Best Life Dog Training (2025)

12/08/2024

No one adopts a dog hoping their new best friend is fearful, anxious, or hyperactive. Sometimes, you get a dog with multiple issues and stressors. Your dog lunges and barks at other dogs on leash. But they are terrified of the vacuum. And they are absolutely frantic when people come over. They whine and pace during car rides.

I know where you're at friend. I've been there.

If you have a dog whose behavior leaves you wondering where to even start, here are some things to consider:

1. Use management as much as possible. Management just means you are preventing the undesirable behavior from happening, no training required. The goal of management is to immediately reduce stress for you and your dog.

2. Focus on 1-2 things at a time. No more. I know you want to address all the things. But this is a fast track to burnout, friend. Please trust me on this. It's not a fun place to be. I don't want that for you.

There's no right answer. It depends on you, your dog, and your life. Be very clear with what success looks like but be flexible too.

3. Don't skip the foundations
Once you pick one (or two but no more!) things to work on, do not skip the foundations. There are foundations for you and your dog!

Your dog needs to learn how to relax and self-regulate. You need good timing, mechanics, and to be really good at reading your dog's body language.

Want to assess your dog's behavior? Comment 'QUIZ' and I'll DM you a link to my free 10-question quiz! You'll learn how intense your dog's reactivity is and what to do about it.

19/06/2024

At your wit's end with your dog and their lunging, barking, snapping, and reactive behavior?

Imagine how your dog feels.

I know your dog's behavior is stirring up some big feelings for you, friend.

I also know how taboo the topic of behavior modification meds are.

The right medication can make all the difference in the world for your dog. It can:
Increase processing time therefore reducing that knee-jerk reaction your dog has
More restful time. Which means less stress hormones like cortisol.
Decreases anxiety so that training can be more effective. It's hard to learn new things when the brain is in overdrive.

And one final note on this topic: medication alone isn't the answer. Your dog needs a combination of medication and reward-based, consent-based training. Together, they can do amazing things for fearful, anxious, reactive dogs.

Ready to get serious about helping your dog? Enrollment is open for the Calm Canine Program but only until June 22!

The CCP shows you how to work WITH your dog so you both can stop stressing and start enjoying walks, greeting guests, and living a better life together.

Comment 'CCP' to learn more and book your free call!

17/06/2024

The Calm Canine Program is now open for enrollment!

The CCP is a 5-month coaching program that makes YOU the expert in your dog so you can enjoy neighborhood walks, have friends over without chaos, reduce your dog's stress, and build a better connection with your dog.

Comment 'CCP' to learn more. But don't wait!! Enrollment closes this Saturday, June 22!

14/06/2024

You already know you need to change your dog's negative association to their triggers to a more positive association.

But to overcome reactivity, you are going to need more than high-value treats.

Just feeding your dog treats when a trigger appears is part of the puzzle, but not all of it.

It's not your fault! You just need a few more pieces.

In the Calm Canine Program, students also learn:
🔵 The Teach-Proof-Trigger protocol so your dog can respond to you and do what you are asking around triggers
Reduce your dog's overall stress levels
🟣 Ten to Zen: 10 steps to treat your dog's reactivity that reduce stress for you both.
🟢 How to decode your dog so you prevent a reaction from even happening

The Calm Canine Program is open for enrollment! Comment 'CCP' to learn more and book your FREE call!

P.S. Enrollment closes on June 22 and will not open again for several months. Have a calmer dog by the end of the summer!

06/06/2024

I made this mistake for a long time. ⬇️

Repeat after me: it's ok to NOT be the most exciting thing in your dog's world all the time.

It's not your job to be the most awesome thing in your dog's life all of the time.

It's your job to provide them with safe, appropriate access to all things fun and exciting.

Want to learn some leash skills to prevent a reaction? Want to make sure you aren't making some common mistakes with the leash? Comment 'DOGWALK' and I'll DM you a link to get my FREE guide for calmer dog walks!

16/05/2024

How would your life change?

How would things be different if your dog wasn't reactive?

This is something I think about a lot. At almost 43, I've had a few dogs in my life over the years. Each one is different, with their personalities and quirks.

My first dog (on my own as an adult), Maggie, I got as a puppy. Looking back, I unknowingly gave her an ideal socialization period. She grew up to be a happy dog. She was dog-selective of other dogs but would tolerate them. She had a few dog friends she loved, yet preferred the company of humans.

