Service Mutts LLC

19/04/2024

Want your dog to walk nicely, but can’t find the time to train? No problem! Service Mutts is now offering structured dog walking where we pick up your pup and teach them the foundations on loose lead walking. This service allows your dog to develop the skills they need without rehearsing any bad behaviors. Send me a message to find out how to get your dog signed up 🐾🐶

18/04/2024

The art of doing •nothing•
*
*
*
Moments like these are we practice “doing nothing”. Hazel managed to hold her down stay while countless dogs walked passed. Having a dog capable of this makes tasks like using a self groom tub way easier when you have two dogs. I don’t have to worry about anything except the dog in bathing in front of me. It also helps now that the weather is getting nice when you want to take your dog with you to that coffee date or farmers market. The boring training is the best training so don’t forget to work on “doing nothing” with your dog!

20/03/2024

Last call for signs ups for my Novice Trick Dog class starting March 30th! If you are looking for a new fun class that works on building a strong bond with your dog as well as working towards a ribbon this is the class for you! All classes will be held at Good Choice Dog Training on Railroad Ave in Albany, NY ( )
Dm me or send me an email if you’re interested in signing your dog up!

27/12/2023

Introducing my newest class, Balanced Brains! This class focuses on developing the skills of relaxation in a variety of environments as well as teaching the dogs impulse control. Classes will be held at Good Choice Dog Training on Railroad Ave Wednesdays at 2pm starting January 3rd 2024 and will go for 5 weeks!
Email [email protected] to register!

06/10/2023

This is a new heeling game I’ve started incorporating with all of my clients. I didn’t come up with this game, but I absolutely love it which is why I’m going to share it with all of you!
•
This pattern game involves using about five paper plates, bowls, or even a frisbee would work! Place these in a row all spaced out and start at the first plate. When your dog looks at you you’re going to mark with a “yes” and place the first reward on the first plate. When your dog finishes the treat and looks back you’re going to make again with a “yes” and reward on the second plate. You keep doing this all the way down the line and as they get better you can start to remove plates from the line, increasing the distance between the plates.
•
This client in particular is a little guy who has some big feelings about just about everything which can make walking him on a leash a nightmare! After playing this game with him I immediately saw a difference in how he walked. He was relaxed, focused and understood what was expected in order to move forward. He was also for once much more interested in me than the scary cars going by. This didn’t necessarily “fix“ his reactivity, but it’s a big step in the right direction for him!

02/10/2023

A great session today with Theodore just sharpening up the skills he already has! We worked on him working with a dog he normally gets to play with which was very challenging for both dogs but they did phenomenal! What a great duo!

26/09/2023

UPDATE-
Through private donations and through gofundme we were able to raise enough that I’m now on my way to go pick Miss Lela up and bring her on the 3 1/2 hour trip home. Thank you so much everyone I’m so excited to get to see a happy ending for both this dog and my client💜
————
I currently have this client who is in desperate need of a service dog so for months I’ve been searching for the perfect dog. I finally found her, but the cost to ship her is too expensive for my client as this dog had to be flown here after being rescued from the streets of Albania. She has endured hell being on her own, but now with the kindness of Arcadia Rescue in NJ she has really begun to flourish. She’s sweet, eager to please and great with everything that has been thrown at her. I truly believe she has what it takes to be successful. I posted the link in my bio if anyone has anything and I mean even just $1 to donate to this cause it would mean everything to my client, this dog, and myself.

10/09/2023

Congratulations to all the Trick Dog Novice graduates from today! You guys did phenomenal!! I hope I get to see some of you return for Trick Dog Intermediate!

03/09/2023

Check out the new blog post on how I prepared Hazel to attend an outdoor concert with me!

Hazel attending her first concert!

