by Kate LaSala | Jan 13, 2025 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding
Here’s the situation: Your dog barks, growls or jumps on someone (or the counter in the kitchen). You respond with a sudden, unpleasant noise like “eh-eh!” Innocent right? Nope! Unfortunately, when people are frustrated or don’t know how...
by Kate LaSala | Jan 6, 2025 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Happy New Year! With the start of the new year, I thought it would be a good reminder to help get you started off with some things to implement for 2025 to set your dog (and you!) up for success. Stop using punishment based methods and aversive tools like...
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 23, 2024 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
I can hardly believe it but last month marked 5 years that I’ve been writing weekly blog content (except for the time I took off during the decline and death of BooBoo). Each year my alma mater, The Academy for Dog Trainers holds their annual Academy...
by Kate LaSala | Nov 18, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Separation Anxiety
I get a lot of client inquiries with people concerned that their “Velcro dog” follows them room to room and they’re concerned their dog has separation anxiety (SA). Is there any evidence of this? Is your Velcro dog at risk for separation...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 23, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
If you have a new dog and are online, you’ve no doubt come across the 3-3-3 rule for new dogs. This idea and various graphics of it circulate often, making the rounds on social media. I am unsure of the origin of this rule, but I suspect it started in the...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 19, 2024 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Clients almost always ask “how long will this take to fix?” and I can never give them a concrete answer. I don’t have a crystal ball or a magic wand. I’m not hiding anything, in fact, I’m being completely transparent, unlike...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 24, 2024 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
I’ve written in the past about behavior regressions in areas like separation anxiety or house training. But occasionally new separation-related behavior issues pop up in dogs who have not previously displayed any separation issues. Sometimes this can be...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 12, 2024 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
This Valentine’s Day week, I am resharing one my popular posts about how to truly love a fearful dog. Often well-meaning but mistaken people tell others that fearful dogs “just need love” to get better. This is like telling someone with a fractured...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 5, 2024 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Displacement behaviors are normal behaviors that are performed out of context and they can indicate if a dog is conflicted or anxious. I talk about them when I’m reviewing dog body language with clients, especially for fearful dogs or with my separation...