Over the years, I took Maggie to many places. We went on road trips, to restaurants, wineries, and beaches. We also visited friends' and families' houses. We entertained guests without a second thought. When I met my now-husband, Maggie welcomed him. She and his Golden Retriever became BEST FRIENDS.

It was never a question of "Will Maggie be OK?"" Maggie was always solid.

And now life with our 3 dogs (2 that are reactive) is much different. They don't go out to nearly as many places. I would never dream of taking Rosie to a friend's house because there are too many unknowns. Having guests over takes management and training.

It's not that I love my current dogs any less than Maggie. But in some ways, you have to grieve the life you thought you would have with your reactive dog.

This is a safe space. 💗

How would your life be different if your dog wasn't reactive? What are you grieving about your dog?

07/05/2024

"I'm so frustrated we are STILL struggling with walks. "

A guardian in the CCP shared this with me recently. And we started talking about goals and progress.

How would she know if they were making progress?

If you are waiting until you cross the finish line to celebrate, you're missing out.

I know, that "it's not the destination, it's the journey" cliche BS is not what you want to hear. But the journey has all kinds of cool stuff that happens!

Think about all the amazing things that has probably already happened with your reactive dog. I bet you didn't know about dog body language before. And now, you are understanding more and more about what your dog is thinking and feeling.

I bet you never put so much effort into working with and training your dog. And now it's a regular part of your day.

If you've been at this a while and gotten improvements, I bet you might even look forward to walks now instead of completely dreading them.

Small wins, my friend.

And let me just add that progress isn't going to look like the stuff you see on TV or social media. That's post-production editing magic.

Progress is even different for the dog-guardian teams within the CCP. Some dogs need help managing their excitement before going for a walk. Some dogs need help boosting their confidence to feel comfortable on a walk. Some dogs love a good food scatter and others find eating from the ground weird.

What matters most is you and your dog.

Tell me in the comments ways you track progress for your dog! It may help other dog guardians who are feeling stuck.

P.S. Do you want to be walking around this spring and summer feeling like you've mastered walks with your reactive dog? Comment 'CCP' and I'll send you more info!

03/05/2024

Regressions suck. Here's how to handle it: 👇🏻

If you saw my last post, you know there is no shortage of things that can trigger a regression. This is life.

When your dog is reactive, you need more than one tool, one behavior, or one technique. Ideally, you have a progression and mini-goals you are working through with your dog.

If you do, then you've got a roadmap that directs you on where you can go. You can go back to the earlier steps. You can apply techniques you were doing when you were just starting out. You can re-visit previous goals.

In the Calm Canine Program, I teach guardians 10 different steps to treat their dog’s leash reactivity. When one thing doesn’t work, they’ve got options.

Lastly, if you are feeling stuck, it may be time to get help. Nobody knows your dog better than you, but it can also be easy to overlook things and miss important details.

Need some help decompressing? Comment 'RESET' and I'll send you my signature Reset & Reframe protocol to help you and your dog decompress after a reaction happens.

01/05/2024

Your dog was doing SO great. But then it feels like you took 10 steps backward. 🫠

I'm going to level with you, friend.

Regressions are normal. They suck, don't get me wrong. If your dog has been making progress, a regression can feel extra sucky.

When this happens, first ask yourself if this is really a regression or did your dog just had a bad day. A regression is a pattern over several days. Not that a bad day isn’t distressing, but a regression is more than just a single rough day.

If it is in fact a regression, you may be racking your brain trying to figure out WHY.
Some common causes are:
🔘Developmental period. Young, adolescent dogs go through fear periods.
🔘Changes in routine or schedule
🔘Someone moving in or out of the home
🔘Moving to a new home
🔘Changes in diet
🔘Pain or injury
🔘Other health changes - maybe they cannot see or hear as well
🔘Single traumatic event
🔘Several traumatic events over a short period of time
🔘Weather changes

A lot of these things are beyond your control. Believe me, if I could turn the wind off for Rosie, I would.

So, what's a dog mom or dog dog to do?

➡️Talk to your vet.

Before you do more training. Before you start beating yourself up. Before you start questioning everything you've ever done, call your vet.

As a professional dog trainer, I cannot tell you how common pain and other medical issues are overlooked.

Does your dog have a clean bill of health?

Then stay tuned! I'll be sharing tips for managing and navigating a regression soon!

Make sure and follow https://www.instagram.com/bestlife_dogtraining/ for more support!

01/05/2024

Your dog was doing SO great. But then it feels like you took 10 steps backward. 🫠

I'm going to level with you, friend.

Regressions are normal. They suck, don't get me wrong. If your dog has been making progress, a regression can feel extra sucky.

