Learning Tails

13/02/2025

Do you remember Nikki? She’s such a sweet girl who I got to know a few months back before she went into her foster home - and now she’s adopted into her forever home! We talked about settling into a routine, the adjustment that comes with bringing a new dog home, and some great ideas for indoor mealtime enrichment. She adores her new people and was happy to show me how she likes to snooze on her dad’s feet 😊❤️

07/02/2025

Congratulations to Sabine! 🎉 She and her awesome people completed 6 sessions to focus on her reactivity and strengthen her recall. Sabine loves to play with other dogs so when she sees them on a leash, she likes to tell everyone about it! We worked on behaviors she can do instead of barking - one of those is a “touch” cue and a hand target! She’s so smart, super sweet, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with her. I know she’ll continue to do great things! 💕🐾

25/11/2024

Abbey is working hard and learning so much! For Abbey, we do day training which means I come over while her mom is at work! I’ll do most of the heavy lifting and then transfer the skills over to her fabulous mom. Day training is perfect for those with a busy schedule!

22/11/2024

Fall can be so much fun and full of activities, but does your dog really want to tag along? Read my latest blog post to hear my thoughts! 🍂

Does your dog really want to go to that brewery, pumpkin patch, or festival?Fall is here, the weather’s cooling off, and there are so many fun activities happening! Apple picking, pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, breweries, cideries, wineries—you name it, and I’ve probably seen a dog there....

19/11/2024

Two new faces around here! Rosie and Abbey are ready to learn and they have such supportive, wonderful people loving them. Rosie’s strengthening her basics, learning a strong recall, and she has 2 adorable human sisters - they are the sweetest girl crew! Abbey is new to her home and is learning quickly that treats are delicious, training is fun, and that waiting at the door before heading out for an adventure is the safer choice 😊 I’m having so much fun with these two! 🐾

11/11/2024

The recent grads! Torrey, Chase, and Tamale’s families have worked so hard over these past few months on everything from fear and anxiety, to polite greetings, to resource guarding, to puppy socialization - the list goes on! I’m so proud of these pups and wish them all continued success in the future! 🎓⭐️⭐️⭐️

16/10/2024

Halloween is in 15 days! Check out my latest blog post for simple tips to keep your dog safe and stress-free around candy, costumes, visitors, and more! 🧡👻

https://www.learningtails.com/post/5-simple-tips-to-keep-your-pup-safe-and-stress-free-this-halloween

Halloween can be such a fun day, but for our dogs, it can bring a lot of stress and potential dangers we might not even think about. Between the costumes, candy, and constant doorbell ringing, it's easy to see how a spooky night could turn into a stressful one for our dogs. If you’re planning on c...

08/10/2024

Kind words from clients mean so much! Kristin and Tino worked so hard! 🤍

30/09/2024

why yes, I *am* a very good boy! - Dakota ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

27/09/2024

This sweet face is Torrey and the world can be a pretty scary place for her. Luckily, she has incredibly dedicated parents that are working so hard to help her feel more confident. We are taking things at her pace, working at a distance to pair previously scary things with high value rewards like yummy chicken, and her mom and dad are doing an incredible job scoping out quiet parks and fields for adventures. Since she lives in a busier development, her triggers (like people and other dogs) are sometimes unavoidable so while it can take some time to curate a list of go-to places, it’s absolutely doable for dogs that prefer a little more peace and quiet! They’ve even found a Sniffspot where she won’t see any other dogs or people and have had such a great time with her there!

Fearful dogs can be challenging but help is available. While a fearful adult dog may never turn into a totally outgoing, meet-everyone type of pup, we can certainly find ways to help them feel more safe in this world and management techniques to still provide them with a fulfilling, happy life!

*picture by her mom and dad! Right now, I just toss chicken from a distance while we’re building our relationship and I chat with her family. 💕

**her collar is a GPS! 🚫

26/09/2024

Some new faces around here! Welcome these 2 awesome duos: Bransen & Dakota (bottom) and Evie & Diggy (top)!

One thing everyone has in common, ENERGY! We’ll be working hard on meeting their needs for exercise and enrichment to channel their energy into activities other than jumping, chewing illegal items in their homes, counter surfing- you know, alllll the adolescent things!

