Horses & Hounds Training

04/14/2023

If your pet has a sudden change in behavior, consult your veterinarian! Sudden changes are often a sign of pain.

Narnia is currently being treated for an injury to her cheek. She had a tooth with a sharp edge that cause a hole to form inside her cheek and food was getting stuck in there.

How did I know something was wrong? She started stopping suddenly and attempting to rear under saddle. She uses a bitless bridle with cross under straps that use pressure on the side of her head to let her know to turn, stop, etc. It must have hurt to have those pressing against her cheek!

She wasn’t being “naughty” under saddle, she was trying to tell me she was in pain.

Behavior has a cause. Behavior has a function. Behavior is our animals’ way of communicating with us.

It is our job to listen.

03/24/2023

Jadis is a counter surfer and I am terrible at keeping surfaces free of clutter. So we’ve taught her to come show us what she has stolen.

Anyone need some stakes hammered? 😆

03/19/2023

Incoming! 🎾

03/16/2023

Just my Jadis choosing to lay down and relax after a round of fetch on this beautiful day. She even found a good stick to chew.

Teach your dogs that relaxing is rewarding! It’s far more useful than creating a super athlete you can’t keep up with 😉

03/11/2023

Bandanna day is always the cutest day of kindergarten 🥰🐶

12/30/2022

kisses 🥰

12/30/2022

If you have to take your dogs out Saturday evening, take them out on a leash and well fitting body harness. Even if your yard is fenced!

It's that time of year again. If you find yourself dreading New Year's Eve because you know it means a night of your dog pacing and trembling in fear with each loud boom, you're not alone. Noise sensitivities affect many dogs, and they tend to worsen (not fade away) with each negative experience.

But it doesn't have to be this way! You can bring in the new year with confidence that you have a set of strategies in place to improve your dog's experience (and yours, too!).

12/28/2022

Adoptable Winston is the perfect pup and is still looking for a forever home!

Winston is a 2-year-old chocolate lab/bully mix with a winning smile AND personality! Winston LOVES attention from his favorite humans, playing with toys, and roaming around the yard to explore.

Not only is Winston charming, but he's smart as a whip, too! Winston already knows sit, down, roll over, speak, whisper, crate, and is clicker trained! His favorite games are fetch (trust us, he's a pro) and playing chase/tag with both dogs and humans.

Winston has lived with kids and cats before, and is super social and friendly with other dogs. He's a happy-go-lucky dog who is chill with strangers and at the vet, and is always making friends wherever he goes.

Winston is one of 35 dogs who are still hoping to find their forever home during our Home for the Holidays adoption event, which has been extended through the rest of the year! Thanks to Friends of Montgomery County Animals, Inc., all adoption fees on ALL animals are 100% waived. To learn more about Winston, or to get started on out adoption process, please visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/adoption/howtoadopt.html

12/26/2022

Do walks around the neighborhood raise your blood pressure? Does your dog’s barking, growling, or lunging have you feeling embarrassed?

Let us do the exercising for you.

Whether it’s skateboard or another dog, we never judge your dog for being scared. We’ll help your dog walk through the world with their head held high…or maybe just sniffing the pee-mail.

Our services include:

🐾 Choice-based sniffari walks. Dogs are allowed to do what they do best: explore with their noses!

🐾 Customized enrichment activities, including: scent games, food scatters, “find it,” fetch, and long-line time (if deemed safe & appropriate).

🐾 Use of patterns games to reinforce your force-free loose leash training program.

🐾 Continued counterconditioning to known triggers.

12/26/2022

In Adolescent Dog class we work on building skills to help with the most common challenges owners report to me, including:

🐾 Eating dinner in peace

🐾 Cooking without their dog trying to “help”

🐾 Going for a walk without being dragged

🐾 Getting jumped on or guests getting jumped on

Class starts at 4PM on Thursday January 12th at Your Dog's Friend.

12/23/2022

🎶 My puréed tuna & sardines brings all the animals to the kitchen 🎵

12/21/2022

Has your household seen an influx of packages due to the winter holidays? Keep the boxes! They make for super easy enrichment to keep your dogs busy during the cold weather headed our way.

My girls love cardboard boxes. Luna likes to shred them. Jadis likes when I hide food on the bottom and cover it with toys.

How will you entertain your dogs using a box?

12/21/2022

Learn to read your dog’s body language. And then comfort them when they are scared!

12/20/2022

Do walks around the neighborhood raise your blood pressure? Does your dog’s barking, growling, or lunging have you feeling embarrassed? Simply don't have time? Let us do the walking for you.

Part training, part enrichment! Our walking sessions are designed for dogs who are reactive or fearful while out and about.

Your dog will enjoy:

🦴 Choice-based sniffari walks. Dogs are allowed to do what they do best: explore with their noses!

🦴 Customized enrichment activities, including: scent games, food scatters, “find it,” fetch, and long-line time (if deemed safe & appropriate).

🦴 Use of patterns games to reinforce your force-free loose leash training program.

🦴 Continued counterconditioning to known triggers.

12/16/2022

The face of a dog who just got to sniff
& play fetch & started to learn a new trick (spin)!

Walks can be so much more than walking.

