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Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
For a long time, this blog was a way for me to sort of “sell” my foster dogs – meaning I would share all the awesome stuff about them and then creatively touch on the areas they needed to improve …...
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Being Chewtastic: Why It Ain’t So Bad
Over the last five weeks, Johnnie has made it very clear to me that dogs will be dogs. Dogs have natural behaviors that, for their well-being, they need to express, including digging, chewing, chasing,...
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Sittin’ Pretty
Johnnie and I love to learn tricks together. Yes, we learn them together because she learns the behavior and I learn the best way to convey to her what I want! We often spend ten minutes here and there...
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Johnnie’s Happy Snow Dance
We had a surprise snow day on Monday. Well, snow day in the sense that it snowed, not in the “get off work and snuggle under the covers all day” way. It turns out that Johnnie Cash absolutely...
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Johnnie’s Force-Free Facebook Debut
I recently came across a new Facebook page called Your Pit Bull and You and immediately LOVED their content. YPB&Y is a page that is dedicated to disproving the myth that pit bull dogs and other...
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The Cherry Blossom Situation
Our first stop on our exciting adventure this weekend was to the DC cherry blossoms! They actually weren’t quite blooming yet because it’s been so cold, but they were budding and it was still gorgeous...
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Our BFF Management
When I attended a seminar last year about working with your dog’s problematic behaviors, the first thing the CPDT-KA trainer told us was, “From now on, don’t let your dog perform the behavior you want...
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Johnnie & Other Dogs
Ah, the lovely journey of discovering how your dog feels about other dogs once they get comfortable in their environment. Our two months with Johnnie Cash have been interesting and informative, and I...
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Our Big Day
Sunday was a big day for me and Johnnie. Like I believe I mentioned last week, it was the day of my humane society’s dog walk, Paws in the Park. Paws is our biggest fundraiser of the year and a …...
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Best Toy Ever
Over the weekend I made an impulse purchase of a new toy for Johnnie. It was a combo of her two favorite toys: a strong rope and a big ball. Called a Jolly Pet Romp-n-Roll Toy, I figured Johnnie would...
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All the Things We’ve Learned
To say that Johnnie has come a long way from the day she stepped foot paw out of the shelter would be an understatement. Johnnie Cash, once thought to be out of control and insanely energetic, turned...
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Putting Our Trust Back in Dog
This post is about dog-dog intros, and it is geared more towards non-reactive dogs. There might be some takeaway tips for owners with reactive dogs, but when it comes to reactivity there are many other...
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Walking Frankie’s Walk
We headed out to the AWLA Pit Crew training walk Sunday morning and had a blast! Frankie, like most of the dogs in the group, is working on his excitability around other dogs. He is not reactive, but...
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My Journey to Becoming a Dog Trainer: Part 1
I had a dog growing up. I’ve loved dogs all my life. I worked at the humane society in high school, and then even studied Animal Sciences in college. But I didn’t really have an interest in training...
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My Journey to Becoming a Dog Trainer: Part 2
As I dove into learning about dogs, I simultaneously learned about the culture of dog training. I learned that there are people out there who know so, so much and are a wealth of great knowledge...
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Helping Lebron With His Ups
I no longer work at my hometown shelter, but just before I left I spent time with some really awesome dogs. My coworker Kim and I have both been doing lots of training work lately and decided to try...
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Johnnie Cash is on a BOAT!
I have the privilege of following Johnnie’s adopters on Instagram, so I see her adorable little face every once in a while in pictures showing just how happy she is with her new family. It’s always the...
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The Brutal Dog Days of Summer
Here in Maryland we are suffering from 90-100 degree days lately. It’s absolutely awful. I know some of you in hotter areas are rolling your eyes at our whining, but oh my goodness it seems that every...
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The Wait Is Over: Your Royal Adoptable is Right Here
The news broke yesterday that Kate Middleton finally had her baby; the royal baby. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited about it for the simple fact that it means the media will be...
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“I’m Scared” – Working With Fearful Dogs
I have encountered many shy and fearful dogs during my time working in shelters. After learning more about canine body language and how dogs communicate, I have picked up on some dos and don’ts for...
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