Vermont Dog Behavior

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Vermont Dog Behavior Emily works with families to heal their relationship with their dog and resolve behavior issues.

How can you and your pups survive Booms Day? Be prepared! 🎆 Know the schedule for your local fireworks, and stay home wi...
01/07/2024

How can you and your pups survive Booms Day? Be prepared!

🎆 Know the schedule for your local fireworks, and stay home with your sound sensitive dog(s) at those times.
🎆 Feel free to go out and celebrate, but leave your pets at home. The sounds and sights that are exciting to us can be terrifying for them.
🎆 Make sure your pets are wearing up to date ID, even in the house. More pets are lost on the 4th of July than any other time of year. When they’re scared, they might run and accidents (like a door being left open) might happen.
🎆 It’s okay, and important, to comfort your dog! You can’t reinforce fear, but you can help reduce it. If petting, cuddling, or taking to your dog helps them to feel better than do it.
🎆 Promote relaxation in your home:
đŸŸPrior to the start of fireworks, being playing some music, the TV or run an air conditioner. Keep it going until after the booms end.
đŸŸIf your dog can see the light show, close the blinds or curtains or add some window film.
đŸŸSome dogs might appreciate being in a smaller space like a bedroom, crate or even a coat closet - stay with them if they do!
đŸŸProvide a high value chew, stuffed Kong or lick mat as chewing and licking are soothing for dogs.
đŸŸTry a calming supplement, I use Composure products for my pups.

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The Dog Trainer’s Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity is a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined us for such an exciti...
21/05/2024

The Dog Trainer’s Retreat on Aggression and Reactivity is a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined us for such an exciting weekend. I had a wonderful time getting to share my knowledge and experience with a group of engaged and thoughtful trainers, shelter volunteers and pet guardians. No presentation would be complete without a cameo from my girl Callie and her big ole grin 💖

Thank you to and for being such excellent hosts, and to my co presenter for bringing so much joy with her to our little state. is not only a beautiful venue, it’s a community. I can’t wait to go back!

It was enrichment prep night here at camp chaos. We use a variety of enrichment toys and on the menu for this week are K...
17/05/2024

It was enrichment prep night here at camp chaos. We use a variety of enrichment toys and on the menu for this week are Kongs, Toppls and Pupsicles.

I mixed low fat plain yogurt with beef stew Top It for filling and hid their freeze dried liver treats on the bottom of each item.

Get your pups some Grandma Lucy’s using my discount code LCBEHAVIOR10 at checkout.

I’ve been fine tuning my presentations for the upcoming Dog Trainer’s Retreat on Reactivity and Aggression at Lemon's Ho...
19/04/2024

I’ve been fine tuning my presentations for the upcoming Dog Trainer’s Retreat on Reactivity and Aggression at Lemon's Hope Sanctuary. It’s given me an opportunity to review so many cases from the last 10 years. I love looking back at how dedicated my clients have been to their dogs, and I’m thankful to have been a part of each of their journeys. I’m excited for the opportunity to share my experience with fellow trainers and dog guardians. There’s still time to get your ticket by clicking the link below:

http://tiny.cc/6e4txz

The solar eclipse is about to start here in Vermont! It’s unlikely that your pet will be affected by the eclipse, howeve...
08/04/2024

The solar eclipse is about to start here in Vermont! It’s unlikely that your pet will be affected by the eclipse, however it’s always better to air on the side of caution. Leave your pets safely indoors while you go out to enjoy this beautiful day 🌞

24/03/2024

EDIT: please see comments for info on Ludwig!

Is someone local willing to foster Ludwig while he waits for his forever home? This guy is so adorable and has been doing so well. He loves other dogs and would benefit from having a buddy. I’m willing to give support to his foster home and have already pledged a free training session to his future adopters. Please share this little dude so he can get to Vermont!

For the Love of Dogs Vermont is a 501©3 we bring news and updates about dogs in need of adoption.

Happy National Puppy Day from my puppies Fisher and Nyx! I wish I knew what Nova looked like as a baby, I picture a litt...
23/03/2024

Happy National Puppy Day from my puppies Fisher and Nyx! I wish I knew what Nova looked like as a baby, I picture a little cotton ball.

Today for National Dogs in Yellow Day I’m remembering my sweet Buttercup. She was a survivor of animal cruelty and negle...
20/03/2024

Today for National Dogs in Yellow Day I’m remembering my sweet Buttercup. She was a survivor of animal cruelty and neglect, and while she loved her friends fiercely she was scared of new people, places and dogs. We worked hard to help her feel brave, and it was important that other people gave us space when we were hiking. Her yellow jacket was a great visual cue for everyone and made it safer for her to navigate the world.

If you see a dog in yellow out “in the wild” remember to give them space from you and your dogs. Fearful and reactive dogs deserve to take walks, go hiking or swimming just like everyone else. It can be a lot of work to manage a dog like Buttercup out in public, and the most helpful thing we can do for yellow dog guardians is to respect the visual cue and give them the room they need.

Do you have your own Buttercup? If you do tell me about them in the comments âŹ‡ïž

I’m so happy to be contracted by Humane Society of Chittenden County as part of their behavior team. As you can see in t...
19/03/2024

I’m so happy to be contracted by Humane Society of Chittenden County as part of their behavior team. As you can see in these pictures, I love my job. It’s not always sunshine and puppy breath, but moments like this, where I’m training staff to better help the dogs in their care AND getting loved on by dogs as sweet as Emma and Pepper, make it all worthwhile.

