The Joyful Hound (2024)

25/01/2023

Here’s your reminder that it’s important (and fun!) to let your dog choose the path when it’s safe to do so. Giving dogs choice and control over their environment are integral pieces to any humane training plan.
Learn to enjoy watching them make decisions and explore at their own pace. I promise it’s way more fun than seeing how many steps you can get in or trying to stick to a certain route.

The map is our route through a very small part of big ole Woodward Park. Was I planning on doing a couple of activities with him in different parts of the park? Absolutely. But his actions told me he wanted to stay in this area and that’s okay!

16/12/2022

Dogs can say “no thank you” in so many different ways. It’s easy to see when it’s a bark or quick movement away, but it doesn’t always look like that.

I’m having all dogs ride in Ruffland crates in my car right now as everyone works on getting fully vaccinated for the flu, as it’s recently struck Tulsa hard.

Today was Dara’s first time ever being asked to jump into a crate in my car instead of just flying into the back as usual. She approached normally but then hesitated at the threshold. She sniffed the air and didn’t jump in. I asked her to “up-up” which is her known cue to jump up on something. Instead of jumping into the car she jumped on me and started licking my neck and face. These behaviors, in this scenario aren’t normal for her. What might be seen as just a happy dog excited to see me and wanting some attention was actually Dara telling me she was stressed and didn’t want to jump into the car crate.

She moved quickly away from the car as I did, and looked visibly relieved. So we just switched gears, went on a neighborhood adventure, played at a local green space and did a bit of training in her backyard.

Listen to your dog. Be thoughtful about behaviors that seem abnormal for them or out of context. Dogs don’t lie.

08/06/2022

🌆Tulsa Tip Tuesday! 🐶

Hawthorne Park is a small and overlooked park off Brookside at 48th street.

Pros: a cool old building to sniff, nice big field, never busy, well fenced old 4-court tennis area, and dog friendly playground equipment. While too much hard running on a tennis court could rough up paw pads, some running is great for grinding down those toe nails!

Cons: the people who do go there don’t seem to know how to pick up their 💩 👎

Grab your long line, a fun toy to fetch on the court, and get your pup there pronto!

[ID: Slide 1- a large black dog walks stands on playground equipment at the top of a metal slide. Slide 2- the same dog is shown bounding across an old tennis court. He has a red snake toy in his mouth.]

08/06/2022

🌆Tulsa Tip Tuesday! 🐶

Hawthorne Park is a small and overlooked park off Brookside at 48th street.

Pros: a cool old building to sniff, nice big field, never busy, well fenced old 4-court tennis area, and dog friendly playground equipment. While too much hard running on a tennis court could rough up paw pads, some running is great for grinding down those toe nails!

Cons: the people who do go there don’t seem to know how to pick up their 💩 👎

Grab your long line, a fun toy to fetch on the court, and get your pup there pronto!

[ID: Slide 1- a large black dog walks stands on playground equipment at the top of a metal slide. Slide 2- the same dog is shown bounding across an old tennis court. He has a red snake toy in his mouth. Slide 3-a video of a park. First a field is shown, then the courts, a building and back to the same black dog who is panting and walking in a loose leash.]

19/02/2022

Someone recently asked me if I was working towards Bear, who is one of my personal dogs, being able to immediately meet new dog friends in our home since we do so much boarding. It really made me think about how much success Bear has had and why.

Currently we utilize baby gates, crates and sometimes visual barriers to keep him separated from boarding dogs for the first day or two, and then we usually integrate slowly over the course of multiple days or visits. Molly, the dog in the pictures with him, was here for the third time and it was the first time they have been fully loose in the house and yard together.

Even as a R+/FF trainer, management, such as arranging the environment to set our dogs up for success, is always the first step to living successfully with dogs or changing their behavior. It is the least intrusive minimally aversive thing to do, and is the building blocks on which operant or classical conditioning lay.

So I am happy to arrange the environment in such a way that he can be stress free and ultimately successful in his interactions with other dogs. I am also happy if there are some dogs that he never meets or plays with. Dogs are sentient beings, and it’s outlandish to think they will want to interact or play with every dog around, or do so immediately, or never have strong feelings (barking, growling, etc) about some dogs.

