Naturally Canine - Behavior & Training

It's hard to ignore the conversations happening on social media about different training methods, and it's easy to get caught up in conversations about what does and doesn't work.

While my passion and competitive nature push me to dive into the science and learn all the nerdy things, my values are what guide my choices about how I interact with my learners (both human and canine).

This is your reminder that when you are training or competing with your dog, you are teaching them how they should feel around you.

It's not just about what works or what gets us the result we're after; it's about how the dog feels.
I'm looking for how they feel in their body language, in their returns to me after reinforcement, in the quality of their lineups, and how they are in the home post-training.

Asking yourself, "How does my dog feel right now?" is a quick and easy way to check in with your methods and how they align with your values.

📸 Big Air Photography

Happy spooky season, let's talk about why we LOVE muzzle training.

-it’s great for working on training to help dogs feel safer and more comfortable in the world, while keeping others safe

-it’s great for dogs to safely enjoy enriching activities without risk of bites.

-it’s great for emergencies. A dog in pain may be more likely to snap, so muzzle training can keep everyone safe.

-it’s great for dogs who have PICA or similar issues with compulsively picking up and ingesting things they shouldn’t

-it’s great for dogs who don’t love being rushed by strangers but are super duper cute, providing a mini stop sign for anyone who’s considering unsolicited face smooshes

There are also lots of kinds of muzzles that may work best for different face shapes or purposes. Bones here is wearing my dog Nina’s muzzle. It’s nylon (nice and bite proof) but has a treat hole for training, and lots of room to pant (Bones is showing this off quite nicely!) It’s also got allll the fun colors.

My heart. 🥹❤️

Integrating a new dog can be hard work, but when it goes well, so so rewarding.

Nino (left) struggled with anxiety and discomfort around other dogs for a while, which is how I came to work with him and his mom. Although he made massive progress, we weren’t certain that he would ever be comfortable enough to enjoy the companionship of another dog.

Enter Rosco. Found by Nino’s mom as a stray; underweight, heart worm positive, with no microchip or people to claim him. We were guarded in the plan to introduce the dogs, but with patience and thoughtful management, it went better than we could have imagined.

Updates like these melt my heart. These two were meant for each other, and are so lucky to have such an amazing human in their corner.

"Can I still tell my dog no?" I get asked this question a lot in my work. I believe it's misguided to banish a two letter word from the shared vocabulary with our dogs, but as Sarah has beautifully stated, it is a drop in the ocean of the communication and world we can build together.

Here’s the thing: I tell my dogs no. And I teach my clients how to communicate to their dogs when a behavior should not be repeated or continued. Pretending that’s not part of the equation is a mistake.

But it’s a drop in the ocean of the actual work.

The real skill, the true magic, is in the yes. Most people have no idea how to tell their dogs which behaviors should be repeated or continued in ways that actually matter; and that’s a vital skill to master. The vast majority of lasting behavior change comes from fulfilling the complex minds and bodies of the dogs in our care while crafting environments in which we can effectively apply our “yes” skills.

Multidog households are some of my favorite clients to work with. It shouldn’t come as a shock that the more dogs share a household, the more skills training is needed, as undesirable behaviors can quickly become overwhelming and spiral out of control. Multidog skills can be quite the learning curve for humans, making it that much more important to get started as early as possible. Such good pups working on their door manners 🥰

Adventuring with our dogs is what it’s all about. For many of my clients, this doesn’t come without hard work, and I’m so proud of every update I receive knowing how much went into sharing these special moments.

I’m forever grateful for the time I get to enjoy with my girls. We’re winding down from a few days spent at the beach, and a quick trip up to Maine. Enjoy their happy faces and a few recent client shares!

Summer in New England 🫶🏼

We’ve been busy settling in after our move, but it finally seemed about time to update this account 🫣 I’m excited to share more soon!

It’s taken me awhile to get to this, but finally… WE HAVE MERCH! Just in time for the holidays!

Two logo options, plus your choice of shirts, hoodies, and more with lots of fun colors. Purchases support small business, and let you look cute doing it 😉

Naturally Canine Behavior & Training | Official Merchandise | Bonfire For friends of Naturally Canine - Behavior & Training. Merch to support small business and kind, science-based dog training.

A lot of dog training content centers dogs who may be described as “difficult.” However, the holidays are a great time to remember that even the most stable, tolerant dogs still have their limits. All dogs will benefit from thoughtful management strategies to minimize holiday stress.

For those who celebrate, enjoy a happy, safe holiday today with your loved ones!