Yes Dog

Yes Dog Dog trainer for puppies, adolescents, and adult dogs. General obedience and problem behaviors.

03/24/2025

Here is a tiny glimps of the chaos Kylo navigated so beautifully today.

Kylo and I went on a super fun field trip to the Sundial Bridge and arboretum. There were joggers, cyclists, scooterists...
03/24/2025

Kylo and I went on a super fun field trip to the Sundial Bridge and arboretum. There were joggers, cyclists, scooterists, golf carts, dogs of all sizes, loud music, screaming and running children, and all sorts simply odd things. But Kylo is a city boy, and he says he was made for this chaos! People stopped us frequently and commented on his impeccable manners and cute Muppet face. He made me a very proud Trainer Lady today.

Kylo and I are done training for the day. He has an entire yard he is free to explore. You know you have successfully tr...
03/23/2025

Kylo and I are done training for the day. He has an entire yard he is free to explore. You know you have successfully trained a love of the mat, when this is how Kylo chooses to spend his time.

03/23/2025

Kylo is a really nice dog. If he doesn't like something you are doing, he'll struggle to get away, but he's not likely to put teeth on you. Sadly, because a dog won't defend himself, we often consider that permission to do all sorts of stuff they don't care for without consideration for their level of stress. Kylo is quite sensitive about having his feet touched, so when we aren't training other things, I've started doing some desensitization and counterconditioning toward grinding his nails and examining his feet. This is where we are today.

I love this game because there's a beautiful communication taking place. Can you see where he says, "No, thank you,"? And do you see how he responds when I respect the no?

All our other guests have gone home, so it's gonna be the Kylo Show this week!Here we are, taking advantage of a gloriou...
03/23/2025

All our other guests have gone home, so it's gonna be the Kylo Show this week!

Here we are, taking advantage of a glorious spring day, and working on duration behaviors with distance.

Also, two extra pics just because they are darn cute.

Behold! I present to you, Kylo the Muzzle-Trained!
03/18/2025

Behold! I present to you, Kylo the Muzzle-Trained!

Sweet Alex runs cold. The boarding lodge is heated, but I like to give him a little extra warmth anyway, so every night ...
03/18/2025

Sweet Alex runs cold. The boarding lodge is heated, but I like to give him a little extra warmth anyway, so every night before lights out, I tuck him in with a bunch of blankets. I think he likes it.

More muzzle stuff.Did you know that teaching your dog to put the muzzle on is only part of the muzzle training? They als...
03/18/2025

More muzzle stuff.

Did you know that teaching your dog to put the muzzle on is only part of the muzzle training? They also have to feel comfortable wearing it! And we need to continue to build those positive associations while wearing the muzzle.

We start with easy things. Can you take treats continuously while wearing your muzzle? Can you take treats frequently but not continuously while wearing the muzzle? Can you think enough while wearing the muzzle to perform easy behaviors, like sit or nose targeting? Can you relax on your mat with duration while wearing your muzzle?

Relaxing on the mat is where we left off with our muzzle training today. Tomorrow, we'll see if he can go for a walk in the woods with his muzzle.

For now, if the muzzle causes him any amount of stress, it gets immediately removed. And while he's wearing it, we ONLY do super fun things. There may be a time that he needs it for a less fun thing, like examining an injury at the vet one day, but that will only be one stressful moment among hundreds of good moments in which the muzzle is used, so the muzzle will never become a cue that bad things are happening.

I *think* I just completed all my tax prep and sent everything to my CPA. I always feel like I've climbed Mt. Everest w...
03/15/2025

I *think* I just completed all my tax prep and sent everything to my CPA. I always feel like I've climbed Mt. Everest when I finish, but the views definitely aren't as good.