I love helping dogs find success in our crazy human world, and step 1 to success is always management! Most of the time dogs don’t just dislike or like another dog. It isn’t perfectly black and white. We can set them up for successful friendships!

[ Slide 1- a large brindle mixed breed with square docked ears and a big black snout sits on a red sofa with a medium, yellow and white collie mix who has an slightly open mouth and long fluffy coat. Slide 2- same two dogs on the sofa but with a small brindle mix sitting between them, all looking towards camera. Slide 3- same two dogs now outside on a backyard of dead grass. Brindle dog is sitting and collie is standing, both looking up at the camera.]

02/02/2022

🌆 Tulsa Tip Tuesday! 🐶

Tired of walking in your neighborhood? Prefer to practice loose leash walking on sidewalks instead of in the road? Taking a short drive to a new neighborhood is an easy way to spice things up for both you and your dog!

Today Winston and I hopped in the car and went to the Florence Park neighborhood to walk. Not only does it boast two small parks within it so your pup can have lots of opportunities to really sniff it up and practice their parkour skills, but it also has many SIDEWALKS!

Other well paved Tulsa neighborhoods we love walking in include: Renaissance, Historic Owen Park, Swan Lake, Maple Ridge (north of 21st), Riverview, and Yorktown/Gillette!

[ID: Slide 1- brindle bull terrier with white face is facing camera. He is standing on a large tree stump, and wearing a red harness. Slide 2- same terrier is standing in the backseat of a car. Seat is covered by a black protector. Slide 3- video: same terrier is walking on a loose leash on a sidewalk. He walks on both sides of the woman and often in front of her. He is rewarded often with food. At the end he stops in the grass to sniff and potty.]

26/01/2022

A lot of places can feel off limits if you live with a dog that displays reactive or fearful behavior but there are still many creative ways to get them out into the world safely.
These cold days are a great opportunity to have adventures in areas that wouldn’t normally set your dog up for success.

New people can make Patch feel less than comfortable so we’ve never been to busy Riverside Park before this. We took advantage of the cold weather that kept everyone else at home, and she had a blast!

[ID: Slide 1- video: at a children’s playground, a woman and slender black dog play. Woman asks dog to go “over” a low jump multiple times. Dog jumps over with tail wagging and is rewarded each time. Slide 2- same black dog is running down bright green hill towards camera with ears flopping. Slide 3- same dog is about to jump off a low ledge and is looking towards ground. Dog is wearing a harness, safety strap and long leash.]

12/01/2022

Continuing on with 2022 goals…

MORE CONTENT

I post many ‘stories’ that make me laugh , advocate for humane training and handling of dogs, and hopefully make my human clients more aware of what adventures and training with The Joyful Hound are all about. But I’ve always struggled to make actual posts.

Starting easy on myself this week by bringing back an old favorite:

🌆 Tulsa Tip Tuesday! 🐶

Chandler is the true hidden gem of the Tulsa Parks Department.

Pros: Huge park that has open fields, dog friendly playground equipment, forests, hiking trails and more! Respectful regulars (off-leash dogs I encounter have a solid recall and people leash up when they see you)!

Cons: occasional snakes and tarantulas, hiking trails are not well maintained, a bit of a drive from midtown.

Grab your long line and get your pup there pronto!

💡 Are there specific topics you’d like to see posts on? Let me know in the comments!

[ID: Slide 1- large black dog walks through forest on long line. Slide 2- three dogs run fast towards the camera having been recalled. Dogs are small brindle, medium black and large tan. Slide 3-golden retriever sits in front of picnic table. Small brindle dogs sits on top of table. Medium black dog has front legs on top of table and back legs on seat. Slide 4- tan dog with pointy ears sits on large rock in field, small white dog stands in front. Slide 5- two brindle dogs walk through forest on trail with backs facing camera. Slide 6- three dogs run joyfully away from camera. Dogs are small brindle, medium black and large tan.]

