Modern Manners Dog Training

07/01/2025

Welcome to Modern Manners Luca and Josie! 🎊

Luca is working on reactivity to other dogs while on walks. We’re training Luca to “report” triggers he encounters rather than reacting at them.

Josie is working on jumpy and mouthy behavior in the house. We’ll be training her to keep her paws on the floor rather than jumping up.

03/01/2025

Toy rewards are not a substitute for treats in dog training. But…

They can be helpful rewards for movement-based behaviors like coming when called.

(Remember ALL dogs are food motivated. If an animal was not motivated by food they would not survive very long.)

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18/12/2024

Dillon graduated! Dillon completed a private tutoring package where he worked with me for 1:1 sessions.

We worked on loose leash walking, coming when called, and his leash reactivity.

Then, when his training foundation was set, I “handed over” his skills to his parents so he can continue training with them.

Congrats to Team Dillon! 👏🏻

13/12/2024

3 lessons I have learned from my rescue foxhound, June 🖤

The road was tough at times, but I am so grateful for the lessons June has taught me.

I am a better trainer because of her. I am also a more compassionate and understanding coach to my human clients because of her.

13/12/2024

Loose leash walking tip: give your dog ample opportunity to run and move at their natural pace!

When these needs are met regularly, loose leash walking training progresses much faster.

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11/12/2024

Welcome Team Arlo! Arlo and his family recently started their Puppy Pro package.

I’m so excited to work with this little guy as he begins his socialization and training.

04/12/2024

Inability to settle is really frustrating for dog guardians.

While this issue can be from a lack of training, there’s often a deeper issue at play.

Pain, anxiety, and lack of exercise/enrichment are common culprits.

Is this something your dog struggles with?

26/11/2024

This was Dillon’s very first time practicing this reactivity training game called, Engage Disengage.

Video was taken 2 weeks ago and he’s already made good progress from here! He is having less reactions overall AND is able to walk comfortably around triggers at a distance.

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20/11/2024

Stranger fearful dogs need a Safe Zone when guests come over.

🚨Remember that exposing your stranger fearful dog to new people at a level that causes fear, reaction, or fleeing etc. will cause their fear to worsen, not improve.

If you want to use a Safe Zone, you’ll need to train your dog with it before your holiday party.

Once your dog feels comfortable and relaxed in this area, you can start practicing with guests coming over to the house.

The Safe Zone will:
- Protect your training! If you are currently helping your dog feel safer around strangers, this set up will ensure they do not regress.

- Protect your guests

- Keep your dog safe

*This is a general post and does not apply to dogs who suffer from separation anxiety OR confinement anxiety. Please work with a credentialed trainer.*

09/11/2024

Congratulations to Milo and Leia! These two grads worked on manners including:

✅Sit stay at the door
✅loose leash walking
✅polite greetings (no more jumping up or play biting)
✅coming when called

09/11/2024

Teaching a front door sit-stay is an important and potentially lifesaving skill. Especially for dogs who are prone to door dashing.

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23/10/2024

Stressing dogs for a photo op isn’t necessary! Notice all the stress signals the dogs in the costumes are exhibiting?

Fall bandanas or even Halloween sweaters can make a great alternative 🎃

11/10/2024

Heel…. There’s just no need for it. We can work on loose leash walking AND teach a nice cue for your dog to come over to you if a bike etc is passing.

But a whole walk in a heel? Yikes. Long held heels are stressful and just plain unnatural for dogs.

Dogs walk faster and at a different pace than people do (stop, sniff, run, stop, sniff more etc)

Dog walks are for our dogs to enjoy the outside world and get some mental and physical exercise. Let dogs be dogs 💛

10/10/2024

Those little cronches! Puppy Leia hadn’t learned “sit” yet so we started off by luring her into the position and feeding her there.

Next session, we’ll stop the food lure and use a hand signal instead ✋ Rewarding with a treat after she's in her sit position.

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10/10/2024

Lots of new faces around here! Not pictured are Luna and Domino 🖤

08/10/2024

Fear isn’t funny. And even if the object or person they are scared of isn’t actually dangerous, their fear is very real.

Dismissing fear and not addressing it can cause it to worsen over time.

Work with a credentialed dog trainer who can help you address your dog’s triggers and help them feel safe.

05/10/2024

Training for reactivity around real-life triggers

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