The Nomadic Canine

12/12/2024

Will it be hard?
Yes.
It’s supposed to be.
Is it worth it?
A million times a day, yes.
It is worth it.

06/12/2024

Can I pet your dog?
No is a complete sentence.
But there are a hundred different ways to say no.

05/11/2024

It is the honor of my life to dedicate it to dogs and the people who love them.

11/09/2024

Wait, what?

08/09/2024

It's that time of year for exams, dentals and med refills. oy vey

03/09/2024

I will always side with the under dog.

02/09/2024

Behavior is Language.
Unwanted behaviors are our dogs way of asking for help.
It’s not rooted in some complex emotional narrative or abstract thought process.
The only things dogs do are…
the things that we allow them to do therefore teaching them to do and…what works.
Thats it.
It’s really that simple.
However simple doesn’t equal easy.
But if there an imbalance in your relationship with your dog chances are you need to change how you are doing things because….
Behavior is language.
What does your behavior communicate to your dog?
Are you consistent? Are you trustworthy? Are you a pushover? How much do you let them get away with? Are you quick to anger? Do you think their shenanigans are funny up to a point and then get mad when you have had enough but it’s never clear to the dog where that point is?
Are you a believable leader to be looked to in times of chaos/uncertainty or do you add to it?
You are having a conversation with your dog every minute of every day.
A lack of awareness doesn’t negate the fact that it’s happening, every minute of every day.
Behavior is language.
What conversations did you have with your dog today?







#

11/06/2024

What most dog owners view as “happy” is actually an over aroused, stressed out dog who’s nervous system is absolutely fried. They lack any kind of impulse control.
That’s not “happy.”
Many owners in turn view a calm dog as sad, old, sick or tired.
…
Imagine living with a roommate who refused you the proper amount of sleep (dogs need 18 hours of sleep/day)
Demanded that you run around like a maniac, forcing you to do too much exercise-all in the name of “enrichment”.
Imagine they did all of this regardless of your health and well-being (like when people run their dogs until they limp repeatedly)
… just so they could feel like you were happy… or even worse because it made them feel good to watch it.
(We won’t even talk about this roommate from hell constantly forcing you into social interactions with every dog and human in the name of “Socialization”)
You would undoubtedly develop some pretty concerning behaviors from lack of sleep and proper boundaries.
Chances are that with this person prioritizing their wants over your needs it would negatively affect your relationship with them.
This is the picture many well intentioned, well meaning owners paint by simply not looking at it from the dogs perspective.
If you want the way your dog behaves to change the way you look at your dogs behavior has to change.
They are communicating with you thru their behavior how life with you is working for them.
We need to change our perception from the dog needs to change to how can better support them as the animal they are… not as a furry little infant.

20/03/2024

Welcome Maddie!
She is the housemate to Ranger who trained with me back in December.
There is truly no better compliment than when owners send a second, third or even a fourth dog in to train with me!
Stay tuned, this girl has a laundry list of issues. I can’t wait to help her feel more comfortable in her skin!

24/02/2024

When your dog is here, they become family. That means long after they go home I think about them and miss them. Pupdates are always welcomed and appreciated!
All of my programs come with lifetime support for after care. If your dog is struggling or an owner need clarity in how to be successful, never hesitate! There are no bonus points or gold stars for struggling if you are committed to giving your dog the best life possible.
There is a learning curve for sure but
I’m here to help.

21/02/2024

Remy learning place.
This big guy struggles with some pretty serious separation anxiety and reactivity issues.
Rather than address those symptoms , which is like slapping a bandaid on the issue, I instead address the root cause of his struggles-the state of mind that causes the anxiety.
This is how we affect long term change in our dogs.

10/02/2024

Cousin Remi joins pack to learn the language of the ecollar, leash manners, address some boundary frustration in the car, separation anxiety and some dog reactivity that just started to develop.
He’s truly a great dog but his Dad knows he can be better and wants a bigger, better life for his dog.
Remember-training is not reserved for “bad” dogs, it’s a gift all dogs deserve.

05/02/2024

The hardest and most underrated rated thing to teach a dog is the art of doing nothing.
In a world of enrichment puzzles, exercise, inappropriate socialization, toys, chews and the constant GOGOGO people are told they have to do to have a “happy” dog the art of doing nothing is over looked.
All of that constant movement and arousal is in direct opposition of what owners say they want from their dogs.
Practicing all the wrong things will not yield you the results you want.
A tired dog is not a happy dog.
You can’t exercise your way into a calm dog.
Tired isn’t calm.

04/02/2024

02/02/2024

And in this corner we have Mozart weighing in at whopping 8 lbs.
His general chicanery and antics have kept his people from leaving the house for longer than 15 min. He screamed bloody murder in the car just because he didn’t want to be there.
He bullied, bit, barked and was reactive towards other dogs…
His people tried taking him to the vet to resolve these issues.

No hate to vets but they used the only tool in their tool box and of course….prescribed medication.
Without a training plan in place the meds didn’t do anything to help.
For YEARS his behavior continued to worsen.
Owners thought they had “tried everything”….
Enter communication-in their first language.
Enter rules-taught fairly once communication was established.
Enter accountability for the rules, once understood.
Enter boundaries.
Enter routine.
Enter addressing a dogs psychological needs before human emotional desires and prioritizing those needs as much as a dogs exercise requirements.
Enter viewing a dog, even a small dog… like a dog.
This little guys whole world view has changed in a short amount of time and his parents now have the tools, support, and information to live a much bigger and better life with their dog.
It’s not luck, it’s training.


# balanceddogtraining

01/02/2024

Baron came in after he smashed into his mom’s leg and broke her knee.
After that she was forced to hire dog walkers who, while they meant well were all sending different messages to him, as well as being inconsistent with all kinds of handling.
He was getting too much of the wrong kind of exercise, had far too much unearned freedom, too many unearned privileges, and the wrong kind of over the top unearned affection.
All of these things have led to a very spoiled-(definition: diminish or destroy the value or quality of
Similar:
mar damage impair blemish
disfigure blight flaw deface scar
injure harm ruin destroy wreck
2. harm the character of someone by being too lenient or indulgent.)
Dog. He was very entitled, protested the simplest jobs and his nervous system was an absolute wreck.
He still has a ways to go and mom has her work cut out for her to prove to him she is the calm, confident, benevolent, firm but fair leader adolescent dogs so desperately need. Progress over perfection friends!