Dynamic Canine Training - Cleveland

Group class on Saturday, October 3, will be held at 24864 Detroit Rd, Westlake (Paws & Effect) @ 10:00. Class will be held there until further notice.

It is with the deepest sorrow that I have heartbreaking news to share. My puppy Draak became seriously ill and was hospitalized at Ohio State’s veterinary hospital. Despite the excellent care he received, he passed away last night.

I only had six weeks with him, but he became such a loved part of my life. I’m still trying to take in that he’s gone.

I’ll be taking a short break from posting here, including my weekly puppy series. Thank you for caring about Draak and for giving me some time and space to grieve.

Today's group class, Saturday, Sept 26, is postponed until next Saturday, due to illness. Very sorry for the inconvenience.

Saturday, Sept. 26, group class will be held at 24864 Detroit Rd, (Paws & Effect) in Westlake @ 10:00. Class will be at this location until further notice.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸
This week, Draak discovered two things about himself:
He really likes playing with another dog... and apparently, he likes water too.
Watching a puppy experience something new is one of my favorite parts of raising one.
Draak has had River in his life since he came home, but River isn't particularly interested in rough puppy play. This week, he had the opportunity to spend time with another dog who wanted to play with him.
And Draak began learning something puppies can only truly learn from other dogs—how to play with another dog.
When to chase. When to be chased. When to engage. When to back off. How to respond when the other dog says, that's enough. And how to come back together and start all over again.
Then came another discovery...
Water.
I didn't need to put him in it or convince him that he should like it. I gave him the opportunity to investigate it for himself.
And apparently Draak decided, "Well, THIS is fantastic!"
These may seem like little puppy moments, but they're important ones.
We're often so focused on what we need to teach our puppies that we forget how much they learn simply by having opportunities to experience the world.
My job isn't to decide what Draak should enjoy or who he should become.
My job is to give him safe opportunities to experience life, provide guidance when he needs it, and then sometimes...
just stand back and watch him discover himself.
And this week I discovered that I'm apparently raising a dog-loving, water-loving Airedale.
Living with a dog is a way of life.
🐾 What has your dog discovered that completely surprised you?

Group Class on Saturday, September 19, will be held at 24864 Detroit Rd, Westlake @ 10:00.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸
This week, Draak reminded me of something I've told puppy owners for years:
You don't have to help your puppy with everything.
Watch what he's doing in these videos. There isn't a training exercise happening. I'm not giving him commands or showing him where to go.
I'm simply letting him investigate.
For a puppy, the world is full of things they've never experienced before. Different smells, sounds, surfaces, movement and objects all give them information about the environment around them.
It's tempting to constantly interact with a puppy. Call them back. Show them something. Encourage them. Redirect them. Entertain them.
But sometimes I want Draak to have the opportunity to experience something without me becoming part of the experience.
I want him to explore. Hesitate if he needs to. Investigate something further—or decide it isn't worth investigating at all.
I'm nearby if he needs guidance, but I don't need to manage every moment.
There will be plenty of time for training.
There also needs to be time for just being a puppy.
Sometimes good training means stepping in.
And sometimes it means having the patience to stand back and watch.
Living with a dog is a way of life.
🐾 When was the last time you simply watched your dog explore without asking them to do anything?

Group Class on Saturday, September 12, will be held at 24864 Detroit Rd, in Westlake @ 10:00.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗸 🐾

Meet Aim High Gulden Draak, better known as Draak, my Airedale Terrier puppy.
I purposely waited to introduce him. When we bring a puppy home, there’s such a temptation to immediately decide who we think that puppy is going to be: confident, stubborn, sweet, independent, wild, easy, difficult.
But I wanted some time to simply watch him.
For the past month, Draak and I have been getting to know one another. I’ve watched how he explores something new, how he responds when he’s unsure, how quickly he recovers, how he handles frustration, how he interacts with my other dog River. What happens when the world doesn’t go exactly the way he’d like it to?

Of course, I’ve been training him. But I’ve also been listening to him.

Because raising a puppy isn’t just about creating the dog I want him to become. It’s about understanding the dog who arrived.

And now I’m going to bring all of you along for the journey.

Each week I’ll share something we’re working on, a photo from our training, and—probably most importantly—something Draak taught me that week.

I’ve trained a lot of puppies over the years, but every puppy brings something new to the conversation.

And I have a feeling this little Airedale is going to have plenty to say.

Welcome to Dynamic Canine, Draak. 🐾

Living with a dog is a way of life.

Group Class on Saturday, August 29, will take place at Crocker Park at 9:30. We will meet at the center grassy area in front of American Greetings. Inclement weather; we will meet at 24864 Detroit Rd in Westlake (Paws & Effect).