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Professional support and guidance for families and their dogs in the Twin Cities & Western Wisconsin | Consulting on aggression in dogs, LFDM-B, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

Wonderful opportunity!!!
26/03/2025

Wonderful opportunity!!!

Do you have any questions about animal behavior? Now’s your chance to ask a renowned Veterinary Behaviorist & international speaker!

📅 March 31, 2025 | ⏰ 1 PM PST | 💻 Virtual Event - FREE

Open to pet owners, trainers, behavior consultants, dog walkers, sitters, vets—anyone curious! Join this FREE, 45-minute live Q&A and get expert insights on training, behavior challenges & more. Bring your questions & join us! 🔥🐾

Save your spot here!! https://instinctportland.as.me/?appointmentType=74971450

Karl Sr and Jr were a hit with the drive up team member at target today! She saw them in the back seat and literally scr...
23/03/2025

Karl Sr and Jr were a hit with the drive up team member at target today! She saw them in the back seat and literally screeched, thinking they were real 🤣 Which of course led to a wonderful convo about her lovely new pup at home and THE KARL HACK 🐶

The Karl Hack helps provide a pup more healthy play and biting opportunities, which are essential needs 🙌 instagram.com/familydogmediation/reel/C7y-V8JNYH5/

Happy National Puppy Day, friends! We’re thinking globally 🙏❤️📸 An Indie pup we met in Pune, India, post treatment for G...
23/03/2025

Happy National Puppy Day, friends! We’re thinking globally 🙏❤️

📸 An Indie pup we met in Pune, India, post treatment for GI disease. Special thanks to the Chief Security Officer at Film & Television Institute of India for providing care and treatment for this pup and countless Indies on the campus ❤️🙏

Also a special heartfelt thanks to our trusted guide Kapil Patwardhan for his incredible outreach and efforts in supporting the welfare and coexistence of these beautiful Indies. It takes a village!

22/03/2025

Adolescence has arrived in this house! Six months old, and Bertie is changing by the day — sometimes hour to hour. One minute he’s leggy and sweet, melting into me for a cuddle on the sofa. The next, he’s flinging himself headlong into life like a teenager who’s overdone the Red Bull and found the front door unlocked.

He cocked his leg to p*e the other day for the first time. It was awkward and unsure, more of a sideways lean than a proper lift. But still, it felt like a big deal. A rite of passage. He’s not just marking territory; he’s beginning to carve out his place in the world. There’s a new kind of confidence about him, and with it, a steady trickle of challenge!

He’s started pushing back. Not in any dramatic way, more like subtle, everyday defiance. That slow turn of the head when I call him, the pause before deciding whether coming back is worth it. It’s less about being ‘naughty’ and more about him figuring out his autonomy. “Do I have to?” “Can I do it my way?” “What if I don’t?”

And then there’s the over-arousal. He goes from 0 to 100 in a blink. A passing dog, a gust of wind, a rogue crisp packet, it’s all so much. Sometimes he barrels into things, all noise and movement, tail high, energy spilling everywhere. Other times, just as quickly, he backtracks, visibly unsure, tail tucked, scanning the environment, and me, for answers. It’s like he’s caught between two selves: the big man explorer and the nervous kid.

What’s been most striking is how often he still looks to me; not for control, but for backup. I can almost hear the subtext: “You’ve got me, right?” It’s not about needing to be told what to do, but needing to feel supported while he works it out. That small moment of eye contact before he dives into something chaotic, or the quiet lean against my leg after a big reaction says so much.

From a behaviour perspective, this stage is where a lot of learning happens; not neat and tidy learning, but messy, layered, deeply emotional stuff. He’s not trying to ‘test boundaries’ in the way people often assume. He’s mapping the world. Testing himself. Seeing what holds steady, especially when he doesn’t.

And that’s where I come in. My job isn’t to clamp down or try to skip ahead to the ‘well-behaved’ adult dog. It’s to walk with him through the unpredictability. To let him stretch and stumble, knowing I’ll be there when he swings back, not with judgement, but with quiet steadiness.

