by Kate LaSala | Oct 28, 2024 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Resource Guarding
If your dog growls, freezes, eats faster or tries to bite if you approach him when he’s eating, then it’s possible he’s guarding his food. Food guarding is a completely normal and very common dog behavior but it understandably upsets owners...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 7, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Adopting a fearful dog from a puppy mill, hoarding situation or backyard breeder dog can be incredibly rewarding and very challenging. There’s something to helping a fearful dog blossom into a confident, non-fearful dog. But, I get a lot of clients who are not...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 30, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
If I asked most dog guardians if they liked their dog, they’d quickly reply something like “Of course, I love my dog!” But loving your dog isn’t the same as liking your dog. Love and like are different psychological experiences, so...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 23, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
If you have a new dog and are online, you’ve no doubt come across the 3-3-3 rule for new dogs. This idea and various graphics of it circulate often, making the rounds on social media. I am unsure of the origin of this rule, but I suspect it started in the...
by Kate LaSala | May 13, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
I’ve previously written about the fallout effects specifically of shock collars. But I wanted to more broadly touch on our regular interactions with our dogs, especially puppies in their critical socialization window, and why things like clamping a...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 18, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
As a trainer whose primary focus fear and aggression cases, I’m often contacted by clients after they’ve been through several other trainers and are at their wits end. A lot of times in my consult they have some fantasy idea about what their dog needs that...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 11, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Today I’m sharing a post I wrote for Pets and Their People, a resource dedicated to pet owners, provided by the Pet Professional Guild, which is a force-free organization that I’m proud to be a member of. I am also a committee member of their...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 4, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
With many of us thinking ahead to the upcoming solar eclipse, and ordering those special glasses to protect your eyes for this once in a lifetime event, you may be wondering if you need to worry about your dog (or other pets) for the eclipse. Well, I checked...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 19, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
This might surprise you, but I think teaching a dog to sit is one of the the skills your dog really doesn’t need. Now hold on, hear me out before you hate me. It might be convenient but it’s not essential. It’s not a life or death skill, like...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 12, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
This Valentine’s Day week, I am resharing one my popular posts about how to truly love a fearful dog. Often well-meaning but mistaken people tell others that fearful dogs “just need love” to get better. This is like telling someone with a fractured...
