Devi the Dog Trainer, New York (2025)

03/02/2025

A question I get from a lot of clients is "how often/how long should I train my dog?" My answer is you should always be training. Does that mean that you're setting aside hours a day to train? Nope!

In my opinion, I like to take short sessions to introduce a new skill and then I "pop-quiz" it during our daily routine. I don't want to practice the skills only when I most need it, like practicing not jumping on guests when I plan on having a get together. I also don't want to only practice it during designated training sessions. Ultimately, we want our dogs to 1) be set up for success and 2) generalize the behaviors into everyday life.

Tipper has been with me for 3 weeks. During that time, I was dealing with the stress of vet visits with Tyrael and now the grief of losing him. My motivation to do full training sessions with Tipper just isn't there. But, I have taken several minutes here and there to introduce concepts and we regularly set boundaries in our home. With routine, small steps in the basics, managing situations in which she might practice unwanted behaviors, and continuing to reward her for the behaviors I LIKE...she's improved greatly from when she first came to me.

She used to be a door dasher, but I incorporated waiting at the door. She used to ignore you if you called her, but she now has a 90% reliable recall when outside because I conditioned a word to mean good things and play. She used to be collar and feet shy, but I'd take the time to treat her while playing with her collar or touching her feet whenever I would treat her and she won't play keep away and we can wipe her feet when she comes in and clip her nails now. We would practice skills like "touch", "down", "place", and "spin" during play and we practice "stay" during meal times. We do tether training while I'm working in my office and she can now settle instead of pacing around. She has more she needs to work on, but she's very manageable and really impressed me on our first outing to Lowe's and Total Wine!

Remember: Reward your dog for good life choices! It'll take your training to the next level!

30/01/2025

A difficult post to make, but an opportunity to learn something for those who have a multiple dog household. On 1/21/25 we officially foster-failed Tipper, but two days later, we were told my retired service dog and best friend of 12 years, Tyrael, had an aggressive metastatic cancer. I was told we had a month with him, but on 1/29/25, he went into respiratory distress. We said goodbye that day. I wasn't ready, but I was never going to be.

Studies have shown that a loss of a pet equates to the level of grief humans feel when losing a human loved one. They are our family. It's not easy to prepare for this, even when you know it's coming.

But one thing to consider was that we had brought in a new dog into the home. Tyrael has always been the rock in dog groups, especially in a household. His calm demeanor exuded a gentle demand for respect. He kept the order even in his age and when clearly showing signs of his ailments. He's been gone a day and there's already a shift in the hierarchy. Newt is grieving so he is lethargic and keeping to himself, which he's normally known to be constantly underfoot. Tipper is already testing the boundaries with him. She will try and claim resources and will see what he will or won't allow. Because he's not his usual self, it's important that we step up and keep more of a routine and make sure she is respecting his space and not bullying him. This isn't a forever issue. They're the best of friends, but there's a huge change that just happened and they are going to work out where in the hierarchy they stand. This is normal. I expected it and I'm navigating it.

If you've either recently lost or added a new dog to your family, reach out to a trainer on how best to mitigate this shift in your household!

In honor of Tyrael, please donate to an animal charity of your choice to give back to the animals that have given so much to us. ♥️

15/01/2025

Her last family saw her as disposable. I see her as perfect. ♥️

13/01/2025

🐶🐾 NEW FOSTER ALERT 🐾🐶

This is Tipper! She's a 1 year old Aussie/Corgi mix that's absolutely sweet as pie. Unfortunately for her, her being with me is the result of a culture that views dogs as disposable. Though I was told she was too much to handle and an annoyance to the older dog, when I went to pick her up, the family had a brand new puppy they had picked up the day before. I don't normally shame people for rehoming their dogs because I know there are valid reasons, such as the dog being in a situation that compromises both the family and the dog's safety or well-being that make the difficult decision necessary. But Tipper's case is not one of those.

