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 | 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 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 | 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...
by Kate LaSala | Apr 18, 2022 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
You want to know what makes me weep? When I see people, often well-meaning but grossly mistaken, telling others that their fearful dog “just needs love” to get better. This is akin to telling someone with a fractured leg that they just need love to heal...
by Kate LaSala | Apr 4, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
If you’ve ever exercised a lot or trained for a big event, you’re familiar with interval 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...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 7, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding
Are you ready to set you and your dog up for successful training sessions? Here’s 5 secrets to help make your training sessions the most effective and efficient they can be. Keep your sessions short. For basic skills, try to train in 10-15 minute blocks....
by Kate LaSala | Feb 28, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
When you have a dog who is afraid of stranger and leash reactive, it can make walks and just living your life, very challenging. It’s embarrassing, disruptive and in some cases, possibly dangerous. But there are things we can do in the course of training...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 14, 2022 | Dog Training, Puppy Training
Puppies are hard work. They’re usually harder than people anticipate and that’s assuming you have a well-bred, generally problem free puppy. I’ve had puppy clients with severe fear issues and I’ve had puppy clients with medical issues...
