On The Mark Balanced Training

13/04/2026

We do all this training so we can do equally as much goofin and forest adventures 🤣

11/02/2026

Ready to eat out with your dog? Start here and work your way up 👇

☕ Coffee shops are the easiest place to practice. The stakes are low and the outing can stay short.

How to approach a coffee shop:
• Leave your dog in the car when you arrive
• Go inside and buy your coffee first
• Do the line, paying, and waiting without your dog
• Go get your dog and choose a low-traffic spot

At all locations: ask for a down and expect calm.

🍺 Breweries are a great middle ground.
One big pro is that you usually get to choose your seating, unlike restaurants where tables are more limited.

At breweries:
• Choose a tablespot with space where you can tuck your dog in
• Avoid busy walkways where people or dogs can sneak up
• Being backed against a wall or fence helps the field of view

🚪Always have an exit plan:
• Know where the exits are
• Clock excitable dogs, kids, and high-traffic areas to avoid during your exit
• Expect predictable moments your dog may want to pop up: servers approaching, people walking by, food arriving

🍽 Restaurants add another layer of difficulty.
You’re being waited on, there’s constant movement, and you’re committed through ordering, waiting, eating, and closing out at the end. For nervous dogs, this can be a lot.

Start where your dog can succeed and build from there.

If any of these levels feel tough, reach out to book a follow-up lesson can be really helpful for in-person tips and tricks.

Save this for your next outing! 🐾

23/11/2025

Holidays can be exciting and overwhelming for both humans and dogs. Set your dog up for success by having a plan before guests walk through the door.

Your Holiday Success Checklist:

🦴 Exercise early. Fulfill mental and physical needs before the day gets busy.
🔋 Charge your tools. A dead collar is no good when you need it most.
🛏️ Crate for downtime. Breaks prevent overstimulation and bad decisions.
📍 Place (or crate) when guests arrive to manage overexcitement.
🦮 Use a leash indoors. Your safety line for scavenging and counter-surfing.
⚠️ Know your food safety rules to avoid a trip to the emergency vet.

And remember to enjoy your people time without guilt! Your dog needs breaks from the chaos just as much as you do.

Fulfill their needs early, structure the day, and give yourself permission to enjoy your holiday without managing your dog every second by allowing them to rest safely in their crate.

💬Need a solid holiday game plan for your dog? Send a DM or leave a comment!

06/11/2025

Your movement means something to your dog.

Step back to invite them in. Step forward to help them slow down or hold position.

It’s simple body language that can create clarity without saying a word.
If you’ve ever felt “stuck” trying to get your dog to move with you, this one’s for you.

💬 Already training with us? DM to talk it through.
🐕 New here? DM to get on our list.

19/02/2025

Timing is key! If you ask your dog to do something and they take their sweet time (or pretend they didn’t hear you 👀), it might be time to tighten up your follow-through.

Here’s the deal: when you give a command, your dog is always learning—not just from what you say, but from what happens next. If they don’t respond right away and you repeat yourself, hesitate, or let it slide, they start thinking, “Meh, I’ll get to it when I feel like it.” And that’s not what we want!

Instead, be ready to back up your words. If you ask for something, make sure it happens—in a timely matter. The more consistent you are, the better your dog will start responding.

Current clients: Use your follow-up lessons to fine-tune your timing!

Not training with me yet? If this post was helpful, show some love by liking, sharing, commenting, or saving—it helps small businesses like mine more than you know! If you would like to train with OTM, please fill out the form on the website 💛🐾

16/08/2024

25/06/2024

I’m so honored to be featured on the list for best local businesses in ! Voting ends on June 28th, and the winners in each category will be featured in the upcoming print magazine. If you have 2 minutes, I would deeply appreciate your support ❤️

Here’s how to vote:

1. Click on the Link in my Profile
2. Scroll down and select Services
3. Select PET CARE SERVICES
4. Scroll down to find On The Mark Balanced Training
5. A Pop-up box will appear where it mentioned your vote has been added to your ballot. Click on the Green REVIEW AND CAST MY BALLOT button
6. Select Black SUBMIT BALLOT button

Reminder: You can vote once a day. Voting closes on Friday, June 28th at 5:00PM PST.

