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Transformational Testimonial

If you’re on the fence wondering about how working with a professional who is aligned with your values can have a tremendous impact on your life, take a look at how one of my clients shared her experience. Her journey didn’t go as expected or perfectly, but she showed up and took each moment to understand herself, so she can show up for her dogs in an authentic way.

“I initially met with Katherine regarding a foster dog in my care. I wanted to address some basic training needs, but also because I had observed her having aggression toward other dogs.

“I experienced a great deal in working with Katherine. It was supportive and reflective. She challenged me to explore many creative ways to work with my dogs in a loving and supportive way to meet their needs. She also challenged me personally to explore my inner feelings, observations and reactions to the challenges I was facing. She built up my confidence and acknowledged the progress I was making in being a supportive caretaker for my dogs. She also provided knowledge and education into the language of dogs and how to work with them from their perspective. Overall, Katherine provided tools to add to my tool box to enhance the skills and understanding of not only my dogs but myself as well. It was an invaluable experience that I am very grateful for.

The biggest takeaway I received from working with Katherine was that my energy is a direct pathway to working with the dogs. Understanding my reactions and then working toward building the connection to communicate with the dogs for the behavior I desire.

I valued the most the way Katherine was so genuine and her insight into building awareness and connections. I appreciated the feedback during session and after each session she would recap that in a very detailed email. That was incredible.

I am just thankful for Katherine and her insight and guidance. It has been such an amazing experience for me in a personal way. It really is so much more than “dog training”. I really appreciate the holistic approach. I felt like Katherine spoke my language and I loved how she could reflect back what she was picking up on and could expand about what she saw. It was great. She would also provide resources and any relevant information. It was also very nice to have check ins so no matter where you were in the process it was very accessible to get support about challenges, but also simple questions that could be responded to in a very timely manner. Thank you, Katherine!” A.S.

If you’re curious about how you can transform your life with your dogs, let’s chat!

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Feeling Your Way into Empathy

It’s not enough to think your way to being empathetic or compassionate.

It’s not top down.

It’s bottom up.

The emotional experience of pain, grief, rage, frustration and even love, pleasure, play all start from what the body feels first and informs the mind how to act.

The body has a physiological response to a situation and then sends the information up to the brain for the person to take action.

What’s interesting, dogs also have similar emotional systems and have a physiological response to a situation where they are motivated to respond because of how they feel.

Understanding this related ability to our companions gives us the choice to empathize with our dogs suffering and celebrate in their joy because we know how we feel when we experience those real feelings. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/11/feature-cultivating-empathy

When we feel empathetic to another, we can then show them kindness and love by providing them comfort when they are struggling physically or emotionally because we can relate to the feeling.

A pet parent shared with me that when she observed another trainer teach a leash walking skill to a fellow student, the student was confused because the lessen being taught was complicated.

She shared, “if I’m confused, my dog will be confused too.”

Absolutely.

Not only does this pet parent understand how she feels when observing a situation and knowing herself well enough in how she learns and takes in new information, she also possesses the emotional understanding of how this experience would be on her dog too.

If she’s not clear with the information she’s receiving, she would not be able to effectively teach her dog the steps of what to do too.

She knows that feeling confused can feel paralyzing.

Not only is this pet parent motivated by the desire to have clarity in learning which will travel down the leash and through her relationship with her dog, she’s also motivated to have her dog feel differently about the learning experience.

She desires her dog to enjoy learning.

That’s the name of the game. When we experience the feeling of joy and freedom that comes with having fun, we want the feeling to last and we want more of this!

So do our dogs.

Be curious about what you’re body is telling you because this can open your heart to what your dog is emotionally expressing too.

Curious about how you can deepen your awareness of yourself through your relationship with your dog?

Register for the Virtual Puppy Parenting Retreat for an introduction:

Sign up today
⬇️⬇️⬇️

Register Here!
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Do No Harm Dog Training Manual

Get Your Copy Here

Are you asking yourself, how does friendly, dog training work?

Do you want to help your dog learn how to make choices you would like your dog to make every day?

Are you a new pet parent and aren’t sure where to start?

The Do No Harm Dog Training Manual is your go to guide.

You will be grounded in the basics of setting up your environment to learning how to prevent emotional issues like resource guarding all through this guide.

Learn simple ways of teaching alternate behaviors which support the dog’s social and emotional needs.

You’ll also learn quick ways of adding enrichment into your dog’s routine which will help reduce your dog’s excite-ability or anxiousness.

Starting off the right paw is important, so bad habits don’t get practiced and you can learn how an ounce of prevention goes a long way.

Get Your Copy
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Growling? Oh No!

Dogs don’t have a say in the training methods you use.

Dogs do have feelings and are emotional beings.

