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 21, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Turid Rugaas, a Norwegian dog trainer, came up with the term “calming signals” to refer to the appeasement behaviors dogs do. People will often coin these as submissive or deference behaviors. Many dogs will use this body language signs to...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 15, 2024 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently honored to be a guest on the Grey Muzzle Diaries podcast, talking about BooBoo and Barbo, and even our dog before that, Bandit. Lindsay, the host, says her podcast is a place for senior dog owners and is a place for “practical tips, shared...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 14, 2024 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
Six months ago I kissed my sweet BooBoo goodbye for the last time. Last week was her birthday. She would have been 16 and the day after that milestone was the 6 month anniversary of her passing. As I promised in my last grief update, I want to continue to share...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 30, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
If I asked most dog guardians if they liked their dog, they’d quickly reply something like “Of course, I love my dog!” But loving your dog isn’t the same as liking your dog. Love and like are different psychological experiences, so...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 16, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, 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 | Sep 2, 2024 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Rescue Dogs
Are you expecting? You’ve no doubt got a lot of things to consider and prepare for. I’m sure you’re overwhelmed with emotions, excitement and maybe even a little bit of fear right now. And if worrying about your dog is part of that worry, let me...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 12, 2024 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
Two months ago I gave you an update on my grief journey two months after I kissed my sweet BooBoo goodbye for the last time, one day after her 15-1/2th birthday. As mentioned in that post, I had been navigating some challenges and promised an update on what was...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 5, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
Today I’m here to tell you, to give you permission, to not walk your dog. Wait, what? Don’t all dogs need walks? I’m here to say, no. We’ve been taught to believe that dogs need walks but many dogs don’t enjoy walks. For active,...
