Squad Dogs

04/08/2024

Check this out!!

14/06/2024

4 years ago today I officially started offering dog training! Now today I am stepping away, and embarking on a new adventure. I will be working pretty much full time at

I will be finishing up with current clients. and still be available for past client who might need some additional help, but I’m not taking on any new clients.

It’s been an amazing 4 years, and I am so thankful for those I have met along the way!

06/06/2024

Check it out!
Now you can try the most popular things to see why you and your dog like!

Are you interested in all of our different offerings? Not sure what your dog will like best? This course gives you the opportunity to try our 3 most popular services! Curriculum: Week 1: Dock Diving with Mellie Week 2: Agility with Leah Week 3: Environmentals with Mellie *note, if week 1 is storming...

06/06/2024

Are you looking for something fun to do with your dog? Maybe you need more outlets for your dog to just be a dog? Or maybe your dog could use some confidence building? CloverField K9 has it all! An amazing environmentals course, dock diving, wall climb, agility, and more coming! Such a great way to let your dog be a dog!

Check out their website (cloverfieldk9.com) and book something for you and your dog today! 😁

04/06/2024

Agility people, check this out!!

This course is designed for anyone curious about agility competition. This course is designed for first-time handlers, first-time dogs, and also experienced handlers with new dogs! This course will be taught in our indoor arena on our rolled rubber/sand footing with our brand new Galican Equipment.....

20/05/2024

Too hot in the sun for Captain & Gussie today, so we worked on recall in the shade. We also did some food scatter in the grass, and a short break in the cool basement.

17/05/2024

A great opportunity to jump-start the dock-diving season! Individual turns for each dog makes this course appropriate for everyone from first-timers to seasoned competitors! This is a great way to try dock-diving for the first time (enough sessions to work through challenges, but without the commitm...

05/05/2024

Can’t wait to learn more about canine cognition! Still spots open if you’re interested.

Cameron Ford was our most sought-after clinician of 2023 with a 10+ person waiting list! Asking him to return was a no-brainer! Cameron will be joining us from Las Vegas, NV! 

29/04/2024

Monday training session with Captain & Gussie. Ecollar work for recall!

Want your dog off leash reliable this summer? Go to squaddogsvt.com for more info on how I can help.

28/04/2024

Check it out!

New offering! Who wants to jump-start their agility training? So excited to be bringing agility back to our facility! We are ready to roll with our Intro to Agility Obstacles lessons! Bookable now on our website!

So much more agility to come later this summer - we have a whole course of Galican equipment arriving in June. Be ready for the full course by doing the foundation work now!

https://www.cloverfieldk9.com/booking-calendar/intro-to-agility-obstacles?referral=service_details_widget&timezone=America%2FNew_York

21/04/2024

Are you looking for something fun to do with your dog? Check out CloverField K9! Not only do they offer dock diving, wall climb, and an amazing environmental course, soon will be options for agility, and fast CAT!
Everything dogs in one place!

First Dock Diving Group Class of the Year!

Levels: Mixed (intro to advanced - individual turns allow us to work with each dog at their own level).
Duration: 3 Weeks
When: Thursdays at 5:30 beginning May 9.
Cost: $150/dog
Instructor: Mellie

Not sure if your dog wants to dock-dive? 3 weeks is the perfect amount of time to give your dog a chance to work through some challenges without the commitment of a longer course or the cost of private lessons!

https://www.cloverfieldk9.com/book-now

18/04/2024

Change is coming!
This month has seen changes in my business already. I put a pause on day school, to focus more on individual training with the dogs.

Now next week I will be starting a PT job that circles back around to my roots… kennel work and horse care. Both things I have done years ago 😆. I’m excited to add this new adventure, which also has the possibility of turning into an opportunity for more learning.

I will still be offering private training, but will have very limited spots. I’m hoping to focus more on helping clients, and their dogs enjoy a life off leash…safely and responsibly!

I’m also thinking of offering a hybrid of dog camp/ day school once a week…stay tuned for more at a later date!

Change can be hard, but also pretty exciting! ❤️

10/04/2024

Today is our last day of Day School for a bit.

Ri will be switching over to one-on-one sessions with me instead. So Captain, Gussie, and I will be working on their off leash skills, along with some socialization time with Sheldon & Ava.

This doesn’t mean I won’t have Day School again in the future. It’s just not what my clients need from me right now.

03/04/2024

Wednesday day school vibes 😆

28/03/2024

Day school opening for 1-2 dogs!
Wednesdays & Fridays. Pick up/drop off included, Essex, VT area.
Go to squaddogsvt.com for more info.

13/03/2024

Beautiful day! ☀️🐕

02/03/2024

Vera, the 5 month old Aussiedoodle! ❤️

01/03/2024

There are so many dog training methods and concepts out there! One of the hardest parts of being a dog trainer is figuring out what resonates with you, and what kind of a trainer you want to be.