Dogs do feel pain and aggression exhibited through growling, lunging and biting can become the go to response depending on the methods used. This can lead to very serious concerns for the dog and the family.

Dogs also can also learn to suppress behaviors like growling if they are punished for doing so.

THIS IS DANGEROUS!

A dog with a suppressed communication like a growl will result in your dog going straight to a bite.

Zero warning.

I understand if you have small children in the home and you hear your dog growling and your child is nearby, you’re scared.

You’re really worried about the safety of your child and your go to response is yelling and punishing your dog.

Please stop.

Meeting a dog’s displeasure of the experience in the environment with your “mean voice” or scary body language or even physical force will make the problem worse, it will also impact your relationship with your dog which will degrade over time. It can also lead to more growling or worse like snapping and biting towards your child.

What will you do then?

Teaching children about how they impact and influence their dog’s behavior is utterly important.

Not only is this for the immediate, but learning for both the child and animal is life long.

Empowering children to understand how they can impact the world around them is also confidence building, encourages compassion and empathy.

Teaching children how to safely interact with dogs, encourages your dog to seek out your child for all things.

Together, your dog and child can build a strong bond which is mutually rewarding.

In order to get here, teaching both appropriate ways of having fun and building a relationship is necessary and taking small steps.

Learning is never linear and it for sure requires repetition and everyone in the home caring for the dog and child have to be on the same page.

Not sure where to start?

Get your school aged kids enrolled into the G2G: Kids Virtual Game Series!

Graduates of the G2G Kids Program 🙂

https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/G2GKidsProgram

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Tranquil Dogs and Kids

Whoops, your dog runs off with your daughter’s favorite toy!

Oh no! Your dog just ran after and starting nipping at your son’s legs when he was swinging on the swing set!

Your dog LOVES chasing after the soccer ball your daughter is kicking around and now he’s growling at her when she puts her foot near it!

Communication can become lost or muddled when dogs are interacting with your kids at home.

This is troubling for you.

You want your kids to know how to interact with your furry family member.

You also want your dog to know what’s his and how to be with the family without all the nipping, chasing, showing teeth, growling or even barking at your kids.

You’re not sure how to encourage your kids what to do, because you feel like you’re unsure yourself.

You know you want to teach your dog what you do want and expect, but its so challenging when you and your dog don’t speak the same language.

You don’t need to figure out all the answers on your own. There is so much out there it for sure gets confusing.

The kids who participated in the G2G: Kids Virtual Game Series in January gained confidence in how to communicate with their dog in a dog friendly manner; they strengthened their cooperation with their siblings; they took a more active role in caring for their dog; they gain a deep understanding of their dog’s feelings, behaviors and even how to motivate their dog to seek THEM out for affection, help, guidance and interaction.

Your kids can gain the same level of confidence and be empowered to form a life long relationship with their dog!

Sign Up Here: https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/G2GKidsProgram

Class begins on 8 March 2021!!

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Pet Dog Ambassador Program

What is the Pet Dog Ambassador Program?
The Pet Dog Ambassador (PDA) is a program for dog guardians to test their knowledge, skills and ability to manage their canine companion in real life settings. Its aim is to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that guardians and their dogs undertake to make their shared lives enjoyable and recognizes these efforts from a puppy’s very early training. The program aims to encourage guardians to continue training and developing new skills, abilities and knowledge.
Candidates

All dog Guardians who have reached the legal age of accountability in their country (usually 18 or 21 years) are encouraged to become actively involved in the Pet Dog Ambassador Program. The program is suitable for all, including Guardians and/or dogs with a disability or special needs.

Junior candidates
Junior candidates are those who have not yet reached the age of legal accountability. Junior candidates may, with written permission from a parent or Guardian, enter the PDA Program with a dog considered suitable by a PDA instructor or assessor. The assessor has the choice of whether or not to assess junior candidates. The assessor can also stipulate from what age they will assess junior candidates.

Canine candidates
These are dogs of any breed or mixed breed aged from four months. Dogs with special needs can also be assessed with exercises being adapted if necessary. It is mandatory that dogs have a veterinary health check before taking part in the assessment.

Tangible evidence of success
As well as the pride in the hard work that they do, successful dog and guardian teams are awarded certificates and medallions at every level.

How to become involved
For further details about the Program go to the website http://www.petdogambassador.com/ or ask us how you can become involved in this wonderfully rewarding program for you and your dog.
Contact details for trainer/assessor etc

Name: Katherine Porter
Email: Katherine.porter09@gmail.com

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Tail Waggin’ Fun!

Have you heard this before, “his tail is wagging, he’s happy to see us!”

That statement is not 💯 true.

Not all tail wags are happy wags.

When you or child approach a dog with a low wagging or a high, vibrating tail, this can add more stress to the dog that is already unsure or unhappy.

