Happy Tails Academy, LLC

17/06/2025

Look at this gorgeous boy! I couldn't help spending some time just taking pictures of Mr. Dasher. During his enrichment session we took some time to work on his settle behavior. Dogs can be excited over a vast number of things such as dogs, people, squirrels, birds, kids, etc. Dasher does well over all but gets very excited around dogs. During this session we were able to sit in the grass away from the walking path (the closest portion was behind me) and just calmly watch everyone and everything going by. He was reinforced with treats and scratches for watching while staying calm! As he gets better with this we can move closer and closer to the walking path.

Just remember... distance is your friend when it comes to working on this behavior. You need to be more pronounced within their environment than the thing that excites them. And always remember to bring extra special treats or toys for their rewards. You want them more focused on you than the object you're working with. This will help create a behavior you like making it easier for them to remember what happens when they pass by the object as you get closer!

27/05/2025

Just like people, dogs can be motivated by different things too. Below Lady (Daisy's mom) prefers to be reinforced with treats during her training sessions. While Daisy prefers to be reinforced with some play time. So even if your dog isn't treat motivated there are still ways to incorporate what they are motivated by during their training sessions!

06/05/2025

05/11/2024

You know your enrichment session was a success when your pup is falling asleep on the way home! Haha! Dasher enjoyed an hour and a half sniff n hike today and he LOVED every minute of it! Between sniffing all the good smells, pouncing on grasshoppers, and chasing leaves his hike was exactly what he needed on this gorgeous day! 💜

09/10/2024

Good morning!! Brownie wanted to show off her skills a bit this morning so I hope you all enjoy! 💜

A lot of owners ask me why I let my dogs wander around at the end of the leash instead of walking right next to me. Well... they can smell things better this way! Plus.. they do tend to walk a bit faster than I do so having them walk next to me can be a bit of a struggle for some dogs.

Now, I don't let them pull me. All of the dogs I walk are trained to walk nicely with me on the leash. And for those times I do need them to walk next to me (ex: someone is passing by us, we cross a street, the area is unsafe for them to wander too far away, etc) I have some cues that brings them to me and has them walk nicely with me!

1. I use a "wait" cue. Typically I use this cue when coming to an intersection that we are needing to cross. It asks the dog to stop and wait for me to catch up to them. Once next to them I use a "with me" cue to let them know I want them to walk next to me until I release with an "ok" cue!

2. I use a "here" cue (which can also double for a nice recall cue off leash if used properly) which tells the dog to turn around and walk back to me and stand at my side. Typically I will also give a "with me" cue once they are in position to tell them once again I want them to walk next to me until I release with an "ok". In the second video Brownie doesn't get a "with me" cue because she already knows it's coming and will offer the behavior without the cue. This way if someone is passing us or we are passing them we don't necessarily have to stop to get situated. She can do it on the move!

The benefit of these cues is to allow your dog to sniff around on your walks! It gives them more space to explore the areas around you but you can still ask for better control and attention when it's needed giving them the enrichment they deserve! 💜🐾



There are appointments available for enrichment in the Troy/Tipp City area as well as In-home Training options available! Text/call/email today with any questions!

29/08/2024

Need a hot day activity for your pup? I'm sure you all have a muffin tin and some tennis balls laying around. Or honestly anything that will fit in the tin would work well too! Place their meal or treats in the tin and cover it up with some tennis balls. Easy and simple but will work your pups brain as they figure out how to get to the food.

Dasher has done this activity before but he kept making it hard on himself because he wouldn't clear the open spot before covering it up again. 😆 Silly boy!

27/08/2024

Hey y'all! Long time no post right? I apologize for the long delay in posting over the summer. It has been very busy on my end! I hope you all had an amazing summer like me!

Amywho... keeping cool this morning with an early morning hike in a very shady spot! If you haven't checked out Phillips Park in Beavercreek you should! 💜 Brownie sure is loving it!

I do still have some enrichment or in-home training openings in the Troy and close surrounding areas! Feel free to message, text, or call with any questions! 🐾

23/05/2024

When your life is just so 'ruff'! 💙

25/04/2024

This sweet girl is celebrating her 5th birthday today!! Join me in wishing her a very happy birthday! 💜🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIJOU!!

06/04/2024

When you just get a yummy snack before your enrichment walk... you have to take it with you! 🤣 Bella LOVED carrying her chew around with her while going for a sniff walk today. She had to make sure her housemate Brownie couldn't get it while she was gone!

29/03/2024

Getting your dog to respond to you with no distractions tends to be pretty easy. But it is important to start there so you can build up a high reinforcement history (a.k.a. you dog has received a lot of treats for looking at you when you say their name). This will help when you start to add in small distractions here and there.

During Dashers visit yesterday we practiced this behavior in a new location! After working on gaining his attention around the new distractions (kids playing at the playground about 100 yds away) we worked on his response to his name and turning away from thise distractions. As you can see he is right in front of me and I don't give him a lot of time to look at the distractions. This helped him be more successful with responding! Way to go Dasher!

Make sure you like my page to see more cute pictures and videos! If you like what you see and are looking for training help or just have questions about what I offer, feel free to reach out! I have openings for in-home training currently available!

14/03/2024

Teaching a "Watch" cue can be very beneficial at times! If your dog gets highly distracted in certain areas you can teach them a watch cue to help gain their focus and attention around those distractions.

Of course, we don't want to start off by training around those distractions! Tyler is working in a room indoors with a very controlled environment. This will help him to succeed and get a good understanding of what behavior is expected of him when he hears the cue "Watch". To start this behavior off, make sure you have good attention from your dog. Tank your hand up and simply point to your eyes. When they look up at you, click and follow with a treat!

The better they get, you can fade the hand signal away or add in new small distractions to start working up to the difficult distractions! Way to go Tyler! ❤️