Heart Dog Behavior and Training

Sweet Jedi’s parents have been working diligently on his fear of and reactivity towards other dogs, and shared that he’s recently been able to successfully make some canine friends!! Our goal was for Jedi to have peaceful, fear free walks, and we’re thrilled to see he’s far surpassing it! Congratulations to his parents for getting to see their diligence and dedication to helping Jedi pay off 🎉

It’s always a joy to get to teach kids about this career and world of dogs that we love so much! Thank you to Inez Elementary for hosting us for Career Day again this year 🚀🐾

Hello Heart Dog friends! We’re looking for help finding this sweet girl a home as her owner became ill and can no longer provide care for her. She is about 5 years old, spayed, up-to-date on vaccines and has a history of being good with other dogs. If anyone happens to know someone who can help give this girl a chance or could even just give this post a share to spread the word, we’d be eternally grateful ❤️

Meet Jax and Opie! These two handsome boys started experiencing some sibling tension, which understandably worried their parents. They reached out to us for help and together we created a behavior plan focused on safety, structure and rebuilding positive habits at home.

Behavior change is a journey and Jax and Opie’s guardians have been doing an incredible job guiding them through it! They recently sent us this photo of the boys practicing their mat settle side-by-side, helping them build impulse control, on-cue relaxation, a safe alternative behavior, and a positive association with each other’s presence. We are so happy to be working with these good boys and their dedicated humans!

Wren and his person, fellow dog trainer Jenn, are working hard together to build Wren’s confidence in Small Dog, Big World! It’s so much fun to see him, and the other petite pups in class, grow and learn together.

Love this story about one of our fantastic dog training colleagues!

The upcoming holidays can be a source of so much joy and merriment- no one wants it ruined by a trip to the emergency vet, a dog fight, or a bite to a family member. By practicing good management, active supervision, anticipating your dog’s needs, and staying vigilant about holiday toxins, you can ensure that you and your dog enjoy this holiday season!

Between the rainy moments, it’s been perfect Sniffari weather here in Albuquerque this week- we hope you’re enjoying these pockets of beautiful early autumn weather with your pups!

In the sweetest coincidence, Miss Della, pictured here on a sniffing walk in the foothills, was not a stranger to us when we met for the first time to set up some walking sessions- it turned out that she had been in the behavior modification program at the shelter in 2023 and already knew Jess and Maria from her time there! We love getting to see familiar doggy faces, living their best lives with their families!!

Hey Heart Dog Community, Jess here to introduce a new class we’ll be offering at The Pet Resource Center at Animal Humane! If you’ve known me for really any length of time, you know that after growing up with, working with, and being the guardian of my own small breed dogs, I have a special place for the littles in my heart. Due to the unique challenges small breeds face in our world, I’ve wanted to offer a foundations class tailored to them for YEARS (literally- I’ve been talking about this for the last decade) and am so excited to be getting the chance now! Small Dog, Big World will be a 6-week class meant to empower small-breed dogs and their people by focusing on body language, communication between human and dog, and learning basic manners in a way that respects the differences in how small dogs navigate a world not made for their size!

The class is for dogs under 25 pounds who are 6 months or older, and will be limited to 4 dogs for this pilot session of classes.

It will begin on Tuesday, October 21st at 5:30 pm and be available to sign up for within the next couple of days via the link in our bio! Can’t wait to see you and your little dogs there 🐕 🎉

Beaker’s human has been working diligently with us on his dog and stranger directed reactivity, and recently shared a wonderful progress update! “I just wanted to say thank you for the work that you have put in for Beaker and I. We both have so much more confidence in our abilities and he is getting better and better around other dogs and people. We were brave enough today to go walk near the river (and stop to play in it too). Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see his continued progress with your help.” We love getting to help people and their dogs live life to the fullest and are so proud of this pair for their dedication!