Gone to the Dogs

Give and take during play 😍 I love watching these two building a connection. Tia has been part of the family for 3 weeks and she’s learned as much from Juno as she has from me 🩵🐕

See all those swishy tails, relaxed bodies, happy faces? 🐶 It’s not because I lavish them with affection. 🩵🩵🩵 It’s not because I funnel treats down their throats. 🍪🍭🍫 Its not because I let them run wild. 🐺 It’s because they know I’m their leader, they know I’ve got them covered, they know I’m fulfilling their needs as a dog, they know I’m making the decisions and keeping them safe so they don’t have to worry about it. And they know I will hold them accountable like any Pack Leader/Parent would. 🩵🐕☀️🌲

We’re back in another heat wave so that means lots of cool down time at the lake for all of us 🩵🐕☀️🌊

Dogs being able to chill together is a far more valuable skill than dogs only knowing how to play together. Why? Dogs that only know excitement around other dogs get in over their heads because an excited mind can’t read body language or energy. A calm dog can use its nose, read energy, see the changes in body language that indicate a dog does or does not want to engage in play. Teaching dogs to be calm in a pack allows even dog reactive dogs to have a space to be a dog. Pop Quiz: How many dogs in today’s pack do you think are dog reactive?

Tia has been part of our family for a whole week and we love her so much! 🥰❤️ A little background on this sweet girl: ⭐️A street pup picked up in Tijuana ⭐️She’s 7-8 months old according to the rescue we adopted her from. ⭐️Her social skills are top notch! She is calm with people, understands dogs and her hierarchy in the pack. ⭐️She loves to play and wants nothing more than to run like the wind ⭐️She sleeps all night in her crate This week we have been working on long line follow, crating during the day, place and long line in the house so that she understands the rules and boundaries to set her up for success. I know from experience with Juno that being lax in the beginning leads to far more work later on and I’m not making that mistake again 😅 Do you have a puppy/rescue or are thinking of getting one? Want help? Let me know 🩵🐕

We called this the “Spicy” Community Pack Walk 😂 because 3/4 of the dogs are working through reactivity! Nice work team 🩵🐕🤩

The dogs and I would just like to say, “WTF? July-uary is that you?” 🩵🐕☔️

Your Friday reminder that if I can do this with 15 dogs, you can do it with one 😘 🩵🐕☀️🌲

After the work comes the reward. And its a pretty sweet reward 🩵🐕🌊☀️

This week’s load up courtesy of the Wednesday Pack! 🩵🐕

A little dip to cool off 🩵🐕🌊☀️

Friday Load Up Cuz @yourfavouritedogtrainer asked for a different angle 😂 🩵🐕🚐

🩵🐕☀️🌊

Did you know it’s possible to throw sticks for dogs without them losing their marbles? Did you know, the more you throw sticks for your dog when they are barking, whining and otherwise demanding, the more annoying that behavior will become? I only throw sticks for the goodest of dogs 🩵🐕☀️🌊

Just another example of healthy socialization skills. Calm dogs can process things and make decisions like: these people mean no harm, they’re in social zone, no need for alarm. Once guy in the kayak decided he wanted a closer look well…Sadie gave him the what for with her big dog bark. 🩵🐕🌊☀️

Dogs need more rest than you think and they just aren’t getting quality decompression😴 They don’t need more stimulation, more interacting, more enrichment activities. The world is stimulating enough. Harvey struggles to relax, he’s jumpy and excitable; always waiting for the next move. He has been here since Saturday afternoon and this is the first time I’ve seen him fully relax on his side. This is with the help of his e collar and practicing settling in the crate, downs and downs with distraction. 🩵🐕

Not warm enough for swimming in my opinion but I went in to my knees which is more than I can say for the rest of the lot! Stay hydrated friends! We’re in for a doozy of a warm weekend. But we’re not complaining, right!! 🩵🐕☀️🌊

Just thought I’d throw some pig content into the usual dog content to switch it up😁🩵🐷

Everyone likes a load up video 😄 🩵🐕🚐

Want a dog that listens? Stop talking so much! Connection is built through Leadership, Structure and Love. Not words. 🩵🐕🌲 (Nova missed the memo and didn’t get in the video😂)