Harmonious Handling

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Harmonious Handling Harmonious Handling wants to help every dog owner enhance the human-animal bond with their pet. We us
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Sterling
02/04/2024

Sterling

Beautiful day for a walk.
26/02/2024

Beautiful day for a walk.

Iris and Luna during their stay and train
18/02/2024

Iris and Luna during their stay and train

18/02/2024

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Cora and Duke
04/11/2023

Cora and Duke

Blaze.
12/10/2023

Blaze.

We wanted to do a quick poll to see what best suits our clients needs. Please fill in the comments below.
22/08/2023

We wanted to do a quick poll to see what best suits our clients needs. Please fill in the comments below.

Graham and Coco getting cozy together.
21/08/2023

Graham and Coco getting cozy together.

King settling in for the week while his mom and dad are on vacation.
16/08/2023

King settling in for the week while his mom and dad are on vacation.

My soul dog .
09/08/2023

My soul dog .

Had an amazing sniff spot trip today! I definitely recommend checking it out!
16/07/2023

Had an amazing sniff spot trip today! I definitely recommend checking it out!

Island in the Stream, Licking Creek Dog park, Big Pool, Maryland - 20 acre Island for full run of natural land, in the middle of Licking Creek. Island has a few mowed areas and trails. Great spot...

Mick is feeling cuddly
27/06/2023

Mick is feeling cuddly

mapenzi behaving like a perfect angel at the vet today.
25/04/2023

mapenzi behaving like a perfect angel at the vet today.

Doggy cuddle pile
23/04/2023

Doggy cuddle pile

04/04/2023

The important thing with cooperative care is that is something that the dog offers to do willingly and it is not forced. Here we work on looking at the ears, touching feet, looking at her teeth, and skin tenting for vaccinations.

25/03/2023

More hide and seek recall training with Echo.

25/03/2023

Echo is working on her recall today by playing hide and seek in the house.
Wondering why we don’t use the word come when we train recall? Comment what you think or ask us why!

17/03/2023

Echo is one of our stay and train dogs. Here we are at a vet appointment working in a stressful environment. We want to give her plenty of choices at the vet, but also reward good behaviors. It’s important to have great vets like ours that are fear free and try to make the experience as positive as possible!

New stay and train Echo. This pretty girl will be learning all of her puppy basics.
05/03/2023

New stay and train Echo. This pretty girl will be learning all of her puppy basics.

Zoey and Luna had a spa day before going home from their stay and train. All of our stay and trains enjoy a pampering pa...
12/02/2023

Zoey and Luna had a spa day before going home from their stay and train. All of our stay and trains enjoy a pampering package before going home.

trainer

This cute little guy loves the camera.
11/02/2023

This cute little guy loves the camera.

To calm dogs, patiently waiting. reinforcement
22/01/2023

To calm dogs, patiently waiting.
reinforcement

When you’re crate training, you make an extra yummy enrichment toy for when you’re practicing Crate time.
19/01/2023

When you’re crate training, you make an extra yummy enrichment toy for when you’re practicing Crate time.

Little snuggle flooffs.
18/01/2023

Little snuggle flooffs.

First full day of training with Zoe she’s warming up to everyone nicely.
16/01/2023

First full day of training with Zoe she’s warming up to everyone nicely.

Puppy training session with Gabby. ,
08/01/2023

Puppy training session with Gabby.
,

Some well behaved dogs.
03/01/2023

Some well behaved dogs.

Happy holidays from harmonious handling
25/12/2022

Happy holidays from harmonious handling

Colts hiding. I found you.
20/12/2022

Colts hiding. I found you.

Jack looking for attention.
04/12/2022

Jack looking for attention.

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Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 21:00
Thursday 08:00 - 21:00
Friday 08:00 - 21:00
Saturday 08:00 - 21:00
Sunday 08:00 - 21:00

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Videos

Co-Op care practice.
Co-Op care practice.

The important thing with cooperative care is that is something that the dog offers to do willingly and it is not forced. Here we work on looking at the ears, touching feet, looking at her teeth, and skin tenting for vaccinations.

More hide and seek recall training with Echo.
More hide and seek recall training with Echo.

More hide and seek recall training with Echo.

Echo hide and seek
Echo hide and seek

Echo is working on her recall today by playing hide and seek in the house. Wondering why we don’t use the word come when we train recall? Comment what you think or ask us why!

Echo the husky at the vet.
Echo the husky at the vet.

Echo is one of our stay and train dogs. Here we are at a vet appointment working in a stressful environment. We want to give her plenty of choices at the vet, but also reward good behaviors. It’s important to have great vets like ours that are fear free and try to make the experience as positive as possible!

Cooper on his long-line.
Cooper on his long-line.

Here Cooper is walking on his long line. The 30-foot leash is the most common way we let Cooper walk. His rule is that he’s not allowed to pull. It’s important to allow our dogs to do dog things like sniff and explore when they’re out on their walks.

