The Paid Pup: Modern Dog Learning & Advocacy

23/03/2025

Consent-based care isn’t optional. It’s everything. And last week, someone I trusted chose to ignore it.

My beautiful, gentle 14-year-old Percy came home from his groomer shaking. She claims to use a force-free, stress-free approach. She does not.

Percy is deaf. He's partially blind. He's frail. And yesterday, someone I trusted to care for him with compassion chose to do the exact opposite.

I can't stop thinking about how scared he must have been.

Here's the thing about operating without force or fear - either you're doing it, or you're not. There's no middle ground. There's no "consent-based and compassionate, except when I'm annoyed or want to get the job done quickly."

We had discussed his boundaries extensively. He doesn't like his paws touched. His nails are sensitive. His muzzle and private areas are off-limits.

She knew I'd rather he come home half groomed than been forced through anything.

She KNEW all this.

And yet, for whatever reason, she did the opposite.

She shaved his entire muzzle. Shaved his private areas. Shaved his feet and clipped his nails. All the things we had explicitly agreed she would NOT do if he showed any discomfort.

To do this she would have HAD to restrain him, to force him, to subjugate him to a process that would have petrified him.

This wasn't an accident. This wasn't a miscommunication. This was a choice.

A choice to prioritize her process over my elderly dog's emotional wellbeing.

A choice to ignore his boundaries because they were inconvenient.

A choice to send a message: "Your dog's comfort doesn't actually matter to me, even though I pretend it does."

When a groomer, vet, trainer or any professional who works with dogs puts the end result above the emotional journey to get there, they are failing that dog.

Full stop.

I would rather have the scruffiest dog in town than know my boy spent even one minute feeling afraid and helpless while someone forced procedures on him.

I'm devastated that I couldn't protect him from this.

That someone who used all the right words - "low stress," "positive," "force-free" - chose to do the exact opposite the moment it became challenging.

When we talk about "consent-based care" for dogs, some people roll their eyes. "It's just a dog," they say. "Sometimes you have to just get things done."

But if you've ever looked into the eyes of a dog who trusts you completely to keep them safe... if you've ever felt the weight of that responsibility... you know.

You know that "just getting it done" isn't good enough. Not even close.

I don't care how perfect a groom looks if it came at the cost of my dog's dignity and trust.

I don't care how convenient it is to force a dog through a procedure instead of taking the time to build trust.

I don't care what anyone thinks about being "precious" with my dog's boundaries.

Because at the end of the day, I'm all Percy has. I'm his voice. I'm his advocate. And I failed him by trusting someone who used kindness as a marketing slogan rather than a genuine commitment.

To every professional working with dogs:
Words matter. Promises matter. But your actions matter most.

If you claim to be "low stress", "no fear" or "force free," but get frustrated when a dog doesn't comply, you're not what you claim to be.

If you advertise gentle handling but prioritize efficiency over emotional wellbeing, you're not what you claim to be.

If you think a result justifies trauma to get there, you're not what you claim to be.

All our dogs deserve better. They deserve practitioners who truly understand that consent isn't optional - it's everything.

You have the right to demand that of every professional in your dog's life.

Percy deserved better. And I'll spend every day making sure he never experiences anything like that again.

Because real love means respecting boundaries, even when it's inconvenient.

Real care means prioritizing emotional wellbeing over results.

Really working without fear isn't just marketing - it's a promise you keep even when no one is watching.

If the process isn’t kind, the result doesn’t matter.

31/12/2024

It’s no secret that Rilo and I have been struggling.

When I first adopted him he was fearful and anxious around new people, especially masculine presenting folks—even just walking past them on the street was too much for my guy.

This kind of behavior wasn’t new to me and I felt confident that we’d get through it, and we did.

He’s made tremendous headway in his everyday confidence and recovery skills. He is playful and smart and loves learning.

In September, his behavior took a turn. His hypervigilance increased tenfold, he couldn’t relax in the evenings, and the most challenging of all—he began attacking me.

Yes, attacking. It’s a big word, but it’s the only way to describe what has been happening in our home in a way that most will understand.

It first started when he was somewhat relaxed or asleep, even if he was on the opposite end of the couch as me, if the couch moved slightly, he’d launch out of sleep biting at my hands multiple times.

We put management in place, got a veterinary behaviorist on board, and have been trialing medications.

With all of this in place, attacks still happened and are continuing to happen. Twice recently he has approached and clearly asked for pets (I stay up near his neck and away from his back end with several consent checks), and while still consenting he has gone into attack mode.

