Hi! I’m Cathy
Have you just gotten a puppy and wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into? Or maybe your dog is unruly and hard to manage. More likely, he’s a real sweetheart 90% of the time and would be perfect if it wasn’t for just that one thing that makes you crazy.
And you don’t know if he will “grow out of it” or if training training will help.
Those are great questions. And as a trainer with over 30 years experience–the solution is not just practicing more “sits” or giving more treats.
Let me explain.
Dog trainer, behavior nerd, and firm believer that your dog is a person.
Good Behavior isn’t about commands
Every day, dogs lose their homes because they jump on the kids and dart out the front door. Shelters are overflowing with dogs who chew shoes, soil the carpet, can’t control themselves around trash cans or simply know how to chill.
But no one has ever given up on their dog because it didn’t know “sit.”
To live with humans, it’s much more important your dog knows how to behave than it is to have fancy heeling.
commands Are Just The Vocabulary
It’s about whether or not those commands translate into good behavior in real life. If you focus only on commands, it manages the behavior in the short term, but doesn’t solve the underlying problems.
Most “bad” behaviors are simply a dog’s way of trying to cope with anxiety, boredom, or confusion in a world he doesn’t quite understand.
FIXING THE “WHY” TO FIX THE “WHAT”
To figure out why your dog is struggling, we need to look at the world from his end of the leash.
It’s amazing how quickly dogs respond once we address what’s really driving the behavior. Fearful dogs become more confident, pushy dogs discover that cooperation gets them what they want faster than bulldozing through life.
What My Clients Say
Kooper
Head Nanny Dog
Jack
Assistant Nanny Dog
Nauti
In Memoriam