Engaged Dogs; Walking & Training

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

Engaged Walks are training and enrichment focused walks that are intended to meet each pup exactly where they are on the...
01/09/2025

Engaged Walks are training and enrichment focused walks that are intended to meet each pup exactly where they are on their training journey.

Focus is on teaching leash manners, emotional regulation skills, and helping them to be confident and neutral. Pawrents may identify additional goals for their pup, as discussed during the initial consultation. Sign up on our site!

“Protect Those Paws: Sidewalks in the city are often treated with salt and other de-icing chemicals to melt snow and ic...
01/06/2025

“Protect Those Paws:
Sidewalks in the city are often treated with salt and other de-icing chemicals to melt snow and ice. These substances can be harsh on your dog’s paw pads. Consider using dog-friendly booties to shield their paws from salt and prevent ice from sticking between their toes. Additionally, be sure to wipe their paws after each outing. We recommend using a warm cloth with a little bit of vinegar (for the natural disinfecting properties,) to get off any residue from outdoors. Additionally, you may want to moisturize your dog’s paws a couple of times a week, (with coconut oil or a paw balm of your preference,) to keep paws soft and to counteract the effects of the harsh winter weather and all that comes with it!”- from our blog: Winter Weather Safety Tips

Lastly, Be patient and consistent! Leash training takes time! Be patient with your dog and maintain consistency. Dogs, l...
01/04/2025

Lastly, Be patient and consistent! Leash training takes time! Be patient with your dog and maintain consistency. Dogs, like humans, are lifelong learners. With practice, your dog will learn to walk politely on a leash.

What step are you planning to implement next to get your pup on the right track? 💬 Tell me in the comments!

“Allowing your dog to have the opportunity to say no and set personal boundaries is one of the most important trust buil...
12/29/2024

“Allowing your dog to have the opportunity to say no and set personal boundaries is one of the most important trust building factors in your relationship with your dog. Being able to communicate and have their needs be respected when doing so will also increase your dog’s confidence, sense of empowerment, and trust in you.

So how exactly do you know when your sweet pupper is saying “No thanks?”
Dogs communicate through body language primarily and it is our job as their human handler and partner in this relationship to ensure that we understand and respect their communication as often as possible.

Saying “No” might look like:
Looking away- either with just their eyes, a whole head turn, or even possibly a complete curving turn of their body away.
“Whale Eye”-eyes get wide and you can see the whites of their eyes
Turning their entire body away, moving away from you/ the distressing trigger/ situation/ person/ etc.
Disengaging completely to do something else- going to sniff something, suddenly seeming very interested in looking at something, going to get a drink of water, etc.
Quick tongue flicks and/or lip licking *
Yawning *
Growling, snarling
Lip quiver, showing teeth
Quick snap
Barking, lunging, reactivity
Bite
(* Behavior occurs out of context)”-
Read more in our blog: “Does your dog have the opportunity to say no? Let’s talk about consent”

Did you know that learning dog communication is like learning an entirely different language?Much of dog training really...
12/28/2024

Did you know that learning dog communication is like learning an entirely different language?

Much of dog training really comes down to us and our dogs learning to communicate effectively.

Knowing how to understand and respond to your dog's body language, while teaching them verbal English cues, we can find common ground and improve our communication skills with our pups, leading to better relationships where both parties feel validated, respected, and are able to work together in partnership.

Happy Holidays!!💙Engaged Dogs
12/24/2024

Happy Holidays!!
💙Engaged Dogs

Engaged Pack Walks are available for established Engaged Dogs on Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays between 9-12. Want you...
12/21/2024

Engaged Pack Walks are available for established Engaged Dogs on Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays between 9-12.
Want your dog to join an Engaged Pack Walk soon?
For new clients:
Create a pet profile + schedule an initial consultation on the website: www.choosetoliveengaged.com
For established clients:
Connect with Sara so she can assess and identify if your pup is appropriate for pack walks!
More Engaged Pack Walk opportunities coming soon in 2025 🐶🫠
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An epic pack walk this morning has led to an 8PM bedtime for the human who managed it 😅😆🥱😴💤
12/19/2024

An epic pack walk this morning has led to an 8PM bedtime for the human who managed it 😅😆🥱😴💤

More exercise isn’t always the answer for an active dog, Instead, we want to find a balance between offering opportuniti...
12/17/2024

More exercise isn’t always the answer for an active dog, Instead, we want to find a balance between offering opportunities for physical exercise, mental enrichment, and teaching and practicing self-soothing and settling behaviors.

You likely have noticed some dogs without an obvious "off" switch.

Think of working dogs like Malinois, German Shepards, Australian Cattle Dogs, Poodles, etc. These sorts of breeds are bred to work 14-16 hour days, usually of high intensity physical and mental work, and yet they still require training an "off switch" to indicate when work is done and it is time to rest.

“…dogs are autonomous, sentient beings, with complex emotional experiences and individual preferences and boundaries. Do...
12/16/2024

“…dogs are autonomous, sentient beings, with complex emotional experiences and individual preferences and boundaries.