What happens next may be a snap, growl or a bite.

For children, they are the most at risk. They have a 50% chance of being bitten.

Teaching children the right way of handling and interacting with a dog along with guiding them in being able to interpret body language is a life skill which can save their life.

Becoming a dog detective and observing the dog’s whole body can give insight into how the dog is interpreting a situation and how he feels about what is going on.

Not sure how to get started?

The Kids Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog for sure can be a great place.

You will gain a better understanding of what your dog is expressing and what you and your kids can do to de escalate a misunderstanding while also finding all the ways which keeps your dog happy and relaxed.

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Finding the Rhythm in Life with Your Dog

Zoe and I became friends after several months of me actively earning her trust. Zoe’s pet parent, Michelle showed up every day for Zoe regardless of the challenges helping a former street dog become a family member.

Get into a rhythm.

Find simple ways of adding into your daily routine ways of training new skills and maintaining the ones you’re dog already learned.

Be adaptable and creative in continuing the learning with your dog.

Be accountable in teaching your dog what is most desireable.

The relationship starts with you. The learning continues when you show up each day and meet your dog where your dogs needs are, biologically, emotionally, socially all met with force free methods and enrichment.

Take ownership of your own learning and how you can grow in deepening the connection with your dog.

It’s not just about doing the work, but it is all about you showing up every day.

Your dog needs you.

I know it can be hard some days.

Your dog’s energy level is at a 10, but your’s is not even registering on the meter.

Still, show up!

Your schedule may be packed with working long hours, errands and you have little time left for yourself.

Still, show up!

Your dog struggles with leash walking, barking at anything and everything and you’ve had it.

Still, show up!

You are your dog’s best advocate, friend, guardian and caregiver.

Don’t suffer in silence or get lost in feeling and thinking you’re alone. This leads to you feeling overwhelmed and at a loss what to do!

Reach out and schedule a free Discovery Call with me.

https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/

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Full Steam Ahead!

Imagine yourself minding your own business and taking a nice walk with your children or going for a run down the street?

Up ahead, you see a family playing with their two large breed dogs, and you smile. The fun and excitement touches your heart.

All of a sudden, you hear barking. The family starts calling out a name which isn’t yours!

You see in the periphery of your vision that same dog who was happily playing with his people is now running full steam ahead at you!

Barking all the way!

The next steps are crucial.

You know this already.

You’re not scared, because you learned how to be safe.

You plant your legs.

You stand tall, holding your arms down by your side with your fingers laced in front of you.

You give a slight head turn away.

You are calm.

The dog jumps up from the momentum of coming forward and then returns with all four paws on the ground.

The dog stops barking and his people catch up to him.

Your actions just prevented the behavior of the dog from escalating.

You kept yourself safe and prevented a bite from occurring.

How do I know?

I just had a little practice with this the other day.

Living in a pet friendly hotel lends itself to some surprising situations. This was for sure one of them.

The action of Standing Like A Tree is the best thing you or your children can do when a dog whether it is a familiar or unfamiliar dog is running towards them.

Yes, its scary.

But, the more empowered you or your children are in being able to respond rather than react with freezing, fleeing or fighting (stress responses), this can become an automatic response and a huge life skill to have and share with others.

Time is running out to enroll in the G2G: Kids Virtual Game Series.

This is the last week to get your school aged children signed up for a fun and interactive 4 week session.

They will not only learn how to stay safe, but have fun with their dog with kid and dog friendly play sessions.

https://pocketsuite.io/book/fourpawsandyoudt

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Kids Interactive Game Series

Only 3 spots left AND the enrollment period hasn’t opened yet!

Parents are wanting this and are acting quickly, they don’t want to miss out.

🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶

Do your kids know how to speak dog?

What does this mean to you?

Teaching kids about canine body language is a life skill.

Kids who grow up having a health respect for dogs and animals will help them stay safe and understand other’s boundaries.

Sometimes kids are so excited about an approaching dog, they along with their parents don’t recognize those apparent distance increasing behaviors.

Distance increasing behaviors are the obvious barking, lunging,

Do you know or more importantly do your kids know the ever so subtle distance increasing behaviors like freezing, lifting a paw or a hard stare.

The obvious and not so obvious distance increasing behaviors is your or an unfamiliar dog’s way of saying “I don’t like what’s happening”.

These signals sometimes get lost or missed.

When this happens, the dog’s signals become more apparent and can actually frighten your child.

Even worse, when you are not watching and your dog’s boundaries get pushed, this could result in your child getting scratched or worse.

Your kids will become doggie detectives and learn about dog body language and how to safely interact with dogs and still have loads of fun building a bond.

Your kids can develop health boundaries with their dog and you can feel more confident your kids will be safe.

Teaching life skills can also be a life saving measure for both your kids and your dog!