There’s something incredibly touching about this phase. Frustrating and annoying? Yes. Exhausting? Often. But underneath all the noise and growing pains, I can see glimpses of the dog he’s becoming. He’s finding his shape. And every time he returns to me, after the zoomies, the barking, the bouncing off the sofas, he brings a bit more of that future self with him.

So I breathe a bit deeper, remind myself to be patient and keep showing up. I laugh more than I sigh (most days). And I remind myself: this stage isn’t forever, but it is important. It’s where trust is deepened, not just taught. Where we learn to read each other in the chaos, not just the calm.

If you have an adolescent dog, remember it's not forever!

Excellent video for veterinarians on addressing BOTH pain and anxiety/fear associated with behavior problems, from the w...
21/03/2025

Excellent video for veterinarians on addressing BOTH pain and anxiety/fear associated with behavior problems, from the wonderful Dr. Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB!

This is also great educational information for "pet" owners, guardians, and professionals to know when seeking veterinary care for an animal.


Discover why addressing pain and anxiety simultaneously is crucial, and how common behavior medications won't interfere with medical tests for pain. Learn ab...

A CRITICALLY important read, especially for families with dogs who are displaying fear/anxiety/stress, separation-relate...
20/03/2025

A CRITICALLY important read, especially for families with dogs who are displaying fear/anxiety/stress, separation-related behaviors, reactivity, aggression, etc

At this point in time, most folks understand the link between pain and behavior. It’s logical: you don’t feel well, you have less patience and tolerance, you lash out or shut down or otherwise are not the best version of yourself. It makes sense that the same would be true for dogs.

But how do we know there is pain with animals who cannot verbalize that pain?

The short answer: we can’t know.

The longer answer: we also can’t know there ISN’T pain.

Meet Malus.

From puppyhood, he’s been a little spicy. But he’s a terrier, so that’s normal, right? He didn’t like having his feet handled. No biggie. And as he got older, he got a little reactive to other dogs - again, see “terrier” in the dictionary. And after he got neutered at 2.5 years old, his behavior spiraled - going after his housemates, aggression directed at his owners, even less tolerance for handling, increased fence fighting. But there’s some evidence of increased aggression after neutering, so maybe he just got unlucky.

For many folks, that explanation would’ve been enough. They would’ve worked on behavior modification, or just accepted a crate and rotate household, or managed the heck out of all of his triggers… or, honestly, would’ve ended up euthanizing him for his dangerous behavior.

Luckily, Malus’s mom is Katrina, who is essentially a terrier in a human body. She dug in.

Training, a veterinary behaviorist, consulting with other behavior experts, expensive testing - and then we got our first physical explanation: low zinc.

But even with a zinc supplement, his aggressive episodes remained unpredictable. Katrina had noticed some very, very intermittent lameness, foot chewing, butt/tail biting, so off they went to the first orthopedic specialist - one who cleared him orthopedically for all activities.

So they did physical therapy, and pain meds, and kept working on training.

But the weird, mild lameness continued, and so did visits to specialists. A neurologist who recommended an MRI, then more physical therapy for a possible psoas strain, different meds, another orthopedic/rehab specialist consultation, adjustments to physical therapy, a PEMF bed for home use, adjustments to behavior meds, consults with nationally respected trainers and behavior specialists, and finally - FINALLY - a recommendation to see a pain management specialist.

“I think he may have Tethered Cord Syndrome. I’m going to try different pain meds, but there’s a specialist in Massachusetts you should get in touch with.”

With the new meds on board, his behavior improved. He was brighter, happier, had fewer episodes of lameness, self mutilation, and aggression.

Yesterday, Malus had a dynamic MRI at Tufts, where Tethered Cord Syndrome was confirmed.

Today, he had surgery to relieve the adhesions to his spinal cord that have been causing him pain.

He was never “just being a terrier.” He was not acting out for no good reason. He didn’t need harsher training methods. He wasn’t aggressing for no reason.

He was in pain.

There are no words to adequately describe how thrilled I am for Katrina and Malus to have this diagnosis and surgery in their rear view mirror - it has been a long time coming. The strain on Katrina and Kevin’s emotions, time, resources, finances, and household over the last 5 years cannot be overstated. Most folks wouldn’t - and couldn’t - go to the lengths they did.