06/01/2022

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be posting a bit about last year’s accomplishments and 2022 goals to make The Joyful Hound more successful, accessible and helpful! And we’re going to start with…

Education!

At the end of 2021 I completed my CTC (Certification in Training and Counseling) through The Academy for Dog Trainers. This was a rigorous, 2 year program that included video and written assignments, countless lectures and webinars, and testing. Before I applied to this program I spoke with the only other local trainer who has the certification. She likened the challenge level to graduate school. I remember thinking that this person, who had no reason at all to lie to me, must be lying to me. So I applied, and got in, and began the program while working two part-time jobs and beginning to run my own small business. 😂 It was a struggle to say the least but I am so happy with the education I received! And now I have the pleasure of spending all my working hours solely running The Joyful Hound.

Even though the CTC is likely the most comprehensive certification I will obtain, continuing education should be a part of any pet care professional’s life, and is something I enjoy. This year I plan to get my Fear Free Animal Trainer Certification through Fear Free. This education should help me work in better partnership with veterinary teams to prevent fear, anxiety and stress during vet care and further my skills in cooperative care. I also plan to delve deeper into Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed program, which I have an elementary knowledge of and am excited to learn more about!

I know I’ve said it a thousand times but it’s always worth repeating: the dog training industry is completely unregulated. Anyone, regardless of their education, can hang their shingle, take on dog training clients, and drastically alter the life of sentient beings for better or for worse.

I’m interested in changing lives for the better, which is why I’ve chosen and will continue to choose a science-based education and modern training methods that focus on humane handling and meeting the unique needs of dogs.

[ID: woman holds up graduation certification from the Academy for Dog Trainers. Certification is covering half her face. She looks happy and excited.]

06/09/2021

A hearty congratulations to Santino and family! Santino completed a board-and-train at my home and then had several follow up sessions at his.
Santino is a relatively new addition to his family and much of what we worked on was figuring out how his family could meet his needs, and how they could live harmoniously together.

My favorite part about working with this family is how happy they were to learn that modern dog training isn’t about exerting control over your dog, but having a relationship where you work together towards common goals, and that training and enriching Santino’s life would be fun for everyone! They were truly overjoyed when I told them they didn’t need to use the prong collar or have a bunch of meaningless rules so Santino would “know his place”, and that it was a-ok to hand Santino a treat just because he’s friggin’ adorable!

Today Santino is enjoying long romps on a 20 ft leash at local green spaces, dog friends, comfy places to settle in his home, shredding projects and toys to destroy, stuffed kongs to work, and slow, sniffy walks on a loose leash around his neighborhood. And his family is enjoying a dog that doesn’t bolt out the front door, can walk on a loose leash, stay in a crate, and is calmer inside the house.

24/08/2021

Happy Gotcha Day Otter… kind of.

Otter joined my home as a foster on July 27, 2020. But she was having severe panic due to separation anxiety on a daily basis. Panic that left her stressed and exhausted long after a human came back home.

August 24, 2020 is the day we committed to not leaving her alone for longer than she could handle, which was initially around just 5-10 minutes. I feel like she really became a part of our family a year ago today, and now we celebrate 365 days panic-free!

She does so much for me. She is the embodiment of a Joyful Hound! I can’t imagine my business or life without her. Keeping her safe from panic is the least I can do in exchange.

Many many thanks to the family and friends who helped me suspend absences, and the clients who welcomed Otter into their sessions and homes!

If your dog is struggling with separation anxiety, reach out! I’m happy to commiserate with you, swap dog sitting and strategies for suspending absences, and help you get in touch with a SA Specialist. I wish there was some easy fix, some magic thing we could just buy or do for these dogs, but there isn’t. Careful desensitization is the way to make lasting progress, and an SA trainer can help you through the work. Many thanks to for being my guide, support and cheerleader!

13/08/2021

Patch has got some worries, but feeling unsafe out in the world with me ain’t one.

My #1 goal while doing anything with dogs is to keep them feeling safe. This is accomplished by making sure they are physically able to do the activity, choosing environments that set them up for success, managing triggers, using positive reinforcement training, and not being afraid to get the hell outta dodge if needed!