When this happens, first ask yourself if this is really a regression or did your dog just had a bad day. A regression is a pattern over several days. Not that a bad day isn’t distressing, but a regression is more than just a single rough day.

If it is in fact a regression, you may be racking your brain trying to figure out WHY.
Some common causes are:
🔘Developmental period. Young, adolescent dogs go through fear periods.
🔘Changes in routine or schedule
🔘Someone moving in or out of the home
🔘Moving to a new home
🔘Changes in diet
🔘Pain or injury
🔘Other health changes - maybe they cannot see or hear as well
🔘Single traumatic event
🔘Several traumatic events over a short period of time
🔘Weather changes

A lot of these things are beyond your control. Believe me, if I could turn the wind off for Rosie, I would.

So, what's a dog mom or dog dog to do?

➡️Talk to your vet.

Before you do more training. Before you start beating yourself up. Before you start questioning everything you've ever done, call your vet.

As a professional dog trainer, I cannot tell you how common pain and other medical issues are overlooked.

Does your dog have a clean bill of health?

Then stay tuned! I'll be sharing tips for managing and navigating a regression soon!

Make sure and follow https://www.instagram.com/bestlife_dogtraining/ for more support!

24/04/2024

When you just want to take your dog for a walk 🦮

Everybody walks their dogs, right?

Neighborhood walks sound so simple.

But if your dog barks, lunges, or growls, at every dog they see, walks are not simple.

You find yourself jealous of people that walk so effortlessly with their dogs. Some people even scroll on their phones while they walk!

Meanwhile, you've got both hands white-knuckling the leash and are exhausted 5 minutes in from constantly scanning for triggers.

I'll be honest with you, my friend. These 5 tips are not going to solve all your problems. You need a clear plan and support along the way. But it's a start.

If walks have you stressed TF out, then comment 'LEASH01' and I'll send you a free guide on leash mistakes to avoid and what to do instead.

You've got this.

16/04/2024

HEAR ME OUT ⬇️

It's so confusing. It feels like there are two ends of the spectrum: There are trainers who will tell you to pop your dog's leash when they don't listen. And then there is the force-free side that discourages any kind of coercion or physical force. If you follow me, I know what option you prefer.

I get it. You want to do counterconditioning. Or engage-disengage. Or a pattern game. How else is your dog going to get used to other dogs and triggers, after all?

But when your dog is barking and lunging on their leash, they aren't in the right head space to learn anything.

The best thing you can do in that situation is get them out of it and abort the mission - even if that means pulling on their leash.

At some point, we got it drilled into our heads that we weren't supposed to pull on our dog's leash. Ever.

But ask yourself what is doing more damage:
a few seconds of leash pressure or several seconds (or more) of your dog reacting?

You aren't a bad guardian for pulling on their leash. You are doing what you need to do in that moment to reduce your dog's fear, anxiety, and stress. How to bail out of a situation is one of the first things I teach guardians whose dogs are struggling with leash reactivity.

P.S. Did you know there are easy things you can do with the leash and your body language to influence your dog's behavior? Comment 'LEASH01' and I'll send you my free leash handling guide for reactive dogs!

07/04/2024

How often do you want your reactive dog? 🦮

And how many of those walks are guilt-induced because society says you MUST walk your dog?

If you have a dog that doesn't love walks, don't beat yourself for not taking them!

In fact...

If your dog runs and hides when it's time to walk or is fearful when outside, skipping walks for a bit might be exactly what your dog needs.

But you can't skip meeting their needs.

I challenge you. Skip the walks for 2 weeks and instead, provide other outlets for exercise, mental stimulation, and decompression. Then come back and tell me about your experience.

Want some skills you can practice in the meantime to prep for when it is time to walk? Comment 'LEASH01' and I'll send you my free guide: Mis-Leading - Common Leash Mistakes and what to do instead.

02/04/2024

Does your dog do on-leash greetings with other dogs? It could be impacting their behavior.

Not knowing what to expect can contribute to frustration-based reactivity.
Invading space is never a good time for anyone.
Not being able to easily flee can lead to aggressive behavior.
It's easy to misinterpret body language at the moment - especially when more than one dog is involved.

If you want to allow some greetings and not others, have a clear cue and behavior for your dog when it's appropriate to say hi.

Do you let your dog do on-leash greetings? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments!

P.S. Make sure you aren't making mistakes with the leash! Get my FREE guide Mis-Leading: 5 common mistakes with leash Reactivity and how to fix them. Comment LEASH01 and I'll send it over!