Some other priorities on our lists are strong recalls, addressing leash reactivity, and polite greetings. Multi-dog households can be busy, noisy, and it’s not always easy to focus on training - but also a lot of fun! Utilizing gates, long lasting chews to keep the non-training dog busy, and exercising before our sessions can help us focus on one at a time. So excited to make progress with these 4! 🐾

19/09/2024

NJSH Pet Rescue’s Cooper popping in with his award winning smile! We work together each week and now that Cooper’s got some really strong skills (recall, leave it, the list goes on- he’s a smarty pants), he and I have been adding in some tricks! Tricks are enriching, great exercise, can target different muscles, and are a fun way to bond with your dog. Now that he has a solid “down”, I’ve started asking him to crawl! We also practice high fives and shaking hands which can help with body handling and nail trims + can double as range of motion exercises. What do you think, should we set a goal to achieve Cooper’s AKC novice trick dog title this year?! ⭐️

18/09/2024

Congratulations to the graduates! Layla, Lola, Daisy and their superstar families have been so much fun to work with over the past few months. I met all of these girls when they were tiny (the best time to start your puppy!) and I’ve so enjoyed watching them grow, learn, and approach the world with confidence. We’ve gone on adventures, they’ve made friends, socialized, and learned some very helpful skills!

I’m so proud and can’t wait to see them continue to succeed! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

17/09/2024

Welcome Pudding! And his very adorable sister, Lucy (tiny girl up front) who was very quick to figure out that I was the treat lady! Pudding joined his family recently as a rescue and they’ve done such a great job helping him settle into his new life. He’s struggling a bit with fear of new people so for our first 2 sessions, I’ve been Santa Claus (or more like chicken/cheese Claus 🎅🏻). Pudding is learning that I, a new person, only predict delicious things. In our second session, he was already much faster to warm up and we let Lucy come meet me as well! She figured me out pretty quickly (this is her adorable “more snacks pls” face) and I’m really excited for the progress we’re making with Pudding! Stranger fear can be tricky and working with a qualified trainer, at your dog’s pace, keeping them under threshold, and not pushing for too much too soon is key here. Go Pudding! ❤️

11/09/2024

Lola had a blast on our final session of our puppy package! We went to and Lola got to sniff, explore, put her feet up on all of the horse jumps, see other dogs from a distance, watch a lacrosse game- so much to take in! Socialization outings are part of every 6 session puppy package. It’s so important for us to show puppies the world and pair all new experiences with yummy rewards! 🍗🧀 We got to practice some of Lola’s skills out in the real world, she frequently checked in with her mom for snacks, and got to move freely on a long line. She had a great day!

10/09/2024

Welcome Tamale and Chase! Tamale is newly adopted from NJSH Pet Rescue and we’re working hard on all things puppy! House training, socialization, life skills, and she has a fabulous 10 year old sister that loves to practice with her! They are such a sweet duo and Tamale is a smart little peanut.

Chase is full of adolescent energy and loves to jump! At 8 months old and almost 80 lbs, we’re focusing on more polite greetings, some useful skills he can do instead of jumping on guests, upping his mental enrichment to give him some more things to do with his busy self!

These two have such wonderful, committed families and I’m excited to be working with them!

29/08/2024

You should see how fast Duke books it across the yard when he hears his recall cue - BINGO! 💨 Duke is a super special NJSH Pet Rescue pup and we have so much fun every week working on things like recall, stay, leave it and his newest favorite - high five! I’ll have to get it on video soon. We have a blast together! 💙

29/08/2024

Some really special graduates recently! Charley, Kado, and Winnie are all puppies who, along with their awesome families, have worked really hard over the past few months to socialize, learn, experience the world, and practice lots of new skills!

We covered topics like house training, chew training, puppy play, adventures out in the world, and skills like recall, leave it, stay, and leash walking were all on our agendas + a whole lot more! There’s so much to cover in puppy packages but I do my best to fit in as much as we can and to leave my puppies and their families with the tools to continue working together for a successful, happy future. I adore these 3 and will miss them - but I do get to see Kado this weekend for a playdate!Congratulations to the grads! ❤️