Get your kids signed up for this fun and interactive virtual G2G Kids Game Series!

Your family will also receive a free copy of the Doggone Safe’s, A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog!

Reserve your spot!

👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 https://pocketsuite.io/book/fourpawsandyoudt

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Relationship Reset! Start Training Today

Today is the day!

The Growl to Grow Online Dog Training Program is available!

It will only be offered at my introductory rate for this week only. Sign up and get started!

This program is designed for frustrated dog owners who are struggling with your dog’s barking and lunging at all things! I wish I had something like this when I was figuring out Jack’s reactivity.

The frustration you feel now, doesn’t have to stay this way if you don’t want it to.

You can make the choice of taking the next step and teach your dog to do something different with no force, no fear and no pain.

This is a 5 week, self paced program. It’s flexible to fit your schedule and you can work in training on your own time. The program also offers you to schedule Trainer Time with me. You will have 2 one hour in person or virtual appointment which can also be scheduled on your own time. This is designed, so you can ask questions when we meet and I can fine tune the skills you’re practicing.

You will gain an understanding of why your dog is barking and lunging, how to encourage your dog to do something else with the end result of you having a calmer and more relaxed dog.

Let’s face it, when you have a more relaxed dog, you will feel more interested in starting walks back up, going into restaurants with your best friend, traveling and meeting up with friends. When your dog is relaxed, you will also feel more confident in tackling situations like a move back stateside or to a new duty station.

One client signed up because her family is coming to visit and she wants her dog to have better house manners. Barking and lunging at guests when they come into your home can be a scary situation not only for your dog, but your friends and family.

Reset your relationship with your dog with the Growl to Grow Online Reactive Dog Training program.

Sign up here 👇 👇 👇 👇

https://four-paws-and-you-dog-training.thinkific.com/courses/growl-to-grow-reactive-dog-training-program

Once you do, you will be on your way!

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What’s In A Name

Your name means something. For many, the name you have in adulthood was given when you are born.

Names are the start of your identity. Nicknames, stories and memories come from the mouths of friends, family, peers, employers and employees with your name attached to them.

For others, new names are adopted due to changing identities, family structures or even because you did not like the name you were born into.

Names are apart of your being and they help create who you are past, present and future.

What about dogs? The same holds true for them too. Names are given to our best friends out of love. You may even try and capture the essence of your dog through his name or many times, his nicknames clarifies different parts of your dog’s self.

A client this past week, said something so profound which made me pause. She described how her dog responded to her name differently in different circumstances and explained her understanding of the situation.

At the start of each session with clients, I ask what’s going well, what challenges are happening and how can we move forward.

These three questions help people jog their memory, set both the client and dog up for success, acknowledge learning never happens in a straight line (there are good days and not so good ones) and setting a plan for practice for the week ahead with new homework to work on.

Sharee adopted a beautiful German Shepherd, whose name is Ellie. Ellie is a bit timid, but has a whole lotta love to give. Ellie is still learning the ropes of being in her new home, so the family is working out setting up a routine, boundaries and consistent rules for the home which will keep Ellie, Bella and Moon safe.

For Ellie, moving into a new home, having a new-to-her family and having a different way of life can be confusing. It can lead to things like barking, or cat chasing or getting into things that the family doesn’t want her to get into.

Plain and simple, Ellie is smart. Sometimes, this can lead to her family’s frustration.

Sharee practicing with Ellie. This is their first time with Dr. Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol.

In our first session, we practiced with helping Ellie learn to love her name. All good things happen when someone says Ellie’s name. This is one of the foundation behaviors you’ll learn when you become a client.

It goes like this, say your dog’s name, your dog will offer a head turn towards you or come over to you, praise and reward. Simple.

You need your dog to love coming when his name is called. All requests for behaviors start with your dog’s name. Your job is making sure your dog loves when you call his name. Happy, high pitched voice is the way to go.

Now going back to my conversation with Sharee. She made the connection that when her family said Ellie’s name with a happy voice, Ellie was eager and willing to come over and say hello. On the flip side, when there is frustration in saying Ellie, Ellie was more reluctant and unsure about coming over.

Makes total sense. Not only does the tone and pitch change when we are happy vs frustrated, but your body language does too.

Now, if Sharee and her family did not make this connection with how they say Ellie’s name, this definitely would lead to a breakdown in their relationship and increase Sharee’s frustration with Ellie’s behavior.

What would start to happen, Sharee would start to see Ellie doing the wrong thing more frequently, say Ellie’s name with frustration which would give Ellie attention when she isn’t doing the right thing. This will reinforce Ellie’s behavior of cat chasing, getting into things she should not and barking. Plus it would lead Ellie to avoid family members and she would most likely make the choice not to come to Sharee when she calls Ellie’s name.

