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RotNDog Training & Behavior Consulting

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West Palm Beach, FL
RotNDog Training & Behavior Consulting

Specialized Dog Training & Behavior Modification for dogs with problems since 2003.

RotNDog is your answer for help with aggression, fear, anxiety, and basic-advanced obedience.

09/09/2024

“Birth and death are only a door through which we go in and out.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Twice a year I honor Malakai’s existence in my lifetime - the day she came into my life and stepped through that door, and the day she left her physical form and walked out that same door. Today, September 8th, is the day that she walked in to my life, back in 2010. To be exact, she walked through the doors of Miami Animal Dade Services. A door that many dogs don’t walk back out of, they get carried out of, in a black plastic bag. And while she was about to go in and out in that manner, I fought hard to get her to walk out on her own four feet, alive. And I’m so grateful I fought that battle.

Every September 8th I drop flowers off at the old MDAS building gates. This year, on September 8th, I am in the Samadhi, Sacred Valley in Peru. So I dropped her flowers off a few days early and I continue to honor her today, in this special place. Where she continues to live on - everywhere.

As a bonus, anyone who knew her knew I called her my unicorn. And look in the pictures to see what my daily passage to read was, this am! She’s here! Everywhere!

“No one can bring about the destruction of the imperishable (the soul).”

~ The Bhagavad Gita (Ch 2 V 17)

🦄

09/06/2024

RotNDog will be CLOSED Sept 6th - Sept 18th for a much needed break. All messages will gradually be returned starting Sept 19th.

🐾

09/05/2024

Whenever I get a message about “aggression” in a golden retriever, I can almost always bet money that it’s going to be resource guarding. Especially, when it’s a new puppy from a pet store.

Cooper (left) was giving his new owners quite a problem with his displays of aggression and resource guarding around the house. And his owners were super stressed about it. This created a lot of conflict in their relationship, and no one was happy.

We had our first consult a few weeks ago, and thankfully, Cooper’s owners were very understanding of what I was conveying to them, and they were totally on board with my suggestions - including the ability for them to have realistic expectations.

In the past few weeks they have done a phenomenal job of working with Cooper and therefore repairing the relationship they have with him. There’s no more conflict and mistrust. No more walking around on eggshells. Everyone is happier (even their other dog).

Owner education is where it’s at when it comes to behavior modification and working with aggression cases. If you don’t have their buy in and commitment, you won’t get very far. Cooper is very lucky that he landed in the right place!

08/12/2024

MUZZLE MONDAY

It’s important to have your dog spend time wearing their muzzle while doing neutral things and/or fun things. If you only use the muzzle during potentially stressful events, the muzzle itself can become a tip off to the dog that something unpleasant is coming. We never want the muzzle to just be associated with one thing, especially when that one thing can be really challenging for the dog. Sometimes you will see this happen even after your dog has been muzzle trained for a while - if you slack off with doing the what I call “maintenance training.” It can present as avoidance when attempting to put the muzzle on or fussing with it once it is on. This can be easily remedied by adding in those neutral and/or fun situations while wearing it a couple times a week.

08/11/2024

Dog treadmills also make very expensive platforms for cats to lay on and groom themselves. Just ask Jada!

08/10/2024

I love working with my fellow yogis and their dogs. Lucky (left) and Happie (right) were really giving their mom a hard time with a variety of challenging behaviors (confinement anxiety, separation anxiety, codependency on each other, fear aggression towards visitors, leash reactivity, pulling on the leash, and not to mention all the barking that came as a symptom of their anxieties). And despite the long list of changes their mom had to make, she’s been committed and they are doing so well. The look on Happie’s face says it all!

08/09/2024

08/08/2024

It’s very common for guardian breeds (although it doesn’t happen in them exclusively) to place themselves in between you and another person, especially a stranger.