Dogs have been proven, through research, to learn similar to children and to have the emotional intelligence of the average 2-4 year old…

Imagine that every time you experienced a surge of emotion, it made you shout out loud, and each time you shouted, you received a shock. After a while, you would learn to suppress the shout (the behavior.) This does not mean the underlying emotion would be any different, just the outward expression of the emotion would be stifled. Additionally, with no outlet to express this emotion, suppressing the emotion would only last so long before resulting in other fallout behaviors. Perhaps instead of shouting out loud, you begin to channel the emotion through an anxious or obsessive behavior, like picking, ruminating, or self-injuring in some way. Our dogs are similar in this way and like humans, it is important to remember that our dog’s behavior is a result of their emotions.”- from our blog, “The smack heard around the tidal basin”-
Find it on our website.
www.choosetoliveengaged.com

“When you know your dogs breed and what their job is meant to be, you can proactively satiate their needs in order to se...
12/13/2024

“When you know your dogs breed and what their job is meant to be, you can proactively satiate their needs in order to set your dog up for success.
An example: Penny Grace, my personal dog, (a APBT, ACD, Coonhound, Chow, Lab mix,) has a pretty significant prey drive.

In order to proactively satiate this need, I allow controlled chasing of squirrels in safe environments, we play fetch, and she is given a variety of puzzles that allow her to tear and shred and mimic some of the prey sequence.
The combination of doing these activities regularly means that when it is NOT time to chase squirrels or other perceived prey, she is easily able to leave it alone and be more focused and engaged with me because her needs are met.”-from our blog “Setting Fido up for Success During the Holidays”

“Most dogs are creatures of routine and comfort, and when something is different in their lives, like their routine is o...
12/13/2024

“Most dogs are creatures of routine and comfort, and when something is different in their lives, like their routine is off or unfamiliar people are in their space, this can bring up big feelings and be very challenging for them for a variety of reasons.

Consider, for a herding dog, bred specifically to be a “chaos coordinator” and to round up and control perceived chaos, they likely interpret crowds of people with lots of movement as something that they need to address, as this is a genetically ingrained behavior in them.
For many humans, when they choose to get a cute little Corgi or an adorable and fluffy little Australian Shepard for example, they forget that these dogs are bred with a job that may potentially be going unfulfilled (this is largely individual and based on if you as an owner provide enrichment and outlets to satiate their genetic needs.)
Add feeling like one’s needs are not satiated + a change in routine + a perceived increase in chaos and you just might have a recipe for disaster at your holiday celebration.”- from our blog: ‘Setting Fido up for Success During the Holidays’

12/11/2024

As winter sets in and the temperature drops, it's essential to consider the well-being of our four-legged companions, especially in the bustling city environment. City dogs face unique challenges during the colder months, from icy sidewalks to salted roads.

Let's explore some tips to ensure your furry friend stays warm, happy, and healthy, all winter long!

“Did you know that dogs will use their ears, head, paws, and curving of their bodies to point at things? Dogs will do th...
12/09/2024

“Did you know that dogs will use their ears, head, paws, and curving of their bodies to point at things? Dogs will do this most often when asking to get their needs met or to do something specific.

Our dogs are ALWAYS communicating, whether we are understanding and responding to them intentionally or not.”-
Read more in our blog:
Dog Communication Breakdown: What are they asking for?

Want to better understand your dog as a unique individual? We really appreciate Kim Brophy’s insight in her revolutionar...
12/06/2024

Want to better understand your dog as a unique individual?
We really appreciate Kim Brophy’s insight in her revolutionary new book: Meet You Dog: The game-changing guide to understanding your dog’s behavior

“Did you notice that the significant increase in high winds this week was an added challenge for your dog? Did you notic...
12/05/2024

“Did you notice that the significant increase in high winds this week was an added challenge for your dog? Did you notice an increase in sniffing? Overstimulation? Fear?

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.

Why?
Because adding MORE stimulation, distraction, and challenge by physically moving or working in training games is often too much for many dogs.

Simply sitting on a bench, allowing them to feel their body shift with the changes in wind, observing the leaves/ litter/ trees blowing in the wind, taking in the shifts in smell as the wind changes direction- this is all information our dogs are taking in constantly.

So we sit.
And we observe,
together.
I mark, praise, and reward confidence and good behaviors that we would like to see repeated and I talk to them and coach them through the scary moments.”

Read more in our blog:
Wild Windy Weather:
How do you set Fido up for success in inclement weather?

“By using a visual marker, like a blanket, when teaching a Place cue, it enables our dogs to generalize the expected beh...
12/03/2024

“By using a visual marker, like a blanket, when teaching a Place cue, it enables our dogs to generalize the expected behavior more easily, making things like settling down at a new brunch spot patio a breeze.”- checkout our latest blog “Skill Breakdown: Place”
Find this blog and more, on our website:
www.choosetoliveengaged.com

Dogs DO NOT KNOW OUR EXPECTATIONS until we clearly communicate this to them calmly, with clarity, with confidence and we...
12/01/2024

Dogs DO NOT KNOW OUR EXPECTATIONS until we clearly communicate this to them calmly, with clarity, with confidence and we do so consistently.

Dogs do not generalize well, so once we have laid a foundation for a cue or protocol, we must then proof this behavior to enable them to perform the cue confidently in a variety of settings and scenarios.

Make sure to save this post, so you can find it later this week when you are ready to teach your dog how to behave when your guests arrive! 🎉

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

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