Julie Stockton - Canine Coach

10/23/2026

Khan & Chloe's Weekly Roundup ✨️

Khan is doing so great on his walks! He's more confident and comfortable walking in his neighborhood, especially areas he used to want to avoid, including a local school - he now walks in these locations without putting on his brakes or wanting to turn back!

Chloe is doing so much better with her impulse control, not only during play (taking breaks), but when she sees squirrels, which used to trigger her prey drive! Now she's able to calmly observe and disengage by herself.

They really enjoyed some off leash playtime together this week and hanging out with my dog, Benny, who Chloe really loves and Benny's quite taken with her! 💞🐾

10/23/2026

Frankie's weekly roundup ✨️

It's that time of year when you don't know if you'll need a swimsuit, sweater or raincoat! Frankie wore two out of the three this week! 👙👕🧥

Frankie also checked out the halloween and pet food isles in a store! She checked out the doggy internet cáfe! Searched and rescued some treats hidden in a leafy snuffle patch! (Checked for dog p**p first!! 💩 - also that time of year!)

Frankie also greeted several people, practised her recall and down/stays and settle while she did some people watching - she's so nosey! 👀😄

[Whilst it may appear that a dog is enjoying human contact/greetings, if you look more closely, you may see early signs of stress creeping in!].

On the whole Frankie enjoys human attention, but if people become overly excited by her cuteness or give her too much close contact (especially on top of her head 🚫), she'll start to lip lick, lick person, stretch with tense posture, stress shake, become wriggly, jump up and get overly excited if the person lingers far too long! In this context these are all signs that she's feeling uncomfortable and wants to move away. Without being rude I'll move her away to offer distance so she can settle ~ she may also display another stress shake before walking on.

[If a person calmly greets her but moves on she doesn't display any of these emotional behaviours].

Benny joined us for a couple of walks this week as he still enjoys getting out and about!

10/20/2026

Dogs LOVE open spaces where they can run free and explore!

When you think about them being an animal with FOUR legs compared to our TWO legs, we ask a lot of them really! We often expect them to walk at OUR slower pace most of the time without giving it much thought!

Dogs NEED to be able to run to release pent up energy, frustration, excitement, stress and burn off energy that often doesn't get used on a daily basis. Brain work (mental stimulation) is also tiring and offers enrichment but dogs are born to run!! 🐕💨

It was a beautiful Fall day so I took Frankie & Benny for an afternoon at the beach where they ran & explored for almost two hours!

10/19/2026

Silly games we play on our walks! Frankie loves to goof! 🤪

10/19/2026

Once you have proofed 'recalls' - your dog fully understands the exercise - you can start adding more distance and duration. Frankie did really well at this distance as I know she likes to be fairly close to me on walks. So this was probably her limit for now and she came a little early due to the distance away from me.

10/16/2026

Khan & Chloe's weekly roundup ✨️

I'm so proud of Khan & his progress todate. He's becoming much more confident in different surroundings, he's more familiar with my dog now and happily greets him instead of being cautious and sniffing him from a safe distance. Khan is doing great with his recall but because he's an anxious boy, he tends to stay close for reassurance anyway (and because he knows I'll help him out if needed). He checks-in or waits if I'm waiting for Chloe to finish sniffing or picking up their p**p!

[When a dog feels more confident - they hold their head, tail & body differently and you can even see it in their walk and their mood changes for the better - Khan is definitely more happier on his walks and less anxious these days]. 🤗💙

Chloe loves meeting other dogs, but requires more practice on polite/calm greetings and can occasionally become frustrated if she doesn't get to meet, which we are working on. Not every dog will want to meet, which Chloe also needs to learn. 🤗💗

Both dogs get triggered by squirrels/chipmunks and often want to chase! We've also been working on calm observation skills and gradually closing the gap (also respecting the little critters space!), although I do find chipmunks can be a bit of a tease and get closer and closer, testing the dogs! 🤭🐿. They displayed excellent self control this week as they calmly observed a chipmunk collecting it's groceries! Chloe even went into a 'sit' without any prompting and Khan stood watching with a loose leash (no pulling!) or wanting to move closer!

Chloe was a little unsure with all the pumpkin people out and about, so I introduced her to a few to show her 'they're friendly!' 🎃

10/16/2026

Frankie's weekly roundup ✨️

Fall is officially here and it's starting to get chilly out! Frankie will be walking a lot faster to keep warm and to get her 10,000 steps in! 🤗🐕💨

10/16/2026

✨APPROPRIATE PLAY️✨️

Khan & Chloe having some playtime together 💕

Chloe is getting better at self regulating - pausing play or taking breaks when needed.

Khan reads her pretty well and displays avoidance or pauses play, letting Chloe know that he needs a break. If she becomes over-stimulated these signals can sometimes get ignored! He rarely 'corrects' her inappropriate play (grabbing his ankles, which is not polite and I will interrupt this kind of inappropriate play) when clearly Khan is not enjoying it!

Playtimes should be fun for BOTH dogs involved.

✨️POLITE PLAY✨️

👍 You should see both dogs taking turns/switching roles - one is the chasee, the other the chaser! Then they switch.
👍 The same applies if a dog flops over on the ground.
👍 You never want to see bullying type behaviours; trapping, pinning, grabbing & pulling out fur, rough biting, standing over a dog (especially growling - different to a play growl!). Or dogs looking serious or freezing with tense body posture or a high erect tail! Over arousal or over stimulation.
👍 BOTH dogs should look happy and relaxed - soft eyes, open mouths - no tension in the face, body, tail.
👍 Size matters! Some large breeds can become triggered (predatory) by small breeds running & being excited - be extra vigilant! (Often okay if they're bonded).
👍 Introduce play breaks, especially if you see rough play, one dog trying to get away or trying to hide or looking stressed! This avoids stress build up, overly rough play; over-stimulation/over excitement/arousal.
👍 Constant rough play will eventually lead to aggression!
👍 If I see a dog needs a play break and they're being ignored by their playmate, I'm going to step in to offer them relief.
👍 If your dog comes into you or stands behind you during playtimes, they're asking for your help!
👍 Dogs experience stress during play; cortisol (stress hormone), adrenaline & noradrenaline are released - play breaks help keep stress levels low.

10/15/2026

10/09/2026

Khan & Chloe missed a walk this week due to me being off sick! So they were excited to get outside for some fun, social time, play and lots of sniffs!

Khan even walked in the rain, which is not normally his favorite weather! I try and make it fun for him, so he's not too worried about the rain! 👏💙

Chloe is happy-go-lucky and nothing seems to phase her! 🤗🩷