New Tricks Pet

10/21/2026

A shredded object is not evidence of spite. It is evidence that shredding was available—and probably satisfying.
For behavior problems, I start with management. Put the tempting item away. Close the door. Use the gate. Provide a legal thing to shred, chew, dig, or carry. Management can make the unwanted behavior stop immediately because the dog no longer has a chance to practice it.
Then we teach and reinforce the alternative we actually want.

10/17/2026

Not every outing needs a mileage goal.
An autumn walk can be an investigation: leaves, damp soil, animal tracks, a new breeze. Give the dog time to sniff, then notice the body soften and the pace change.
Enjoyment is not separate from good training. It is one of the reasons we train.

10/01/2026

I just want to brag about my Danish-Swedish Farmdogs. Because yes, they have the high prey drive that it is inherent in their breed, but my girls have even higher biddability!
Yesterday, due to a broken gate I didn’t know about and a few management failures, 5-7 young rabbits got loose in the barn along with two Farmdogs who each have a high body count when it comes to critters, rabbits included.
You know how many of my domesticated rabbits they killed? Zero. Just zero. All of my stock was safe around my farm dogs. The rabbits were celebrating their freedom with zoomies and little excited bunny jumps and they didn’t even get chased by my killer dogs.
I work on them ignoring the rabbits in protected contact daily - their behavior was not an accident, but it was also not a certain outcome in those circumstances. I never, ever want that to happen again, but I’ve also never been so proud.

09/29/2026

Two dogs under the same roof may need different things from the same human.
One may work best with motion and quick repetitions. Another may need more distance, fewer repetitions, or time to watch before joining. Fair training is not identical training. It is arranging the lesson so each animal can understand and succeed.
That is one reason I pay attention to the individual dog before I reach for a standard answer.

09/16/2026

Sniffing is not your dog ignoring you. It is your dog gathering information.
I love a focused obedience session, and I also make room for a dog to use the nose that came with the dog. Those are not competing values. A thoughtful training life can contain both careful work and long, unhurried investigation.
Watch what changes after a few minutes of sniffing: breathing, muscle tension, pace, and the ability to check back in.

09/09/2026

Good training can include precision and joy at the same time.
In obedience and other dog sports, I want clear criteria—but I also want a dog who knows the game and wants to play it with me. Food can reinforce. So can movement, a toy, permission to run, and the satisfaction of a familiar pattern.
Beautiful work does not have to look grim.

09/08/2026

Settling is a skill.
Some dogs arrive at it easily. Others need us to make rest possible: lower the activity, reduce access to the exciting thing, provide a comfortable place, and notice the first small signs of downshifting.
A quiet kibble dropped between the paws can reinforce the body position without asking the dog to pop back up. We are not waiting for perfect calm. We are helping calm become easier to find.

09/02/2026

Recall is not a test of a dog’s character. It is a history of reinforcement.
Every time coming to you produces something the dog values—food, play, movement, access to go sniff again—you are making that history stronger. Start where success is easy. Pay well. Release the dog back to the fun often enough that coming to you does not always end it.
Use a long line while the history is still under construction. That is not cheating. It is good management.

08/22/2026

I am always grateful when someone trusts me with an animal. No one has to do that.
In-home boarding should feel less like a warehouse and more like careful participation in a household: familiar routines where possible, individual rest, thoughtful introductions, and enough observation to notice when a dog needs something different.
If you decide to trust me, I will be even more careful with your animals than I am with my own.

07/18/2025