Proud Pups Canine Academy

01/06/2024

Zeus says it’s a good day to practice obedience!! Get on out there and run some known commands, your dogs will be soooo happy you did (and maybe even a little more tired)!!!

11/03/2024

Sun’s out - tongues out!! 🤪
Anyone else turn play time into training? I ask my sweet beans to do different things and chasing the ball is their reward, along with a tonnn of praise. no treats needed! Message me to learn how you can make training part of your daily routine too!

06/10/2023

Let’s talk about tugs and play time.
Some common phrases I hear when the topic of thg toys arises:
“My dog doesn’t play tug-of-war.”
“When we start playing tug, my dog just takes the toy and runs away.”
“When my dog wins tug, I’m letting them dominate me.”
“Playing tug will make my dog aggressive.”

Do any of these sound familiar? Message me for practical solutions and change your play time for the better!

Play time is a huge part of training. While it is so important to teach our dogs to be independently confident with a game of fetch or bone time, it is just as important that we are engaging WITH our dogs in a way that doesn’t include trading a treat for the ball.
Think about it - when your dog chews on a bone or their favorite toy, you can see the satisfaction in their body language. We are creating a similar joy through one on one tug-of-war.
Playing tug taps into a dog’s natural instincts and promotes impulse control while strengthening your bond as their owner.
Through quick movements, challenging back-and-forth play, and rewarding wins - you are having a whole conversation with your dog!

What if your dog is set in their ways and has never played tug? Talk to me and we’ll work on a solution that is tailored to YOU!

29/09/2023

We trained for over an hour and I barely had to move or say anything 😱 ask me how!

13/09/2023

Well it’s a woof-tastic Wednesday if I ever did see one! This is Luna - she has come SO far in our training. When I say it was genuinely a struggle to get her to go potty outside from puppyhood to over 1 year in age - it’s not an exaggeration. She was SO scared, and I didn’t help by throwing a harness on and hoping she wouldn’t try to back out of it…
We started practicing heel in the yard in our working sessions - then took our heels to a state park where we can have some space on the trails - then more public like a riverwalk. We worked up to her advanced obedience and it took years - it still isn’t perfect.

SO today we went on a walk at a local riverwalk - plenty of dogs, bikes, strollers, and runners for her to decisively walk by without being set off into “fight or flight”. I took on my job of being a confident and observant handler - she’s with me, I am not with her.
Luna also took on a job - walk with mom and listen to her when she puts me in a heel or asks me to sit/stay as a reactive dog barks and lunges past us. This got me thinking!!
If your dog had a resume to get a job, what would their three best qualities be?
If your dog had a job already, what would they be reported to HR for the most?

I’ll go first!
Luna’s 3 best skills:
-attention to detail - able to keep records dating 5 years back without writing any of it down
-highly motivated to reach her goals
-can be a leader

Why would she get written up?
-yells at everyone in high stress situations
-bullies her coworkers for their lunch
-sleeps a LOT

Comment below a picture of your dog and their 3 best/worst traits if they had a corporate job!

29/08/2023

Good morning world! How is everyone today?

We have maintenance workers coming by at some point today and my girl is reactive to knocks on the door…she’ll transfer her fear/reactivity toward Zevon and I have put in too much work to let a known, slightly uncontrollable event cause such regression as a possible fight.

SO, what the heck do I do?? I can’t telepathically tell the maintenance workers not to knock!

It’s simple. With control, respect, and love I have set boundaries for both Luna and Zevon to have all their needs met. We started the day with a walk for each dog, physically working their body and mentally challenging them with heel, sit, and the oh-so-wonderful sniffari time! Now, I have no idea when maintenance is coming but I know it could be any time now so next up is a mental activity based on each dog’s needs and drives.

If Luna is given a bone of any kind, she stands in her crate with it in her mouth waiting until she can get out to hide it - that doesn’t seem very fair. So she gets a snuffle mat, with a little mix of treats and her kibble so not to overload her with excess calories.

Zevon, on the other hand, would shred a snuffle mat to pieces, he has ripped the top off of kongs…he LOVES food, don’t we all?
Because of that, Zevon gets a bone.
They each get their respective mental stimulation in their respective crates, with a sheet draped on Lunas so she is not too focused on what brother has.

Okay okay they’re set up for this morning but what if no one shows until 4pm, you’re gonna crate your dogs all day??
Yes. But with fair breaks in between. We will go outside for working play time - sit and stay for the ball or tug, reward with playing with the ball or tug. Then back inside with some water, a bone, and/or a much needed nap.
The crate is often viewed as a place for timeout or punishment. This should NEVER be the case. The crate should be your dog’s safe space, their own personal haven when they need to get away. I’m sure you can relate. While our dogs do not think exactly like us, they do feel similar emotions and choose to react or respond. Give your dog a chance to respond, set them up for success. Please reach out with any questions!!

