your dog getting enough good quality, restorative rest to help them be their best self?
Our dogs have shorter REM cycles (lasting approx. 45 minutes, with approx. 10% of total sleep spent in REM) than us humans (approx. 90 minute cycles with 25% of our total sleep spent in REM/ the restorative, deep restful sleep) completing approx. 75% of their sleep needs overnight. This means our dogs must have adequate opportunities for good quality rest throughout their days.
Dogs’ sleep requirements vary based on age, breed, and activity levels.

Age is a key factor for determining the amount of sleep a dog needs.
Based on a wide review of the recent canine sleep research, consider the following recommendations based on age*:
Puppies (under 2 years old): 18-22 hours a day
Adult dogs (2 to 6 years old): 9-16 hours a day
Senior dogs (7+ years old): 12-20 hours a day”- read more in our blog(on the website) “Is your dog getting enough quality rest to set them up for success?”

“Did you notice that the significant increase in high winds this week was an added challenge for the doggos in DC? What ...
11/28/2025

“Did you notice that the significant increase in high winds this week was an added challenge for the doggos in DC?
What did you notice in your own pup?
Were they having difficulty focusing?
Or perhaps you noticed they were easily spooked by the strong gusts and movement they created?

During inclement weather, it is important to still work with our dogs to build confidence, neutrality, and their skills. It is also important to meet them where they are and support their needs while we help them get neutral and confident. We can do this by doing short training and/or enrichment exercises in the wind/ inclement weather to help our pups be able to proof their skills while building confidence.
For example: On windy weather days, I often lean into stationary work with most dogs.“- from our blog:”Wild windy weather: How do you set Fido up for success in inclement weather?”

Want to set your (pre-established) Engaged Dog(s) up for success with the holiday?Schedule them to join us for an Engage...
11/26/2025

Want to set your (pre-established) Engaged Dog(s) up for success with the holiday?

Schedule them to join us for an Engaged Walk (solo) or an Engaged Pack Walk (with local Engaged friends,) to help them burn some energy and get engaged before your festivities!

Schedule on the website, text, or email.

Most dogs in Playa del Carmen (both pets and street dogs,) are off leash and neutral to other dogs and humans, largely d...
11/24/2025

Most dogs in Playa del Carmen (both pets and street dogs,) are off leash and neutral to other dogs and humans, largely due to the different culture and relationships between dogs and humans there versus in the US.

The majority of humans in PDC ignore dogs entirely, and for those who don’t, they generally give the dogs a wide berth and let them approach, if they choose to (many don’t.)

Because of this, the dogs are largely confident, neutral, and I have never seen a dog fight while there… dogs have great natural communication skills to de-escalate and prevent conflict, when allowed to just be. (Versus humans dictating/ attempting to control how they do/ don’t communicate. Ex: dog growls, humans scolds them to stop growling, dog learns to not use that communication signal leading to future “bite out of nowhere” potential.)

PDC also has one of the coolest dog parks, with no fencing, and tons of agility equipment, right in the city center. (Nearby is also an outdoor gym for humans, which was super fun.)

All that to say:
I LOVED spending the week in Playa del Carmen and learning more about their dog culture. I’m happy to be back this week and looking forward to seeing my furiends.

I will be working regular hours this week, so if you need to make changes to your Engaged Dogs’ schedule due to holiday plans, please do so via the website. (If struggling on the website to make scheduling changes, reach out via text or email.)

These sisters (Echo- black + tan coonhound mix, Athena- tan hound mix,) work SO HARS together during their Engaged Walks...
11/21/2025

These sisters (Echo- black + tan coonhound mix, Athena- tan hound mix,) work SO HARS together during their Engaged Walks to practice loose leash walking and neutrality around all the other dogs and distractions in their neighborhood.

One of the easiest ways to help your dog build engagement is to play the Name Recognition game!
(Say their name. Wait for eye contact. Mark and Reward with YES! And a treat. Repeat 10-15X before outings to increase engagement and name recognition.)

Scroll through to the end to see a video of them putting their best paws forward.

Who doesn’t need a hug from time to time? 🤷🏼FYI: most dogs don’t love hugs from humans as it can easily trigger fight, f...
11/19/2025

Who doesn’t need a hug from time to time? 🤷🏼

FYI: most dogs don’t love hugs from humans as it can easily trigger fight, flight, fawn, or freeze, so while this pic of Koozie and DC street art is super cute, please don’t hug a dog unless you’re confident you’re able to read and understand their body language when you do so (for everyone’s safety!)

11/15/2025

New peer-reviewed study, and the first scientific proof, shows dogs sleep better when they’re close to the people they love. Researchers found dogs took longer to relax, tossing and turning more and had poorer sleep quality when their human was gone. Your presence helps them relax, fall asleep faster, and rest more deeply especially in new or stressful environments.

The study found:
• Dogs fell asleep faster when their owner was in the room.
• They slept more deeply (more time in non-REM or “deep” sleep).
• Their sleep was more efficient — meaning less tossing and turning.
• When the owner was gone, dogs took longer to relax and had poorer sleep quality.
• These results suggest that dogs feel safer and more relaxed when near their humans, even during sleep.

Tomorrow is the last day to place orders for your Engaged Dog’s custom photo book to ensure delivery before Christmas! Y...
11/14/2025

Tomorrow is the last day to place orders for your Engaged Dog’s custom photo book to ensure delivery before Christmas!

You can place your order with Sara directly (via text or email,) OR place your order on the website.

Barry enjoyed posing in his Commanders jersey for his photo book. 🐶🥰🏈

(Photography sessions and photobooks are available all year long- on the website!)

A reminder for currently Engaged clients:I will be away next week🇲🇽☀️🌴returning to regular hours Tuesday 11/25.I will NO...
11/14/2025

A reminder for currently Engaged clients:
I will be away next week🇲🇽☀️🌴
returning to regular hours Tuesday 11/25.

I will NOT be available via phone during this time.
Please address any concerns via email and I will respond upon my return.

Get your last minute photobook orders in (to guarentee delivery before Christmas; otherwise feel free to order all year long!)

Echo is learning to “Wave” 👋🏼🐶🥰Once your dog knows “Paw,” it’s easy to evolve this into “High Five” by changing your han...
11/11/2025

Echo is learning to “Wave” 👋🏼🐶🥰

Once your dog knows “Paw,” it’s easy to evolve this into “High Five” by changing your hand placement (instead of palm up for Paw, put it flat in front of them, like a Stop sign,) starting down low where you would ask for Paw and then slowly moving it up closer to their shoulder.

As your dog gets good at “High Five,” you can easily evolve this to wave by using the same stop sign hand placement you use to ask for high five, and then just before they touch their paw to your palm, move it away in a waving motion and pair the word “Wave!”

Begin moving slowly further away from your dog when asking for Wave to be able to help them do it at a distance.

Remember:
Start small, in low distraction environments, for short periods of time.
Add challenge by practicing in busier, more distracting environments and asking for cues from a short distance away (move incrementally to build distance- like a couple inches at a time, because dogs don’t generalize well.)
If / when your dog begins to struggle/ get confused, go back to the last thing they were successful at, get a few successful repetitions and either end the exercise then (always on a positive note) OR re attempt to proof and evolve the behavior.

Can your dog wave?

Address

465 M Street SW
Washington D.C., DC
20024

Telephone

+17742011509

Website

https://www.choosetoliveengaged.com/post/dog-communication-breakdown-w

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