23/08/2023

Happy Birthday Purple Haze, Hazey Crazy, Hazel and the million other names I call you!!!
•
I can’t beleive you’re already 3! You’re the hardest working lady I know and I’m so proud of all we have accomplished together. I wouldn’t be standing here, the dog trainer I am today without you guiding me every step of the way. You’ve taught me with patience and dedication there is nothing we can’t achieve together. You’ve made me laugh and yes you definitely have made me cry, but I wouldn’t trade a single memory with you for anything. I’m eternally greatful for the independence you’ve given me and the life you’ve helped me create.
Happy birthday Haze🥰💜🐾

18/08/2023

Check out my newest blog post for the one year anniversary of Service Mutts LLC!

One year of Service Mutts

18/08/2023

I cannot beleive it’s been a year. A year since I started working towards my dreams to make them a reality. Service Mutts LLC is everything to me and I wouldn’t be standing here without my amazing mentor, Bruce MacWatters who never let me give up no matter how hard it got. He taught me everything I know and I’ll forever be greatful for everything he has given me. I also couldn’t do this without my incredible fiancé , TJ, who is just as passionate about Service Mutts as me. Without his continuous support I’d never be able to make it all work. Finally I want to thank all my clients who mean the world to me. I truly wouldn’t have made it this year without you.
•
If you’d like to hear more about my journey and the creation of Service Mutts there’s a new blog post up on my website!
•
Thank you all again and here’s to another year of Service Mutts and many more!

07/08/2023

Finally tested my very own Hazey Crazy for her Canine Good Citizen Urban. This was long overdue and she proved to me that all our training had paid off. Despite the three people that interrupted the test to attempt to pet her, she stayed engaged with me the entire time. I’m so happy with how she did and now it’s time to start training for Community Canine!

31/07/2023

Hi everyone! I have very exciting news! The website is officially launched!!! Check it out at servicemuttstraining.com !!

Welcome to Service Mutts LLCHelping families and dogs live in harmony since 2022 Learn More Meet the Pack Sweet T (Thea) The original service mutt that got me through it all goes by the nickname Sweet T. A beautiful retriever mix known for her love of everyone she meets is now enjoying her retiremen...

25/07/2023

Blessed to call this my pack 💖
•
One comment I get all the time about my pack is I got lucky. I didn’t get lucky. These dogs each came with their own problems they needed to work through. It was the time, consistency and work I put into helping these dogs reach their full potential that got them to where they are now.
•
I’m Sweet T’s 2nd/3rd home so when she moved to college with me she was a wreck. She had zero confidence, wouldn’t approach strangers, terrified of floor changes. Hazel was a rescue off a kill shelters list of dogs to be euthanized that day. I aquired her from a sanctuary and she came with zero leash walking skills, intense dog distractability, chewed everything I owned and howled beyond belief in a kennel. North…where do I start 😅 She’s a product of inexperienced trainers giving her too many inconsistencies and ultimately reinforcing bad habits. (Demand barking, barking in the kennels, terrible leash manners, nonexistent recall). All three of my dogs have overcome so much and I’m so proud of each one of them. They put in just as much work every training session as I do.
•
My point is “perfect dogs” don’t exist. Every dog has something that needs fine tuning and while some things take longer than others to work through we owe it to our dogs to help them live the happiest fullest lives we can.

12/07/2023

How do I get a reliable off lead dog without tools? Real training. It’s so easy to guarantee a recall by slapping an e collar on a dog and stimming them until they return. Yet what happens when the battery dies or when you forget to put the collar on?
•
Every dog starts somewhere and for Sweet T (Thea) we spent hours working on a simple game I call follow me.
•
Follow me is where I take a dog on a long line and everytime they approach me I say yes, drop a treat and walk away. Of course the dog will then run back up to me because they know I have treats and again I’ll say yes, drop a treat and walk away. What this game does is it builds trust in your dog that all the good things happen in their handlers bubble and they do all the work! I use a variety of other games such as the name game which I’ve explained in a previous post to make recall trianing way more fun than just calling a dog’s name and correcting them until they return.
•
These exercises build value in the handler so instead of having a dog that wanders off they will want to hang out with you because you are their magnet.