So now she is with me, receiving training until I find her a home that will love and appreciate her. She is VERY people social, but is intimidated by larger dogs. She's slowly accepting my two boys and they tolerate each other's space now. She would have to be tested and introduced to any family pets, such as cats or another dog. She hasn't received much obedience training so she is building confidence in learning new skills. We're starting with small, short steps. She is potty trained and we are working on separation training, as her Aussie side means she wants to be on top of you 24/7. She's only been with me for a couple days, but she's gone from getting stressed when not being touched to being able to settle by my feet. She will eventually settle in her crate, especially after making sure she's been exercised. I don't consider her to be any more hyper than a 1 year old pup would be, particularly given her breeds. She responds incredibly well to praise and is definitely eager to please. She just needs structure and feedback for her behaviors (good or bad, but mostly good.) She really is an absolutely lovely dog!

Anyone in the Indy area that is interested can message me and we can set up a meet and greet and I will offer free training support to make sure that her next home is her FOREVER home!

EDIT: Turns out I'M the forever home! Yes, yes, she's staying. To everyone who called it...I suppose you're right...🙄

13/01/2025

This is Frankie! He's big and scary looking, but he's actually quite insecure and issues with his reactivity come from being afraid of other dogs. We worked with him understanding that it's far less scary to move away than to bark if he truly wants space. To him, his barking is saying, "Stay over there!" Seeing and hearing other dogs made walks stressful for him, so him and Mom couldn't enjoy exercising together, which exercise was a big help with tackling his separation anxiety. After some practice, they were able to navigate more of the neighborhood and leaving the house was something he looked forward to rather than dreading. His owners' commitment to his well-being was a huge factor in his progress!

21/11/2024

Lucy is an 8 month old pittie puppy that struggled with impulse control, which is a common problem with many dogs her age. When she'd get excited, she'd get nippy, so we worked on her understanding that mouths on us meant she no longer got engagement. After she started to learn how to settle at home and was more gentle with play, we started helping her work through different exciting objects that she had to disengage from. She is smart as a whip and started to learn that ignoring these objects meant she was rewarded with either a treat or a fun game of tug with an appropriate toy!

Finding a dog's motivation is so important in training, as not all dogs have the same motivator and different scenarios will change how valuable our reward needs to be. Food doesn't have to be the ONLY reward! I'm so proud of how much this lady progressed over just 3 lessons. ♥️

19/11/2024

What do these two sleepy babies have in common? They were both challenged to control their emotions, one from excitement and one from anxiety/fear. So how did we approach each situation? Surprisingly, both had similar exercises to practice! Keep following and I will share each of their journeys!

06/10/2024

Welcome to the world, Morrison Thi Solomon ♥️
Born on October 3rd, 2024 at 7lb 10oz and 19.75 inches.

Thanks for making me an aunt for the 3rd time, gorgeous girl. Your new brother already loves you and so do we!

20/09/2024

One of the biggest things I've missed about NYC was being able to work with dogs. Imagine my glee when Luna's new family reached out to me and happened to find me on the CCPDT website's list of certified trainers in their area. They had plans to adopt a dog from Korea through and I happen to know a thing or two about working with Korean dogs! 😉

I'm so excited to work with this sweet girl and witness her really blossom in her new, loving home!

08/07/2024

Coming back to NYC and seeing so many of my past clients really reminded me of how much building relationships with not only the dogs, but their owners too, means to me.

I love that I have been building the same connections out here with my Indy clients. Not only that, I am now really getting to know my students that are currently working towards becoming certified dog trainers! During the weekdays, I have been with CATCH Canine Trainers Academy as a Program Director. I've been assisting future trainers on their journey to bringing help to dog owners all around the country.

Fear not, I am STILL taking on new clients, but they are currently on a case-by-case basis. Message me for details on availability!

