Canine Cooperative

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West Milford, NJ
Canine Cooperative

Providing humans with a complete education in dog.

10/30/2025

It’s not just dog training — it’s people training too. Helping dogs and their humans grow together!

10/27/2025

Do you know your dog’s love language? If not, it’s time to figure It out! ⁣
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Your dog most likely finds all of these languages rewarding, but there is one that they find 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 rewarding. Knowing your dog’s love language is so important when It comes to training. Using their love language as reinforcement will keep them motivated & eager to learn more!⁣
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𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀- Food, Toys⁣
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𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻- Praise⁣
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𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵- Affection⁣
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𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲- Attention⁣
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𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲- Play⁣
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10/18/2025

When your reactive dog starts making progress, people often assume they’re just ‘friendly now.’

But training doesn’t erase boundaries — it teaches control, confidence, and trust.

It’s your job to advocate for your dog and protect the progress you’ve made.

10/15/2025

Leash Walking... there is an ocean of options for WHAT to use when walking your dog.

Let’s break down how to choose what is right for you & your dog.

1st Dog training tools are simply aids to help you,
• gain leverage over strength.
• influence behavior change.
• communicate more effectively.

2nd Are your specific goals to
• stop leash pulling?
• control leash reactivity?
• walk off leash?

3rd Does your dog
• slip out of collars or harnesses?
• have a collapsed trachea?
• have neck or spine issues?
• freak out when you apply leash or collar pressure?

Each tool provides different support based upon the above considerations. Learning how to properly USE these tools, will AID you in communicating to your dog. Remember they only help with leverage, they are not quick fixes. However if what you are currently using is not suiting you & your dog’s needs, there are plenty of other avenues to try!

10/10/2025

Real-life reactivity training isn’t about picture-perfect passes or flawlessly walking by every dog. Some dogs and situations will be harder than others — and that’s okay.

The goal isn’t perfection; it’s helping our dog stay regulated and not react or move forward aggressively.

10/03/2025

“When should your dog be in the crate? 🐶”

Your dog should only be loose in the house when you are physically and mentally able to redirect unwanted behaviors. If you’re distracted or busy, you won’t be able to prevent habits like counter-surfing, chewing, or excessive barking from developing.

✔️ Spend intentional time engaging your dog with training, walks, and enrichment.
✔️ Fulfill their mental and physical needs.
✔️ Use the crate when you can’t supervise — it provides structure, boundaries, and prevents bad habits from forming.

The crate isn’t a punishment. It’s a tool to help your dog succeed while keeping your home (and your relationship) stress-free.

09/23/2025

Ever had that bad start to the day lead to an even worse part of your evening?

You know, you overslept. In a rush got up & stepped on your dog’s chewed Benebone (ouch! if you know, you know). No time to shower or eat breakfast. You get to work; cranky & hungry. You take a deep breath, go to the break room to get a cup of coffee. As you walk out, Linda from accounting rushes by & causes you to spill your coffee all over your shirt. Work day over, you head home.
Too exhausted to make dinner, you call for delivery... they don’t have a driver tonight. You go OFF on the person who answered the phone, telling them how unprofessional it is to not have a back up driver & hang up in a huff.

THIS is trigger stacking. While maybe none of these events separately would not cause you to needlessly explode, all of them compiled together take you way past your threshold of tolerance. The end result is blowing up at an event which normally would not illicit a response by itself.

Dogs operate similarly. Stressful events which stack themselves on top of each other cause our dogs to unnecessarily explode or have less tolerance for events that seemingly caused not reaction at all. Be aware of all the stressful scenarios your dog experiences through out the day & have realistic expectations for their reactions.

09/06/2025

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.⁣
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Perhaps there are no two more polarizing breeds than a Staffordshire Terrier (aka “pitbull”) & a Golden Retriever. There are serious stereotypes that come along with both breeds of dogs. Within society & media, pitbulls are demonized, considered a dangerous breed, banned from certain cities. Owners struggle with homeowner’s insurance or being able to rent a place to live because they have a pitbull type dog.⁣
On the other hand, goldens are the “perfect family dog”, always friendly, amenable... essentially a big happy ball of fluff. ⁣
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While it is true, different breeds have different personality traits; 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿. ⁣
A study (in the journal 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦) suggests only 9% of behavioral variation is based upon breed. While some behaviors are more likely to be seen in particular breeds, breed alone will not determine a dog’s disposition. Potentially dangerous behaviors are unlikely to be controlled simply through genetics. A dog’s behavior is based upon the much wider environment & developmental history.⁣
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The dog’s pictured are training in the ALL IN Program. Kai, the Stafordshire Terrier, is a happy go lucky dog. We call these dogs “aggressively friendly”. While good intentioned, a happy greeting can turn (& has!) into a concussion for the human. Pitties are known for intense drive, which can absolutely cause issues. However these breeds are not inherently aggressive. Jax, the Golden Retriever, joined us with an extensive bite history & displaying dangerous behavior. While goldens are generally revered for their affectionate nature, this breed is not inherently friendly. ⁣
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It is important to pay attention to the dog in front of you & less about the stories about their ancestry. Judging a book by the cover could either get you in serious trouble or cause you miss out on a fantastic canine friendship.

08/17/2025

We have all been there... our dog is doing something inappropriate & we end up yelling commands at them, to no avail.
The problem is owners try to direct their dog once they have entered an over aroused state of mind. Your dog is amped up by the environment, you are amped up yelling & the entire interaction is one BIG mess.

It is very difficult to communicate with an over aroused head space. Asking for a “sit” when your dog is already jumping up on your guest will likely do little to help your cause. However the root issue is NOT the fact your dog isn’t sitting. It’s the manner of the greeting... the energy & mental state which accompanies it. Instead of using obedience to address behavior problems, use obedience to affect levels of energy & state of mind. This will in turn help your behavior issues.

Back to our example of greetings. If we address our dog at the sound of the doorbell by sending them to “place”, it will immediately minimize arousal. Now you can answer the door without your dog repeating the unwanted behavior. Once your dog is calm, you can allow them to greet your guest & ask for a “sit” prior to receiving affection.

The root of the original behavior was never one of obedience. It was about lowering levels of arousal in order to make your dog successful. So the next time you find yourself yelling commands at your dog, ask yourself about your dog’s state of mind & how you can impact levels of arousal first.

Address

West Milford, NJ
07480

Website

https://www.canine-cooperative.com/

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