He’s been in and out of the vet to assess his pain—which is likely the cause of the attacks. Poor guy. He likely has a chronic form of IVDD, but we have no done imaging, which is next. We need to see what’s going on in his body so I can help him get out of pain.

The way we’ve been living for the past four months is not sustainable and both of our qualities of life are suffering.

I don’t feel safe in my own home. Rilo is clearly in immense pain. We need answers.

As a single pet parent and small business owner, navigating this on my low income has nearly broken me financially and emotionally.

Please help if you can. Share if you can. For me and my guy. ❤️

Link to go fund me in bio and here:
https://gofund.me/9aa58695

Thank you so much.

31/12/2024

It's rough times over here. Please donate or share, we'd be forever grateful.

Rilo has been in chronic pain, likely due to IVDD, for the past several month… Michelle Reindal needs your support for Help Rilo Find Relief from Chronic Pain

12/12/2024

By the time Bear’s humans found me, they’d already been to two dog trainers. One trainer instructed them to spit in his food to assert dominance, and the other insisted they throw chains on the floor near his feet to startle him. The offending behavior? Barking at the door.

Bear is a Great Pyrenees. A livestock guardian breed whose genetics tell him to dutifully roam the perimeter and alert (by barking) to any possible threat. Bear’s behavior wasn’t a “problem”, it was a feature. Most “problem” behaviors in dogs are normal behaviors that humans have a problem with.

Before trying to change another species’s functional behavior, we should probably first educate ourselves about that species, ask ourselves if it’s absolutely necessary, and then use the methods with the least amount of harm to teach the animal that they’re safe and work with them to find an alternative behavior that still meets the dog’s needs.

But that’s not what we do.

We claim to love dogs. We make movies about them. We call them our “best friends”, and we fold them into our lives and hearts, but we rarely take the time to really learn about their inner worlds.

At a systemic level, we are failing them.

Read more here: https://open.substack.com/pub/michellereindal/p/we-are-systemically-failing-dogs?r=179hmq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

[ :] Seven green slides with words. Slide 1: We claim to love dogs, but we are systemically failing them. Slide 2: We want to help dogs—rescue them—befriend them—but we haven’t taken the time to learn what is actually helpful to them as a species. Slide 3: We’ve failed to educate new guardians about the canine species—their body language, welfare concerns, and innate needs. Slide 4: We’ve failed to understand that physical health and behavior are inextricably linked. Slide 5: We’ve let misinformation and disinformation reign, while charlatans take center stage. *Looking at you, National Geographic. Cont in comments.

04/12/2024

SEATTLE ALERT: AMAZING DOG UP FOR ADOPTION!

Bosley, a long-time pal of mine is looking for a new home and he is such a catch! Seriously. This guy is such a happy, goofy guy and deserves a home where he is a top priority.

I’ve known him for five years and he has made tremendous headway with leash reactivity. He is mostly unbothered by dogs on leash these days—though he will bark back if barked at first. :) He shakes it off easily and gets back to sniffing the environment—his favorite thing!

Bosley is the perfect hiking partner, and just an all-around solid dog who wants to be a part of your life. He also has great dog/dog skills with the right match and could potentially be a great addition to a home with another dog.

He is being re-homed because his family does not have time for him and he is not a top priority in the home. I am hopeful that he can have a second chance at a life in a home where he can get the love and attention he so deserves.

Here is his Home to Home Profile:
https://home-home.org/pets/e3c6d651-4954-4c1a-852c-e558439a2314

Bonus: He comes with a free training/behavior consultation from me to go over all of his cues, management techniques, etc, as well as the option to continue his every other week decompression walks in the woods with me.

17/10/2024

My guy in the fall. 🖤🍂

We’ve had a rough several weeks and are finally feeling a bit of relief.

Backstory in case you didn’t see my stories: Rilo has been anxious, hyperactive, and very irritable for the last three weeks or so. This is after his normal routine and species appropriate needs have been met.

I’m the dogged detective on the case and it’s been daunting and exhausting.

We’ve explored the possibility of an allergy flare, IVDD (slipped disc in lumbar area), a noise or smell outside our home, seasonal changes—honestly just about every avenue my brain can spiral down.

With pain meds on board he’s been able to relax a bit more and his irritability has decreased a little, but is still there. We don’t have an in-the-moment anxiety medication because he has a paradoxical reaction to Trazodone (arguably the most popular option), and he gets more irritable with Clonidine. We are exploring other options for acute anxiety episodes.

The last two days have shown some relief. He’s been able to have a chew (sheep’s horn, which is a horrendous smell) and then relax during the time he has been hyperactive. He’s also been a bit less anxious and reactive on walks. However, he HAS been extra noise-sensitive while inside, which is very new for him.