28/06/2021

⛑🦺🥽 Staying Safe!

Beautiful Pacifica is modeling the new safety attachments I’ll be using with all clients I take out into the world.
While the goal is to never take a dog into a situation where they would panic, sometimes triggers come out of no where and this can cause dogs to take flight. By attaching the orange safety as pictured I would still have ahold of Pacifica even if she slipped her harness or if hardware broke or malfunctioned on the harness or leash.
Because crazy things can happen! I was recently walking my Bear dog and his leash just suddenly WASN’T attached to his harness. I have no idea how the d-bolt bounced in the perfect way to open up, but it did! Dogs rolling on their backs can also cause bolts to unlatch.

Having these safety attachments is just another way to keep my clients as safe as possible!

17/04/2021

It’s quite the muttely crew at The Joyful Hound house today!

18/03/2021

Do you like Tinsel’s newest dance move?

She calls it the Upside Down Worm Slide.

You’re gonna be seeing all the cool kids doing’ it soon enough.

💃 🐶 🙃 🪱

08/03/2021

🎉My newest puppy client, Holly, is just blowing my socks off every time we get together. Holly’s momma was worried she wasn’t exercising Holly enough and thought she needed to hire a dog walker to hustle Holly around the neighborhood on leash for some good hard exercise. During our intake session we talked about what Holly had experienced so far in her young life, what mom’s goals were for her future, and what kinds of things we should focus on with young puppies.

Holly did need a little more activity (in a puppy appropriate way) but more importantly, to meet her family’s future goals, she needed to have great new experiences out in the world.

This is our seventh session, and it was a biggie, the Tulsa Fairgrounds! But we slowly worked up to this kind of outing… getting Holly into a safe, well fit harness, getting her super comfy in the car and car crate, starting with “walks” on long lines in calm nature space, seeing people and strange things at a great distance… just incrementally building her up to bigger experiences so that every step of the way Holly was thinking either “this is fantastic!” or “oh that weird thing, no big deal!”

Puppies are so special. Our time with them is so short and important. Make the most of it!

03/03/2021

Adventure client Tinsel showing off her style!

The Ultimate Winter Fashion Trend:
From a hot bit of flare added to your traditional well fit harness to thousands of perfectly arranged pieces on your signature coat, this stuff is begging to be worn on a quickly warming, early March day such as this!
With help from our expert fashionista, Tinsel, you too can be wearing the Dead Grass ☠️ trend of 2021! Just follow her easy step-by-step guide covered exclusively by .
New, fresh growth can already be spotted, so get this hot item before it goes out of season!

03/02/2021

Happy 150th Walk-a-versary, Dottie!

I adore all my clients, but the ones I see every week, multiple times, I feel particularly connected too. Dottie is such a big, wonderful, part of my life!

Dottie, I love the uncontrollable dancing you do when I arrive, the impressive drool rings you often create, the way your paper thin ears bounce as we walk, and the improvements we've made together when we see other dogs out in the world.

Looking forward to hundreds of more miles with you!

22/01/2021

I’m so proud of Dill, the senior beagle!
Two years ago this sweet hunk was adopted into his forever home and I was hired to walk him. His moms had plans of taking him to group training classes for fun, and dreams of long walks in their neighborhood but it turned out Dill was extremely dog reactive. Even at a great distance Dill would respond to seeing another dog with heavy panting, barking and lunging. His amazing parents recalibrated their plans to fit his needs and we all took a mostly management approach to walking (driving to areas where we were less likely to see dogs or doing a u-turn or a massive treat party as we made our way up someone’s driveway to create more distance) which helped significantly and is a fine way to help your dog and yourself have success and navigate the world.
But recently they decided they’d like to start tackling the issue so I’m working with Dill once a week on it, and he is just blowing my socks off!!! He hasn’t met a new dogs in many years and here he is, third session in trotting along with Otter like a pro. Go Dill go! 💗🐶💗

15/01/2021

My newest little adventure friend was having a hard time getting in and out of my car and it was causing him some conflict and stress. So we switched to neighborhood walks for 4 sessions and spent the end of our time learning how to use the car ramp, first flat on the ground, then from the road to a curb (slight incline), then from the sidewalk to his front porch (steeper incline), and finally from the road to my car (steepest incline).