Going through all my financials reminded me how awesome my network of friends, colleagues, and clients is. Evacuating from the Park Fire while I had a full lodge of boarding dogs was no easy task. It was stressful and expensive. I was committed to spending whatever was necessary to keep the dogs in my care well and safe, but thanks to you, all my expenses were covered, and I was able to leave a really nice kennel for Becca Hintz of Wintegrity K9 as a thank you for her incredible hospitality, driving a lot of dogs up and down the north state, and for otherwise jumping through hoops to help us out. She now uses that kennel for her own training business and has a secure place to put dogs in any emergency.

While there was plenty of stress related to wondering if my home and business were going to be standing when I got back, keeping my boarding dogs safe and minimizing their stress, the logistics of travel with 6 reactive dogs, keeping clients happy while I cared for their dogs during a natural disaster, and remembering to actually take care of myself by doing basic things like eating meals, the one thing I didn't have to worry about was money. There are no words that can possibly express how grateful I am that money was not a worry during an otherwise very challenging time. And that was because of you.

So, in case you missed it the first time or I didn't say it enough already and also just because I want to say it again, thank you.

The fresh, powdery snow softens the landing for Alex's feet so that he can enjoy snow therapy, too. Go, Alex, buddy. GO!...
03/14/2025

The fresh, powdery snow softens the landing for Alex's feet so that he can enjoy snow therapy, too. Go, Alex, buddy. GO!!!

Alex generally doesn't like to stay outside unless the sun is out and there are sunbeams to bathe in. But a good snow will cause this guy to milk every moment of his outdoor playtime.

In the beginning of Kylo's stay, I had a heck of time getting him to eat. He has just a touch of confinement distress, w...
03/14/2025

In the beginning of Kylo's stay, I had a heck of time getting him to eat. He has just a touch of confinement distress, which makes him unable to eat in his suite. He was on a medication that sometimes decreases appetite. And his astute mom noted that, at home, while he's separated with a barrier, he can see his canine housemate during meal times, and now, he doesn't get to see other dogs unless we are training. There may also have been a pain issue at play contributing to all the yucky feelings.

I developed a routine that allowed Kylo to eat where he's happiest (outside) as soon as he comes out of his suite so that it's in no way associated with going into it. His mom sent me some super special food that he loves that I mix into his kibble. With the help of his behavior vet, we switched up his medication to eliminate inappetence as a side effect. We also added a medication that might be helping his potential pain issue, and it's side effect is being an anxiolytic (decreasing anxiety). At first, I was hand-feeding every bite, but as things improved, he began eating on his own as long as I kept him company.

Now, though, we still need to follow our routine of feeding outside and mixing with tasty goodies, but he's eating like a champ and often finishes his food while I'm huddled in my woodshed a distance away trying to stay dry.

Except for today. We finally got a few inches of real snow. The silly boy kept going to his food, eating a few bites, and then getting distracted with SNOWPLAY!!! Joy and fun are good reasons to not want to eat. He did, eventually, finish his meal, but seeing his joy in the therapy of snow brings me joy, too. Play, sweet boy. Play your little heart out.

03/13/2025

Since the sky is pummeling us with graupel right now (bb-sized snow pellets, not as nasty as hail but not as pleasant as snow), we are working indoors today, so we decided to have a little fun.

Full disclosure: This smartypants arrived with a high-five that he occasionally liked to show me, so this was very easy to shape. We could add some duration to make it more realistic, but I'd say this is pretty good for a single training session!

03/13/2025

Kylo isn't really here for cooperative care training. However, when I was brushing his very curly coat, I noticed that he was quite sensitive about having his feet touched. I also noticed that his nails were a little longer than I would have expected from a dog who sees a groomer as often as Kylo does. Maybe his nails grow really fast, but maybe his groomer is having a hard time keeping them short because Kylo isn't amenable to the process. He certainly didn't care for a brush on his feet! Also, just because a dog isn't a bite risk doesn't mean they are comfortable with all of grooming and vet care, so whenever possible, I want to make sure my dog actually feels good about the process. So we started a little cooperative care training.