Cooper working on a short leash.
Cooper working on a short leash.

Here Cooper’s practicing walking on a very short leash for when he has to go past distractions or needs to be close to be safe. We want him to be able to walk right next to us and not pull. This is not Cooper’s main walking style when we are out he’s usually on a much longer line but it’s important that he knows how to do both. We make sure to use both the front and back clip of his harness when we practice this type of walking.

Cooper working on his whistle recall.
Cooper working on his whistle recall.

Cooper is a very handsome GSP who really struggles with listening and recall. He is an excited boy. Today we learned his love language is baby talk and praise. Notice how much quicker he starts coming back after we add it in. Every dog has their own favorite rewards. Food, toy, praise, baby talk! And what’s rewarding for one dog could be punishing for another. Make sure you learn what motivates your dog!

Molly learning the leave-it command.
Molly learning the leave-it command.

Molly learning the leave-it command with her favorite sweet potato treats! Molly is only with us for a short 2 week and is one smart pup and we are definitely going to miss her when she goes home. She definitely ready for a spa day today!!

Meet Darcy! She is Adoptable!
Meet Darcy! She is Adoptable!

Darcy’s foster family has been bring her for training for basic obedience and anxiety. When she first started coming she was to anxious to sit or lie down but look how amazing she is doing with her foster mom now! If you’re interested in learning more about Darcy I can put you in touch with her foster mom! We have also agreed offer some discounted training to whomever adopts her to help her continue to grow and learn!

Nico working on back up and approach. Both new for him today.
Nico working on back up and approach. Both new for him today.

Rewarding calm behavior at the crazy lunch table.
Rewarding calm behavior at the crazy lunch table.

Nico playing a name game.
Nico playing a name game.

Meet Nico! He is a 10 month old golden retriever who has a lot of energy and struggles to listen. Mark and Nico are playing a name game to build excitement around his name. This is extremely helpful for dogs that don’t know their names yet or have learned to ignore you when you say their name. The first part to getting your dog to listen to you is by crating excitement and easy wins when you say their name. Nico will practice this game with us for 5 minutes and 5 times a day to start!

Nico and toy rewards.
Nico and toy rewards.

Nico an me are working on building up toys as reward and switching out toys easily. He’s learning tug is a reward and these are some of our first steps to building a working relationship.

Recall Games
Recall Games

Mark is amping up Maverick’s recall by playing some outdoor hide and seek today!

Off leash walking!
Off leash walking!

Mapenzie’s off leash skills are coming along nicely! This sweet boy is still looking for his forever home contact me if you’re interested!

Kip Playing

Jackson working on place training during dinner.
Jackson working on place training during dinner.

Jackson working on place training during dinner.

Diesel woekkng on a walk with distarctions.
Diesel woekkng on a walk with distarctions.

Some days I wish I could convince everyone that a 6 foot leash is not the way to walk or train your dog. A leash is a safety net and it’s not meant to control your dog. Here we are working on our walking skills using a long line and teaching Diesel that he is allowed to be a dog and explore but we LOVE when he checks in with us and that working with me is also rewarding. The environment provides so many rewards on its own it can be hard to get a dog to pay attention to you while walking. Make it fun for your dog to be with you! Toys, food, catching, chasing, and sniffing are great rewards! For Otis Sake Rescue, Inc.

Shaping Exercise with Diesel
Shaping Exercise with Diesel

Here is Diesel learning a new activity. The end goal is put your head in the cone and hold the position. This is Diesel’s first shaping exercise. Prior to this we had been luring into behaviors but this time he had to figure out what to do with just the sound of the clicker. Can you tell when he really starts to understand what to do? With shaping we reward small steps before we get to the end goal. We started with just looking at the cone and built up to holding his head in the cone for a short period. Just a reminder Diesel is up for adoption with For Otis Sake Rescue, Inc.

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Helping Enhance the Human-Animal Bond

Our mission statement. Harmonious Handling wants to help every dog owner enhance the human-animal bond with their pet. We use positive reinforcement methods to teach basic manners, advanced training, and help recondition/reshape problem behaviors. Through proper training and handling, we help create a deep meaningful connection with your dog and create mutual trust.

About the owner, Melissa. My passion for animals started at a very young age. As a child, it felt as though all the stray dogs and cats found me. To my mother's dismay, I was sure to bring home every animal I thought needed my help. I brought home everything including dogs and cats, to snakes and snails.

I started working in the veterinary field when I was 16 cleaning kennels at a small Veterinary Clinic in Iowa. I moved up from kennel work and became an assistant. Later on, I began doing reception work in general and emergency veterinary clinics. I then moved on to become a Veterinary Technician when I was 21.

As I continued on my career path I took a special interest in animal behavior, fear-free practices, and training. At 29 I decided to take the next step and open Harmonious Handling. I am sure you will quickly see my passion for working with animals in our time together, and I look forward to meeting you and your pup.​