For happy, sociable individuals with no history of aggression displayed towards other people, they may place themselves in between you and someone else just because they want to be in the center of all the attention and interactions. But for any of our guardian breed individuals OR for any individual who has a history of displaying aggression towards other people, (my El Chupacabra is both categories) I always caution owners allowing the dog to do this. It makes it too easy for them to react with aggression should the other person move quickly, stand up, or reach over towards you.

To mitigate this, we ask the dog to move to our opposite side, and instead, placing ourselves in between. You can see me doing that with Chu, here.

It’s often times in situations like this where people say “the dog reacted out of nowhere.” Knowing and honoring your dog’s history, as well as not setting them up to fail is key. Knowing Chu’s history, I was not going to allow him to stay planted between my friend (who was videoing) and I. It’s an easy enough request to give, and execute while making the situation much more safe for the other person.

08/07/2024

The three minute down stay with a distraction as prep for the Canine Good Citizen tests was really challenging for Lucy because her distraction was a giant piece of lamb lung staring right at her for those long three minutes! Varying up your distractions when proofing any behavior is key to getting them to generalize faster - that the behavior is the same no matter the circumstance.

08/06/2024

DOG TALK TUESDAY: Displacement Stretching

In this picture you see a border collie eating from a bowl on the right, frozen, and side eyeing the borzoi on the left. (Disclaimer, this was sent to me by another dog trainer, I never ever ever recommend that dogs eat together like this.) The borzoi, wanted the food but is recognizing the border collie’s warning signal. Don’t we all know the conflicted feeling of “I want that but they are telling me no,” that leaves us feeling torn? We want to move forward but know there will likely be a negative consequence. Those moments of conflicts are often times where we exhibit a displacement behavior - a behavior we choose because we don’t know what else to do. And in this case, the borzoi is stretching. Of course dogs stretch in the appropriate context of just waking up or just going to sleep. But out of that context in direct interactions involving potential conflict, the stretch is a displacement behavior. And at the end of the day, the borzoi is still keeping distance and honoring what the border collie is saying, so he is still responding appropriately.

As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself.

08/05/2024

MUZZLE MONDAY

I recently had a new client consult and within that first session, I told her that her dog definitely needed muzzle training. She wasn’t entirely thrilled with the idea but understood why I was making the recommendation. At our second session, she said she looked through as many muzzle posts on my social media pages that she could find (there’s a lot!) and she came to me with a particular type of muzzle already picked out!

And while not all muzzles are good choices for all dogs and all situations, the particular muzzle that she chose for her dog was actually a great fit for their needs. Her ability to come on here and see so many dogs in muzzles and so many varieties of muzzles, helped her accept that her dog would benefit from one, as well. So much so that she started looking for what she wanted on her own, which I love! She also felt like she had some choice in the decisions and that can only help her overall commitment to training and maintenance of the muzzle itself. There’s a lot of reasons for Muzzle Monday and this is just one!

07/22/2024

MUZZLE MONDAY

A muzzle doesn’t teach a dog how to live with a housemate that they don’t like.

When dogs are fighting within the home to the point of total separation, many people think that using a muzzle means they can just let the dogs back together and then change nothing else. That couldn’t be further from the truth. A muzzle is only a safety bandaid in these situations so no one gets injured but also so no one gets self reinforcement from biting. There’s a whole other plan of environmental changes, routine changes, lifestyle changes, and behavior modification that must take place.

We need to still teach the dog how to live with their housemate that they don’t like.

07/20/2024

For most of my life, I have solely identified myself with my career. But, I am much more than what I do for a living.

This is a (strange and different) post about - me. Because - why not?

I am more than just a dog trainer.

🐈‍⬛ I am a cat person. Yes. Many of you might actually already know this lol. I 10/10 prefer cats over dogs, despite my career. I have three amazing boy cats who have my entire heart: Sweeney Todd, Majicou, and Arjuna. (And maybe this is also why I prefer my owner directed aggression dogs because perhaps they are more cat like lol).