We can’t rule out pain. We can only rule out specific issues and diagnoses. For Malus, it took finding the right vet who had heard about this rarely diagnosed issue to connect them with the vet who could help.

To my clients I encourage to work with their veterinarian to try to find any physical explanations: Katrina and Malus are the reason why I will push you more if your primary care vet shrugs you off. It’s why I will push and push and push, especially if your commitment to training and management is excellent but we still are struggling to make progress. Malus is on my shoulder (sometimes literally), poking me with his nose, screeching in my ear to look harder.

If you’ve ever heard him, you know how hard that ✨ delightful ✨ noise is to ignore.

(PS - Here’s your sign to sign up for pet insurance.)

To learn more about Tethered Cord Syndrome:
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/breakthrough-surgical-procedure-relieves-dogs-chronic-pain

Our heartfelt appreciation to all the K9 veterans today, who have served to protect our country. From various military a...
13/03/2025

Our heartfelt appreciation to all the K9 veterans today, who have served to protect our country. From various military and working dog roles, to therapy, mascots and more— they serve in so many ways! These K9 veterans have served selflessly alongside their handlers, and so many brave and courageous men and women! We appreciate you, and are forever grateful for your service ❤️ 🇺🇸

📸 US Dept of Defense

The 'Do as WE Do' game with Yoda, to mainly support the intersection of the "L" and "E" of his L.E.G.S. (Learning, Envir...
11/03/2025

The 'Do as WE Do' game with Yoda, to mainly support the intersection of the "L" and "E" of his L.E.G.S. (Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self)🎓🌎🧬🐕

This is from a while back for an online class I was teaching, but I forgot to post it. Check out how he learns a new little 'leg kick' behavior with the help of social learning and various other principles/concepts. I may have to start offering this class again!! 😁

Here we introduce an entirely new 'leg kick' behavior at the end for him to copy. ‘Do as I Do’ is a FUN social learning game which—among other principles—inv...

Excellent points here!! ☝️
10/03/2025

Excellent points here!! ☝️

I’m back from our Dog Study Tour India 2025! So much learning and rich experiences to process in these last two weeks! N...
20/02/2025

I’m back from our Dog Study Tour India 2025! So much learning and rich experiences to process in these last two weeks! Now it’s time to jump back into our Family Dog Mediation and consulting!!

To top it off we wanted express gratitude and appreciation to our guide Kapil Patwardhan for his incredible dedication to supporting the L.E.G.S. (needs) and welfare of Indie Dogs, and to the various organizations doing equally amazing work in India!

Much heartfelt love to our fellow travelers and p*ers for their dedication, support, and inspiration, as they too carry this forward in their work with dogs and people! So many ripples — the world is a better place with you all in it ❤️🙏

Dog study tour wrap-up in Delhi: we visited the Taj Mahal yesterday, and observed plenty of streeties along the way.We l...
18/02/2025

Dog study tour wrap-up in Delhi: we visited the Taj Mahal yesterday, and observed plenty of streeties along the way.

We learned about Stray Buddy the last couple days, a program that promotes the welfare and coexistence of animals and humans in local communities.

Stray Buddy has been implemented in a local neighborhood association in Delhi (and similarly in a forest area in the city). The program involves mapping of streeties, feeding and care, vaccinations (annually), sterilization, and education outreach. There’s a structured care system with separated feeding and sleeping stations for the dogs which is supported by community members, caregivers, governance boards, and related stakeholders.

Local youth also play a critical role in the education and outreach process, which involves them learning about dog behavior, calming signals, social signaling — and the application of concepts. This is implemented systematically— and is much informed by the canine sciences and ethology.

Technology is leveraged to maintain consistent, open dialogue with all community members and caregivers. And even dog profiles or bios posted for dogs living there.

Stray Buddy is an impressive program! We look forward to seeing how they evolve through their work to promote coexistence of animals and humans, and a ‘welfare for all’ approach. ❤️🙏

What a wonderful way to end the tour! That’s it for now — more reflections to come later…

Happy Valentine’s Day!❤️🐕
15/02/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day!
❤️🐕

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Opening Hours

Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 12:00

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https://www.youtube.com/@leapsandhoundsbehavior

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