Then the cycle begins. Behavior the family does not want is reinforced. Everyone is frustrated and at wits end.

The choice is simple. Make all interactions with your dogs happy and enjoyable and you will get the behaviors you want, you will reinforce them and your dog will always love coming to you.

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Announcing Growl to Grow Reactive Dog Training Program

Dog Training for your reactive dog!

Do you have a do that barks and lunges at passerby’s regardless if its a person or another furry friend?

Does your dog barking and lunging interfere with your calm and peaceful walks you planned with your dog?

Did you stop going out on walks all together?

Are you ready right now to take action?

Well, I’m here to tell you, you can help your dog do something different.

Together, we can help your dog move from growl to grow.

The Growl to Grow training program is designed with the frustrated and embarrassed reactive dog owners in mind (I know, I was one of them).

The goal for Growl to Grow is to help frustrated reactive dog owners discover how to enjoy life with their dogs with holistic, rewards-based training.

This is a limited time offer with limited space!

Want to find out more, schedule a Discovery Call with me!

Discover Call with Katherine at Four Paws & You Dog Training

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Skipper’s Success Story

I love when clients share their wins!

Sometimes the wins happen swiftly while other times, it takes lots of practice and set ups for succes.

But man, when that 💡 goes off it shines brilliantly!

Kaymie reached out to Four Paws & You Dog Training when she was in the process of adopting Skipper (the little guy). She was proactive of getting started with making sure it was a smooth transition with her resident dog, young child and their busy lifestyle.

We discussed all things 🐶! From positive reinforcement training to dog body language to establishing a holistic plan for success!

You see, Gretchen was a bit unsure of Skipper in the beginning. She was over-the-top excited 😆 for food where she was a little (ahem) pushy 😅. Gretchen was also a bit tense around Skipper, so we had to find ways of helping Gretchen accept Skipper as a new member of the family!

Together with Kaymie, I developed a workable plan of action that was easy to put into practice 😉

✅ Built the plan into their work and family schedule

✅ Provide insight into what Gretchen was communicating when she was communicating it (prevention of any escalating tension)

✅ Answered questions in between sessions, so Kaymie had the affirmation she was on the right track.

Now, what you see is Gretchen is waiting PATIENTLY for her turn while Skipper is practicing his cues. WHAT??

How cool is that?!

What’s also exciting for me to see, is Kaymie’s relaxed enjoyment while spending time with Skipper and Gretchen.

Kaymie works hard as healthcare professional in our community. Even more so now, the goal for her downtime is unwinding from the stress of the day and long hours she spends caring for others. #thankyoutoallhealthcareworkers

I’m so happy she is basking in the success of Skipper’s transition into her family and the time spent with Gretchen and Skipper is rewarding for them as a family 💕💕💕💕.

If any of these fit how you’re feeling when your dog is acting out of control:
😤 🤬😞 😢 🥴🤯😩. Know it doesn’t have to stay that way 🤗🤗🤗🤗.

Let’s chat!

https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/

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Beware of Thunderstorms No More!

Summer is upon us and we are going to focus on helping our dogs feel more comfortable when thunderstorms happen. Does your dog hide, bark, shake or show body language signs like tail tucked, head down, ears back or pursed mouth when thunderstorms happen? Then your dog is feeling distressed and scared. Since Mother Nature does her own thing when she wants, therefore we must set up the environment for practice before the main event happens! Now is the time to get started.

Step 1: Find storm sounds you can play from your computer, tablet or phone. YouTube has some great options which allow for a variety of experiences. One suggestion is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVKEM4K8J8A. Once you find a few you think are good for you, you’re ready to get started.

Step 2: Get prepared with something super high value. Many dogs love food. Food is necessary for survival and one that our dog’s inherently understand. A long lasting chew is great and there are many varieties. One I know is a cut above the rest are Himalayan chews https://www.himalayan.pet/. These are great since they are long lasting and help with keeping your dog’s teeth cleaned. You can also use a kong stuffed with food works well, freezing it is even better!

Step 3: When ready with your high value reward, play the storm sounds and a low level and pair the sounds with the long lasting chew or Kong. When your dog continues snacking, you know he is comfortable with the sounds. Do this for 5 days. Varying the time you’re playing the sounds, but keeping the volume the same.

**If your dog is extremely sensitive to thunderstorms or suffers from panic attacks, consult a positive reinforcement trainer or behaviorist**

Step 4: Move to this step only if your dog was comfortable and relaxed while you played the storm sounds at the low level. This step moves to increasing the volume little bits at a time and repeating the above steps. You always want your dog to be relaxed when the storm sounds are on. Move between increasing and decreasing the volume of the storm sounds (never just increase the sound alone-this can be too overwhelming). Repeat this for 5 days. If at any point, the volume was increased too quickly or the sound was too startling, stop the session and try again later-repeat step 3 at the lowest volume or move the device into another room.

