Community K9

Meet Leni! She has some stranger danger and reactivity issues around her house. When her humans moved to a new house they wanted the transition to be as low stress and supportive of Leni as possible so they enrolled Leni in our Homeschool program.

During Homeschool she learned how to better regulate herself around strangers in and around the house. The training focused on building her confidence through play and giving her skills to help her feel safe and regulated in her new house.

Leni was previously E-Collar trained elsewhere, but it was not beneficial to her emotional state and her humans had a limited understanding of how to use the tool. During Homeschool she has been relearning the E-Collar so she has a better relationship with it. Her humans have gone through more education on how to use the tool so they can be consistent with the training in the long run.

She also has been integrated into our Pack Hike program and has really been enjoying her time in the woods and on the beach with her friends.

Leni previously did two Board and Train programs elsewhere, but those programs didn’t have her working in her home, around her neighborhood, and her humans were not very involved in the training. With the Homeschool program she got to work around other people and dogs on her home turf while her parents were involved through weekly training sessions. I think a Board and Train is a good idea for specific issues, but for most cases I think keeping the dog at home and keeping their owner involved will yield better results. What do you think? Let me know if you want a breakdown of why I would recommend a Board and Train vs a Homeschool program.

During this time of year I usually give all of my clients a brief lecture about keeping their dogs safe as the weather gets warmer. I see a lot of dogs getting CCL injuries, having exercise intolerance, and general irritability in the heat this time of year. The transition to warmer weather can be tough on them and if we don’t prepare them well they can end up injured, not having a good time, or getting heat stroke.

Swipe for some info on how to keep your dog comfortable and healthy as the weather warms up➡️

July/August group class schedule is here! The spring classes have been a blast so far. I have really enjoyed challenging you guys with harder exercises and seeing how the dogs have handled a variety of real world distractions.

If you want early access to the group class scheduling please reach out to get added to the email list!
6/7 at 12pm
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(one spot left)

6/20 at 11am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(three spots left)

6/27 at 11am
Arnold Arboretum - Mendum/Fairview Street Gate
(full)

7/11 at 10am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(two spots left)

7/19 at 11am
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(two spots left)

7/25 at 11am
Arnold Arboretum - Mendum/Fairview Street Gate
(two spots left)

These classes are only available for those who have done one on one classes with us. You can sign up via Pet Pocketbook or email us at [email protected] to reserve your spot. $40 per dog.

The following are some of the topics we will be covering in Group Class. Feel free to request additional topics or exercises.

*Emotional regulation skills around distractions.
*Loose leash walking around distractions.
*Recall around distractions.
*Stay around distractions.
*Advocating for your dog in a public setting.
*Exercises for building strength and endurance.
*Hiking//off leash etiquette around distractions and safety around water.
*Facilitating healthy social behavior with other dogs.
*Polite greetings with humans.
*Canine Good Citizen prep.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you at Group Class!

The last thing that any dog owner wants to think about is what happens when their dog gets old. Facing the changes that come with old age head on is daunting and overwhelming. But facing them head on gives your dog more time, more freedom, and more comfort as they age.

Watching Cersei, my Boston Terrier, change during her senior years has been immensely sad, but I have taken this opportunity to learn how to best support her. And now I can pass that information off to you.

Swipe for 6 things to do to support your dog during their golden years ➡️

We ♥️ all of our muzzled pack hikers!

They wear muzzles for different reasons and have all gone through extensive training to be able to comfortably wear a muzzle. Each one has a muzzle that is specifically fit to their face with padding that prevents any rubs or irritations. The muzzles allow them to have a level of freedom on hikes that would not be possible without the muzzle.

A muzzle is not necessary for every dog and the dogs who require it are not “bad” nor is there anything “wrong” with them.

There was a time, not so long ago, that some of the traits that motivate us to now muzzle our dogs were strongly desired and selectively bred for. Some of our muzzled friends are weary of strangers, like to herd fast moving items, or don’t disengage from conflict well. Things our ancestors desired in the dogs that worked and lived with them.

Just a few generations later, those genetic predispositions are still strong in some dogs even though they don’t serve a purpose in our modern world. Regardless, those dogs deserve to live a full life and experience the freedom of being in nature with their friends. That’s where the muzzle plays a crucial role in keeping everyone safe and allowing those dogs to live their best lives.

We try to make our pack hikes as inclusive as possible. This means dogs go through extensive training beforehand, we use safety tools like muzzles, remote collars, long lines, etc. and our packs are curated with our dogs temperament and preferences in mind.

We will have a few spots open in Southie for our pack hike program this summer (current clients please stop moving!!) You can submit a contact form on our website (link in bio) to sign up or for more info.

Teddy is typically super overstimulated when his humans pick him up from daycare. He’s crazy in the lobby, won’t stay still around the car, and it’s a battle to get him in the car.

So this week as part of his Homeschool program with us I picked him up from daycare. He was calm, patient, and popped right up into my car.

I took a bunch of videos of what I did so his humans can see the difference in my body language, leash handling, and verbal communication. Then in the future we will work on this together in person.

Teddy previously spent months doing a training program with a different company where his humans were barely involved and he only did training in a facility. His behavior never improved with his humans. The program he is doing with us now is focused on his parents becoming proficient in the training skills and tackling real world situations.

Teddy is a great example of a dog who is going to be a reflection of the person handling him. He couldn’t make any progress with his humans before because they didn’t have the education to properly handle him in the situations he needed support the most.

We might be a dog training company, but truly the most progress is made from teaching the humans.

Big thank you to his daycare for allowing me to come train Teddy during his stay and taking such good care of him!

Group class is back!! We only have a few spots left. If you want to get early access to scheduling for summer and fall you can request to get on our email list for group class. Feel free to reach out if you want to be on the waitlist for the full classes in case someone cancels.

4/11 at 10am
Arnold Arboretum - Mendum/Fairview Street Entrance
(full)

4/18 at 11am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(full)

4/26 at 12pm
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(two spots left)

5/2 at 11am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(two spots left)

5/9 at 10am
Arnold Arboretum - Mendum/Fairview Street Gate
(two spots left)

5/31 at 12pm
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(one spot left)

These classes are only available for those who have done one on one classes with us. You can sign up via Pet Pocketbook or email us at [email protected] to reserve your spot. $40 per dog.

The following are some of the topics we will be covering in Group Class. Feel free to request additional topics or exercises.

*Emotional regulation skills around distractions.
*Loose leash walking around distractions.
*Recall around distractions.
*Stay around distractions.
*Advocating for your dog in a public setting.
*Exercises for building strength and endurance.
*Hiking//off leash etiquette around distractions and safety around water.
*Facilitating healthy social behavior with other dogs.
*Polite greetings with humans.
*Canine Good Citizen prep.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you at Group Class!

We had a lot of fun in the snow this winter, but we are ready for spring!