🌱 I am a vegan. I stopped eating animals for ethical reasons in 1999, and then stopped consuming all animal products by 2003. I’ve never looked back since.

🧘🏽‍♀️ I am a yogi. While I practice asana in the hot room for almost 20 hours a week, I also embrace the yogic lifestyle to the best of my ability, “off the mat,” as we say. After all, yoga is not just the 90 minute class you take in a class. There are morals & ethics, scriptures to study, the sister sciences to implement, community, and a whole new perspective on life, one that has entirely changed mine.

📖 I am a student. I love learning and being immersed in the vast depths of knowledge. A teacher of mine often says: “Knowledge has no ledge.”

📚 I am a reader. I love love love to read. Books provide guidance, support, comfort, as well as entertainment. My favorite things to read are poetry, self improvement, yoga scriptures, and animal related fiction.

🏝️ I am a beach lover. You’ll usually find me there on my days off.

📝 I am a writer. It’s always been a creative outlet for me and I enjoy writing about my mental health journey as well as gratitude for the people and things in my life that I value.

📿 I am a mantra chanter. Chanting mantra, singing mantra, and doing japa meditations have been life altering.

🌙 I am a moon lover. Nothing in life is predictable, but the moon phases are! We can follow the phases of the moon and use her cycles to align our goals and intentions with something greater than ourselves.

🌅 I am a routine embracer. I preach about routines a lot in my career but that’s also because I have also experienced the incredible benefits that daily routines can provide - especially for those of us with anxiety.

🪬 I am tattooed. Lol - surprise! I think that tattoos are a beautiful form of self expression where we get to decorate our temples and most of us heavily tattooed people have a lot of stories to tell.

🗝️ I am disciplined. Growth, enlightenment, and liberation don’t come by chance. They come through facing the challenges that we don’t want to face - doing the things that we don’t want to do - time and time again. My overall character has improved immensely ever since I started to really value discipline.

🐚 I am a sheller. I love shelling. I think it’s a great mindfulness exercise and there’s so much to learn and explore.

🫂 I am a community member. I never knew that I needed community until the day I realized I needed community. The last couple of years have really taught me how important it is for us, as social beings, to be immersed in support by like minded people. One of my teachers always says, “we dance together as one,” and that is not limited to a vinyasa class, it’s dancing in this life together, as well.

✨ I am a Libra Sun, a Scorpio Rising, and a Leo Moon. I think astrology is fascinating and we have so much to gain from it. I have so much air, fire, and stagnant water in my chart, with virtually no earth elements. No wonder I’m always seeking out ways to ground myself.

💚 I am a love. We all are. Green represents the color of our heart chakra, and it’s always been my favorite color.

And to all of my fellow dog trainers, I would love to see you share your own post on how you are because I think it’s so important that we honor and value our individuality in the industry.

🐾

07/18/2024

I’ve had several clients think up this hack on their own and I love it. Treat bags that fold in on themselves or have an opening that tends to collapse, can be improved by placing a solid plastic cup or Tupperware container on the inside. It keeps everything open and easily accessible without trying to fumble your hand into a crumpled bag. It also helps to keep things neat and clean. It’s great when dog training becomes a catalyst for creativity!

07/17/2024

HOW PUPPY OWNERS OFTEN TIMES CREATE OR EXACERBATE RESOURCE GUARDING

Resource guarding is normal. The idea of having something that is seen as important to survival or that is high in value, and then displaying avoidance or aggression in order to keep the “thing” when approached by someone else is an adaptive trait that has allowed individuals to survive long enough to sustain an entire species. And yet, it is something that dog owners “complain” a lot about.

While genetics can play a big role in how much resource guarding a dog can be predisposed to displaying (hello guardian breeds), the “nurture” side can certainly also play a role in developing learned behavior.