18/06/2024

This Friday! Hurry over to the link in bio to sign up for your time slot/color backdrop. Super fun collab with and for OTM clients only! Event is at my house. Excited to see everyone!

15/06/2024

Let's talk about this photo. It's cute, except it's not. I see a dog who cannot get up without telling the child to get off. How do you think a dog is going to do that?

The 7 Golden Toddler Dog Rules:
#1: If a dog walks away from you, you DO NOT FOLLOW.
#2: Always leave room for the dog to walk away from you.
---that right there is 90+% of dog bites eliminated---
#3: We do not climb on the dog.
#4: We do not grab or pull on the dog.
#5: We do not hit or throw anything at the dog.
#6: We do not touch the dog's food.
#7: We do not go into the dog's kennel.

I promise these are not overly difficult concepts for littles, nor will they rob a kid of their bond with the family dog. It will deepen that bond, while keeping everyone safe.

"Oh, it looks like Moose is walking away from you. She is saying she wants a break. Let's play with this instead!"

"It's Moose's dinner time! Let's give her space to enjoy her yummies."

"That is Moose's room(kennel) and only she is allowed to go in there."

"If Moose wanted a break, could she walk away from you right now? No she really couldn't. Let's move away from the play house. You can keep playing but now she can leave when she wants a break."

In conclusion, ***parent your child or your dog will do it for you, and you will not like how they do it.***

01/03/2024

What does a solid ‘heel’ look like?

Focus on 3 key pieces of the heel command: position, mindset, and release.

Your dog’s nose position should be at or behind the middle of your (left) hip, NOT in front. This position puts them in the mindset to calmly follow. Leading them to be less likely to find things to worry about and react to.

Your dog’s mindset should be calm, relaxed, and focused on YOU. We don’t need them constantly staring up but they should be aware and adjust accordingly to any speed or position changes you do.
Your dog does not need to go on a “sniffari” when on walks; they should only go off to sniff/potty when released with a “break” from you.

17/02/2024

It’s time to bring back an old past time: The Pack Walk!

Join me in Redmond on Saturday, March 2nd at 10am for a pack walk and get some great practice in with built in support while being surrounded with others who have the same rules and goals you have.
(Exact location will be shared on instagram stories the couple of days prior and morning of the walk)

A pack walk with OTM is a great way to get any training questions answered, as well as have the opportunity to practice neutrality around other trustworthy owner/handler teams.

If your dog was not trained with OTM but you are able to respect the rules, feel free to join us!

18/01/2024

It felt wrong not to intro the biggest part of OTM - the dogs! First up is Croc, the cute and goofy Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Croc was part of an Australian themed litter and I chose to keep his litter name “Croc”. His full name is:
“Redmoon’s Crikey Mate!”
Call name: Croc

This breed is the smallest of the retrievers. Tollers are named for their ability to entice or lure waterfowl within gunshot range, called “tolling”.
Before deciding to have my own toller, I had trained a handful and really enjoyed them. Each one I trained was a great size and FULL of personality.

I absolutely love just about everything dog related and once it was confirmed I was getting my own Toller, I couldn’t wait to dive into learning all about hunting dog training and the differences between training for the variety of tests and real life hunts.
Croc has earned his Working Certificate (WC) and 2/4 legs of his novice upland title. We plan to accomplish more titles this year and keep learning about more advanced training.

Croc often helps as a neutral dog for training dogs to walk with. He also acts as a goofy play partner who can take a lot of pressure (ie. Wrestling and body slams) to help teach appropriate play with my guidance as well as back off on play when I ask which helps us build confidence in hesitant dogs.