Step 5: Once you’ve played the storms on a variety of volume levels, move to increasing the length of time of the sounds from lower volume to higher volume. Follow Step 3 and step 4, but you’re focusing on the length of time the sound is going on for during each session. Increase time slowly with each volume change and if you’re dog stops snacking or shows distress, stop the session and progress more slowly the next time.

The key is practicing often and consistently, so our dogs become accustomed to the sounds and feel more relaxed during storms. Follow our dogs lead when progressing. Your dog will tell you when to keep moving along.

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Puppyhood: Do’s and Don’ts

I met the cutest Chow/Husky mix named Maple. When I met her, she was this reddish/orangish puff ball excited about life and her humans wanted the best for her. Better than what their respective dogs had growing up. They looked for a different approach in training all things puppies. They chose a positive reinforcement/reward based trainer and they were open minded and ready to implement Maple’s training plan. YES!

Meet Maple

In considering all the aspects of raising a puppy, there are more do’s than don’ts. Yes, consideration needs to be paid for ensuring a puppy doesn’t contract any diseases such as PARVO and Distemper since they are not fully vaccinated by the ideal time of going to their furever home at 8 weeks of age. On the other hand, this can be mitigated by keeping a careful and structured socialization plan. The humans taking in a puppy for the first time may need a little guidance and education for effective puppy upbringing.

Here’s our approach.

The Do’s of Puppy Training

  • Do find a reliable positive reinforcement/reward based trainer-if this is not in your budget look for reputable sites like Dunbar Academy. They offer well developed content which some is free!
  • Do prioritize getting your puppy around 100 different places, people (of all ages and sizes), environments, experiences (sounds, ground textures) within the first 100 days of bringing your puppy home. *8-14 weeks of age is the ideal time to do this! This will make your puppy grow into a well adjusted adult dog.
  • Do have puppy parties at your home. Invite others to come by (leaving shoes at the door) and allow for everyone to touch on and all over your puppy. Most dog bites happen because dogs weren’t socialized to have their collars grabbed, their paws played with, their tailed touched. Most dogs hate hugs, but a puppy who learns this is ok at an early age will have a better chance of accepting this from people, in particular from children.
  • Do get your puppy vaccinated at the earliest intervals recommended by your veterinarian.
  • Do include basic obedience training early-especially integrating real life rewards quickly after your puppy learned what words like “sit, stay, down, leave it, take it, focus” means. Food is a tool like a collar and leash are and integrating other things like doors opening and pets from you will become the things your puppy desires from you.
  • Do set up a success station(s), especially if you have children. The success station will be an area where you puppy can have down time in a confined space near you that is not a kennel or closed off room or backyard. Think of it like a Pack ‘N Play for a dog.

  • Do kennel train your dog. If nothing else, kennels may be needed in an emergency situation. Remember the reports of the fires in Australia? There were countless pictures of dogs both muzzled and kenneled while they were evacuated with their families. Emergencies like wildfires are unpredictable and raises the stress level of any person or animal for that matter. Also, for those who are part of a military family, having a kennel trained dog will serve you and your puppy well during frequent moves, temporary lodging and travel.

The Don’ts of Puppy Training

  • Don’t be afraid of getting your puppy out there even if getting out there means bringing people into your home. Vaccinations are necessary, but not having them doesn’t mean your puppy has to forgo necessary and early socialization.
  • Don’t miss out on early socialization. Waiting too long will only make possible problems like reactivity, biting, fearfulness to be the mainstay of your dog’s behavior repertoire. Let me tell you, an ounce in prevention in early socialization will save you a pound of behavior modification later in life. The latter is more challenging, time consuming and sometimes frustrating. Why put yourself and your puppy through this when early puppy socialization is fun and enjoyable!
  • Don’t use harsh training methods on a puppy or ever! There are other means of helping a dog learn which is least invasive and minimally aversive. Rubbing your dog’s nose in its urine or poop only teaches your dog to be afraid of you. Why would you want a dog who is afraid of you when your goal was having a companion animal brought into your family?
  • Don’t forget to take pictures and videos! Puppies grow very quickly, having those pictures and videos may be good reminders of how cute and cuddly your puppy is when they chew on something they should not have when they were accidentally left unsupervised.

If you’re looking for guidance with any of this, reach out for Four Paws and You Dog Training-we can set up a virtual training appointment.

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Rise Up

Is March over yet? This seems like an ever ending month with so many changes happening effecting our entire world. We, as a global community are pushed to altering our social lifestyles, our work environments and how we conduct our daily routine. Our children’s school classrooms became virtual meeting spaces with one on one check-ins with their teachers. Even my husband is teleworking and let me tell you, both of us working at home at the same time is both exciting since its a new adventure, but another routine to establish on the fly. One thing is for sure, being a military spouse making these adjustments have become second nature. I’ve become accustomed to the rapid changes of PCS moves, TDY timelines shifts and most of all employment and job changes.

