There For You Dog Training

21/03/2025

A wonderful post on digger behavior!

08/03/2025

Can we please stop saying "reactive dog"?
That label. You know the one. It follows some dogs like a shadow.
"Oh, he's reactive"...
As if that explains anything at all.

We use it…
…as if it's a diagnosis rather than a description of approximately 300 different possible behaviors.
…as if it's a character flaw rather than a response to something in their environment.
…as if when we say it we mean the same thing in different dogs.

I’m mum to a dog who gets this label slapped on him regularly, and I have to say I can't bear the term.
It's not that I don't think my dog has big emotions. He absolutely does. Huge feelings.

I just don't think the way we use that term is helpful for any dog or for any of their humans. It’s a label, and a big, broad, negative one.

Here's the thing about "reactive" dogs: they're actually responding quite normally.

Barking at things that frighten them? That's what dogs do.
Lunging at unpredictable movement? That's self-preservation.

Growling at something that makes them uncomfortable? That's clear communication.

The problem isn't the dog's reaction. It's that we've decided their perfectly reasonable response is inconvenient for us.

We've created a world where dogs must tolerate being approached by strangers, rushed by “it’s okay he’s friendly” off-leash dogs, and surrounded by terrifying noises.

Then we label them when they can't cope.

What if, instead of labeling the dog, we looked at what they're reacting to?

What if we acknowledged they're doing their best in a world that often makes no sense to them?

What if we saw "reactive" behaviors as important messages rather than problems to suppress?

Your dog isn't broken. They're not "reactive."

They're communicating in the only language they have.
Maybe it's time we started listening.

What's your experience with the "reactive" label? Has it helped or hindered your understanding of your dog?

26/02/2025

Happy birthday AND happy gotcha day to the dog that started it all 💜 I can't believe that we've had Roo for only 3 years and already 3 years and she is now 5 years old! She has taught me so much and continues to do so. Watching her live the good life and have fun makes me so happy. I love you so much Kangaroo 💜

13/02/2025

I'm excited to announce that I have started the Fear Free certification! Fear Free aims at helping your dog (and cat) have better vet visits by keeping their fear, anxiety, and stress as low as possible. As someone who has also been a vet assistant for 6 years now, I'm knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of what's going to happen during your visits and how we can best prepare for them. This also extends to taking care of your dog at home with any preventative and/or after visit care.

Roo here is relaxing comfortably with me in a vet lobby waiting for her appointment. While she has never tried to bite vet staff before, it never hurts to muzzle a dog to help keep vet staff safe. Even though I always advocate for Roo and how she's handled, any dog that is pushed past their limit or accidentally scared can bite, even if they never have before. As a side note: it IS okay to comfort your dog when they are scared, it will not reinforce them to be scared. If you are afraid of spiders and one is near you and a friend comforts you, is that going to make you more scared of spiders? No, and it works the same way for our dogs.

30/01/2025

Let’s put this common myth to bed (pun intended 😉). Science says NO!

Separation anxiety is a real FEAR of being home alone.

While dogs aren’t pack animals, they are social creatures. 💤

Co-sleeping, cuddling, and letting your dog on the bed are all great ways to strengthen your bond and help your dog feel safe. 🐾💖

So, if sharing the bed works for you and your dog, go for it! Dogs love being close to us—it’s completely natural! 🛏️

Have you heard this myth before?

01/01/2025

Happy new year!
Are you making any new year's resolutions? Truth be told, I have found in the past I'm not very good at keeping any that I make. So, every year I just try my best every day and know that that will look different day to day.
Here's to a happy, healthy, amazing new year from Kanagaroo and her friend Walden!

09/12/2024

Let's talk about something very important for your dog: enrichment!

🐕 Enrichment is different activities your dog can participate in to help mentally stimulate them, just like how we play video games, make art, or do puzzles.
🐕 Enrichment helps relieve boredom. When our dogs are bored they may find their own "fun" by doing things like barking out the window, digging through the trash, or chewing on things they shouldn't. Constantly being bored can put our dogs in a negative mood and so also result in your dog developing stress or anxiety.
🐕 Enrichment helps tire your dog just like physical activity can! It's best if a dog can get both physical and mental activities in their lives, but if you are unable to physically exercise your dog, extra Enrichment can help tire them out.
🐕 Enrichment comes in many forms! Here you can see Kangaroo ✨️digging✨️ and running around (I covered the hole after), taking a nap after ✨️shredding✨️ a toy, on a hike where I left her ✨️sniff✨️ whatever she wants for as long as she wants, ✨️social bonding✨️ with me in the form of cuddling and playing with another dog, ✨️foraging✨️ for her kibble in the grass (known as scatter feeding), and ✨️training✨️. Other activities include dog sports, puzzle toys, chewing, lick mats, a variety of toys, and more!
Check out each picture and video's caption for more information.
🐕 What's your dog's favorite thing to do?

28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful day, whether you participate in this holiday or not.
Every day I'm thankful for Roo, but it's always nice to stop and think about what exactly we love about our pets and to be grateful for them.
When we adopted her almost 3 years ago now, we had no idea that she has a fear of some people. While this has made some days harder than others (she has vastly improved), it doesn't outweigh all the good times I've had with her.
I am grateful that if I sit on the couch she runs right over to join me, that she loves to roll around in the grass and make little "piggy" noises, that she gets so excited to see me when I come home- her butt never wiggles that hard any other time, that she stares into my eyes with such a loving look when we cuddle, that when she wants me to pet her she (almost literally) throws my arm in the air with her nose, that she loves to go hiking, and so much more.

11/11/2024

If there is only one thing everyone should know about dogs, it's how to greet them.

