Prairie Paws Dog Grooming & Training

06/01/2026

Prairie Paws will be CLOSED Monday, June 1
Have a fabulous day!

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

It’s unfair to your puppy or dog to think all they need is LOVE.

They are an animal with needs that are much different than a human. They have predatory instincts, breed instincts and a pack mentality.
When their needs are not met, they will show you. It may not be right away but the build up will be there.

This often happens around 9, 12 & 15 months of age where we may see switch in their behaviour,,,, brattiness, pushback, fearful of everything, anxiety, fear or aggression towards people or other dogs.

Dogs will exploit weakness in a person.
They need YOU as a leader to guide them in this world with confidence and trust.

Dogs thrive from a solid foundation of structure, consistency, boundaries and leadership as well as play, exercise and affection.
With this in place, you and your dog will have a beautiful relationship with trust and respect.

Be the change you wish to see in your dog ~ Cara Johnson

05/23/2026

Dangerous behaviours in dogs rarely come out of nowhere.

Some of these include:

IN HOME DOG FIGHTS

HUMAN DOG BITES

ANXIETY

There are signs, there’s a build-up, but to the average dog owner, they are not seen as a problem until it’s too late.

IN HOME DOG FIGHTS

If you have more than one dog in the home, you have a pack.
Dog fights in the home arise when there are no rules, boundaries, structure, and leadership.
Too much freedom and dogs smothered with love and affection give rise to competition in the home.
If the human is not establishing their role as a pack leader, the dogs will.
Dogs fight over toys, affection, food, and their space.

HUMAN DOG BITES

When dogs feel threatened, they turn to fight, flight, freeze, or avoidance.
Most dog bites happen to the face and hands.
Dogs communicate through body language.
Reaching your hand out, bending over, and making eye contact can be a threatening move to a dog. Coming into their space with excitement, baby talk can also be overwhelming and threatening to a dog or puppy.
Let sleeping dogs be. To wake a dog up can be startling and can lead to a bite out of defence.
Most dogs do not like to be hugged, and when you are in that position, your face is right next to theirs.

ANXIETY

A lot of a dog’s anxiety is unknowingly created and maintained by the owner.
Dogs that are coddled and shown only love and affection struggle with life. They need guidance from someone who can show them how to live in our world with calm confidence. Sheltering a puppy or dog from society weakens their state of mind. When a puppy or dog is feeling fear towards something, our first move is to pet them and tell them “It’s okay, it’s okay,” but what the dog hears is, “Oh no, what do I have to be afraid of? Why is this human reaffirming my fear?!”
Show dogs and puppies this world we live in with confidence. Set them up for success.

Dogs are animals.
Animals in the wild do not follow weakness; this will get them killed.
They follow the strongest leader who will guide them safely with trust and respect to keep them alive.

Dogs have a short lifespan, and we owe it to them to give them the best life.

If you and your dog are struggling, we are here to help.

Be the change you wish to see in your dog ~ Cara

05/23/2026

Coton de Tulear! They are a lovely companion dog. AKC registered in 2014.

Guess the breed!

05/22/2026

Guess the breed!