Could we have pushed through and hoped he just got used to it? Of course, but stress lingers and infiltrates so many things around it. I saw him start to slow down on the way to the car, likely anticipating the scary jump he was going to have to make, and once there he would lip lick, his movements got slow and waxy, and he became a little spooked about me when 30 seconds before we were best friends. It’s easy to label this type of behavior as “stubborn” (he’s gotten in fine before!), and to simple force friendly, small dogs through things just because you can, but it also doesn’t take much effort to slow down, find alternatives, and set them up for success!
Yesterday Freddie ran joyfully up the ramp, had a stress free ride to the park, and bounced around happily on a long line. 💜

30/12/2020

It drizzled a little bit today on our walk. So Dottie shook off a zillion times and created this epic drool muzzle. So many layers....

And look at that tongue! When the phone comes out all the clients know that if you say cheese you get cheese. 📸 🧀 🤤

25/12/2020

Joyful Hound boarding clients always wear trackers. While clients are always supervised outside and on leash when out in the world (or, like Rio, even on a long leash in the backyard since he has a history of escaping and has been eyeing my fence) it still pays to be as safe as possible.
An addition perk is that it tracks their activity! Rio has been putting in the miles today on a big walk this morning and playing in the backyard this afternoon!

23/12/2020

Rio is here and the Ottery Welcome Wagon is hard at work. She has been assigned (by herself) to accompany you through the day, from pointing out the best smells on your morning walk in the park to afternoon sun bathing tips. Her services include combing your floofy hair with her teeth and wiping your drooley mouth with her head.

So glad we spent the time having Rio visit us before this boarding! He settled right in today!

15/12/2020

💗🤩ADORABLE NEW CLIENT ALERT 🤩💗
This is Fred, and I love him.
Don’t let his adorably short legs or mature age fool you, this little cow dog blend is READY for adventure!

He’ll be exercising with me while his fantastic momma recovers from a surgery. We are going to work on some loose leash walking too, and learning to tug a toy or sniff for treats instead of chomping the leash when excited!

12/12/2020

Hung out with this big, brindle, hunk today! 😍
His parents were hoping he could board with me through the holidays as he has had some stressful boarding experiences elsewhere. We spent a bit of time in my backyard with his parents last weekend and today they dropped him off for a couple hours.
Like many great dogs he can be nervous and choosey about which humans he lets into his social circle. Rio and I passed our test run with flying colors! He was nervous at times but still had fun in the backyard, was able to eat treats and lay down a couple times inside, and thought Otter was the bees knees.

Looking forward to a fantastic boarding over Christmas! Welcome to The Joyful Hound Family, Rio! No more super stressful boarding experiences for you!

11/12/2020

Our very best buddy Patch is here!!!
We are having fun, meeting new friends, and progressing with our muzzle training.

Why just board when you can board and train?

26/11/2020

Happy 13th Birthday to Murphy! She’s a Joyful Hound OG. Her fantastic guardians found me just months after I moved to Tulsa and I’ve been sitting, walking and training for them ever since.
Murphy is a spicy and adventurous dog, even at 13! She’s got strong feelings (about going on walks, thunderstorms and people dancing), lots of energy, and powerful barks! Her moms and I often joke that she is that super fun friend that is great to party with but you wouldn’t actually trust with any secrets. Murphy lives hard and enjoys every minute!
Here’s one of my favorite pictures of her from this past summer, trying to teach her to go down the stairs into the pool. Signature Murphy WTF face here!

The Joyful Hound

25/01/2023

16/12/2022

08/06/2022

08/06/2022

19/02/2022

02/02/2022

26/01/2022

12/01/2022

06/01/2022

06/09/2021

24/08/2021

13/08/2021

28/06/2021

17/04/2021

18/03/2021

08/03/2021

03/03/2021

03/02/2021

22/01/2021

15/01/2021

30/12/2020

25/12/2020

23/12/2020

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