Good Lead Dog Training

05/09/2024

🌟Trainer Spotlight! Meet Rolando🌟

My career with dogs began in 2016 as a Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler in the Marine Corps. I worked as a Specialized Search Dog (SSD) handler with my partner, K9 “Eddie,” stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Throughout my military career as a dog handler, I traveled with Eddie to work/train in Iwakuni, South Korea, Arizona, and California. I worked with over 30 handlers and their dogs, eventually going on to coach and train new MWD handler/dog teams to the highest standard.

After my time with the military, I got a job in security with a new K9 partner, “Oz II,” an explosive detection dog (EDC). Oz and I do explosive detection work for major teams, including the Houston Astros, Houston Texans, and Arizona Cardinals. We also screen cargo to keep the public safe, screening thousands of pieces of freight to search for explosives before getting shipped out of IAH and other airports in the state of Texas. When not working in explosives detection, I’ve also continued my dog training career working with pet dogs and their families in basic obedience and behavior modification, and I specialize in working with anxiety, fear, and aggression cases.

I’m always continuing to learn and grow as a trainer, and in my free time, I enjoy obedience and hunting retriever training with my labs. I also volunteer with my retired Military Working Dog, Eddie, through visiting facilities such as assisted living homes to bring comfort to those in need.

03/09/2024

🌟Trainer Spotlight! Meet the Owner🌟

My name is Mindy and my dog training journey began in 2012 when I adopted my first dog, a fearful mixed breed named Maple. I realized there was a need to better understand shelter dog behavior after adopting her, and began helping at local animal shelters to walk dogs and provide enrichment. My early experience with shelters eventually led to my professional dog training career in 2017. Since I began dog training, I’ve helped hundreds of dogs and their families in everything from basic obedience to service and therapy dog training, but my passion lies in helping with behavior modification cases for anxious, reactive, or fearful dogs. When I’m not helping clients with their dogs, I volunteer my time by helping animal shelters, educating individuals through training workshops, and providing hands-on instruction in dog care and behavior management. Behavior is one of the main reasons dogs are returned or surrendered to shelters, and I believe that understanding how to manage these behaviors is key to successful adoption and fostering experiences!

I graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences and an MS in Business, and am certified in Pet Tech CPR & First Aid, a registered AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. I’m also Houston’s local coordinator for Go Team Therapy, Crisis, & Airport Dogs and volunteer with my dog in places like assisted living homes and children’s behavior clinics to bring comfort to those in need. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my five dogs and cat and competing in dog sports, such as: obedience, hunt tests, agility, and dock diving.

12/08/2024

Board and train student, Duke, looking like a distinguished gentleman 🎩👔

31/07/2024

Corgi mix, Ollie, is all smiles at group class this week! 😀🧀

15/07/2024

has been working on generalizing his “place” command and is having fun finding new things to “place” on, like this cat tree!

Did you know? Dogs don’t generalize well - it’s important to show them different scenarios and situations in training so they can understand commands anywhere and everywhere you go!

25/06/2024

Having a well behaved dog means you can take them out more often and relax! 🌊☀️

Our own pack + a friend pictured here (Beeps, Obi, Porter, Eddie, and Piper)

Struggling with your pup’s bad manners in public? Give us a ☎️ call or 📥 DM us for a free dog training consultation! (346)298-0777

19/06/2024

"My dog doesn't like car rides."

"My dog hates the vet."

"I can't cut my dog's nails."

"S(he) won't eat her food unless I add a little [human food] to it."

"My dog hates other dogs."

"S(he) will *be fine* once s(he) gets used to you."

"My dog is afraid of [thing/place/person/etc]."

"My dog hates the crate."

"My dog can't be left alone."

With precious few exceptions, all of these things are completely avoidable, so they never happen or can be fixed with appropriate effort.

The reason these behaviors appear is because owners never thought they needed to condition the dog to accept these things. At the very first sign of protest by the dog, the owner stops whatever they are doing and the dog registers that protest makes what the dog doesn't like, stop.

The next time the owner reenacts the same scenario, the dog doubles its effort, perhaps even quicker, and the owner stops again.

It doesn't matter what it is, what the dog's takeaway from each encounter, is when I fight, I win.

It could be as simple as holding a puppy, or putting equipment on the dog.

Owners make these things a struggle and heavily reinforce the dog every time they allow the dog to escape or avoid consequence for refusal or failure.

By the time the dog is a practiced adult, there will come a time where these things will need to be done, and either the owner, a veterinarian, some other caregiver, will be the recipient of a fair bit of fury when the dog exercises his memory of fast refusals at the first whiff of conflict, weighing in at adult weights, and having formed adult opinions.

It doesn't take much to prevent these things, but folks have their work cut out for them when they try to remediate these issues after they have been hardened by lack of conditioning.

Your dog is more than capable of learning how to be confined, restrained, groomed, approached safely by strangers, travel, etcetera.

What stands in the way of where you are now, and success, is knowing what to do, how to do it, and the effort necessary to get it all done.

We're here when you're ready.

26/05/2024

Lab mix, Teddy, is training with us since he gets a little nervous when meeting new people! His mom is doing a great job building his confidence through nosework games and supporting him by working him through tricky situations. Here he is getting a little more curious about the camera 😋 Great job, Teddy!

15/05/2024

13/05/2024

Competition is a great way to challenge the integrity of your training, and we learn something about ourselves and our dogs every time we trial! One of our own trainer’s dogs, Porter, got a CD title in AKC Obedience this weekend with scores of 181/200 for 1st place and 190/200 for 2nd place. We couldn’t be prouder of him!