A mistake that I see many puppy owners make, is constantly pulling everything out of the puppy’s mouth. Anytime they pick something up, the owner runs over, grabs their snout, pries their mouth open, and then pulls the item away. And this can happen dozens of times a day quickly adding up to hundreds of times over the puppy’s first few months. And what does this teach the puppy? Picking things up in their mouth is a normal part of their development. No more strange than a toddler touching things with their hands. They don’t even recognize what they’re doing half the time. So while owners think they are teaching the puppy to not pick things up (they’ll keep picking things up because that’s what their genetics and growing brain are telling them to do) instead they are teaching the puppy that every time they have something in their mouth and someone approaches them, they will lose the item. This encourages and validates resource guarding for them. And eventually at some point in social maturity, the puppy develops the confidence to say “I’m sick of this and won’t tolerate it anymore.” They stand their ground and guard the item and that’s the first time a growl or tooth display or air snap or even bite happens “out of the blue” as the owner would say. And that’s how owners end up creating and/or exacerbating resource guarding in their dog.

Instead of validating the idea of “when I have something important and someone approaches, I lose” we can teach them “when I have something important and someone approaches, I gain.” We do this by ALWAYS trading items from the puppy. If we take, we give them back something in return. Sometimes toys, sometimes food, sometimes the same item we took. But we really need to instill that it is not a bad thing when someone approaches you while you have something of importance. Then at bare minimum we can control what we can control - the “nurture” side, and not cause or worsen resource guarding tendencies in a developing puppy.

07/16/2024

DOG TALK TUESDAY: Avoidance is still an Action!

So many people don’t understand that when a dog is doing “nothing” they are still doing something. They are avoiding, and avoidance is still an action. Choosing to not interact with a new person or dog or situation is still a choice.

I always explain distance increasing body language to my clients in the illustration of the “Ladder of Aggression,” and I talk about how avoidance is the ground right below the ladder, right before stepping on that first rung. Because once the dog tries to avoid conflict and finds out they cannot avoid it (either they are trapped on leash or in a small space or the “recipient” of the communication is still closing in on space) then they often times feel they need to escalate to “louder” distance increasing signals.

Avoidance should therefore never be something that we take for granted. It’s still an action!

07/15/2024

MUZZLE MONDAY

Sometimes dog owners take it personally when I tell them (or someone else tells them) that their dog needs to wear a muzzle in certain situations. It’s as if they are being told that no one likes their dog. Usually, it’s a projection of their own feelings towards muzzles and it’s strictly an emotional response before looking at the logic.

If you are told that your dog needs to wear a muzzle, no one is saying they are a bad dog. Instead, what is being said is that your dog is loved, and because he or she is loved, there should be a commitment to keeping him or her safe, as well as everyone else safe. And it’s all because your dog is loved.

07/14/2024

Even “RotNCats” wear their RotNDog patches! Be cool like Moose and wear yours too!

07/13/2024

I’ve known Rexx for a few years now and while he tolerates my presence he doesn’t necessarily like me (nor does he need to). But recently his owner has had some life changes where he will need to accept a new person. I work as the perfect “middle (wo)man” to push the envelope with him, as I am someone who is familiar to him, but he doesn’t necessarily enjoy the presence of.

So today for the first time I was able to take him for a walk, muzzled (Rexx has quite a long hit list of people including being in trouble with the law), and away from his owner (he also guards her) while she hid in the house and watched (and took pictures lol) through her bedroom window.

It was nice for Rexx to be able to understand that he can walk with a familiar person, without his owner, and that everything will be OK.

Not every dog owned by my clients will end up liking me. And that’s totally fine. And in this case, it’s actually something we can use to our advantage in this owner and dog’s lifestyle changes!

So many people think that every dog I work with will love me. And that is just simply not the case. (and again, that’s totally ok)

07/12/2024

It’s been awhile since I offered my patches but here they are! Velcro hooked backing, three inch in diameter and $5 for anyone who wants one, just let me know!

These are great for your dog’s vest, training bag, or wherever!