The pull of this season of adjustment continues through my commitment in guiding and coaching clients in working with their dogs. As a dog trainer, I’ve built my business with direct one on one relationships with those who are seeking understanding and answers for things like nuisance barking, lunging on walks with passerby’s, resource guarding or any other number of questions and concerns. Before March happened, I met with clients in person and spent hours walking with them on their journey of deepening their relationship with their dogs. I listened intently to their concerns while encouraging an open heart in understanding their dog’s behavior. At the same time, I gathered pertinent environmental and behavioral conditions as contributing factors and responses. These two pieces are paramount in providing a holistic approach in preparing an action plan for clients.

Where to go from here where social distancing prevails and restrictions in movements are necessary for the greater good? Just because face to face meetings are a no go, I quickly learned the same quality of service delivery is possible. A quick rethink of how to conduct business while finding resources in websites like the Modern Dog Trainer, guided my repositioning. Now, I’m exploring a new venue-a virtual meeting space-where I can maintain the personal touch of working with a client one-on-one while integrating new modes of service delivery through tailored training videos. This is uncharted territory for me, but one where I’m exploring other creative outlets and expanding my reach in meeting my clients’ training needs. I found I’m rising up in these uncertain times.

As I write this, I’m inspired by U2 (my favorite band btw), their song Rise Up. Its a call to love in the midst of uncertainty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC_J1CDlQuI This is very much as appropriate song for today as it was intended back in the 80’s when it was produced. I encourage you to continue finding ways to rise up and keep moving forward. We are #inittogether

Check out my biz page for a virtual Q and A I conducted last week if you haven’t already. Interested in virtual options, send me a message. https://www.facebook.com/FourPawsandYouDogTraining/videos/210940559997088/

Good and Bad

Growing up, I experienced many situations that led me to doing something that resulted in being labeled good or bad. Be a good girl and keep your mouth shut. You’re bad for asserting that something is unfair. Both had consequences. I learned that I avoided punishment by not speaking. I also learned that my needs didn’t matter. So, as I grew and moved through life, I didn’t know my inherent worth of being. At least not completely. I did have some moments that I can recall when I was alone with myself, I could feel the connection with the larger universe, but this was short lived.

What I learned about being a person in this world is that others’ perception of me were the rules I needed to follow. As you can guess, everyone’s perceptions are different and the rules fluctuate and if I based my identity on what someone’s idea they had of me, I didn’t know who I truly was or what I was about in any regard. In one situation I was good and to someone else I was bad. Basing my existence on the polarity of good or bad is insanity.

When I spent those moments throughout my life reflecting on the deeper essence of myself, I pieced together that there is more to my (and your existence) than just what we do or rather our human form. The deeper energy within ourselves is our truest selves. While more subtle, no less powerful. When I connect with that energy, life becomes more simple. Experiences become more fluid. Thoughts and judgements are muted.

As I step more into living from my alignment, I recognize the old patterns that show up. I see, not with my eyes, but with my heart and body of how those old patterns kept me hidden. They kept me quiet. Quiet in the sense of feeling frozen out of fear. In practicing being present and giving myself permission to allow myself to try new ways of interacting with the world, I experience messiness. The messiness is born out of doing something completely new and not following “the rules” anymore.

Being rooted in my own essence, I can simply observe myself when I take action and if it’s not what someone else expects or wants and they have a reaction, I still remain within my true self. This allows for me to have space to use my words not to become a reflection of recycling past hurts and pains in that moment that may or may not have anything to do with that person, but rather respond neutrally. What I realize through this practice is that the other person’s label or judgement of me or my action was never about me in the first place. I can take what’s mine and leave the rest.

The evolution continues. Life offers plenty of opportunities to practice. When I sit within presence and feel the subtle energy arising within me, there’s more clarity, the decision making is easy and choosing how I move is no longer based on someone else’s perception of whether they see me as good or bad. My light sees their light even though they may not for themselves. Their pain is not my pain even though they may not recognize that for themselves. The practice continues!

Moving Beyond

I’ve spent over a decade learning and understanding dog behavior. I used the knowledge I gained to help countless people in helping them better understand their dogs and how to communicate with them more effectively in dog friendly language.

What I’ve discovered for myself in working with people and their dogs is that in many situations, the dogs don’t need the help nor do they need fixing. Instead, the person or persons or family in front of me is who needs the support and guidance and often times in my practice, it’s not about them doing more or knowing more about dogs. Often, the person, or persons or family are desiring to know their inner world, but they are believing what the dog is doing is causing them the pain and suffering.

