SmartyPaws PNW

07/02/2024

How do we feel about a dog rescue/sanctuary that doesn’t take dogs in from public surrenders and only rescues dogs left in the “wild” - and then never adopts any of the dogs out..?

06/30/2024

Teaching your dog good leash manners means reinforcing good behaviors, and practicing this reinforcement on every walk.

06/28/2024

06/28/2024

I am never on time for a private lesson. I’m usually ridiculously early and have to go find a nearby inconspicuous spot to park my car and wait until it’s acceptable for me to arrive at your house. Which is what I’m doing right now.

“No, sir, I’m not lost.” I’m just a dog trainer waiting for the right time to arrive at a lesson…while people who live in this area think I’m scoping out their homes for future robberies…

06/22/2024

Interested in saving 1M puppies by 2030 from deadly canine parvovirus? Join us, our friends at Elanco Pet Health, and a community of advocates this parvo season to bridge the education gap on parvovirus! See the easy steps you can take at https://defeatparvo.com/.

06/22/2024

06/22/2024

06/22/2024

If your dog had a job, what would it be?
💼👔

06/14/2024

this.

As often as you can, let your dogs know when they are doing what you like, and in the most expedient way possible that they will appreciate! If you don't tell them what behaviors and activities you like, how will they know to do that more?





I am a proud member of The Pet Professional Guild

06/10/2024

Oh Cyper~ Getting all the love and attention these past couple weekends with some lovely people at the agility trials. He’s still a wee bit nervous sometimes, but he’s learning how much fun people can be.

06/10/2024

If there were an extra day between Sunday and Monday, what would your dog do with it? What would you do with it?

06/08/2024

Good morning friends!

I have personalized metal crate tags up for sale - $20 per tag. They come with two small metal clips to clip onto crates.

All you need to do to order one is:
• Send the pictures you want on the tag to [email protected] and tell us which picture you would like to be your focal picture. The more pictures you send, the better your collage will look.
• Provide the text you would like - with the text color and outline color. If you know what font you would like your text in, please provide the name (You can go to dafont.com to find a bajillion different fonts). Otherwise, let us know if you want the text to be Classic (like Mazer's), Script (like Rizzo's), or Curly (like What's Her Name?).
• We will send you a proof for your approval. Once approved, we get to work!

06/07/2024

Your dog packs a backpack to go camping.
What do you find in the backpack?

06/03/2024

Celebrating our graduates from puppy school this past weekend! You can tell they have never worn hats before and are a touch uncomfortable with this invasion of space. Going forward, we’ll make this exercise part of weekly homework~

06/01/2024

You know that storage unit full of dog stuff I keep talking about? Collars, leashes, harnesses, toys, food puzzles, oh my!

I’m giving you a chance to look through the stuff that’s in that storage unit! I’m bringing things with me to Yakimas Largest Yard Sale on Sunday, June 2nd! 9AM-3PM~

I’m pulling out a bunch of stuff from that storage unit and I’m selling the items for cheap.

Do you need a new food puzzle for your super smart pup?
Do you need a new harness or collar for your pup?
Does your dog need some “previously loved” toys?
Looking for some interesting doggy odds and ends?

In addition to previously loved dog stuff, I’ll have some new dog stuff, some previously loved ladies shirts, some new shirts with sublimated images on them, some DTF stuff, keychains, totes, bookmarks, vinyl decals, gifts for grads…and so much more.

And I will also be taking orders for personalized items! So if you see something you like but it’s not in your size or you’d like it on a different colored shirt, I can certainly write up an order form for you and either ship the item to you or, if you’re in Yakima, I can deliver.

Please come join me at the Sundome parking lot and poke through my stuff at Yakimas Largest Yard Sale! June 2nd, 2024 - 9am-3pm ❤

05/30/2024

Reggie had a good time meeting her new friend Isabelle today. We practiced recalls with distractions, focus work, and helped her begin learning to be polite if she wants to go say hi to another dog.

You can tell when dogs are getting mentally tired…they get a little snippy by the end of a lesson. Reggie took that opportunity to tell Isabelle to get out of her face with quite a harsh correction. I can assure you they will still be friends~

Check out how big this pup is! Five months old and she’s already bigger than Reggie!