26/08/2023

It’s the best day of the year!! Happy National Dog Day to alllll 4-legged, floppy or pointy eared, wagging tail friends. Whether I’ve had the chance to give you a treat or our paths have not crossed just yet, may your days be full of sniffaris and snacks. May your nights be the snuggliest of all. 💕🐶🐾

Comment with pics of your dogs to celebrate!!!

21/08/2023

Good Afternoon my friends!! We have great news here at Proud Pups - the website is live!! I'll be adjusting and adding things as time goes on, but head on over and check us out!!

Welcome! My name is Melissa Baker and dogs are my whole world. I work full time as a dog trainer in Columbia, SC; if I am not working then I am at home "working" my 2 high-energy dogs!

04/07/2023

Happy Fourth Y’all!! 🇺🇸

Did anyone else have a firework trial run on Saturday or Monday evening that didn’t go so well?
Initially, things were too much for our reactive girl and it was a lot of holding her back on the couch at an unexpected boom, until I decided that wasn’t worth the stress for her…so what did I do?!?!

Luna has always been crate trained. It’s something I fought through in her puppy stage and to this day it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. To reduce Luna’s reactivity to the sudden booms outside, I reduced her exposure to the stimulus. We calmly went into her dog room, she was rewarded for stepping into her crate on command, the Alexa skill “calm my dog” was initiated, and a box fan was turned on for added white noise.

Was I relieved to not have to avoid a fight between my dogs? Of course! But it was way more important to me that she was not barking once she had been placed in the crate. She was no longer stressed or anxious.
So much of our training has been reducing the reactivity, but it’s just as much changing our environment to one that works FOR HER.

Shoot me a message with questions or for more information on crate training!

01/07/2023

Tongues, tummies, and tools out for the holiday weekend!! Oh my!

Alright y’all, this is the holiday of all holidays. More dogs in the USA are lost on July 4th than any other day of the year…this is an unfair statistic because let’s be real, fireworks and loud bangs are scary. ESPECIALLY if you don’t know the origin of them.
Picture this: You are your dog, you’re still learning things in the world and every new smell or sound is immersive to your senses. Every day of the year is the exact same-same sniffari on your usual walk, same corners to p**p in the yard, same noises of kids playing, trash trucks clanking, and maybe even sirens. But this one couple of days, your relaxing nights are filled with sudden loud bangs, either in sequence or at random. You turn to your mom or dad to say “what the heck was that?!?!” And they’re looking back at you with eyes of worry, letting you know “it’s okay”. But you don’t know English and mom or dad look worried so now this sound must be REALLY scary.

What other options do we have?
1. Talk to your vet! Hopefully this has been thought out prior, but you can talk to your primary veterinarian and see what treatment plans you can have in place for mild sedation to keep your pet calm and at ease during the evening events.
2. WORK WORK WORK!!
A common misconception is that dogs burn their energy in walks and play time…they burn part of their energy but their mental enrichment cup also needs filling. Again, think about it. If your body was exhausted but you hadn’t used your mind much, you may have a difficult time falling asleep.

As the weekend goes on, be patient and kind with your dog. Keep them on a secured slip lead in the house or yard (always under observation) if they are a flight risk, carry out the plan you discussed with your veterinarian (if you have one), and sprinkle in a couple training sessions to work those minds BEFORE the fireworks start! This holiday does not have to be the worst day of the year for dogs around the country - you’ve got this.

Please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message for creative training or enrichment ideas! I’m always around. Happy Fourth everyone! Have a safe and fun holiday weekend. 💕🐶🐾🎆

22/05/2023

Is it just me or does anyone else struggle with finding a toy your dog won’t tear up into little pieces 3 minutes after they get a hold of it?
They might even try to eat the little pieces, no vet visits for you please!!
🙋🏼‍♀️ let me tell you…I sure struggle with it and so does my bank account 😬 what’s the solution??

WELL, It’s a little bit of creativity and a whole lot of engagement!! We invested in a couple quality tug toys, all of which the dogs are not allowed to use unless we are working together. This improves our bond while working their physical and mental stamina. Not to mention the dopamine is FLOWING!!
They do still get free time to romp and chew on their personal toys - it is always supervised and only for set amounts of time. I allow this because chewing on their toys is a very self-soothing act and I want them to have the time to be dogs too!

Fun fact: did you know the release a dog gets from chasing a squirrel is astronomically more rewarding than actually catching the prey? If the catch were more rewarding than the chase, dogs in the wild would probably have given up on hunting long ago.

