High Peaks Canine

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I said what I said. 👀I love the e-collar! And honestly? In many cases it’s LESS management, not more.It allows me to com...
05/21/2026

I said what I said. 👀

I love the e-collar! And honestly? In many cases it’s LESS management, not more.

It allows me to communicate with my dogs clearly, fairly, and without emotion. I can be as soft or as firm as the situation calls for, without yelling, chasing, grabbing collars, or constantly micromanaging every scenario.

E-collars can create incredible off-leash freedom, but they’re also useful for everyday boundaries in the house.
Example:
Your dog loves stealing shoes.
Sure, you can:
• keep a leash on them
• drag a long line around the house
• shut every closet door forever
But dogs are opportunists. If grabbing the shoe is more rewarding than listening to you… they’ll probably grab the shoe.

The e-collar allows accountability even when you’re not standing directly beside your dog.

Now before the internet loses its mind:
I’m NOT talking about slapping an e-collar on a dog and correcting the ever loving s**t out of them.

9 out of 10 times, I’m properly conditioning the collar first. Layering it over the leash and commands they already know. Teaching communication. Creating clarity. Building understanding before ever using meaningful correction.

The tool isn’t the problem. Poor education and poor timing are.

At the end of the day, I want dogs to have MORE freedom. More adventures. More reliability. More opportunities to safely exist in the real world.

And if used correctly, the e-collar can absolutely help create that!

5 years ago I graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science.At the time, I thought I was going t...
05/18/2026

5 years ago I graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science.

At the time, I thought I was going to become a veterinarian. I grew up on a hobby beef farm surrounded by dairy farms, and animals were always part of my life. By 8 years old I was driving a tractor while baling hay. At 15, I started working at my local vet clinic as a kennel assistant and eventually moved into a veterinary assistant role. Throughout college I shadowed large animal vets, worked in on-campus barns, and took countless classes on animal nutrition, behavior, and health.

But at 16 years old, I got Koda.

Koda, now retired (cause she’s 10 and an old lady), was my owner-trained service dog, and honestly, she changed the course of my life. Because of her, I was able to go to college independently. Because of her, I fell in love with training, behavior, communication, and problem solving.

After graduation, I had a choice to make. I could continue down the veterinary path and take on massive debt, or I could explore dog training first and see if I truly loved it. So I packed up and flew to California to work under a trainer out there for a few months before eventually moving back to New York.

One thing I knew early on was that I didn’t want to just be known as an “Instagram service dog trainer.” Even though a lot of people originally followed me because of Koda and our journey through college, I wanted to build real experience and continue learning. So I learned under countless trainers, kept my head down, and focused on honing my skills.

I’ve always known I wanted to own my own business.

Now I do. And while training dogs comes naturally to me, running a business definitely does not always come easy. It’s hard. It’s stressful. It’s a constant learning curve. But I genuinely wouldn’t change it for the world.

I still have so much to learn, and honestly, I hope I never stop learning. That’s one of my favorite parts of this industry — there’s always another perspective, another skill, another dog that teaches you something new.

Here’s to 5 years since graduation, countless dogs later, and still being just as obsessed with learning as i was back then ❤️

05/08/2026

✨STOP REPEATING COMMANDS✨

Your dog is smart! Especially your puppy. They need time to process!

You say “crate”, 2 seconds go by and immediately it’s leash pressure, food luring, guiding and talking.

Now your dog learns:
“Cool, I don’t actually have to do it - I can just wait and they’ll help me.”

Now don’t get me wrong, the first few reps of teaching something new I WILL use all of the above to help my dog.

But after that, I say it once. Then I wait.

Let them think through it!

That 10-30 seconds of silence is where the learning happens. That’s where they start problem-solving.

If they truly don’t know what to do, then step in.

I dont want a robot, I want a dog who can process, understand and problem solve.

How do you let your dog figure things out?

Our second Training Foundations class graduates!Proud of these guys for putting in the work💪🏼Our next class will be in J...
05/06/2026

Our second Training Foundations class graduates!

Proud of these guys for putting in the work💪🏼

Our next class will be in June! Sign up through the link in my bio

Getting a new puppy and already have older dogs?Read this before you just “let them figure it out.”Puppies are A LOT. Th...
05/01/2026

Getting a new puppy and already have older dogs?

Read this before you just “let them figure it out.”

