by Kate LaSala | Oct 31, 2022 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
I am not a betting person but if I had to bet, I’d wager you got a dog because you wanted a companion, a family member, something to love and nurture – not something to control with force, fear or pain. Whether it is out of desperation, poor guidance from...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 10, 2022 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
When we first adopted Barbo, and left him alone for the first time, we came home and I started to make dinner and couldn’t find the baguette I was certain I had purchased earlier that day. I checked the car, my receipt and just assumed maybe it got left...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 22, 2022 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
I recently wrote about enrichment not being optional and exercise is definitely part of your dog’s overall enrichment and well being. And often it is recommended as a cure all for behavioral issues. Those of you who live with dogs with behavior issues...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 18, 2022 | 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. Enrichment is ensuring we are meeting all of a species needs. This is not...
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...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 7, 2022 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Separation Anxiety
If you’ve been here a while, you know I’m a huge advocate for evidence based training, continuing education and debunking myths that can be harmful or misleading. In all my work with rescues and shelters, every single one has ascribed to the myth of...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 19, 2021 | 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, and one of those things is pushing the idea that a “calm” dog is the ideal state we want to achieve for our dogs all the time. I like calm dogs when they’re seniors and...
by Kate LaSala | Apr 5, 2021 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Resource Guarding
Recently I’ve written about resource guarding prevention, and what to do if you have a puppy or a new dog who doesn’t resource guard. You can see that post and videos here. Today I’m debunking some common myths about how to prevent or...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 18, 2021 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
With the horrible events in our nation’s Capitol recently, I’ve been struggling a bit with how to appropriately provide relevant, but sensitive content for this week, so it seemed fitting to broach the topic of racism, or at least racism in dogs. ...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 4, 2021 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
With the New Year, often comes transitions and people moving. Many of my clients have moved during Covid and there’s a few common suggestions I have for people moving to a new home with their dog and thought reviewing them entering the new year would be...