(*this is not a scam lol)

07/11/2024

When your dog, who once was afraid of the treadmill, now stands on it when it’s off, waiting patiently for you to turn it back on! Raelynn has started to “ask” for treadmill time and it’s such a great thing to see considering she was scared of it initially. This is why it can be so important to push through your dog’s fears safely, especially when it’s something that can benefit them in the long run.

07/10/2024

Zip ties… I don’t know what I would do without them! I have a hard rule to use them for any new adolescent or new adult dog in a home who will be confined to a wire crate. I don’t care whether the dog has a history of being crate trained or not - when dogs are rehomed or displaced to a new location (this could also mean when you are traveling with your dog, if someone is pet sitting your dog in their home, fosters, etc) they could experiment with trying to get out of the crate, especially when left alone. The standard wire crates are actually very easy to get out of - once a dog has figured it out, that’s it. Escaping is an incredibly rewarding behavior and the dogs will do it again and again with much more persistence if it even only happens one time. So, don’t let the first time happen!

I take the zip ties and secure in between all the perpendicular bars, across the whole length of any side that is not fixed. So it ends up being six sides total for a standard crate with one door. The is to avoid even the slightest bit of “give” should the dog try and push/pull or bend the sides. I put so many on so that if one or two fall off or break, that side is still secure. I will then cut all the excess off (just them on for the picture).

Safety is always my number one concern. And my number two concern is to prevent dogs from practicing any behavior you never want - in this case, escaping from the crate. It’s just not an option.

If you want to add an additional layer of safety for new dogs, you can also add carabiner clips to the door. And while of course there are some dogs who could potentially try to escape even this set up, those are certainly the minority and this works perfectly for the majority.

Zip ties are your friend!

07/09/2024

DOG TALK TUESDAY: “Frog Legged” aka “Splooting”

Some dogs have the physical capability of laying down and instead of a “sphinx like” down where the back legs are square under the hips, they are able to stretch their back legs out straight behind them. This stretches the back legs and also the belly. It can also alleviate pressure on the hips. You will often see this behavior in a dog who is relaxing and/or a dog who is tired and trying to cool off. A tense dog who is uncomfortable or anxious typically will not choose to put themselves in this posture as it does take an extra moment to get out of and stand up. Hence it being seen more in relaxed dogs.

As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself.

07/08/2024

MUZZLE MONDAY

I love the plastic clear vinyl Jafco muzzles for longer wear situations inside the home (example: fighting between housemates). They are sturdy, comfortable, and have a little give to them without sacrificing too much safety. For indoor use, we don’t have to worry as much about ventilation. Using this muzzle outside where the dog would be panting a lot isn’t ideal as the airflow can’t move as well as it could in a wire basket muzzle. But we don’t have to be concerned about that in the AC. This is also much more comfortable to relax in on the couch, than a wire basket muzzle. And with their variety of options for sizing, straps, and treat holes, they’re a great company.

07/07/2024

Turning Dreams into Reality ✨

Dakota & Hendrix were both reactive and pulled a lot on the leash when I first met them. And despite an extensive amount of obedience training including boarding and training programs, their owner could not handle them or walk them individually, let alone together. In fact, she had stopped their walks entirely.

Over the last few months she’s worked really hard on implementing all of my suggestions and practicing, to the point that we’ve reached her end goal - being able to walk them together confidently.

It’s so nice to see owners be able to reach their goals with their dogs!

07/06/2024

Treadmill training is not just for physical exercise - it can be for confidence building and mental stimulation as well! Raelynn was very scared of the treadmill to start with, but after slow integration paired with food rewards, she was able to conquer that fear. And that’s when the mental stimulation comes in. You can see how in the video she looks down and is watching the treadmill as she takes some of her steps. Each step requires thought at this stage. And even though she’s not on it for long, and doesn’t go very far, it can still be quite tiring at the end due to the amount of thinking she is putting into it. Versus the mindless steps/walking that occur when going out for a walk.

The benefits of treadmill training can vary greatly!