Puppies are A LOT. They’re forward, pushy, and honestly… kinda rude.

And most adult dogs? They don’t love that energy.
So instead of focusing on play…focus on neutrality.

I don’t want my house to feel like WWE 24/7. With four dogs, that would be chaos.

In my house:
• Inside = neutral
• Walks = neutral
• Existing together = calm coexistence

Now let me be clear. Play is allowed… but it’s not the expectation!

If one dog invites it and the other agrees? Cool.
If not? We move on.

And here’s the part most people miss— your older dogs need to know you’ve got it handled.

If my older dog corrects the puppy and the puppy ignores it, I step in. Not because the correction was wrong, but because I’m backing up my dog.

Same thing the other way around— if a dog overcorrects, I step in there too. It’s not a free-for-all. It’s structure.

A few non-negotiables:
• No sharing toys (puppies stealing toys = problems waiting to happen)
• Feed your puppy separately (crate = your best friend here)
• Give your adult dogs time AWAY from the puppy
• Give your puppy time away from the pack

You’re not just raising a puppy. You’re managing relationships.

04/27/2026

The general public doesn’t know how to act around a service dog.

Snapping, petting, talking to them, touching their gear, even throwing food - I’ve experienced it all.

So that’s exactly why I train for it with my owner training clients.

Because service dogs don’t work in controlled environments. They work in the real world where they have to constantly adapt.

Friendly reminder:
❌Don’t interact with a service dog
✅Do respect them and the handler

Ever wanted to take your pup to a brewery… but had no idea where to start?👋🏻Hey! I’ve got you!Bringing your dog into tha...
04/16/2026

Ever wanted to take your pup to a brewery… but had no idea where to start?

👋🏻Hey! I’ve got you!

Bringing your dog into that kind of environment can feel like a lot - new place, people walking by, other dogs, food everywhere…

It doesn’t just happen naturally. It’s taught

We’re teaching your dog how to:
• settle & do nothing
• stay neutral around distractions
• handle pressure without falling apart
• actually relax while you enjoy your time out!

Because bringing a dog out shouldn’t feel like a full-time job!

4 weeks. Small group. Dog-friendly breweries & wineries around Ithaca.

Sign up with the link in my profile!

04/14/2026

The reality of raising a puppy… even as a dog trainer

Puppy tantrums are REAL.

Before anyone comes for me - this isn’t stress barking. This is FOMO + pushy, “I want access to you” behavior.

Stetson was:
✔️ Physically fulfilled
✔️ Mentally worked
✔️ Given a bully stick
✔️ Tethered while I got yard work done

…and he still said, “absolutely not” 🙃

I let him bark it out for 15 minutes. (Mainly because he’d pause for a minute or two to eat the tree he’s attached to🤦🏻‍♀️) Then I made the call to put him in his crate—because at that point? He was overtired.

30 minutes later, we tried again.

Here’s the part people don’t always want to hear:
This is training.

As a service dog prospect (and honestly, any puppy), he needs to learn how to exist in his own space without constant access to me.

Tether training teaches:
• How to settle
• How to be independent
• How to turn “off”

But it doesn’t just magically happen—it’s a skill.

And skills come with frustration before they come with understanding.

You can do everything “right” and still get pushback.
That doesn’t mean it’s wrong—it means it’s new.

More structure now = a dog who can actually relax later.

Your dog doesn’t need more avoidance. They need accountability & better exposure.This class is designed for owners who a...
04/14/2026

Your dog doesn’t need more avoidance. They need accountability & better exposure.

This class is designed for owners who already have the basics—but need help applying them around real distractions.

Small group. Real environments. Actual progress.

Spots are limited to 4 dogs.

Sign up through the link in bio!

04/13/2026

Hot take: flexi leads aren’t the problem 👀

If you saw my last post, you already know where I stand…

Most people blame the tool.
But what they’re actually seeing is a lack of structure, communication, and handling.

This is how I use a flexi lead!

• Dog has freedom without chaos
• Recall is still expected
• Exploration is encouraged

Tools don’t replace training — they expose it.

So yeah… I’ll keep using flexi leads when they make sense.

If you missed it, go check my last post where I break down when I use them (and when I don’t).

Did this change your mind… or are you still anti-flexi? 😅

Address

64 Main Street
Cortland, NY
13045

Website

http://highpeakscanine.com/groupclasses

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