Is your reactive dog in need of adventure? Join my Feisty Fidos Club!

Link in bio to learn more.

12/15/2022

Narnia getting ready to go complain to her friends that her mom came and put on her unicorn pajamas again 😆 ❄️

12/14/2022

12/12/2022

Are you bringing home a new dog this holiday season? Set yourselves up for success in this 4 week online class.

In First Things First class we build skills to help you with your dog’s transition to their new home, including:

🐾 What to expect the first few weeks home

🐾 House training & crate training

🐾 Learning to read body language & helping your dog feel safe

🐾 Establishing routines

🐾 Building the beginning steps of recall & loose leash walking

Register today!

https://yourdogsfriend.org/first-things-first/

12/11/2022

In Adolescent Dog class we work on building skills to help with the most common challenges owners report to me, including:

🐾 Eating dinner in peace

🐾 Cooking without their dog trying to “help”

🐾 Going for a walk without being dragged

🐾 Getting jumped on or guests getting jumped on

*New section starting Thursday January 12 at 4 PM*

Classes held at Your Dog's Friend.

12/07/2022

Chewing a horn was just too exhausting 😴

12/06/2022

I worked on leash walking with an adolescent dog today. Had her on a 10’ longline and armed myself with a clicker & turkey.

I ended up having to switch to a shorter leash because she was SO enthusiastic about staying next to me that I was tripping over the slack in my line.

You don’t need to shock your dog to enjoy your walk with them.

This ad came up in my FB feed today and is a super example of a dog being stressed by the use of an aversive tool. This particular collar gives your dog an electric shock when they pull.

While I specialize in agility & rally training, I would LOVE to connect you with local trainers who can help you get great walks without the need for tools like these. Let me introduce you to some of my super trainer friends!

12/06/2022

Sometimes nature provides the perfect snuffle spot!

12/05/2022

🎄🐶

12/02/2022

This.

12/02/2022

I start each of my classes by having owners go around and say one positive thing that happened with their dog in the past week. It can be anything.

Last night we celebrated p**p. That’s right, p**p! One of my students was having a hard week with her dog but she thought about it and one positive thing was her dog having solid p**p again.

Living with dogs can be hard. Remember to celebrate the small things. Even if it’s p**p.

**p

11/29/2022

Narnia got new pajamas to wear! Looking cute in her unicorns.

And thanks to R+ training I can put them on in the field!

11/25/2022

My students hear me talk about mat training *a lot* and probably wonder why I am seemingly obsessed with it 😂

Luna here is my anxious gal. Mat training has literally opened up her world. We are spending a weekend away in a place she has never been before and she whined until I put her mat down. Then she got on and promptly fell asleep.

It’s her safe zone. Have mat, will travel!

11/22/2022

Recently adopted a new dog? Thinking about adopting a new dog? Set yourselves up for success by enrolling in my 4 week class for new rescues!

Topics covered include:
➡️ Expectations for first few weeks home
➡️ House training
➡️Reading your dog’s body language
➡️How dogs learn
➡️Which behaviors to focus on teaching first

Continuous enrollment dates start December 8. It’s online! Join us from anywhere!

To register, visit Your Dog's Friend website: https://yourdogsfriend.org/first-things-first/

11/18/2022

Sometimes you can lead a horse to water, and even get them to drink!

11/12/2022

A student in one of my classes this week came in and told me “You know how you talked about looking for opportunities to reward your dog for doing things you like? I went home and talked to my husband and we realized we didn’t do enough of that. So now we are doing more of it.”

And guess what? They had an awesome class together. Partly because she took every opportunity she could to tell her dog he was doing something she liked.

11/07/2022

This came from a neurodivergent group I am part of but it applies to reactive dog owners too.

You often hear people say “it’s all in how you raise them” and honestly that is such a gross oversimplification of living with a dog. You can do everything we recommend and still have a dog that’s reactive.

And that doesn’t make them a bad dog (what even is a “good dog” anyway?) or make you a bad owner.

11/05/2022

“My dog only behaves in class."

Have you found yourself uttering this sentence? Not sure how those skills you learned in your previous class apply in real life? Looking for a dog you enjoy living with, not just one you control? This is the class for you! We focus on life skills that set you and your dog up for real world success.

Thursdays at 4 PM. Continuous start dates. 4 weeks (perfect for busy owners!).

Register at: https://yourdogsfriend.org/less-work-more-play/

11/03/2022

Is your dog a picky eater? Try scattering their food on the floor or putting it in a puzzle feeder.

Dogs like to work for their food!

11/03/2022

"My dog only behaves in class."

Have you found yourself uttering this sentence? Not sure how those skills you learned in basic obedience class class apply in real life? Looking for a dog you enjoy living with, not just one you control? This is the class for you!

We focus on life skills that set you and your dog up for real world success.

Thursdays at 4 PM (beginning 11/17). 4 weeks (perfect for busy owners!).

Register at: https://yourdogsfriend.org/less-work-more-play/

11/02/2022

Poor Narnia has been suffering through embarrassing clip jobs from me for 3 years.

Delicate painter’s tape! That was the key to a straight line. And lots of carrots for standing still.