Treetown Dogs

04/16/2026

I've loved a lot of dogs in my life, big and small, and every one of them became my "favorite dog". But Pasha, my first Kangal Dog, brought as a pup from a village in eastern Turkey... he was especially special.

12/04/2025

Time for a laugh! This is how I too have taught dozens of dogs to roll over. Hands-off, no force, no fear!
It's also a brilliant take-down of so-called "balanced" trainers. ( I love the outfit and the Kong grenades hanging on his jacket, ha ha! Nice touch!)
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14Zp85CLvYC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/29/2025

Happy National Dog Day, y'all!
I don't think I'd survive without mine... though I'm pretty sure each wishes they didn't have to share me. 🥹

08/05/2025

Hey everyone! I've MOVED! I'll be changing my business name at some point, but I will continue to train people and their pets here in Ann Arbor Michigan.

For clients and friends in HVL and elsewhere, I'm happy to be offering private online training again! As I discovered during COVID, when ALL my training moved to Zoom, there are some real advantages. Seriously...

First, it's all recorded and a link sent to you to watch at your leisure. Because we cover a LOT of concepts and practice in each session, you'll appreciate being able to watch, and to start/stop as needed.

You'll be able to clearly see those moments when your dog connected, disconnected, or reacted--and *why*--so you can address that going forward. Also, I can pinpoint those moments for you when I send you session summaries.

Second, no commuting, no need to "tidy up", and no weather issues.

Third, other family members can take part, and/or watch the recordings, even if they can't attend the live sessions.

It's super helpful! (And also why those of us who train for dog sports LOVE to have friends videotape our runs so we can review and learn.)

Please contact me if you'd like to try a brief Zoom session to see if this works for you.

06/08/2025

Would you like to teach your dog some tricks? It's enriching for your dog, fun for you, and enhances training skills for both of you. But really, all training is "tricks" if you make it fun.

I used to teach popular Tricks classes in Raleigh and Durham. My old Rat Terrier, Jeepers, learned a great many, and he loved performing. The more the dog learns, the easier it is to teach subsequent tricks. With my friend and co-trainer, Jackie.

03/05/2025

My article on animal welfare and training for calm was published on the PPG's "Pets and Their People" site today. Check it out!

calm: not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions. 

02/16/2025

Station training with 4-month old Pepper! Last week we free-shaped "go to mat" with marker training (we are using the verbal marker "YUP!"). Today we transferred that to a different "station"-- her new platform bed. She had been reluctant to get on the "scary thing", but now it's her Place!

Pepper loves the Training Game. She learned a hand target and "Down" quickly and with joy because she never gets a "NO" or "Eh-Eh!" as she tests out the rules of the game. If she was briefly confused, I simply made it clearer for her so she could succeed. It took only a few reps before I could add the cue "Place" and now she leaps on and is reluctant to leave!
Next, we can train Stay easily, with no frustration.

Her owners Jim and Gerda are doing a great job helping her become a confident, curious, happy companion! Coming up: Loose-lead Sniffy Walks and Urban Cafe Dog!

I love my job, and my clients, and their pets!

01/08/2025

Flashback to my beautiful Banu (Turkish Kangal Dog) in 2018. I put up her raccoon because she was starting to gut it. Sad girl. But I gave it back later and let her destroy it.
This is why I buy old toys at yard sales and Goodwill...

01/07/2025

"“When you see an animal’s eyes light up, when you see an animal that comes zooming out to do its clicker work [i.e. training]—and it’s an octopus or a shellfish—it’s remarkable, really. We just set them up and let them show us.” ~Karen Pryor

It's a sad day for animal trainers. Karen Pryor, 1932-2024, was a legend her entire amazing long life. What changes she made to animal training, including dog training! She wrote THE book: "Don't Shoot the Dog."
I will miss her, we all will. But her books, the Karen Pryor Academy, Clicker Expo, and the many thousands of us who learned from her--carry on her legacy.

With profound sadness and immense gratitude, we honor the life and legacy of Karen Pryor, a true pioneer in the fields of animal behavior and positive reinforcement training. Karen’s groundbreaking work revolutionized how we communicate with animals—and each other—leaving an indelible mark on ...