Here we are just beginning with foot handling. Can you see when he says no? Can you see when he gives himself a break? Any time he says no or asks for a break, that's good information for me. I'll go easier the next few repetitions to build up his confidence and his desire to play the game. Kylo is also new enough at this game that he isn't yet 100% sure of the rules, so he's still experimenting a bit. And that's fine, too! The rules of the game stay consistent, and he has ample opportunity to earn the treats within his current ability.

Kylo is learning that muzzles are rad! He comes running to me when I bring out his muzzle.
03/13/2025

Kylo is learning that muzzles are rad! He comes running to me when I bring out his muzzle.

SNOW ZOOMIES!!!!! Kylo is mostly a blur because he's So-Fast!
03/13/2025

SNOW ZOOMIES!!!!! Kylo is mostly a blur because he's So-Fast!

03/12/2025

Alex has some carpal hyperextension in all four feet. This means that when he stands or walks, his "heels" and "wrists" are nearly touching the ground. This can cause a lot of orthopedic pain, and Alex's very careful movement on hard and rough substrates while being much more active and playful when he has a soft place for his feet are indicative of how much he modifies his behavior to avoid pain versus his real personality. Alex doesn't play very long. He's a low energy guy. This could be due to his pain issues, possible metabolic or other health issues, just plain genetics, or any combination of those things. His people will be further investigating potential health diagnoses after he goes home next week. But for now, he loves to play and to be silly for a short time on a padded surface. Just prior to this video, Alex was leaping up on his hind legs to catch a tossed toy, so he's pretty tired now. I do love seeing these glimpses of who these dogs really are.

It's important to remember that MOST reactivity/aggression cases have a pain or other medical component to them. They aren't always obvious, so if our dog is demonstrating reactivity, we need to have a thorough medical assessment performed. Not only is treating our dog's health issues the humane and responsible thing for us to do but it can also have a profound effect on behavior.

03/12/2025

"But he knows what he's supposed to do!"

Your dog is amoral. He does not feel a sense of obligation to you. He simply does what works for him. If you want your dog to perform a behavior of any kind, be it a trick or recall or chilling out on their bed while you talk on the phone, you have to make that behavior work for them, too.

What does your dog get out of doing the thing you want?

03/12/2025

Current state of nail grinding with Alex. We are now working on pushing those quicks back, but I have to be careful because the nail is tender as we near the quick. The bottom foot (his right) has historically been easier for Alex, so those nails are almost as short as I can safely make them at this time. Notice the conversation we have. When I grind too close to the quick, he lifts his head to tell me to stop. I do. Every. Single. Time. When I start again, I do it from a slightly different angle to get more nail without hitting the quick, or I switch to a different nail altogether. This conversation is essential for his continued trust while I gradually encourage those quicks to recede, which is necessary for Alex's overall orthopedic health.

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Choice. Communication. Companionship.

Yes!Dog Training began several years ago with the rescue of an emaciated pit bull from a fighting ring bust. She was covered in open wounds and old scars. Shortly after her adoption, it became apparent that her wounds were not merely skin deep, and her behavioral issues were very challenging. She inspired my pursuit of knowledge in the subject of animal behavior. I became passionate about learning how to help her feel safe in this world, and that passion led me to want to help other dogs and their humans live in harmony. So I became a professional dog trainer. Certified as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, I spent 5 years as a trainer and behavior consultant at a high-volume daycare, boarding, and training facility prior to forming Yes!Dog, Inc, through which I offered private training and trained dogs for commercial advertising. I also worked as the Manager of Behavior and Training for the East Bay SPCA prior to moving Yes!Dog, Inc. up to Shingletown, CA to build my own board and train facility at Lupine Lodge. I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of pet dogs from puppies to seniors of all varieties of breeds and mixes. The Yes!Dog method is to empower dogs through choice, to train with clear communication while learning to understand what the dog is telling us, and to enjoy the resultant companionship. All of our training is done using positive, science-based, and effective methods. Choice. Communication. Companionship. These are the 3 C’s of great dog training.