by Kate LaSala | Sep 14, 2026 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training
Owners often come to me saying their dog is “stubborn” or “lazy” on walks when what they are actually describing is likely a dog who is afraid. Being comfortable outside is a learned skill and one that is often missed during the critical...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 7, 2026 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids
As a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator and a certified behavior consultant whose speciality is fear and aggression, I work with a lot of families with dogs and kids. If you’re expecting or trying to adopt or get pregnant, you may be wondering when you should...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 24, 2026 | Dog Training, Puppy Training
Can dogs and cats live in harmony? In many cases yes! In some cases, absolutely not. How can we best set everyone up for success? Read on! Dogs and cats can often live in harmony, or at least peacefully coexist, but it’s not likely to happen on its own,...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 15, 2026 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
When people think about separation anxiety, they usually picture a young dog, maybe a newly adopted rescue still decompressing, or a pandemic puppy who never learned to be alone. Separation anxiety as a senior dog problem doesn’t come up nearly as often....
by Kate LaSala | May 25, 2026 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Separation Anxiety
One of the most common things I hear from new clients is some version of this: “My dog has separation anxiety. He freaks out every time I put him in his crate.” I understand why those two things feel connected. In many homes, confinement and being...
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 | Dec 8, 2025 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
During the holidays, a lot of dogs find their new homes, and many of these are being integrated into homes where there is already a resident dog. While gift giving a dog isn’t a great idea (everyone in the family needs to be on board with making the commitment...
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 | Apr 28, 2025 | Dog Training, Puppy Training
“I don’t want to bribe my dog with food” or “When can I stop using food?” are two common things I hear from clients. For some reason, a lot of people see using food in training as some form of corruption, like if they use food the...
