Devi the Dog Trainer

23/10/2025

Happy Birthday to my Newt Ba-doop! 5 years old and he goes from being an old soul to a silly puppy at the drop of a hat. Enjoy a couple of ASMR videos of him chomping an apple with some Buddy Budder from ! 🐶🥳🍎🥜🥓

I love you, Noodle❣️

08/10/2025

There are still some spots and I'm so excited to introduce a curriculum that not only teaches the basics, but helps improve your dog's cognitive function!

🐾 Ready for a better-behaved best friend?

Our new Real World Manners group training class with Devi the Dog Trainer is already half full — don’t miss your spot!

✨ 5-week course starts Sunday, November 2nd
✨ Only $175 for the entire session
✨ Exclusive 15% storewide discount during class time and private shopping window!

Registration closes October 20th!
Learn real-world skills that make life with your pup even better — from leash manners to polite greetings and calm confidence in everyday situations.

🐶 Learn more and sign up now at pawsstop.com/pages/real-world-manners

08/10/2025

This is how I like to set up a "tether station" to practice being able to relax nearby. It's good to teach a dog how to relax in the crate, but learning how to settle outside of the crate is just as important.

Practice tethering after activity to avoid unfairly asking them to relax when their physical needs haven't been met yet. I offer a bed, a toy, a chew, and a snuffle mat. If you have a puppy that is distracted by clips dangling in their face (like Vega is), you can attach the leash to the back of a harness. The other end is attached to the leg of my desk. I place the bed near me and have easy to access treats (preferably crumbly ones). When the puppy offers relaxed behavior, I calmly crumble a treat into a snuffle mat. This encourages further self-soothing and gives them a predictable place where I drop treats.

I may be sitting at my desk for a good portion of the day talking to students, but that doesn't mean I don't have an opportunity to train!

18/09/2025

11/09/2025

Tipper: Must herd ball!

Newt: Must retrieve ball!

Wow...it's almost like genetics can really drive behavior in dogs?? 🤣

08/09/2025

27/02/2025

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!