27/06/2024

📣 ATTENTION NYC CLIENTS: Guess who will be in the city this weekend and will be attending 's Sip N Snip event this Saturday??

Hint: It's me. It's totally me. 😃

Who will be at the event?? I will be making my way around BK and Manhattan, so if you can't make the event, I might be able to swing around and give your pupper love! Just message me!

I'm currently at the airport and I can already feel the Urban Heat Island Effect! 🥵🤣

Can't wait to be in the city again! 🏙️🥰

24/04/2024

Chow Chows served many purposes as their breed came into development, from carting to, well....being chow. 😬

However one of their jobs was guarding. Ginger is a big baby, but every time she comes and stays with me, she just can't fight her instincts to keep watch over the house. She'd run away the moment there was danger, but her watching skills are very advanced. 👀

08/04/2024

Happy Eclipse! 🌕🌔🌓🌑🌗🌖🌕

22/02/2024

Sweet Lucus came from a difficult background and recently found his way into a new, loving home. He is wonderful with his new owners, but new strangers are scary for him and he is easily startled by any guests moving about the home.

For our first session, we worked on creating predictable elements in his environment, such as giving people a way to give him treats as they moved around and showing him ways to relieve social pressure on his own by walking away. In the beginning, I just ignored him completely. After a little time if he was curious about me, I would subtly show the palm of my hand and, if he was brave enough to get just a bit closer or even braver, actually *touch* my hand, I would get up, continuing to ignore him, drop some treats in a bowl and walk away. He was leery of the game at first, running away anytime I got up. Eventually, he didn't fully flee and felt okay enough to hop up onto the couch by me and take a short snooze. ☺️ I can't wait to watch this guy find his confidence!

09/01/2024

You've made New Year's resolutions for yourself, but have you set goals for your dog? Whether you've added a new family member over the holidays or found out the hard way that your dog isn't a fan of Pappy's electric wheelchair, now is the time to take action. Don't wait until a real issue arises. BE PROACTIVE!

From now until the end of February, take 10% off of training options (in-person or virtual) using code 2024RESOLUTION, to help continue or kickstart your training journey!

Note: Multiple offers, such as discounts for new rescues, cannot be combined.

03/01/2024

🧼📦‼️

I've had multiple posts discussing behaviors that come naturally to particular breeds. Most of those were about herding breeds since I tend to work with so many. I feel like I can never talk about it enough because we often try to force square pegs into round holes. Luckily for Larry, his current fosters (and hopefully adopters!) have a lot of herding dog experience. 🙏🙏🙏

Unfortunately for many dogs, they are often chosen for their looks and the belief that training can mold them into the dog a person wants. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's just not how it works. We cannot ask a dog to fully suppress the instincts that we have PURPOSEFULLY bred into their genetic makeup just for our own selfish reasons. It's incredibly unfair to ask a terrier to never chase anything without giving it something they can chase or expect a scent hound to walk at an attention heel when there are so many smells to explore.

Researching the breeds and making sure you are willing and able to meet their needs to give them a fulfilling life is ESSENTIAL!

01/01/2024

Happy New Year! 🥂🎉🎆

Whether you spent the night partying, were in bed by 9, were with the ones you love, or celebrated solo, I'm happy you are here to usher in the new year with us. ♥️

24/12/2023

Happy Holidays from mine to yours!! 🎄🎁

Remember to give your dog a place where they feel safe and can escape the holiday chaos and communicate with family and friends on how to interact with them to avoid them being overwhelmed with social pressure, too escalated, or being fed foods they can't tolerate.

Be safe, be jolly, be an advocate for your dog!!

Devi the Dog Trainer

03/02/2025

30/01/2025

15/01/2025

13/01/2025

13/01/2025

21/11/2024

19/11/2024

06/10/2024

20/09/2024

08/07/2024

27/06/2024

24/04/2024

08/04/2024

22/02/2024

09/01/2024

03/01/2024

01/01/2024

24/12/2023

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