Vermont Dog Behavior

12/17/2025

Introducing the magical Miss Molly! This brave girl came in to in September. She was terrified and wouldn’t leave her kennel. We were all worried about her quality of life and immediately started her on a behavior plan. It included the use of helper dogs, allowing her as much agency as we’re able to in a shelter environment, extra in kennel enrichment, and calm patient people time. We didn’t try to force Molly in to physical interactions with people, we didn’t focus on obedience training, we saw the potential in the dog in front of us and let her grow in to it.

It’s hard to do justice to her progress in a 3 minute video, but man are we proud of how far she’s come. I need to give a HUGE shoutout to Ro and Ennis for all of their hard work, without them we wouldn’t be here. We are thrilled that Molly is now ready to meet her future family. She needs a well socialized canine friend who can continue to show her new people and places are safe. She needs a physically fenced in yard that can be accessed from inside the house. With patience and love Molly will thrive. If you think you may be a good fit for our special girl please reach out to HSCC directly.

12/07/2025

Last week we said goodbye to Fisher. There aren’t words that can encompass what this dog meant to me, and I will forever feel his absence. Fisher helped so many dogs during his time as my trusty side kick. He was a friend to fearful dogs, neutral in face of reactivity, and playful with all of the puppies. He was my partner, my heart dog and the goodest boy I’ve ever known. I am thankful for every moment spent with him, every lesson he imparted and that he chose me as his person. Please give your dog some extra love and lots of snacks in Fisher’s honor.

10/20/2025

I’m so excited for Liam and his guardian. They’ve been working hard and it’s paying off. This guy used to be frantic and compulsive to the point that it was effecting the quality of life for both him and his human. At our most recent lesson we saw big changes, and it’s safe to say that all three of us experienced real joy!

10/14/2025

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

03/19/2025

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

12/30/2024

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.

12/21/2024

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.

12/15/2024

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]

10/31/2024

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?