Here are 14 quotes I love sharing when working with pet parents, or that I simply like reminding myself of, when working with any dog! - Disobedience is a demand for change. - Seek to understand before being understood. - A plan is only as good as those who see it through. - The best confidence builder is experience. - You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head. - Compromise is a virtue to be cultivated, not a weakness to be despised. - A lesson learned is a lesson earned. - The first step to correcting a mistake is patience. - Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it. - Where there’s a will, there’s a way. - Love comes in all shapes and sizes. - When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves. - Never give up hope, no matter how dark things seem. - Embrace others for their differences, for that makes you whole.

I personally don’t recommend using bells, where your dog needs to ring it to signal that they need a bathroom break. In general, it’s better that your pup practices waiting for things to happen/be started by you, as opposed to him learning that he needs to prompt or budge you for something to happen. A smart dog will quickly learn that (even without a bell system in place) if you don’t make sure to provide things when needed, but before being asked. Smart dogs can also even practice using the bell as a way to just get your attention and be outside without the need to pee (which can then also hinder the association), in which case, it’s also recommended that they get all the attention and enrichment outlets they need before they have to ask for it. Have you tried logging the amount of time between pees? How long can he handle vs how much time between bathroom breaks? Figure out what his bladder can handle and take him out accordingly to that, before he even realizes that he needs to go out. Once you have that down, you can start increasing the amount of time between bathroom breaks slowly. I do, however, recommend using a catbell with your pup! Here's how and why.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to making sure that two dogs get along with one another. You have to consider who they are individually, together their environments, past experiences and how they feel towards one another as a whole. But there are a few things you can do to help encourage a positive and safe introduction. 1. Safety first. Make sure that you use space, as well as a leash on both dogs to be able to maintain a safe distance for both dogs. This isn't only to prevent any potential physical altercation, but also to help both dogs feel like they have space and time to think their thoughts and decisions through and above all walk away if they feel unsure about the overall interaction. 2. Ensure both dog's minds and bodies are as relaxed as possible before meeting. Though you don't want to have either dog feeling overly tired, you should still provide both with fun games and activities prior to the meeting. This will help both dogs feel good about themselves while also encouraging a calmer and more mellow demeanour during the introduction. 3. Avoid meeting face to face and pick a neutral environment. You're more likely to be successful if you have both dogs know of each other in an open, neutral space, especially somewhere where they can do activity at a safe distance from each other. For example, an open park where one dog is playing ball with their handler, while the other dog is snuffling for treats with their handler. From there, you can slowly get closer to one another and see how each dog feels. No matter what, do make sure that you keep the interactions short and sweet! This will leave both dogs feeling like nothing bad happened, and like they could do this again.

Have you considered the following enrichment activities with your dog? ✅ Agility training classes ✅ Scent detection-like exercises ✅ Snuffle/puzzle boxes ✅ Scavenging and searching for treats on walks ✅ Digging boxes (literally just kiddie pools with towels, toys and treats tossed in there) ✅ Meeting new dogs every 2-3 days ✅ Going to new parks and hiding snacks 1-2 times a week ✅ Bringing a different toy (keep them on rotation) or tug-and-pull toy on walks ✅ Using a flirt pole on walks or before walks ✅ Hiding your dog’s toys around the house ✅ Giving your fig cardboard boxes to snuffle through and shred ✅ Setting up obstacles ✅ Clipping your dog to your waist, buying them a dog backpack and have them carry the clothes pins and socks as they join you for laundry and cleaning chores ✅ Tricks and Games classes in your area ✅ Walking with your fog clipped to your waist inside and rewarding the more they do it calmly and slowly adding distractions like opening the door slightly ✅ Rewarding anytime your dog chooses to lay down on their bed or anywhere at all without any verbal cues from you (DIY ideas you can do at home are available on YouTube for most of these options, and also here.)

Despite how it may sometimes seem, your dog is truly always doing the best he or she can to make things easier for you and make you happy. Whether it’s during class, while you’re at work or in a social setting, if it’s feeling like it’s difficult to get your dog to behave in a particular manner, chances are the scenario itself is indeed just that.. difficult. It’s not in your dog’s interest to want to make things challenging for you both. But it is in our very own ability (more than anyone) and responsibility to try to manage the types of environments you both find yourselves in, in order to maximize your chances of success. What this means is that you want to do your best to align the expectations of yourself and your dog’s behaviour, with the type of setting and scenarios you’re working through. Ask yourself these questions: Is it something you’ve successfully done before and rehearsed it often enough? If not, is there an easier version of that setup that you can practice with first? But if so, has something in particular changed recently that is making things challenging for your dog? Adjusting the environments you work on together, as well as your expectations is really an important part of reaching your goals with your dog. Ultimately you want to prevent the feeling of frustration and disappointment on you both, by doing the best that you can to understand why your dog might find a particular environment difficult to navigate.