30/06/2023

A little reminder from the Service Mutts LLC family that doing nothing is the best kind of training! Just hanging out and teaching your dog to settle is one of the most useful skills! 10-15 minutes everyday of doing nothing with your dog in random places (driveway, front yard, local park, etc.) is so beneficial in creating a well balanced dog!

03/06/2023

Looking for someone to walk your dog and get some training in at the same time? We are now offering structured walks as our newest service!
•
The structured walk consists of teaching dogs how to loose lead heel while also getting in their daily exercise. For further questions on how to set your dog up with their first structured walk send us a message! 😊

03/06/2023

“Leave it”
How we got there || Final product
•
It’s so easy to start feeling doubtful of both you and your dog’s abilities when social media is full of videos that show the finished products but no videos showing the unedited mess that got you there. Dog training isn’t pretty all the time. Dogs make mistakes, people mistakes and all of this is totally valid. 😊

11/05/2023

Introducing Northern Lights aka North! I know I made a post on my story regarding this sweet girl but being that you’ll be seeing her in a lot of my upcoming training videos I figured it was time she received a formal welcome!
•
North formally known to SUNY Cobleskill as Nova was a program dog up for adoption. I worked with her in a class and fell in love with this lady and had to bring her into my pack and she’s fallen right into place! Hazel couldn’t be more thrilled to have a sister to howl and run around with!
•
North will not be used for service work but we are hoping to get her started in a few different sports. Stay tuned for my updates on how this little lady progresses (:

12/02/2023

So proud of todays teams that passed their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test!!! It’s so amazing to get to see these teams each week achieving more and more of their training goals. Watching Mason and Theodore earn their CGC today was such a great experience and I’m so proud of how each team crushed their test! Great work everyone!

11/02/2023

After seeing how well Hazel handled the gym I decided to start incorporating this into the “real world” training I do with my clients dogs. Today Tesla and I went to a planet fitness to work on her being able to work in a loud distracting environment. She handled it with the same goofiness she always does and I was very impressed with how confident she was in her surroundings.

09/02/2023

Hazel came with my boyfriend and I to our gym session this morning at Planet Fitness! She did incredible with holding her downs and heeled like a champ from station to station. The most important thing I’ve taught Hazel is her autocheck in and you can really tell in the last video how much nicer it is than having to ask your dog to focus 24/7. By letting her disengage and reengage at her own will Im letting her do the work and make the choice to look up at me. The way I taught this was whenever she was disengaged I would say “yes” and give her a treat. Over time she started to pair disengaging with turning to look at me and getting a treat so I changed the reward schedule to waiting until she randomly looked at me and rewarding her for it. Now she will every few steps on her own check back in with me which is a very important skills as service dogs need to be aware of where their handlers are and what they are doing in case they need to do their job.
*
I’m very happy with how Hazel handled this morning and it’s nice knowing I can count on my service mutt even when I’m working out🥰
*
🚨DISCLAIMER 🚨
I am in no way condoning bringing non service dogs into gyms only service animals protected by the ADA are allowed to accompany their handlers at the gym. Also service animals should not be on the equipment for safety reasons!

04/02/2023

Theodore took a trip to Starbucks to work on his downstays and settling in public. Some of the best training sessions are the boring one where you sit and do nothing and just capture the good stuff. He did great as usual and earned himself a pup cup at the end 🥰

02/02/2023

Today Tesla and I conquered the Albany-Rensselaer Train station and took a train to Schenectady. She was a bit wary when the train first started but as time progressed relaxed and took a short nap. Practicing real world scenerios like this is so beneficial because you never know when you might have to use public transportation. Having a dog that is comfortable traveling with you no matter the setting is a vital skill a service dog needs to be successful at their job. With the dogs I train I try to focus really hard on these real world scenarios because I don’t want to train dogs that look good in videos I post. I want to train dogs that can do their job no matter where they are so their handlers never have to worry about if their service dog will be okay traveling with them.