VK Dog Training

10/22/2024

She won

10/21/2024

A walk to the ocean, a strange spider that fell on my head, tick hell. We're having a nice time over here.

10/19/2024

Real action packed past couple of days. Group hike with , some refresher lessons for a wiggly lab who doesn't like his nails dremeled - don't worry, he's not being sat on, a wiggly cattle dog who doesn't like getting blood drawn, and (not pictured because I'm horrible about documenting new dogs in training) a first lesson with a timid young dog who happens to love fetch so much so that he interacted with the workmen down the street for the first time when he learned that they could throw a tennis ball. Now we're chilling (sleeping).

10/13/2024

Hi! I'm on the Cape for the winter + spring! Reminder that I train dogs professionally, so tell your local friends and family to reach out to me if they're looking dog-related guidance. (I also do virtual training over Zoom + travel to Central Mass pretty regularly).

I do free phone consultations and despite my best efforts, I tend to give a lot of free advice during those calls.

Here is a painting I found on the internet.

09/14/2024

Thanks everyone who came out today. I really love these group hikes.

08/28/2024

Rocky's the last new client I've taken on before the move. Two lessons in and we've made some huge strides on his various goals. His owners told me at the beginning of lesson two that napping more during the day had reduced his previously frequent hu***ng to almost zero, that made me happy. I've never told a client to make sure their young dog gets more sleep and not had them tell me that it worked like a miracle. Humans and dogs, we're quite alike.

07/17/2024

Chilli and I have been seeing a lot of each other lately

07/05/2024

We have a few guided on and off-leash pack hikes coming up!

The dates are:
July 20th at 10am
July 27th at 10am
August 3rd at 10am

*We may start a hike earlier in the event of hot weather. We will give you plenty of notice if this is the case

The location will be within a 30 minute drive of Worcester and will be sent to attendees upon sign-up.

This hike is open to dogs with reliable off-leash recall, as well as dogs who are able to be on-leash in the presence of off-leash dogs. This does not mean your dog will be pestered by off-leash dogs; we will help you advocate for your dog's space. Let me know if you're unsure of your dog's eligibility.

Space is limited to 6 dogs per hike, the cost is $40/dog.
If you'd like to sign up, just respond to this email.

06/30/2024

Announcement time!

I am both excited and sad to announce that I will be moving out of Central Massachusetts in October. I will be on Cape Cod for the winter and spring, and then will be relocating to the Lakes Region of Maine. While I'm excited for this new chapter and change of scenery, it is extremely hard to think about leaving all of you. All my clients and their dogs have been a big part of why I've stayed in the area so long, and I hope that I find such a vibrant dog community up north. 

What this means for current clients: 

If you are currently in the midst of finishing out a lesson package, I will be reaching out to make sure that we accomplish all our training goals before fall. If you are looking to set up refresher lessons or start a new lesson package, please reach out ASAP so we have enough time to get those in. 

I will be in the area for dog-related activities throughout the winter, so I will still be booking things like off-leash and refresher lessons in person with enough advance notice. I will also be available for lessons if you find yourself on the Cape this winter!

And of course, I'm always a phone call or email away if you need help with anything training-related. I will be offering discounted ($25/hour) virtual refresher lessons for current and former clients to help with the transition. 

What this means for new clients: 

I will still be booking lesson packages given that there is enough time before the first of October to complete them. This means that 6-week lesson packages will not be booked after the end of August, and 12-week lesson packages will not be booked after the first week of July. 

I will be co-hosting a few pack hikes this summer as well, so keep an eye out for those announcements. 

I will be continuing with training during and after the move, and will be expanding my repertoire of services as well, so for those of you with ties to the Lakes Region of Maine, stay tuned!

If you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please reach out! I am extremely grateful to have worked with all of you and to have been a part of your dog's journey. 

Thank you for being a part of what I do. Stay in touch.

05/06/2024

This is Chilli, an 8 month old lab. He loves everyone and everything. We played tug for 40 minutes today during our first lesson. His owners want him to be able to experience all the joys of being doted on by strangers without him knocking them over, and to be able to romp off-leash on all of the nice hiking trails near their house. I think we're gonna have a good time training together and harnessing his unfaltering lab energy.