Address

Serving Palm Beach & Broward Counties
West Palm Beach, FL
33401

Opening Hours

Thursday	8am - 9pm
Friday	8am - 9pm
Saturday	8am - 9pm
Sunday	8am - 9pm

Telephone

+16094081447

Website

http://rotndogrehab.wix.com/rotndogtraining

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Videos

Dog treadmills also make very expensive platforms for cats to lay on and groom themselves. Just ask Jada! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

When a cat is supervising your treadmill session with disdain… Jada the cat is wondering why Jack the dog is “dumb enough” to use that thing! 🤣 This might be one of my favorite videos I’ve captured of all time! Another benefit of the treadmill - the cat gets to mock the dog. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

It’s very common for guardian breeds (although it doesn’t happen in them exclusively) to place themselves in between you and another person, especially a stranger. For happy, sociable individuals with no history of aggression displayed towards other people, they may place themselves in between you and someone else just because they want to be in the center of all the attention and interactions. But for any of our guardian breed individuals OR for any individual who has a history of displaying aggression towards other people, (my El Chupacabra is both categories) I always caution owners allowing the dog to do this. It makes it too easy for them to react with aggression should the other person move quickly, stand up, or reach over towards you. To mitigate this, we ask the dog to move to our opposite side, and instead, placing ourselves in between. You can see me doing that with Chu, here. It’s often times in situations like this where people say “the dog reacted out of nowhere.” Knowing and honoring your dog’s history, as well as not setting them up to fail is key. Knowing Chu’s history, I was not going to allow him to stay planted between my friend (who was videoing) and I. It’s an easy enough request to give, and execute while making the situation much more safe for the other person. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

Turning Dreams into Reality ✨ Dakota & Hendrix were both reactive and pulled a lot on the leash when I first met them. And despite an extensive amount of obedience training including boarding and training programs, their owner could not handle them or walk them individually, let alone together. In fact, she had stopped their walks entirely. Over the last few months she’s worked really hard on implementing all of my suggestions and practicing, to the point that we’ve reached her end goal - being able to walk them together confidently. It’s so nice to see owners be able to reach their goals with their dogs! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle

Treadmill training is not just for physical exercise - it can be for confidence building and mental stimulation as well! Raelynn was very scared of the treadmill to start with, but after slow integration paired with food rewards, she was able to conquer that fear. And that’s when the mental stimulation comes in. You can see how in the video she looks down and is watching the treadmill as she takes some of her steps. Each step requires thought at this stage. And even though she’s not on it for long, and doesn’t go very far, it can still be quite tiring at the end due to the amount of thinking she is putting into it. Versus the mindless steps/walking that occur when going out for a walk. The benefits of treadmill training can vary greatly! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

PICK AND CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES WITH PUPPIES I see so many puppy owners who don’t like when their puppy picks up sticks and twigs and pieces of palm fronds while on walks. And those same people complain when their young puppy bites them or the leash while on the walk. And yet the reality is, puppies explore the world with their mouth and sometimes puppies also need to do something with the mouth to stay busy. Sticks and twigs and palm fronds are much more appropriate for them to carry around in their mouth rather than your leash or clothing. So, let puppies be puppies and let them carry that palm frond on the walk. Let them explore, play, build confidence, and learn how to entertain themselves. If something doesn’t pose a risk to them, let them do it! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training

