Vermont Dog Behavior

14/10/2025

I blinked and suddenly it’s October! This summer was full of awesome dogs and humans. I am so thankful that I’ve been able to turn my passion for animal behavior and welfare into such a fulfilling career. I love sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the last 24 years with my clients and community. Recently, I presented on behavior evaluations and the use of safety tools in defensive dog handling at HSCC.

I’ve got a few more presentations coming up in 2025, and am now booking for 2026. I’m available for:

🐾 Behavior focused seminars and workshops for professional dog trainers.
🐾 Dog play group training for boarding and daycare facilities, shelters and rescues.
🐾 Low stress and defensive handling training for veterinary professionals.
🐾 Defensive handling and safety tool training for shelters, rescues, law enforcement and animal control officers.
🐾 In depth seminars about dog body language, how dogs learn, dog behavior and more for any animal care professionals looking to increase their knowledge base.

If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, custom training packages are available. To learn more or set up a discovery call visit the link in the comments.

come

19/03/2025

If you’d like to join us for the Dog Trainers Retreat on Reactivity and Aggression there’s still time to get early bird pricing. Come for the awesome learning opportunity, stay for the sanctuary animals and farmers market. Go to the link in the comments for event details and to sign up!

This year I’m giving in depth presentations about working with reactivity and aggression, and will be coaching several dog and handler teams on site. Casey Matthews of Wit's End Dog Behavior Consulting will be presenting on enrichment and relaxation protocols, and how to apply them to reactivity and aggression cases. Sara Matters of Training Matters will be discussing the history of and science behind enrichment. If we’re lucky there might even be a Debbie Jacobs sighting!

01/01/2025

Super happy to have had the opportunity to talk about functional enrichment with Tom at Simplifying Shelter Behaviour. Thanks for having me on the podcast! If you give it a listen, feel free to hit me up with questions.

Now Live!

Ep. 29 Functional Enrichment, how to do More Than Just Stuff a Kong with Emily Lewis.

In this episode I am joined by Emily Lewis to talk about functional enrichment. We cover how we can use enrichment to support our behaviour modification plans and how we can craft specific enrichment programs for the dogs in our care that support behaviour as well as welfare.

About Emily
• 22 years of professional experience as a dog trainer, shelter behaviour consultant and veterinary technician
• Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
• Ten years of experience in shelters doing behavior evaluations, dog to dog testing, creating enrichment and training plans, and counseling adopters
• Specializes in a wide variety of behavior issues, including human directed aggression
Emily loves working with pet parents and their dogs to strengthen the human animal bond through positive training. Over the last 20+ years she has worked with a variety of breeds from terriers to mastiffs to mutts.
She has experience with rescue dogs and the unique issues they face - and is the proud owner of three of her very own. She has also owned and trained deaf, blind, and physically impaired dogs, and this is an area close to her heart.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ea6VTImAPcnlXilJYunij?si=37947fc55aa54dfe

30/12/2024

Really excited for the opportunity to talk to Tom on the Simplifying Shelter Behaviour podcast! I’ll be sure to share the full episode when it drops.

21/12/2024

Koru (black pitty) recently moved in next door to Sam (hound). There was some initial tension between the two resulting in reactivity. Helping them learn to relax together led to their ability to play.

We started out with parallel walks which included the use of engage/disengage and some pattern games. We slowly decreased proximity as both dogs showed relaxed body language and the ability to engage with their human. From there we began some drive by sniffs and stationing side by side for treats.

Once everyone was consistently relaxed during these interactions we let them begin to play in earnest. We would have been happy with the boys simply being neighborly, having them become friends is a wonderful bonus.

15/12/2024

Courtesy Post: This handsome guy is just waiting to wag his way into your heart. Wiggle has had a difficult journey in his short life, but is coming out the other side with a positive outlook. Wiggle is a typical adolescent bully breed dog, full of energy and zest for life. Here’s what we know about his social skills:

Adults: Wiggle adores people and would like to take up permanent residence in someone’s lap. He does have trauma from previous abuse which causes him to be reactive (barky/lungy) in certain situations with new people. He warms up quickly when coached through this initial meeting. He will need support in continuing to build positive associations in this area.

Kids: Wiggle has lived with and seems to enjoy being with children. He is an active young dog, and could potentially knock younger kiddos over in his exuberance. We always recommend adult supervision between kids and dogs.

Dogs: Wiggle could benefit from having a calm and confident dog in his new home. He is currently living with other dogs and does well sharing his things, space and foster human with them. He plays vigorously with his bully breed housemate and loves to cuddle with both dogs during nap time. Wiggle can be reactive to some dogs (barky/lungy) and will need to be introduced to any new dog friends in a structured way.

Cats: Wiggle has a high prey drive and should not live with cats, bunnies or barnyard fowl.

Medical Information: Wiggle came to The Mitzvah Fund after having been hit by a car. His hind leg was badly broken. Unfortunately there were several weeks between the accident and Wiggle coming into care and leg could not be repaired. The loss of his leg hasn’t slowed him down one bit, and he is so relieved to no longer be in pain. Wiggle was very underweight when he first arrived, and is still in the process of putting on a few pounds to become a healthy weight.

Wiggle will come with post adoption support from our behavior consultant to ensure a smooth transition to his new home. If you think that your family could be a good fit for our special boy please reach out to at [email protected]

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween! Fisher wants you to know he’s Super Beagle every day, but only dresses the part once a year. Did you dress up your pet today?

10/10/2024

When I talk about adding distractions to training I don’t generally envision a small herd of cats joining the party. But for Koru this is the kind of real life distraction that he’ll face on a daily basis. His mom does a great job of managing the cats while also reinforcing Koru for staying on his mat, quite the accomplishment!

13/09/2024

Name a cuter couple than this, I dare you! PD brings his emotional support Carat to our training sessions, and she is more than happy to learn (and eat treats) along side him. PD is working on being comfortable when left alone, being calm when seeing dogs on walks and learning to make good decisions in high arousal situations. This goofy guy is already making great progress.

05/09/2024

I love spending time with the dogs, staff and volunteers at and it’s often the highlight of my week. There are so many wonderful dogs looking for homes, and one of them is my pal Chanel. This sweet, goofy girl would love to help you bring your selfie skills to the next level. She excels at giving kisses and cuddles to her friends, playing fetch and making people laugh. For more information about Chanel you can check out her profile at hsccvt.org

26/08/2024

Happy National Dog Day from the Vermont Dog Behavior crew! We hope you and your pups have a fabulous day.

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:
🐾Prior to the start of fireworks, being playing some music, the TV or run an air conditioner. Keep it going until after the booms end.
🐾If your dog can see the light show, close the blinds or curtains or add some window film.
🐾Some dogs might appreciate being in a smaller space like a bedroom, crate or even a coat closet - stay with them if they do!
🐾Provide a high value chew, stuffed Kong or lick mat as chewing and licking are soothing for dogs.
🐾Try a calming supplement, I use Composure products for my pups.

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