Command Canine

08/26/2025

Kinda crazy that you think you have to live like this forever...

08/01/2025

If your dog is driving you crazy, you’ll love this…

1.5 year old Freya came to us with a whole lot of love and a growing list of behaviors that were starting to become a reeeeeeal safety issue.

She played too rough with the kids, but that wasn’t the half of it.

She also:
- Barked at and postured toward strangers
- Guarded bones and food
- Shredded and swallowed socks, toys, furniture, you name it
- Chased farm animals, pulled hard on leash, and ignored commands

Her family loved her, but they couldn’t trust her.

Freya needed boundaries, clarity, and training that addressed her mind, not just her manners. That’s where our Mind & Manners Method came in.

We focus on two things:

Mind: Balancing the nervous system, building confidence, and helping dogs think before acting

Manners: Teaching practical, real-world obedience that holds up around distractions and stress

After four weeks with our trainer Jaquan, Freya returned home and her family said “the difference is night and day.”

That’s the difference between surface-level obedience (which only changes what they DO) and real behavior modification (which changes how they FEEL).

Freya’s story is a reminder that your dog’s behavior issues don’t have to control your life. With the right method, they can become the dog your family deserves.

Curious about the Mind & Manners Method AND want 5 things you can do today to change your dog’s behavior? (They’re easy I swear.)

Visit the link in our bio and download our FREE Warm up Wag ebook. This may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

07/25/2025

Officially announcing our partnership with the incredible The Beagle Alliance. We are ready to take the next step together and continue our mission to help rescue and rehabilitate more dogs out of research facilities! 💙

Yes the village does march on.

It will take all of us in the spirit of collaboration to make a difference for the animals!

Many of our fosters and adopters have already experienced the incredible care Chelsey Marino exhibits when working with former research dogs - and now it is a great privilege to "officially" announce our partnership.

As a rescue, we take great pride in going the extra mile to support the very dogs in our care and the selfless fosters and adopters who take their role very seriously - and Chelsey and her team feel the exact same way - and come through - EVERY.SINGLE.TIME!

The future looks so bright for the dogs coming out of facilities - and we will work tirelessly to see as many as possible go from LAB to LOVE, with Chelsey's assistance!

So excited to work together!!!

Check out the Keeper and Kin page here: https://buff.ly/Q4JwZeE

07/03/2025

The dog I want to couple up with is.........

the former research dog hiding under the coffee table.

05/29/2025

Let's get these gals safely the US! They've had a hell of a life already.

Operation: Freedom Fetchers is underway! We are taking on an extraordinary mission to bring 45 young, female beagles home from China. These are not strays. These are our dogs. They bear American tattoos and microchips—signs of their origin in U.S.-linked breeding programs overseas and used in laboratory research.

When the testing stopped, their lives were set to end in horror most likely funneled toward the illegal meat trade, making them dual survivors!

But then, everything changed.

Thanks to rescue teams on the ground, they were pulled from that nightmare just in time. Then Run2theRescue, an American nonprofit, stepped in to support their care while searching for long-term placement. When our friends at White Coat Waste Project helped connect them with John here at Kindness Ranch, the impossible began to feel real.

Even though Kindness Ranch is currently overwhelmed with a near record number of research dog releases, we didn’t hesitate. We said yes, opening our doors and our hearts.

We have trusted partners helping us place our current dogs into foster homes, making room for all 45 beagles coming in.

This mission is a powerful reminder that real change happens when we put ego aside and unite for a greater purpose. No single person, rescue, or organization could pull off something of this scale alone. It’s taken compassion, humility, and relentless cooperation across borders and missions. When we come together—sharing resources, trusting one another, and keeping the focus on the animals—we create something far bigger than the sum of its parts. Operation: Freedom Fetchers is proof of that. These 45 beagles are getting a second chance not because of one hero, but because many chose to work together and lead with heart.

What we don’t have yet is the funding.
These 45 beagles have already endured more than most dogs ever should. Now they have one final journey ahead: to freedom, to safety, to love.

This is your moment to be part of Operation: Freedom Fetchers.
Our operation is ready for takeoff. All that’s missing is you!

Every donation helps fly them home. Every dollar is a step closer to the life they deserve.

They’ve been tested. They’ve been used. They’ve been nearly lost. Now, let’s bring them home.

Be the miracle. Join Operation: Freedom Fetchers today.