DOG TALK TUESDAY: Frantic/Fast Licking as a Distance Increasing Signal Frantic and fast licking is actually, usually, a distance increasing signal. Also called “kiss to dismiss” this behavior is usually accompanied by fast body movement, dilated pupils, eye whites, and/or followed up by avoidance as the aim is to “push” the other away. This video is of my dog, El Chupacabra, when I first acquired him. He had multiple serious bites to family members already under his belt, and would bite them when they would do simple things such as look at his ears, pet the top of his head, put a collar on, or wipe eye boogers from his face. What appears to be “friendly” behavior really is not. You see that when I reach my hand towards him, he does the frantic licking (+ dilated pupils and eye whites) and when I pull my hand away and create distance, he does a shake off (as it was a stressful interaction for him) and then he walks away. Dogs who are licking/grooming in a sociable, distance decreasing way, would be relaxed, have softer body language, and would stay close by. Context is important here, too. This dog has inflicted the scars to prove it. Dogs don’t “kiss” like we do, so don’t mistake something as a “friendly behavior” when it’s actually the opposite. It’s easy to project our own feelings onto what we see in our dogs, but this is why learning about dog body language is so important. As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adop

SWIMMING LESSONS Even if your dog doesn’t really like swimming, if you have a pool without a fence, it’s a good idea to teach them where the steps are should they ever fall in, they’ll know how to get out. Rex really doesn’t like swimming, but his owners really wanted him to know how to get out on his own. We use a life jacket to help give him extra support, as well as a leash to guide him in, and then steer him towards the steps. You can see how he frantically tries to make his way to the side of the pool at first, but by using the leash and the life jacket, we can steer him towards the steps so he can get out on his own. After a few repetitions, he started going to the steps faster, rather than try (and fail) to get out at the side of the pool. This is truly a skill that can save your dog’s life, by giving them the confidence and and the knowledge of what to do if they were to ever fall in. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

DOG TALK TUESDAY: Progressive Exaggeration and Escalation of a Distance Increasing Signal (in this example, the freeze) This is a popular video in my dog body language seminar. It’s of a hound in a shelter who had historically guarded both the couch as well as the ball (+ bite history in these situations). And here he has both. He is happy rolling around entertaining himself when I approach and close in on distance. When I get too close, he does the TINIEST mini freeze (a pause in movement, stillness). When I begin to back away, he goes back to his antics entertaining himself. When I approach a second time, he freezes again, but a little longer. He was basically saying, “Lady, you clearly didn’t hear me the first time, so let me say it a little LOUDER.” And once again when I backed off and gave him space, he went back to entertaining himself. This was clear progression and escalation in his distance increasing signal (the freeze) due to my repeated approaches. Not all dogs will be “nice enough” to give you the more exaggerated warning the second time around. As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite #dogtalktuesday

Just a good girl Annie who is able to settle while people walk by, instead of getting up and trying to approach everyone who passes. It’s hard for a friendly dog who thinks that everyone nearby is there for them and for them only. Sometimes I work with people because their dog is “too friendly” lol. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs

Freddy is a 3 month old chihuahua and only weighs 2.5lbs! This was his first successful walk on a leash. Up until this point, he would not walk for his mom, would crouch down, and put the brakes on. It’s a common mistake for owners in this situation to also stop, face the dog or puppy, and talk to them. The problem with this, is that it can encourage the balking behavior, rather than encourage the dog or puppy to move forward. Keeping your back to the dog or puppy, continuing to move forward and rewarding them when they start to follow along, are the key to getting them to follow you and the leash. Consistency and positive experiences are vital. Freddy got the hang of leash walking within 10 minutes during our session! Look at him go! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training

Walking on different, novel surfaces can be an easy way to work on boosting your dog’s confidence when out in public. What have some great docks open to the public here in West Palm Beach with metal portions that are great for this type of practice. We are not typically cognizant of the changes in surfaces below our feet because we wear shoes. But our dogs certainly are aware of the changes. While it may not cross our mind that this is something “new” or different, we should have more awareness of where we are walking if we have our dogs with us, because it will be new or different for them. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs

Sometimes when you’re working on something new with your dog it may seem tedious and like you want to pull your hair out! Duke wouldn’t go to his place bed if his owner was any more than a few feet away from it, for quite a while. But we worked through it and made sure what we were asking of him was not only doable, but clear, and also made sure that we weren’t accidentally rewarding him for choosing to not go to the place bed. With persistence and repetition, it’s now one of his favorite cues. He often times runs to it, even if he made a little detour this time to say hi to me LOL. Just because you’re struggling with something, doesn’t mean it will always be that way! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