I’m always collecting data, advocating hard for him, and also trying to care for myself and meet my own needs while we go through this.

To my clients and to everyone who is their dog’s detective, I see you. This is hard—under appreciated, and often misunderstood—work.

Behavior is information. Our dogs deserve an investigation into what is going on with them.

This isn’t “training”. This is being in tune with our dogs body and brain and supporting them through their struggles.

We all need support sometimes—for a day, or maybe even a few months. I’m glad to be that safe space for my guy.
[Accessibility: A photo of a small white and brown dog standing on the ground surrounded by brown and red fall leaves. The dog’s expression is curious with floppy ears out to the side and his lip is caught on his teeth.]

10/10/2024

💀 SPOOKY 💀

I really freaked myself out with some of these! 😵‍💫😱

A haunted house 
but around every corner is an industry fence sitter snidely inviting you to be kind and build bridges with abusive trainers.

A haunted house
But it’s full of obtuse guardians not reading the room and barrelling toward you as you and your dog are obviously trying to get space and remain under threshold. 

A haunted house
But in every room is a dog on a raised cot in a forced down-stay while a smug human with a mini educator intimidates them. 

A haunted house
But it’s just s**tty tik-tok trainers shouting misinformation, followed by logical fallacies until you realize you’re losing brain cells and must flee.

A haunted house
But it’s filled with strangers you have to introduce yourself to and tell them what you do for a living, then listen to them compare you to Cesar Millan. 

A haunted house
But in every room your dog takes a s**t and you’ve just run out of p**p bags. 

A haunted house
But it’s just receipts of everything you’ve ever purchased for your dog. 

A haunted house
But it’s full of people telling you your dog is “spoiled”, and when you explain that you are providing the basic level of care that all dogs should be receiving, they balk and laugh. 

A haunted house
But it’s filled with strangers chasing you around telling you they’re “good with dogs” and attempting to stick their hand in front of your dog’s nose to “make friends”. 

A haunted house
But all of the misinformation you once believed about dogs before you knew better is projected onto the walls for all to see. 
[Accessibility: 10 orange slides with black lettering on them that say “A haunted house, but” and align with the caption.]

22/09/2024

Imagine if every time you were in public and glanced at a stranger, they took it as an invitation to interact and touch you without consent.

Dogs who are wary of strangers may look longer or more intensely to gather information and assure the trigger is not heading their way. This is akin to keeping an eye on a spider in your house to make sure it’s not heading toward you!

A dog who is looking at you is not asking for you to get closer, baby talk, make eye contact, or touch them. If you can’t help yourself, make a habit of smiling at the guardian and ignoring the dog.

A dog who wants to interact with you will be beyond obvious. They will come toward you with a loose, wiggly body, and lean in against you without any prompting. If they are not doing this, ignore them.

Advocate for you dog, and spread the word.

[Description: Four slides with a white background and black words that say the same thing as the body of the caption.]

05/09/2024

That’s it, that’s the post. This is all the brain cells I currently have to weigh in on the industry’s waffling with the same stale arguments and logical fallacies. I’m tired. We all are.

[Accessibility: A screenshot of the iPhone notes app with the words “Imagine spending your time arguing for the use of coercive control and punishment in teaching and living with dogs in 2024. How embarrassing for you. 😬”]

27/08/2024

Eileenanddogs nailed it.

In February 2023, Ivan Balabanov gave a podcast called The Real Facts About Science Based Dog Training. There were problems. Let's learn about Gish Gallops.

22/08/2024

Yesterday I witnessed a real-life example of healing, and it helped me pull together the thoughts tossing around in my head lately.

I’ve been working with Bosley in different capacities for about five years. When I first met him he was chronically frustrated, jumpy, mouthy, and desperate to constantly move forward in the environment.

His threshold for seeing other dogs or really any interesting stimuli on leash was very low. He’d bark, lunge, and become so escalated that the rest of the walk was spent in hypervigilance mode—”what’s gonna pop out next?! I’m ready!”.

He learned basics and management tactics, but it wasn’t until I switched gears and started taking him for regular decompression walks—while focusing on predictability, the trust and bond between us, and recovery AFTER a reaction that I noticed real healing begin to take form.

Boz is able to walk on a 30ft leash in the woods on a trail and pass other dogs now. With a kissy noise or recall word, he’s back by my side in a flash. He knows what to expect and he knows I have his back. He reports the environment to me sometimes before I even notice! If he starts to get escalated I can bring him back with pattern games and continue the walk with no issues.