*These lovely ladies are single and ready to mingle. Contact HSCC directly to learn more about them.*

Spend the weekend in beautiful Brattleboro and meet the animals at Lemon's Hope Sanctuary. You’ll have 2 days of present...
14/03/2024

Spend the weekend in beautiful Brattleboro and meet the animals at Lemon's Hope Sanctuary. You’ll have 2 days of presentations from myself and Casey Matthews on how to work with reactive and aggressive behaviors in dogs.

Workshop with aggression specialist Emily Lewis, CDBC, of Vermont Dog Behavior and Casey Matthews-Lomonaco, KPA-CTP, of Behavior Vets NY/NJ.

I have a soft spot for dogs with hearing and visual impairment, and Ludwig fits the bill. There are many ways we can ens...
02/03/2024

I have a soft spot for dogs with hearing and visual impairment, and Ludwig fits the bill. There are many ways we can ensure that these special pups are able to live full and happy lives, and that includes training for the whole family.

I’m offering a free training session for his adopters (in person or remote based on location) to ensure everyone starts off on the right paw. To find out more about Ludwig contact For the Love of Dogs Vermont directly.

Super excited to be a part of this workshop!
29/02/2024

Super excited to be a part of this workshop!

Workshop with aggression specialist Emily Lewis, CDBC, of Vermont Dog Behavior and Casey Matthews-Lomonaco, KPA-CTP, of Behavior Vets NY/NJ.

What makes a Nyx? Her ears don’t know what they’re doing, and I kind of hope they never figure it out. Her tail is long ...
09/01/2024

What makes a Nyx? Her ears don’t know what they’re doing, and I kind of hope they never figure it out. Her tail is long and darker than her body, she’s got a cream mask with a dark muzzle and heart shaped nose. She’s about 5 months old and weighs 30 pounds.

Nyx defers to new dogs, is gentle with Fisher and is a wild child with Nova. She loves meeting people and approaches with a wiggly body, wagging tail and “love ears”. She can be barky when seeing dogs and people from a distance, when visitors pull in the driveway, during play with other dogs and when she hears fox or coyotes at night. She can be hesitant in new environments and needs time to observe before engaging.

Nyx is super fun to train and play with. She picks up new skills quickly and readily offers her repertoire of behaviors. Her favorite toy is the flirt pole. She can be independent while exploring in the woods, and will find creative ways to entertain herself around the house.

While I wasn’t surprised by the breeds present in her DNA profile, I was by their percentages. Her super mutt includes Malamute, Siberian Husky and Labrador. Her inbreeding coefficient is only 2%. She carries one copy of an inheritable disease which means she won’t develop it, and otherwise is clear of genetic diseases. Nyx has a 1.6% wolfiness score which means she carries ancient wolf genes which were at some point selected during domestication.

What does all of this mean? It means that I’m more informed about Nyx’s health, potential breed specific traits and the activities that she may find fulfilling. I understand where some of her natural behaviors are coming from, and where she may feel conflicted due to dueling breed differences. It will interesting to see how she develops over the next 18 months (this is where I would expect her to enter social maturity) and to compare that development to the breeds in her genetic profile.

As 2023 draws to a close I want to thank all of you for your support. This year was filled with challenges, but through ...
31/12/2023

As 2023 draws to a close I want to thank all of you for your support. This year was filled with challenges, but through it all I had the absolute pleasure of working with amazing dogs and the humans who love them. I’ve got some exciting new programs and public presentations in the works, and am looking forward to serving more families in 2024.

Happy New Year from the Vermont Dog Behavior family! Emily, Fisher, Nyx and Nova

Image Description: a three legged beagle, tan mixed breed puppy and grey and white husky sit in front of a statue of the word “love”.

Beef might look like a tough guy, but he’s a total marshmallow on the inside. He’s not always comfortable with new peopl...
03/09/2023

Beef might look like a tough guy, but he’s a total marshmallow on the inside. He’s not always comfortable with new people, and that’s okay. We’re working on building his confidence in those contexts.

We give clear guidance and structure to Beef and the humans during introductions which creates a predictable pattern that helps everyone to relax. We also give Beef the agency to choose to interact or not. Your dog doesn’t need to say hi to everyone. Being able to chill in the presence of new people is a key skill for any dog.

It’s also important to look at his genetics and ensure that we’re meeting his needs. I don’t focus on suppressing Beef’s breed based behavior. This guy is a guardian and we can’t change that, nor would be want to. Its our job to give him outlets for his innate tendencies. The chickens at Beef’s house are exceedingly safe.

As you can see, following a clear training plan pays off and Beef was choosing to hang out for some selfies (and butt scratches) during our third session. And guess what? If Beef didn’t want to hang out with me, I’d be 100% okay with that too.

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A place where your dog is always front and center.

Daycare should be fun, not stressful. Our unique and positive approach to dog daycare puts your dog’s needs first. No overcrowding or forced interactions. Our behaviorally trained staff evaluates each dog to set them up for success in their playgroups and daily enrichment activities!

Training should build your relationship, not tear it down. No dominance found here. Our relationship-based positive reinforcement puppy, basic and advanced obedience classes are taught by some of the area’s most talented and compassionate professional dog trainers adhering to strict ethical guidelines to make sure your dog’s training is both humane and effective.