Humans from several organizations are coming together to raise funds for this international rescue! The total cost will be close to sixty thousand dollars just for transportation. Thanks to the generosity of an incredible family, all donations through our website page will be matched up to $15,000. Double your donation and help these girls get home!

https://kindnessranch.org/products/support-operation-freedom-fetchers

03/22/2025

I love that adopters are being open and honest about what life is like with a former research dog, because while these little guys give you some of the most fulfilling experiences- it's not always an easy road. ♥️

The more we can educate the public and advocate for these dogs, the better for everyone.

These dogs are not easy, and admittedly, Rob Wadd and Sharon Giest had no idea what they were getting themselves into. To rehabilitate a former lab beagle…

03/09/2025

We're Hiring!

Looking for trainers who want to focus on what they do best-training dogs. We handle the sales, marketing, and client onboarding. From reactivity, anxiety, to confidence-building, our clients are owners who are serious about their dogs.

Learn more: https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=392684368edf0d2e&from=shareddesktop

03/06/2025

Congratulations to our clients Lauren and Bear for passing their therapy dog test! (first picture)

They have come SO far in the past couples of months and I'm so proud of them! Lauren works at a children's library and Bear is now able to join her at work every day and spend time with all the kiddos ♥️

02/18/2025

Bad news for dog owners who believe their dog will like strangers who give them treats.

If your dog panics when people get too close, putting them into awkward interactions won’t magically make them social—it’ll just confirm their suspicion that strangers are weird and unpredictable (which, to be fair, they often are).

Instead of forcing it, try something that actually works: Treat & Retreat—aka the sneaky way to get treats and build trust without the annoying pressure.

What Could Go Wrong!?

Well….

🚫 Making sessions too long – Dragging things out just drains your dog. (If you’re an introvert, you totally get this)
5-10 minutes will always beats 30 minutes

🚫 Talking to the dog – I get it, people love saying, “It’s okay! I’m nice! Aww, come here, buddy!” But just don’t. 
Silence is golden. Let the treats do the talking.

🚫 Skipping retreat – The “retreat” part is just as important as the “treat.” After a few reps, make sure to toss the treats far away again.
Pressuring them to stay close literally defeats the purpose.

🚫 Reaching out to touch – If the stranger gets too excited and tries to touch your dog, you’ll undo all your progress.
Paws off until the dog is begging you for it.

🚫 Only practicing with one person – Cool, your dog is okay with one person. But unless you’re planning to exclusively hang out with that one person forever, they need to practice with different people in different places.

Dogs, like ✨us ✨- learn best when they feel in control. Not because we're Type-A control freaks (well not all of us), but because it makes us feel 🫶🏻 safe.

Share this and try it so we can all stop being socially awkward—dogs included.

02/04/2025

I don’t have many non-negotiables when coaching dog owners, but *this* is one of them.

Look, if you want easier, calmer walks, stop setting yourself up for failure with a leash that works against you.

If you keep using a retractable leash, a bungee leash, or one of those ridiculously chunky-handled monstrosities, here’s what’s going to happen:


❌ You’ll have zero control in an emergency. A squirrel? Another dog? Forget about it.

❌ Your hands will suffer. Rope burn, hand cramps, or a leash snapping at the worst moment? It’ll happen.

❌ You’ll start dreading walks. Because you’re spending more time wrestling your dog than actually enjoying them.

❌ Your training won’t stick. Because the leash is undoing all the work you’ve put in and it’s communicating everything allllll wrong.

I know, because I’ve seen it - countless times.

I used to think that my clients could work with the equipment they had. They just needed to train harder, be more consistent, and build up their skills. Meanwhile, they were actively out there gripping onto a leash that was actively working against them.

So what happened? They did everything right… and still got dragged across sidewalks.

Which is why I need you to hear this.

The Right Leash = Instantly Better Walks.

If I could go back in time, I’d tell them to bite the bullet and just get a leash that actually makes sense.

🙌🏻 A simple, durable, 6ft biothane leash (my preference is 1/4 in think, but 1/2 is also wonderful) is one of the easiest fixes for leash walking struggles. This isn’t about “controlling” your dog—it’s about clear, consistent communication.

I care about this because I see so many people working their butts off in training… only to be sabotaged by a garbage leash. Don’t be one of them.

So if walks are still chaotic? Start with the leash. It might just change everything.

Send this post to a friend who is committing a crime against leash walking by using the wrong leash.—no judgment… but also, kinda. 😏