Teaching your dogs by forming proper associations is key. One example of this is your dog's bed. You can prevent destructive behaviours that result in your dog destroying his bed by providing it at the right time of day. And by that, I don't mean a particular hour of the day, but rather when your dog is feeling mellow and relaxed. This happens the most after your dog has had a chance to go out and play with other dogs, or gone to a new place and/or done mentally stimulating activities with you. Bringing out, or presenting your dog's bed to him when he feels mellow and relaxed (thanks to doing activities with you) can help prevented unwanted destructive behaviours, as well as make it easier for your dog to get actual rest and shut their brain down for a bit.

An adequately socialized dog is one that is the most equipped and prepared to make good choices in social settings. Working with many dogs of different demeanours, sizes, breeds and ages, I noticed that the most common issue is a lack of proper socialization. Not only at an early age but also in the dog's current day-to-day life. I should clarify that socialization to me, simply put, means that a dog is able to feel good, and as a result make good choices, in most social settings. Being able to play with other dogs is really only a small (but important) part of what it means to raise a well-socialized dog. They should be able to enjoy the idea of going for walks, car rides, to different stores, and/or pet shops, their vet, groomer and so on. As well as be able to communicate to you, and feel heard, whenever something new happens that causes them some confusion. That could be anything from a new sound, a new sight or a new smell. That said, it's important to note that all dogs learn and feel comfortable socializing at completely different paces. This is critical to understand, and it's where I oftentimes see pet parents struggle, as they start to tell themselves that their shy, nervous or even reactive dog just can't behave as they'd like, in most social settings. But this is not true! What's beautiful about dogs is they're always ready to grow and learn. Making it so all we have to do is create environments and look for settings where they can do just that but at their pace and ensure that our expectations are also realistic so that we won't push them too far. That's really the best thing you can do to help your dog slowly become more and more social, whether you have a young pup or a dog with social anxiety. Developing desired social skills will always be about positivity, repetition and feel-good experiences. Do be aware of anyone who tells you that you need to 'train' your dog to be more social, or that there's a quick-fix told that'll get your dog behaving better and listening to you. These suggestions generally don't work, even with the best of intentions, as there's really no way to speed up the creation of wanted behaviours. I'm always happy to answer any questions you have and recommend the best ways to go about socializing your dog, here.

When it comes to getting your dog to listen to you, you are far more likely to reach success if you've built a strong bond together. I oftentimes see pet parents trying to rely on treats to get their dogs to do things, but I believe that treats should be used the same way gold star stickers are used in school with toddlers. They know it's there, they know how to get it, you simply need to give them the sticker after they've done what you expect. ✨ It's as simple as that. However if you try to get your dog to make a good choice that they should already be able to, by waving a treat by their nose, you are more likely to always have to rely on treats, as opposed to your bond and your dog's desire to follow your guidance, without treats. But what happens when your dog really won't listen, even without treats? This means 1 of 2 things (or oftentimes both). Either your bond and relationship with your dog is simply not strong enough yet. Think about it, do you listen to the guidance of strangers or that of your friends more? Grow your bond through enrichment activities, to stimulate your dog's need to use their body, their mind and social skills in fun and engaging ways. And/or, chances are the environment where you are asking them to listen is simply too distracting/overwhelming/challenging for you both. In which case, your best bet is to walk away, take space and try redirecting your dog once you feel the setting is a little bit easier on you both.

The dog and cat world unites! A lot of you know how big I am on preventing unwanted behaviours, as opposed to only reacting/managing them. And I'm a big believer that cat bells are great at helping us do exactly that. Let's take a quick look at just how cat bells can improve you and your dog's relationship (that's right!), and what more they can do for you. Cat bells are no longer only great for cats to wear, in order to give birds a heads up when they get too close. They're also great for dogs and puppies to wear on their collar, to give us our own kind of heads-up! A cat bell on your dog's collar can help with: ✔️ Knowing when your puppy is waking up ✔️ Providing enrichment to your dog sooner than later ✔️ Preventing sudden potty training accidents ✔️ Safety, especially for small dogs to be noticed indoors There's nothing better for a pup than feeling like his/her needs are met before they even ask for it! A cat bell is a great tool that you can use that lets you know when your puppy is waking up or getting up from their bed, which can then help you prevent unknown potty training accidents or a pup that's getting bored. Why and when cat bells are helpful for dogs to wear: Puppies and new pet parents will benefit from cat bells the most! Think of them as acting just like a baby monitor, with a newborn. Except that you don't have to wait for your puppy to cry to take action, rather, thanks to the sound of the bells, you will know just what to do. They'll let you know if your puppy is potentially waking up, and or stepping out of his or her sleeping area. In this case, it's probably a good idea to head over and take them out for a bathroom break or guide them onto their pee pads. The amazing thing with this is that your puppy will from very early on realize that he didn't need to lift a paw, to make his needs known and met!

There's a time for every dog toy, and that's how you can get the most out of them! Just like how you're more likely to play a board game when you're feeling at ease and mellow, most toys that dogs can play with on their own are best provided when their mind is feeling relaxed, from other activities with you. Especially toys like Kongs, puzzles and treat dispensers, I see them acting similarly to a baby's pacifier as they settle into nap time. This will help ensure that your dog is engaged with the toy in question and also help prevent them from overly chewing or destroying it. This treat dispenser is the Tricky Treat ball and is hands down one of my favourites!