Yesterday while approaching the entrance to our trail, a dog in a car barked at Boz via an open window (big trigger), and we could not escape into the park because two very slow people were exiting at the same time. We were stuck. Boz barked back at the dog—”yeah, f**k you too! We’re both trying to have a good time here!” Then we made our way onto the trail and instead of remaining escalated, he started sniffing intensely and checking in with me. We did a few patterns and he trotted off like no big deal.

Later in the walk we passed by three dogs and several critters and no intervention was needed. He reported them to me and we moved along.

This is resilience. This is what we are looking for.

Accessibility in comments.

15/08/2024

This is important!

Myth busting Monday: “I’m pretty sure he’s doing it to protect me”

Sometimes, when I get called in to work with a dog struggling around strangers, the dog’s person says something along the lines of “I’m pretty sure he’s doing it to protect me”. They may say this because they’re searching for an answer as to WHY the dog is behaving aggressively, they may say this because the dog only does it when in the home, or when they’re with their people. But this is not typically the reason for the dog’s aggressive behavior.

The vast, vast, VAST majority of aggressive dogs I see and work with are doing so out of fear. This is even more true for dogs who bark at, lunge at, and try to bite strangers. It’s tempting to think that the dog is protecting their human; honestly I sometimes think it’s even flattering to the human, thinking that their dog values them so much they’ll protect them. Here’s the rub though: there’s no way to know for sure what the dog is thinking (my job would be much easier if I could simply ask your dog to lie on my couch and tell me about themselves!), but framing it as “protection” rather than what it truly is, which is fear, can derail your training and lead you off on an unnecessary path.

“Yeah okay but they only do it when I’m around, if I’m not around they’re fine!” You might say. To which I say “what does fine look like?” In these cases usually fine looks like barely tolerating or avoiding strangers, some mild stress signals, absence of obvious aggression. More often than not in these scenarios the dog is merely tolerating the presence of the strangers because it’s people aren’t around and they know they don’t have their “posse” nearby; they understand that if they make themselves obvious by acting aggressively that they don’t have any back up! It’s not uncommon for behavior to change depending on who is around, and that can often make situations like this a real head scratcher. But I have found that it’s RARE for dogs to be actively pro social and affiliative (dog trainer speak for a dog who actively seeks out attention and petting from people) towards strangers in these situations.

Because we don’t speak dog and dogs don’t speak English it can be hard to identify WHY the dog is doing something, but the good news is a trainer that knows what they’re doing doesn’t need to know the WHY to change it! At the same time it’s important to realize that taking fear based behaviors and reframing them in a way that makes us feel good or better about the situation is problematic, can lead to inefficiency in your training, and can lead to serious quality of life issues for our dogs.

The one caveat to this post may be dogs trained in protection sports, police k9s, certain working lines of different breeds, etc. but I simply don’t know enough about these exceptions to speak on them... so I won’t! 😁

13/07/2024

Look at this precious Angel!

Old Dog Haven HOME FOUND

This girl needs our help! If you can't foster for Old Dog Haven, you can still help by hitting your share buttons. 🙏🙏

URGENT - PERMANENT Old Dog Haven FOSTER HOME FOUND
(in W. Washington or Portland OR only)

Female (not sure if spayed) chihuahua, who weighs 7 pounds. This sweet little girl came into the shelter infested with fleas (treated for that of course) and thus with a severe flea-bite anemia. She was in pretty bad shape but with care and time she should recover. She's eating well and good on walks so hasn't given up at all. She definitely needs a dental when recovered enough and there is a large soft mass on her hip that's not been diagnosed yet. We would really like to get her out of the shelter and started on good care to fix her up.

If you would like to help this sweet old girl (we don't know her age) that the shelter is calling Bianca, she needs you! To join our network of forever foster homes, please read through the link below and contact us. We have MANY dogs on our waitlist!!
All vet bills are covered for the life of the dogs we bring into our care. This is possible because of donations.

https://olddoghaven.org/how-to-help/fostering/

10/07/2024

Five years without you today, my guy. Unbelievable. You are forever my North Star and my reason. I see your spirit in Rilo, and I know Mia is with you.

This feels like a milestone. That I’ve survived without you for five years. That I’ve taken the lessons you taught me and shared them with other guardians who are dealing with their own “difficult” dog—or rather the dog who comes into your life to turn your world upside down and evolve your soul.

You are always on my mind and in my heart. I miss you. Tell Mia hi for me.
Photo description: A tan, 20lb terrier/chihuahua
type dog with big ears and wearing a black coat stands on a ledge and looks at camera with blue sky, a few clouds, and big green trees in the background.