05/10/2024

I’ve been asked a few times why I don’t post video of myself working with the dogs. My reply has always been: Because I’m working with the dogs, not taking videos. I don’t like saying, “let me grab my phone real quick,” to clients when I’m supposed to be working.

I capture photos when I think, “oh this is a nice moment.” But I’m one person and it’s very difficult to take a video of what I’m doing with a dog and even harder for you as the viewer to see what I’m doing from my perspective. I can take video of “finished products” because the behavior is predictable, but with a “WIP” the behaviors can be much less predictable and as such, sometimes I’ll suddenly need to use both hands for something.

05/09/2024

Reggie is Queen of “sit on the puppy” and Ava is…well, she’s the Court Jester. 🤡

Working on this activity for short periods of time every day in increasingly difficult environments (to help Ava generalize this behavior to different areas) has been phenomenal in keeping Ava in a nice calm state. Sitting with your dog and observing the world with them is part of dog training.

Three months ago we couldn’t have sat here for too long (MAYBE 30 seconds) before Ava couldn’t handle it and started barking and spinning at the end of her leash.

She’s still getting the hang of this activity (or lack thereof). After about three minutes she wants to get up and wander around. But she’s not barking or spinning on the leash anymore, and it’s easier to put her back in place, so it’s clear that she’s getting the idea.

04/26/2024

Just a few of last weeks graduates from puppy classes! Lots of improvement seen!~ Good job guys!

04/23/2024

When dogs engage in social activities with other dogs, and they exhibit a tendency to damage their squeaky toys, it is advisable to procure a sufficient quantity of replacement toys, say 10, to ensure a steady supply.

(Reggie likes to ruin their squeaky balls. Even though the owner isn’t concerned about it and said it was “fine” that she does it, I will still replace these toys. And I’ll keep a couple at the house so she can ruin her own toys.)

04/21/2024

Why did I go to a park to brush my dogs? Because the birds can use their fur in their nests! If your dog is shedding pretty bad right now, go outside and brush them. Leave the fur in little pieces on the ground and soon a bird will come by and pick it up! Check out the video in the comments.

04/20/2024

Lots of one-on-one lessons booked for next week but I still have open spots! Head over to the website and book your private lesson before all the spots are gone!

Positive reinforcement dog trainer in Yakima ready to help you train and take care of your doggy friends!

04/17/2024

Is she even your “little sister” if you can’t stand over her?

Reggie and I request your most recent picture of your dog In your phone. 🙂 No cheating!

04/14/2024

If your feet aren’t green, are you really enjoying this weather?

Ava had a small taste of agility this afternoon. We ran across the a-frame a couple times and ran under a jump. 🤦🏼‍♀️

04/05/2024

“How is socializing and training the newest puppy going?”

It’s going very well!

I can’t post video and photos at the same time in the same post, so: Check the comments for more info on how his training is going!

04/02/2024

• Did Ava eat a slice of bread someone left on a bench at the park? Yes.
• Did I manage to get half of the slice of bread out of her mouth before she ate it? Yes.
• Did I notice there were slices of bread left everywhere in the area? Yep.
• Did I get a little freaked out about my dog being poisoned? You betcha.
• Did I then SNIFF the bread to see if there was anything on it that could hurt my dog? Also…yes.

I was that person walking around the park sniffing pieces of bread to make sure they weren’t poisoned in some way. People probably thought I was crazy.

She’s fine, btw. Enjoy this photo of her and Reggie holding a down stay. :3

03/26/2024

This little nugget finally got his name this morning. He looks so excited about it. 😅

Please welcome Madera's Secrets to be Revealed! He will be known as Cypher.

03/25/2024

Belated National Puppy Day post!

03/20/2024

This is why we were in the Fresno/Madera area!
This wee little bean is the newest addition to my mother’s agility crew.

For the first part of his life before doing any hardcore agility training (gotta let those little bones and muscles develop), we need to do socializing and obedience training…and we’re bringing you guys along for the ride!

If you aren’t already, follow us on TikTok (for as long as TikTok stays around) and keep an eye on our page. We’ll be posting updates on this little guy as his training progresses and giving you guys tips and tricks for training and raising your best puppy.