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Building safe, happy, and healthy human-dog relationships.

08/30/2026

A popular force free dog trainer/internet personality just bought a horse. She believes dogs should be behaviorally euthanized instead of ever being corrected, but her horse is ridden with a strong bit, dropped nose band, and spurs.

This isn’t an isolated instance of force free trainers having severe differences in their opinions on how horses and dogs are trained. As someone who has been very involved in both industries I have some opinions on why this difference occurs.

Of course there is nuance to this. There are force free horse trainers too who have a variety of opinions on banning horse training tools. There are also horses who can achieve high levels of training and compete at high levels without specific tools.

My opinion detailed in this post is really a complaint about irony and idiocracy that two industries with the same goal are being treated wildly differently because of political and financial interests. If the goal of these politicians and private groups were to create a more ethical environment for training animals their focus would be on education of proper use of tools in both industries, not banning and restricting tools in one industry and looking the other way in the other.

Swipe for my opinion ➡️and let me know yours down below⬇️

08/20/2026

Summer is almost over and we savored every moment! Here are some highlights of our pack hikers adventures this summer. Even though it was a hot one we made the most of it by hiking early in the day, staying in the shade, and finding safe places to swim.

Massachusetts has been plagued by deadly algae in our ponds and lakes the past few years. Most bodies of water during the middle of summer are contaminated. We take safety very seriously for our pack hikers and have been diligent in teaching them to only go in the water if we allow them.

The deadly algae is just another reason why dogs need to be under control on hikes. Having a dog who won’t recall or stay around water so you can check to see if it is safe could be a deadly mistake.

Want your dog to have more freedom on the trails, but still stay safe? We can help with that!

08/09/2026

We get a lot of requests for a Board and Train program and we typically redirect them to our Homeschool Program.

I think Board and Trains can be a good option in some cases, but they have limitations, no matter how you structure them.

Swipe to learn more about these programs and why we typically recommend our Homeschool program instead of a Board and Train ➡️

07/26/2026

I’m also speaking from my own personal experience as someone with severe digestive issues and limitations. As a child no one believed me when I said I was sick from certain foods, I was forced to eat things that made me extremely ill for years. Being sick all the time had a huge effect on my personality. I was grumpy, I lacked motivation, I was anxious all the time. Now that I can actually eat food that makes me feel good my behavior is drastically different.

Some dogs are going to have a lower food drive than others and that is okay too. But for your dog to only eat their food if they absolutely have to is not normal or healthy. Even a dog with a low food drive should want to eat the food they need in order to survive. No where in nature are animals designed to be indifferent or uninterested in the food that keeps them alive. Their interest and motivation to access food is natural by design, any deviation from that indicates something is wrong.

Our dogs deserve to have their voices heard even if they can’t speak. They deserve to eat food that makes them feel good. Finding the right food may be a long process but it is worth it in the end!

07/19/2026

Fall group class schedule is here! We have done some really challenging exercises in some distracting locations this summer and I am so excited to keep up the progress this fall. Swipe to see some of the tough exercises we did a few weeks ago!

If you want early access to the group class scheduling please reach out to get added to the email list!
8/2 at 11am
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(three spots left)

8/8 at 10am
Arnold Arboretum - Mendum/Fairview Street Gate
(two spots left)

8/16 at 11am
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(full)

8/29 at 11am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(two spots left)

9/13 at 11am
Castle Island, 2010 William J Day Blvd
(one spot left)

9/26 at 11am
Pope John Paul Park - Hallet Street Entrance
(two spots left)

These classes are only available for those who have done one on one classes with us. You can sign up via Pet Pocketbook or email us at [email protected] to reserve your spot. $40 per dog.

The following are some of the topics we will be covering in Group Class. Feel free to request additional topics or exercises.

*Emotional regulation skills around distractions.
*Loose leash walking around distractions.
*Recall around distractions.
*Stay around distractions.
*Advocating for your dog in a public setting.
*Exercises for building strength and endurance.
*Hiking//off leash etiquette around distractions and safety around water.
*Facilitating healthy social behavior with other dogs.
*Polite greetings with humans.
*Canine Good Citizen prep.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you at Group Class!

07/05/2026

Living in a multi-dog household isn’t always full of playtime and cuddles. Things can go south quickly if the dog’s behavior, boundaries, and resources are not managed correctly. Here are some tips to reduce conflict and build a healthy relationship between your dogs. ➡️

06/20/2026

Did you know that tennis balls are really bad for your dog’s teeth? The fiber surface can cause premature wear and tear on your dog’s teeth, especially if it mixes with dirt or sand. It essentially becomes a sand paper like texture, filing down your dog’s teeth with every chomp.

If you want your dog to avoid dental issues and be able to play ball for as long as possible with functional teeth I recommend switching to a rubber ball, like a Chuckit! ball that will not have the same filing effect.

Chomping on a ball is a great way for a dog to regulate and self sooth. Playing fetch is also a great cooperative game that can be used to reinforce obedience and effectively exercise your dog. I don’t want to discourage anyone from letting their dog do either of those behaviors. But ditch the tennis ball!

06/14/2026

Our pack hike program is not your typical dog walk. Over the past decade we have refined this program to be safe, fun, and reinforce real world training. Here are some things that set our pack hiking program apart. Swipe to find out more ➡️

06/06/2026

Are dogs pack animals? And does it matter? Swipe to find out ➡️

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05/31/2026

Meet Leni! She has some stranger danger and reactivity issues around her house. When her humans moved to a new house they wanted the transition to be as low stress and supportive of Leni as possible so they enrolled Leni in our Homeschool program.

During Homeschool she learned how to better regulate herself around strangers in and around the house. The training focused on building her confidence through play and giving her skills to help her feel safe and regulated in her new house.

Leni was previously E-Collar trained elsewhere, but it was not beneficial to her emotional state and her humans had a limited understanding of how to use the tool. During Homeschool she has been relearning the E-Collar so she has a better relationship with it. Her humans have gone through more education on how to use the tool so they can be consistent with the training in the long run.

She also has been integrated into our Pack Hike program and has really been enjoying her time in the woods and on the beach with her friends.

Leni previously did two Board and Train programs elsewhere, but those programs didn’t have her working in her home, around her neighborhood, and her humans were not very involved in the training. With the Homeschool program she got to work around other people and dogs on her home turf while her parents were involved through weekly training sessions. I think a Board and Train is a good idea for specific issues, but for most cases I think keeping the dog at home and keeping their owner involved will yield better results. What do you think? Let me know if you want a breakdown of why I would recommend a Board and Train vs a Homeschool program.

Address

Boston, MA

Website

http://www.communitycaninetraining.com/

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