DOG TALK TUESDAY: Prolonged Soft Social Contact When a dog leans into you softly and holds that physical contact for a period of time, that’s the best distance decreasing behavior we could get. This is different from a dog barreling into you, or bouncing off of you, or standing on or against you with tension. This is more of a behavior where the body is loose, relaxed, and almost melting into you. They are choosing to stay there voluntarily, and keep the contact. You’ll also usually see squinty eyes or eyes closing, with this. As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite #dogtalktuesday

Cats can be taught to “crate up” just like dogs can. I do some sessions with baby Arjuna in between his vet visits so he doesn’t always think that going into the carrier is a bad thing. We’re keeping them short and sweet for now, but will build up more duration as time goes on. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite #RotNCat #cattraining #catbehavior

For my clients with service dogs, sometimes life is just, challenging. Working with their own dog can be put on the back burner when their health deteriorates or when life just gets crazy. So when that happens, I’m always happy to help in any way that I can, and that includes doing sessions where I take them out into public periodically so they don’t lose their skills during those time periods. Bosco’s owner and handler is currently in the middle of a move, and they haven’t been able to get him out as much. So we went on a little date to Publix to get some extra practice in. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #sd #servicedog #servicedogtraining

What’s a treadmill training session without the cat being there as well? Jack and Jada together crack me up. This video has everything. A muzzled dog. Voluntarily treadmill engagement. A favorite client. And a cat. Can’t get better than that! #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

SENIOR DOGS + FOOD ENRICHMENT I highly recommend food enrichment for older dogs because they need mental and physical stimulation, too. If you don’t use it you lose it! They don’t need anything crazy difficult (unless they enjoy that) but even simple feeders such as this one can help make meal time less boring and more fulfilling. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

“Leave it” isn’t always reserved just for dogs who are reactive. Leave it (teaching disengagement) can also be used for dogs who are “too happy” and get over excited, lunge towards, or jump up on approaching people. #RotNDog #RotNDogTraining #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogbehavior #soflo #palmbeach #broward #puppies #puppytraining #gooddog #goodpuppy #obedience #aggression #fear #anxiety #behavior #training #muzzle #adopt #rescue #shelterdogs #dogswhobite

TOUGH LOVE AND FEAR. I see a lot of cases where dogs are too fearful to be walked on leash - they panic, drag their owners back home, escape from their collars and harness, and are too strong for their owners to handle. This was one of those cases, where a young dog was recently adopted, and couldn’t be walked for months. Her quality of life was suffering because of it. Not being able to burn excess physical energy and being cooped up inside can lead to other behavior issues, as well, such as frustration, destruction, hyperactivity, and fixation on the other animals in the home. Her basic needs for physical activity and mental stimulation were not being met. In these cases I go over a detailed plan of building a solid foundation of basic biological needs. And then we get to walking right away. I have a three part plan that includes: 1) finding the right piece of walking equipment that doesn’t stress the dog out but also gives the owner physical control, 2) making the walk structured and predictable to alleviate the dog’s anxiety of walks with repetition, and 3) pairing high value rewards with bravery to build positive associations on the walks. All of this is also done with a little tough love. We don’t grow if we stay within our comfort zone. We must push ourselves and our dogs to the edge of discomfort where we can tolerate and cope, learning that we CAN do it, and thereby gain confidence to carry on. I am a firm believer in that we need someone else to push us, kindly and gently, when we are stuck. I’ve loved this personally, and I’ve seen it in numerous dogs. The stress of having a young active dog with pent up energy being stuck inside a house far outweighs, negatively, the little bit of stress that dog will encounter when working on going out into the world and learning to trust the owner, the leash, and the walk itself. Especially given the fact that in most situations, the dog learns quickly this *is* in fact a good thing. But we have to ki