by Kate LaSala | Jul 21, 2025 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Separation Anxiety
It can be confusing for new puppy parents to know if their puppy is experiencing separation anxiety or normal “puppy stuff” since there can be a lot of crossover between the two. Puppies inherently have separation anxiety – vocalizing to reunite with mom...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 14, 2025 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
Recently I submitted my one year grief update to The Pet Loss Companion podcast, because they had graciously shared my story about BooBoo shortly after she passed away, and I wanted to give them an update. My Lessons and Gratitude in Grief One Year in was...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 23, 2025 | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
The problem Do you live in a place where people leave their dogs in the yard all the time and all you hear is dogs barking? Sadly, in many places in the country, this is the norm and animal welfare being what it is, in most places if the dog has water and some...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 16, 2025 | Pet Loss & Grieving
Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face. It’s emotional, painful, and deeply personal. That’s why I created “When Is It Time To Say Goodbye?”, a free downloadable guide designed to help you navigate this heartbreaking time with...
by Kate LaSala | May 30, 2025 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
I was recently honored to be a guest on the The Pet Loss Companion podcast, episode #212, talking about fostering, how fostering helped with my grief journey with BooBoo, and my self-paced course, Fostering 101: Fundamentals to Being a Successful...
by Kate LaSala | May 26, 2025 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
I often hear from potential clients who are torn between hiring a private trainer like me or sending their dog to a “boot camp.” Let me be clear: boot camp is not the answer. The term itself conjures images of military-style training—pre-dawn wake-ups, yelling, rigid...
by Kate LaSala | May 19, 2025 | Pet Loss & Grieving
My doula work has become a bigger and part of my clients in the last year or so. And one of the topics that comes up if a person has an animal that is ailing but not quite terminal yet, is whether to do a bucket list. If you’re not familiar with the idea of an...
by Kate LaSala | May 5, 2025 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Puppy Training, Rescue Dogs
I’ve previously written about 5 Myths About Shock Collars and have my free download 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar where I talk more about why not to use these tools, take a deeper dive into regulation and give you citations to research if...
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...
by Kate LaSala | Apr 14, 2025 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity
There are few joys better than watching a dog enjoy a car ride, with their head poking out of the window (while they’re safely tethered), watching the world go by. But for some dogs, they seem to hate car rides, showing signs of clear anxiety like...