I recently have felt a bit stuck, and unsure of what direction I want to move in. Then I had an opportunity come along that I thought was exactly what I had been looking for. Unfortunately, that opportunity fell through.

Although I am disappointed, I believe these things happen for a reason. Today I connected with another trainer, and chatted a bit about her changes moving forward. Maybe this is the “reason”, maybe there are better things coming my way?

Anyway, it’s time to reflect a bit, and see what the future is for me as a trainer, and Squad Dogs as a business. 🧡💙

28/02/2024

Today was Odin’s last day, as he will be moving away in a couple of months.

He has made so much progress while here, and loves playing with all of the dogs. We will miss him, but know he will make many more dog friends along his new journey.

23/02/2024

So much cuteness! This is Brady 💙

21/02/2024

We took advantage of the sunshine this morning! ☀️🐕

17/02/2024

Twiggy, a 5 1/2 month old puppy, just watching life at Lowe’s! She was not put in a down, she just did it while we were standing there talking. This is what happens when you reward behaviors you like! Teach your dog what you want, and you won’t have to ask them for it all of the time.

09/02/2024

We worked a lot on soaking up the sunshine and fresh air today ☀️🐕

07/02/2024

The sun felt nice this morning, so we spent sometime outside enjoying it.

03/02/2024

Yesterday we did some more treadmill work. You can see in these videos, that Ri and Gussie (video in comments) have different confidence levels around the treadmill. Gussie’s first time she wouldn’t even put one foot on, now look at her. I love watching the dogs think, and gain confidence in trying new things.

31/01/2024

100% THIS!!!!!
We wouldn’t tolerate it, so why do we think dogs should? It rude behavior.

Let’s set the scene. This may become a bit sensitive for some, and I apologise in advance.

You’re out somewhere. You might be at a restaurant, a bar, a public park on a sunny day enjoying the sunshine with your family. It may be that you’re on your way home from work or trying to catch the bus. You’re just minding your own business.

Suddenly, a person comes straight up to you. They give you anxiety. What is this person going to do? I don’t know! The person is walking with a friend and the friend sees you’re a bit anxious and calls out to you saying “Don’t stress, she/he’s all good!’’ But they keep approaching you. And when they finally reach you they randomly hug you. Touch you. Walk circles around you. Start talking to you. Don’t let you leave.

What would you call that? Harassment? Assault in severe cases?
How would this make you feel?

Now, after the initial shock you find your courage and you ask the person to go away. Leave you alone. But the person doesn’t stop and instead touches your arm or your hair. “Oh come on, we’re alright. I’m not doing anything bad I’m friendly! Just let me be around you.’’You get upset and might push the person. Shout at them. If you’re a bit more of an assertive person you might punch them. Who knows.
Then the person and the friend get upset. Well? WHY are you here then? What are you doing in this public space if you don’t like being around other people? You have no business to be here, minding your own business in this park with your family without allowing me to sit with you, play with you, touch you, talk to you. Actually, you know what you should do? You should be more social! You should go more often to random groups of people.

_______
Do you see what I did there?
If you thought any of the above situation is not okay (and I sure as heck hope you do), then why do we think it’s okay to let dogs run up to strange dogs and say ‘It’s okay he’s friendly’?

What we do in the dog world is the exact opposite what we should be doing. We label the harassed dog as aggressive and the harassing dog as the victim.

Dogs have emotions. They have feelings. They have their own characters and personalities. There are many, many dogs that are not interested in making new friends or being with dogs they don’t know they can trust.

And sure, some dogs love playing with other dogs. Those are the extraverted dogs. Just like we have people that LOVE hugging or love making new friends even as adults, but to be honest.. how many of those people do you know? I think if you put it into a % its lower than the people that rather just are with their select group of people and be left alone by random strangers in public spaces.

So don’t assume the dog your dog is running towards on the beach, is willing to play with your dog. Being in a public space means you need to have your dog under effective control. And if you can’t call your dog back, it should be on a long line until you can.

——-

In case you’re interested.. after quite a few requests I made a video version of this blog as well.

Your dog is NOT friendly, he's harassing others
https://youtu.be/YlWf02MHKCo

28/01/2024

Twiggy is turning into such a young lady ❤️

She did an amazing job in a public place she had not been to before. There were people and other dogs around, and she was not trying to pull and get to everyone. Her humans have done a great job socializing her… which does not mean meeting everyone she sees.

26/01/2024

Everyone was back together today!
We worked on the treadmill a bit. Ri wasn’t so sure on her first try., Odin jumped right on, Gussie made it all the way on, and Captain got his front feet walking on it 😁. I love watching them problem solve and build their confidence.