My goal is to show my dogs that interacting with ME can be just as rewarding! The majority of our time spent outside is riddled with good decision making, dopamine-boosting tug time, and a $6 tire from goodwill. We are constantly on the move, switching things up, keeping the brain and body active with different cycles of obedience and huge reward markers at the end. I set the dogs up in a place-stay, recall, then work in a heel, back to a place, ask for a down-stay then I release with a “break!” or “touch!” which, in Lunas brain, sounds a little more like “LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!” Our next cycle may start with a heel or a sit-stay at the gate to practice her thresholds. I don’t want her to predict my requests, but to be attentive and responsive when I ask her to do something (the same goes for you, Zevon).

Before we began this journey of ✨working together✨ our outside time was significantly more chaotic. Trying to get the ball from Luna’s mouth was a battle of treats, quick hands, and the hope of not getting bit. Trying to get the ball from Zevon was a very very fun game of “watch how fast I can run mom!! Gotta go, BYE!”
Luna would bark at the neighbors, I could never ring her back in…and…well Zevon just wanted to be a dog all the time because then he can go to the back corner to eat all the grass.

So what, Melissa? Your dogs don’t just run wild when they get outside anymore? They listen to you???

Exactly! You see, I’ve been re-shaping the picture they have around play time for many months now. Luna and Zevon love their mom, they want to make me happy, but they also want to be dogs. I am empathetic towards them. I am enthusiastic about working with them! When I drop the tug toy and luna immediately runs to me, head held high, ready to tug some more - THAT’S A WIN! She no longer finds greater joy in tearing things up on her own, instead it is more fun to play with her mom. With that said, I do factor in her attention span and any external stimuli before we go outside to work. Some days she may be on a long line, some days it may be a slip lead, or she may be off leash and free-roaming. I am always changing up tools to work best in the environment we have.

Now, every dog is different and play styles will vary with every furry friend. This is merely a PSA to get creative! Try something new! Specifically, actively engage with your dog. Reward them with “good boys” and “good girls” when they bring the toy back to you. Enthusiasm and approval from you as the owner can be 10x more rewarding than a hot dog treat. So get out there and try something new with your dog!

20/05/2023

Well hello there! Welcome to my little world of dog training 🥰
My name is Melissa and I am so happy you’re here! Let me tell you a little about how I got here. I was a cat person growing up…and I thought I’d be working with dolphins! 😱 During college, I saw the love my twin had for her parking lot dog. Thanks Rebecca Peterson and Maverick! They helped me get my first dog, Luna the landshark. I was not cut out for owning a pit-mix (at the time). She was anxious and fearful, I was frustrated and also anxious...not a good mix 😬

…THEN…

I got another dog to help my anxious dog. Zevon you’re the real MVP, because not surprisingly, it didn’t help. In fact things got worse. Luna was resource guarding, transferring her frustration as aggression, and picking on her brother in every way possible. We tried medication but it didn’t help. In 2022 I was at a loss. I felt I had tried *everything*…I hadn’t. We reached a point where Luna was attacking Zevon unprovoked, Zevon was walking the perimeter of the house just hoping he wouldn’t set her off, even after a training course through offleash k9. We had improvement through the course but it just wasn’t enough.

I enrolled in dog training courses to give myself something to do, little did I know it would change my life. Through my vet’s office, my wonderful training mentor, and my incredibly resilient dogs, we found a program that worked! …and boy did it take some work. I realized in all the chaos of figuring out how to keep Luna from reacting, I hadn’t even taught Zevon to sit when I said sit. You should’ve seen the look in his eyes the first time I stood my ground with him. Suddenly his entire expression read “oh my gosh mom!! YOU GAVE ME A JOB!! THANK YOU!”. We continued working his program and he only excelled. Gone were the days of the trash monster, the leash pulling, the rambunctious “where do I put this” kind of energy.

On the flip side, Luna was viewing the world differently. She was also on a strict training plan, it just looked a little different from zevon’s. Through compassion, enforced boundaries, and healthy enrichment for many months - Luna and Zevon are now thriving as *brother and sister*. They now interact with each other like real dogs; with play time, walks, and training sessions daily.

So what changed? It wasn’t them. IT WAS ME! I gained a new confidence, I was walking them - they were not walking me. We found the right tools, we worked them daily from beginning stages to more advanced. Training is not a quick lesson or two, it’s a lifetime commitment that will reshape your relationship with your dog(s) and the relationship between any dogs in the house. It is the most fulfilling journey we can take with our furry friends. I will be by your side the entire way, to answer any questions or diminish any concerns!

I truly look forward to sharing so much more, stick around and learn with me!!

💕Melissa Baker