by Kate LaSala | Sep 5, 2022 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Many people take personal offense if a dog doesn’t immediately warm up to them. I get it – it’s hard if you love dogs and want them to like you but they’re a little afraid. It’s hard not to take that personally. Of course some people may...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 29, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer in the US who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I get asked a lot about medication and non-pharmaceutical interventions like calming...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 15, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Often when I’m talking with clients, I can sense their frustration about their dog’s behavior issues. Living with a fearful or anxious dog is hard for owners. And it’s normal to want things to be resolved as quickly as possible. And I’ve...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 1, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Separation Anxiety
When you share your life with a dog struggling with fear, separation anxiety or are caring for a sick or senior dog, it’s easy to get so immersed in caring and protecting for them, that you push your own needs aside. This is a topic that comes up with...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 4, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
A while ago I wrote about the importance of interval training in dog training. This idea of mixing high intensity practices with periods of rest or easier practices is a concept encourage my clients to use when training their dogs, especially separation anxiety...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 20, 2022 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur – Red Adair I love helping people and their dogs. My mission is to help people and their dogs live happier lives together. And I provide tons of freely...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 13, 2022 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
As I recently discussed, behavior is never random. And it’s also not a slippery slope. Dog-dog issues don’t predict dog-human issues or vice versa. There are plenty of dogs who are great with other dogs but who are afraid of strangers. Just as there are...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 6, 2022 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Whenever I do an initial separation anxiety assessment or have my initial consult with behavior clients, they inevitably ask “how long will this take to fix?” and I can never give them a concrete answer. I’m not hiding anything, in fact,...
by Kate LaSala | May 9, 2022 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
You’re expecting a baby or your baby is starting to crawl or toddle. This is an exciting time but if you have a dog who resource guards food, toys, bones or resting spots, you’re likely feeling nervous or scared the the dog might hurt our child. This is a...
by Kate LaSala | Apr 25, 2022 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Behavior is never random. Often clients will come to me saying their dog has bitten “unprovoked” or “out of the blue.” Bites happen fast, so it can seem like they happen out of the blue but when we dig into it, we uncover that the dog was...