by Kate LaSala | Dec 30, 2024 | Dog Training
2024 was the most challenging year I’ve had in many ways, with most challenges stemming from the devastating loss of my heart dog, my muse, my love, my BooBoo. When she died in April, I sunk into a deep depression, unable to work and just needing time to...
by Kate LaSala | Dec 3, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently on the RISK! podcast talking about what else? Dogs! If you’re not familiar with Risk!, it’s a storytelling podcast (similar to The Moth, but not always PG!) and my husband is one of the audio editors and engineers. RISK! is weekly...
by Kate LaSala | Nov 12, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently honored to be a guest on the Starlight Pet Talk podcast, talking about where fear in dogs comes from, how trauma affects some dogs, while also emphasizing how resilient dogs can be and how we can help them adjust to their new lives. Amy, the...
by Kate LaSala | Nov 11, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
Can dogs be racist? This is a question I get from clients when they sheepishly bring this up in consults and sort of whisper “I think my dog is a racist.” I assure them, first, that they’re not alone and second, that as embarrassing as this...
by Kate LaSala | Nov 8, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently honored to be a guest on the The Pet Loss Companion podcast, talking about my personal grief journey with BooBoo, why I think it’s important to share it, my companion animal Advance Care Directive and why I am passionate about planning and...
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, Dogs and Babies and Kids, 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 16, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
While this may not be a happy, joyful post, it’s a necessary one. Please, bookmark this post for when you need it. I hope you don’t need it any time soon, but when you do, come back here. And, be sure to share this post with friends who need it now. I am a...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 9, 2024 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
Since BooBoo passed away 5 months ago, we’ve been dipping our toes back into fostering. When Barbo and BooBoo were both alive, we did a lot of fostering. As a family, we fostered over 50 dogs and puppies, many of which were fearful. It was early in my dog...
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...