There are so many different games and activities to try with your dog- for competition or just for fun - such as: obedience, tricks, dock diving, agility, scentwork, and much more! What’s something new you’ve tried or done with your dog recently?

22/04/2024

What a cutie! Meet Nori the labradoodle puppy! Nori just started training with us to get a jump start on foundational training and puppy basics! A question we’re commonly asked is - “when is the best time to start training my puppy?” and the answer to that is as soon as you can! Getting your puppy started off on the right foot can prevent bad habits from forming and set them up for success.

Here is Nori demonstrating a “stay” command on place. Great work to Nori and her family for their commitment to training! 🙌🐾

20/03/2024

Training has a way of bringing dogs closer to their people. When you worry less, you can enjoy life more 🥰

18/03/2024

Come see us this upcoming weekend on Saturday, March 23, from 1pm-7pm at 11 Below Brewing Company!

On March 23rd we will be hosting our first ever Oso Bazaar!
This eclectic market will host artists of all styles, makers of all trades, green thumbs, pet lovers and of course, beer lovers! There's something for everyone here - even our fur fam. Invite your fellow market lovers and join us from 1 to 7!

BBQ by the best


htx







silver.saguaro







And more!

11/03/2024

Getting together with friends is a great way to challenge your dog to working around distractions and socialize! From left to right- Osa, Porter, and Splash demonstrating a solid “stay” at

Huge CONGRATS to .bernedoodle for passing the test and getting her Canine Good Citizen title this weekend! 🙌

10/03/2024

This is a hot and hefty topic, but you know we keep it real around here… 🔥

The unfortunate truth is that, in many scenarios, this statement holds validity. Regardless of our dog's good behavior, the unpredictable nature of other dogs in the environment poses a risk to our pets.

A lack of understanding of canine body language is widespread, leaving numerous dogs feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, and stressed in places like dog parks. These emotions can escalate and result in conflicts.

How do you choose to spend quality time with your dog, considering alternatives to the dog park?

04/03/2024

Meet Mac! Mac is a 1.5 year old Shih Tzu brushing up on his obedience! Mac gets a little excited on leash when he gets to go to work with his dad and also likes to play “keep away” in the house. We love training little dogs, and he sure is clever!!! Mac LOVES to play more than anything, and enjoys toys as a motivator in training.

What gets your dog excited and engaged? Is it food, toys, or personal praise?

25/02/2024

One of our own dogs, Porter, did the thing this weekend and finished his BN title for AKC obedience and also got his first leg in Novice class! We managed to take home first place in all three trials. 🥇

I’ve worked a dog trainer, primarily dealing with behavior modification cases for over 7 years now, and in this last year we’ve just started dabbling in competition obedience. We’re learning with every dog show we go to, and many elements of competition obedience have also helped me improve my toolbox for training pet dogs and behavior mod cases. It’s been an incredible experience training and challenging ourselves to someone else’s (AKC’s) standard! We are staying hungry and always striving to do better, even if it’s just 1% at a time. Onward! 🐾

31/01/2024

Beeps, a cattle dog/shih tzu/chihuahua mix, showing off a “stay” and demonstrating that little dogs CAN be trained! Training creates opportunities for you to worry less and just enjoy life around town with your dogs. 😌🏙️

23/01/2024

Practicing some down-stays in group class ✋

23/01/2024

Tired.
Your puppy is tired.
The most common call I get for puppies is that the puppy gets out of control at times, and is biting the owners. I used to laugh and think "how could a tiny puppy be such a tyrant?". But then I saw it, time and again. It's not hard to fix. Typically ignoring the puppy won't stop it, squealing OW won't stop it, holding the dog's mouth shut won't stop it, and for sure the stupid alpha roll won't stop it.
You let the puppy get far, far too tired and didn't put it up, then it gets all wound up. Puppies need 20+ hours of sleep a day. Get your puppy out of the crate or exercise pen, potty it, feed it if needed, and play with it for a bit. Then put it back in the crate. If the puppy falls asleep within 5 minutes it was tired. Let puppy sleep an hour or two then get it out again and repeat the cycle. Puppies shouldn't be left out to get all worked up, and practice pottying in out of the way places, and shred your possessions. Put the puppy up. A lot of the nipping will just go away as the puppy matures. If you're in Dallas Fort Worth area and you need a plan and help with your new puppy contact me.

19/01/2024

Solstice, a 1.5 year old Labrador Retriever, working on being attentive to his handler, Nathan! Along with practicing neutrality in public, Solstice also gets rewarded for checking in regularly. Attention is the foundation to everything else that follows in training! 👀‼️

06/01/2024

Meet Chulo! This sweet boy is learning how to be calm on leash around other dogs, and he’s looking absolutely dashing while doing so! 🎀

04/01/2024

Happy new year from Milan and Esme! 🎊

Milan is an American Eskimo Dog working on not barking at the door and Esme is a Japanese Spitz pup that is just getting started with puppy training. New year, new training goals! We couldn’t be prouder of all the hard work their mom is putting in 👏🥳

26/12/2023

We loved having Monkey over to board for Christmas! 🎄🎁 Beeps really enjoyed having another little guy to hang out with. Small dogs CAN be trained! 😎

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Good Lead pack to yours! 🎁🐾

23/12/2023

🙌🏽

Have you checked out our dog sport + training merch? We promise you won’t be disappointed ˙ᵕ˙ ShopCanineAesthete.com

23/12/2023

The “place” command is not only great for teaching obedience, but for taking pictures too! Featuring Aspen, looking like a model on “place!”