by Kate LaSala | Oct 9, 2023 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving
Many of my friends with human kids love to say “don’t blink” meaning that if you blink you will miss your kids growing up and they will be gone, off on their own. This sentiment resonated with me even more for our dogs, who are with us for...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 18, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
There’s often posts and memes that circulate on social media that get under my skin. Videos that people think are cute or funny when I see a stressed dog. Videos of dogs and kids that anyone educated in dog body language would see as incredibly unsafe and...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 14, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Companion animals are family for me, as they likely are to you. And thinking about or dealing with their loss is often a topic that just isn’t talked about. And as a society, we tend not honor pet loss with the same gravity as losing a human. Or we do for a very...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 7, 2023 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Today I’m recapping a (slightly late) mid-year review of my top 5 most visited posts from this year, so far: Is Your Reactive Dog Fearful, Aggressive, Excited Or Frustrated? Sociability and Social Maturity In Dogs 5 Myths About Shock Collars Train Manners And...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 31, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
As someone who specializes in fear and aggression cases, a few times a year, I have clients who are facing the consider of rehoming, surrendering or behavioral euthanasia. I am also a certified companion animal end-of-life death doula, so I am uniquely qualified to...
by Kate LaSala | May 16, 2023 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
I’ve written about the importance of enrichment how giving your dog outlets for normal dog behavior like sniffing is important and how enrichment isn’t optional. But, let’s face it. We all have busy lives. And sometimes the weather may not...
by Kate LaSala | May 15, 2023 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
I’ve written about the importance of enrichment how giving your dog outlets for normal dog behavior like sniffing is important and how enrichment isn’t optional. Often we overlook social interaction as part of our enrichment plan. Remember, dogs are...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 27, 2023 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Separation Anxiety
While crate training has its place in some areas of dog training – house training, management and medical recovery come to the top of my mind, crating for separation anxiety is not one of those applications. This does get complicated if we have a dog who...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 20, 2023 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Enrichment isn’t optional. It’s not a nice, extra thing we should be doing for our animals – it’s a critical part of their well-being, health and happiness. Having the ability to do normal dog behavior is one of the Five Freedoms,...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 23, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Puppy Training, Separation Anxiety
It can be confusing for dog guardians to know if their dog or puppy is experiencing separation anxiety or just having normal “dog stuff” going on, since often there can be a lot of crossover between how behavior presents. Is the dog being...