🐾 We humans have around 6 million scent receptors.
Dogs have an average of 300 million.
You do not need to reach your hand out for a dog to smell you. They smelled you before you even saw them.
🐾 Hands going over the head feels scary for dogs, most generally do not like it, especially from people they don't know or trust yet.
🐾 Hugging or grabbing with two hands is exceptionally confrontational for a dog. Just don't do it. If it is your own dog, make sure you have their consent. If you want to learn more about consent in dogs, let me know, I can help you learn!
🐾 Direct eye contact is such a simple thing that can trigger a big emotional response. You know how dogs always greet each other by going around the side to smell the hind end? It's partially because of the information they get from those hind end scents, but it is also greatly in part because face to face, eye to eye, physical communication is usually aggressive.
🐾 Kind of like with children, they will be calmer if you are calmer. If you are high pitched and high energy, their energy will match yours. Dogs are similar, except that when their energy gets high, it ca. Easily lead to over excitement, barking, nips, jumping, and full contact bites. It's also really scary for a dog who isn't used to that person's high energy. So just be slow, calm, and neutral.
🐾 Again, this goes back to the face-to-face = conflict or confrontation. What is a loving, sweet gesture for humans, is a major invasion of space for our dogs, and they may be very quick to ask for space the only way they know how: a bite.

Thank you, Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin, for another wonderfully informative drawing.

01/11/2024

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!
Roo did really well. She doesn't care about decorations (and in fact loves checking out new things!) and even though people looked at little different she did very well with that as well.
Thank goodness for muzzles made to prevent dogs from eating things with candy and wrappers all over the ground now! She's been making progress with leaving food things alone, but sometimes the temptation is too great or not seen by me in time.
Did any of your pets dress up for the holiday? I'd love to see!

18/10/2024

There have been a lot of places in and around Asheville that have been hit by Helene and need help, and this is one of them. Misfit Mountain is a small rescue with huge hearts that help animals of all kinds from dogs and cats to pigs and chickens.

06/10/2024

For those of you who know that I am in Asheville, NC, we are all safe. We are very lucky that the area we live in did not get hit as hard as other places, just downed trees and power lines in roads in my neighborhood. My partner and I made the decision to leave the state after a few days to stay with family due to lack of water and scarce resources. Roo and our cat, Koala, are with us and safe as well.
I hope others that were affected by Helene are safe as well 💜 The community has been absolutely amazing as neighbors help neighbors and small businesses are trying to help as much as they can despite their own losses.
Make sure to practice plenty of self care, like Roo here, as you get through this disaster.

26/08/2024

Happy ! Here's to all the furry friends who make our lives more fulfilling and who are always there for you.

15/07/2024

Have you ever heard of a scratch board? They are fantastic to help wear your dog's nails down without having to even touch your dog! These are great to use while you get your dog more used to getting their nails trimmed as it can take some time.
If you'd like some help in learning how to get your dog to tolerate nail trims, visit https://canine-cohesion.com/ to get in touch with us!

01/06/2024

Roo wanted to let you know that everyone is valid, welcome, and safe to work with us, always. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

01/06/2024

As many of you saw in a previous post of mine, I've started working with The Dog Door, but what I didn't tell you was that The Dog Door and a few other business are banning together to create Canine Cohesion Behavior and Enrichment Center! I'm really excited to be a part of this team and can't wait to see what we accomplish!
If you want to work together please visit https://canine-cohesion.com/ to learn more. If you are a current client you do not have to do this.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out!

📣BIG NEWS!!!📣

We are growing!

Horizon Dog Behavior will be collaborating with a few other fantastic businesses as part of Canine Cohesion Behavior and Enrichment Center!

We have the same amazing people on our team including founder, Desiree Beauchamp Bales plus a few more who we will introduce soon!

In addition to serving the Greenville, SC area…

We will now also serve the Asheville, NC area and meet with you at The Dog Door! The Dog Door

Our amazing vet partner is Dr. Hilliard of Feeling Pawsitive Veterinary Behavioral Solutions! Feeling Pawsitive Veterinary Behavioral Solutions

And we love meeting your dog’s play, enrichment, and training needs at Happy Tails Country Club! Happy Tails Country Club

We are so excited to share more info and details soon so stay tuned!!

28/05/2024

I hope everyone had a great Memorial day weekend! We traveled to visit family for a birthday and it was a wonderful time.

23/05/2024

Do you have a confident dog?
It's been a heartwarming journey to watch Roo get more and more confident with herself. When I first adopted her she refused to walk on metal surfaces like manhole covers, hesitated to even get her paws wet in standing water, needed encouragement she could perform certain physical tasks that I knew she could do like go over and under downed trees, and didn't make it a point to investigate much in her environment.
Now? She walks on metal like it's any other kind of surface, this past week went up to her shoulders in calm water and will walk in faster streams, now maneuvers around downed trees easily, walks on unstable surfaces more readily, and likes to check out everything! She also now uses her paws more by digging at things she finds in the dirt and puts her paws up on things like trees and our windowsill, which she never did before.
What caused this change? I never forced her to do anything. If she didn't want to go in the water, I didn't push her in. If she felt uncomfortable trying to go over a tree, I picked her up myself or found an alternative route. For everything, I always let her go at her own pace and rewarded/praised her for any new attempt at any of her challenges.
There are many ways to help build confidence in your dog, besides letting them explore at their own pace. Did you know one of those ways is actually positive reinforcement training? This training method builds successes in our dogs, and just like humans, the more success we have, the more confident we feel in our abilities. "101 Things to do with a Box" is also a great starting point to getting your dog more confident and encouraging them to try new things.