(Can you tell that he's winding up to jump on me in the second picture 😂 - play now, rules later)

03/01/2024

I have a few pack walks and hikes coming up this month, check them out/sign up here: https://www.vkdogtraining.com/book-online

Pack walks in the city:
Thursday March 14th at 4pm
Saturday March 23rd at 12 noon
$25/dog, 6 dog limit

Pack hikes:
Sunday March 24th at 10am
Saturday March 30th at 10am
$40/dog, 6 dog limit

Group classes are a great way to work with your dog in the presence of distractions. We work on leash walking, obedience, and do fun tricks and play training games.

02/28/2024

Announcement time!!!!

I'm teaching a 6-week intro to scent work in the spring!

Class will run on Thursdays at 6:30pm starting May 2nd and ending June 6th in Webster, MA.

Space is limited to 6 dogs and is $195/dog.

Sign up at vkdogtraining.com under the "group classes and events" tab.

I love this game and I'm excited to share it with people!

02/19/2024

Exciting announcement coming soon! Stay tuned!!

02/07/2024

Most of my e-collar lessons with hounds are one and done. Boone the Treeing Walker was looking like he'd been comfortable off-leash his whole life after just a few reps. I find that the dogs who are considered to be "the worst" off-leash take to off-leash training the quickest, and that it's easier to clearly delineate where the line is to dogs who like to toe that line. Counter-intuitively, it takes a little more creativity to proof recall for more velcro dogs or dogs who don't naturally range as much.

It's a tricky balance between the idea that the e-collar is a safety net that you barely have to use when taught properly, and the necessity of actually using it during the learning phase without making dogs feel like freedom is just a setup.

I find that it's very easy to strike this balance with dogs like hounds.

I think it's because they're so compelled to follow their nose, cover distance, and are genetically pretty handler-independent in the wild, which means opportunities to show them the rules and boundaries of being off leash come up naturally and frequently, and because the value of being released back to freedom is so high for them that the activity itself is inherently rewarding. Training is quicker, easier, and more fun when there's seamless integration of what we're asking our dog to do and what they naturally want to do, even if they seem antithetical to one another.

On another note, I like that dogs readily show us what they want to do when they're not tethered to a person. Boone hopped up on this rock because there were some dogs barking behind a fence and he seemed unsure about them, and the rock gave him a vantage point to see what was up. Lewey climbed up after because he likes jumping on things and because he likes being able to see what opportunities for mischief his surroundings have to offer.

For those who work with e-collars, what is your experience with this? Do you find any of this to be true?

01/27/2024

Lots of dogs working in close proximity to each other. Proud of these dogs and handlers for all the hard work they've put in on and off the trail

01/05/2024

I'll be hosting some upcoming city pack walks geared towards giving dogs the confidence to explore our busy, noisy, human-made world.

These are great for dogs who need to work on confidence in new environments, as well as young dogs who need exposure to a variety of settings, people, and other dogs.

Open to dogs of all breeds, ages, sizes, and temperaments.

If you'd like to sign up, either message me or go to vkdogtraining.com and go to the "group classes and events" page.

01/04/2024

Come explore the city with your dog!

I'm offering some upcoming city pack walks.

Space is limited to 6 dogs. Each walk is $30/dog.

Upcoming dates are:
Wednesday January 24th at 1pm
Sunday February 4th at noon
Thursday February 22nd at 2:30pm

This will be catered towards building confidence in an urban setting. It is especially beneficial to developing puppies, dogs with some fear issues, and dogs who need exposure to a variety of settings, sounds, and other living creatures.

Bring your dog, a favorite toy, treats, and a secure leash to work on focus, engagement, and loose-leash walking around other dogs and people. We will meet at a pre-determined location and walk as a group.

Dogs will not be meeting each other/playing with one another during the structured walk to ensure they are fully engaged with their human! At least one professional dog trainer will be available to give tips, tricks, and guidance. Pack walks are open to the public but require pre-registration.

Please note: This is not a playgroup! Do not let your dog meet/interact with other dogs. You will be asked to leave if you allow your dog to approach other dogs in the group.

Sign up here:

This will be catered towards building confidence in an urban setting. It is especially beneficial to developing puppies, dogs with some fear issues, and dogs who need exposure to a variety of settings, sounds, and other living creatures. Bring your dog, a favorite toy, treats, and a secure leash to....

12/22/2023

2023 has been the year of hounds in training. I hope 2024 is also a year for hounds. And every year after that.