by Kate LaSala | Feb 24, 2026 | Dog Training
If you have ever picked up a bag of dog treats and found yourself squinting at the ingredient list, you are not alone. A lot of commercial treats are packed with fillers, vague ingredients, and things most of us would never intentionally feed our dogs. And what...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 23, 2026 | Dog Training, Rescue Dogs
First things first. Unless your dog is sick, if your dog is eating and managing to stay alive, then he is food motivated enough to walk over to a bowl or figure out how to get calories some other way. I could stop here, but I won’t. I was recently interviewed...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 26, 2026 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
With the New Year often comes transition, and for many people that includes moving. A large number of my clients relocated during Covid, and over time I noticed several common challenges that came up when moving to a new home with a dog. Personally we’ve moved 5...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 11, 2026 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently honored to be a guest on the Pet Parent Hotline podcast, talking about dogs and grief. This was my second appearance on Amy’s show. You can watch my last appearance talking about Trauma In Rescue Dogs here. Amy is a rescuer, educator and a really...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 5, 2026 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
Barking is completely normal dog behavior. Barking is completely normal dog behavior. Barking is completely normal dog behavior. While it may be annoying, barking is your dog’s way of communicating something. There are many reasons why a dog might bark...
by Kate LaSala | Dec 1, 2025 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
I can hardly believe it but last month marked 6 years that I’ve been writing weekly blog content (except for the time I took off during the decline and death of BooBoo). And like I try to do each year, I highlight my Top 10 posts. This year I also added...
by Kate LaSala | Nov 10, 2025 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety in dogs is a tough and often misunderstood condition. Unfortunately, there are many myths that confuse dog parents and sometimes lead them down the wrong path. Let’s clear up three common misconceptions. Myth 1: If your dog has separation anxiety,...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 6, 2025 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Today I want to take a closer look at the fallout effects of aversive training tools such as prong collars, shock collars, bark collars, electric fences, and noise aversives. These methods all have one thing in common: they rely on fear, pain, or intimidation...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 29, 2025 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
Because I work primarily with fearful dogs, I see a lot of people who describe their dog’s fear as a “problem” that needs “fixing.” But fear is not disobedience. The more I thought about this, the more I realized it highlights a bigger issue in dog training....
by Kate LaSala | Jul 28, 2025 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Separation Anxiety
TV trainers have done a lot of damage over the last couple of decades, especially by promoting the idea that a “calm” dog is the ideal state we should expect at all times. Sure, I like calm dogs when they’re seniors who enjoy snoozing, or when a dog is relaxed...