You see, the inner turmoil a person is facing often comes up when their outer world is not reflecting back to them of what they expect. In these situations, the dog is the target of the person’s unhappiness. The dog is blamed for all the things going on when in fact, the self doubt, the resentment and all the other unpleasantries someone may be facing bubbles over when their dog is barking, lunging and doing all the other unsightly things that bring the scowls, judgments and berating from friends, neighbors and family members.

These unpleasant thoughts are constantly swirling inside their minds and once someone else points their finger and says something the other person is believing about themself, then now it must be true AND now those feelings are coming to the surface and its uncomfortable and they just don’t want to deal with it. ACK!

When this happens when the person is walking their dog and their dog doesn’t do what they like and this garners the negative attention from others, well, the dog will be in trouble for being a dog. How totally unfair.

How about instead, taking a breath and just check in with yourself about what feelings and thoughts are coming up for you? Not only will this give you a moment to consider how you can lovingly help your dog, but it will also show yourself some compassion.

Let me tell you what, life isn’t here to be comfortable. Life is here to jostle things inside of you to help you shift from just surviving to actually living your life more fully. Once you start considering this, you begin to let go bit by bit of internal resistance to change.

My focus in working with fellow humans who may have dogs, is shifting from dog focused to human focused with dog friendly guidance, if necessary. Coaching the person in front of me is central to their desire to have better relationships and communication which leads to more satisfying life.

This may sound strange to you and that’s ok. The next time you find yourself getting upset and angry or even sad about what your dog did or didn’t do, take a breath and go inward. You may uncover the thoughts that contribute to your feelings that have become a belief about who you are.

What you’ll discover when you practice that observation is that you are more than just what you say or believe about yourself!

Integration of All Parts

Striving, achieving, accomplishing and goal oriented was how I look back on my 20’s and somewhat of my 30’s. The focus was on a singular goal. Play D1 soccer. Check. Run a marathon or several. Check. Live in the PNW. Check. Career supporting women and children. Check. The latter one is a bit more broad and I’m still serving women and children, but the check was mostly focused in a particular work environment. This is also began my shift into living more intentionally shaped by the social work values that are still a core part of me today.

Anyway, being goal oriented built my focus and helped me to visualize where I wanted to go and helped keep me forward moving. All great things, especially as I was traversing those decades of my life. Even in the midst of moving towards those goals, I also had misaligned adventures which too shaped my experiences helped me to understand what I wanted more of, what I needed to let go of and what definitely wasn’t for me.

As I head into my late ’40’s, I feel I’m no longer singularly focused on a goal, but rather setting broader intentions for the second half of my life. Intentions of freedom, ease, creativity and fun. While my younger self was guided into achievement, my current self is guided into wholeness. Bringing the parts of myself back into alignment with my entire being and making choices from a place that is congruent to my values and intentions.

I’ve also found there are set backs along the way, but the hurdles are different. As I set out on achieving a running goal or going for a job and not getting it, I experienced this as an “ok, let’s regroup and push again” while now when there is a challenge, I’m more aware of how my body experiences it. I’m able to sit with the discomfort, observe how tension arises, how my breath releases whatever is stored in my body one layer at a time and I’m able to re align back to my intentions of freedom, ease, creativity and fun.

Settling into living more intentionally, I’m more present to what my body is saying, I have more capacity to hold the energy its in every (mostly) moment and using my breath to guide me. I now can more intimately know for myself how the body holds on to experiences that it was too overwhelmed at the time to complete the emotional cycle. I now know the bravery it takes to be able to sit with how the body feels because for so long, I was too scared to do so. I now know the courage it takes to listen to what shows up when my breath directs my focus not on some outside gain, but the subtle message my body is communicating to me through the inhale and exhale. I can now feel the difference when my chest tightens versus or alongside my legs tingling. One of them means something totally differently than when they are met together. I can feel my body heave even without tears when I feel sadness for past pain. I can feel the emotional release of a tense jaw and headache when I’ve let go of another layer of loneliness. I’m starting to recognize I don’t have ruminating thoughts when my body is expressing something, but rather seeing how my mind tried to make sense of how my body was feeling as though there was something wrong with me. I’m understanding, there was never ever anything wrong with me. My little body many years ago was overwhelmed and didn’t have the skills at the time to cope. At the same time, my little body knew what it needed to at the time to survive. For awhile now, I’m recognizing on a microlevel, I’m no longer needing to survive. With that, I’m shifting beliefs and forging a whole new path for myself.

Expanding the vision for how I want to live my life touches on the parts of myself that I’m on the journey of exploring, experimenting and shifting into. The fullness of life is harmonizing the being and the doing. I’ve spent many years focused solely on the doing. Now I get to embrace how being flows with what I chose to do!