28/03/2024

Controversial topic coming in 🔥

First, let me say I do not condone the use of a prong collar, e-collar, choke chain, etc. I have never used one with my dogs and I have never recommended one to anyone that has ever worked with me.

(I struggled even typing "use the prong correctly" but there ARE directions).

I also understand the stress and anxiety that comes with taking a reactive dog out into the world. You desperately want to feel like you can somewhat control your dog.

I'll level with you: Prongs, e-collars, choke collars...they are meant to be uncomfortable and unpleasant (at minimum) for dogs, by design.

If your dog pulls or lunges at other dogs, you've got other options that will do less harm to your dog:

-A head halter (not something I normally recommend, but when a guardian is terrified about not having control of their dog, this can be an alternative option)
-Martingale collar - again, not something I recommend often but if your dog is a Houdini and slips out of equipment, this option can be helpful.
-Harness with multiple connection points - can go a long way to help a guardian feel more secure when taking their dog out.

Bottom line: no piece of equipment will completely resolve your dog's reactivity. Choose your equipment (and training methods) on what will cause the least amount of stress, fear, anxiety, and harm to your dog.

Have you tried a prong collar, e-collar, or similar piece of equipment with your reactive dog? I'd love to hear more about your experience. No judgement!

24/03/2024

Are you making your dog anxious and reactive?

If you have a reactive dog, you've probably wondered or maybe even had someone say to you that you are making your dog more anxious and reactive.

But is there any truth to this? Let's break it down.

Fact #1: Dogs are perceptive and always observing. When you are nervous, you may have a mannerism you do without realizing it: tensing parts of your body, holding your breath, pulling the leash closer to you, looking around, and even making changes in your voice or facial expressions.

There are possibly other physiological cues being given that are beyond your control like chemical changes in the body when you get stressed (like sweating).

Fact #2: One of the ways dogs learn is by association. If you tense up and hold your breath when another dog appears, your dog will learn to associate your movements with a trigger.

So what's a dog parent to do?

➡️Practice emotional neutrality. This means you model calm behavior with the intent of helping those around you feel the same.

Emotional neutrality is easier said than done. Here are some things that can help:

-Rehearse relaxation with your dog. Calmer walks start at home.
-Visualize a reaction happening and you stay calm. It's not cheesy, it's science. It helps get your body and mind ready.
-Practice your escape plan ahead of time. Stick to the same walking route and have a bailout plan.
-Experiment with the verbal praise you give your dog (amount, volume, pitch, duration) and find what works best for you both.
-Practice skills without your dog. Timing, mechanics, and leash skills can all be dialed in before involving your dog, helping to build your confidence.

Do your best to not get sucked into your dog's reactions and understand that your dog is doing the best they can at that moment.

Be patient, and do your best to not take it personally. 🩵

21/03/2024

Finding a reliable, responsible dog sitter can be tough. And if your dog is reactive, it adds another layer of challenges.

If you looking for a dog sitter, here are some tips:

1. Determine your expectations first. Dog sitters will offer a variety of options, depending on the person. Decide if you want the sitter to come to your house or if your dog will be going to their house. You can also opt for overnight stays and/or daily check-ins.

2. Start your search early. While one meet-and-greet session will probably be enough for you to determine if this person is an ideal candidate, your people-reactive dog will likely require a bit more time.

3. When meeting with potential sitters, inquire about their availability for training session visits. Following a desensitization plan leading up to the longer stay will help your dog feel more comfortable.

4. Leave written instructions. Even if you cover things verbally, leaving out written instructions will ensure nothing gets overlooked or forgotten.

Want to know more? Check out the blog post in the comments.⬇️⬇️⬇️

18/03/2024

Yes, consistency matters. And....

Consistency without a clear definition of success is not helpful.

If you are consistently taking your dog to the park to practice engage/disengage, but they are close to or over threshold every time, that's not going to do you any favors.

When you want to change your dog's behavior, start where your dog currently is. They may not be ready for that trip to the park yet. Your consistent efforts might be better spent practicing more relaxation and alternative behaviors at home. And then building up slowly to the outside world.

If you have been consistent in your training effort and you feel like your dog has plateaued, ask yourself honestly what the outcome of all those training sessions has been. If the outcome doesn't closely match your end goal, it's time to adjust course.

Tell me in the comments! Did this post make you think?

P.S. If you want more insight into your dog and their behavior, comment 'NEWSLETTER' and I'll send you a link to sign up for my free Dog Behavior Digest emails!

Best Life Dog Training

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