Laurie Tuttle Dog Training - Alabama

05/31/2026

Congratulations to our graduating Intermediate class!!

Pictured below are
Team Bam bam and Team Atlas!

Great job teams!!!

05/27/2026

Everyone please share this!
Puppies should stay with their moms far beyond 6-8 weeks if possible for overall better health and mental health.
I know in rescue it’s not always possible but pups are leaving mom too early and it can set them up for many struggles. The best puppies have developed with their mom longer. The more you know… the more we grow!!

I STILL NEEDED MY MOM

The early weeks of a puppy’s life play a crucial part in laying a foundation for a well-adjusted adult dog.

This foundation influences future behaviour and how well they go on to cope and interact with the world.

Unfortunately, there are still breeders who allow puppies to leave their moms and littermates at only 6 weeks old, often with no regard for the long-term impact this can have on development.

Many new owners blindly trust that breeders must know best and never question this. But while a puppy may no longer rely on mom for food at this age, they are still deeply dependent on their family unit for learning vital life skills, social skills, building emotional security and resilience.

Between 6 and 8 weeks, puppies are in the process of learning:

• Bite inhibition
• Appropriate play behaviour
• Frustration tolerance
• Impulse control
• Communication and social skills
• Confidence and emotional resilience

These are skills that we as people, can never fully replicate in the same way that a pups family unit can.

While 8 weeks is generally considered the minimum age for puppies to leave, many ethical breeders prefer to keep puppies until 10 to 12 weeks, while also providing positive, age-appropriate socialisation and habituation experiences.

Habituation means gently introducing puppies to the world around them in positive, developmentally appropriate ways — different sounds, surfaces, objects, environments, people, smells, and everyday experiences — so they learn that new things are safe rather than frightening.

However, we don’t live an in ideal world and having to care for or rescue pups much younger than 8 weeks is often unavoidable due to different circumstances.

This post is not aimed at those situations - it’s about education, awareness and encouraging people not to support irresponsible breeding practices that place profit and convenience above the wellbeing and healthy development of puppies.

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Team Charlie for graduating our Intermediate class tonight!
He’s did awesome especially from being first day back after vacation!

05/26/2026

**May PupBeginner Class Special**
GET $20 OFF when you sign up for PupBeginner class!
Use Coupon code: MAY26-20
Can be used for June classes as long as you sign up before 5/31/26.

We are not just training dogs, we are training YOU to be the best owner for your dog!

Responsible dog ownership goes beyond keeping your dog on leash and picking up their p**p.

"A well trained dog starts at the human end of the leash."

Sign ups and info on our website:
https://www.laurietuttledogtraining.com

Upcoming MAY classes:

-PupBeginner 7 week class($175) - Same day/time each week.
5/30/26 Saturday's 11am East Gate Park-Dothan
Location: Eastgate Park, Dothan, AL - By the pickleball courts.
4 dogs per class.

Upcoming JUNE classes:

-PupBeginner 7 week class($175) - Same day/time each week.
6/20/26 Saturday's 9am East Gate Park- Dothan
Location: Eastgate Park, Dothan, AL - By the pickleball courts.
4 dogs per class.

-PupBeginner 7 week class($175) - Same day/time each week.
6/30/26 Tuesday's 7pm James Oats Park - Dothan
Location: Eastgate Park, Dothan, AL - under pavillon.
4 dogs per class.

Have a dog that's not fit for class, but still needs help?

I travel to you and work with you and your dog one on one through all your training and behavior challenges!
See my website for more info or call:
https://www.laurietuttledogtraining.com
☎️219-776-7312

05/21/2026

When drop and leave it fail there is more going on….

They’re about to grab it and GO 💨
You saw it before they did.
About 2 seconds too late.

Now they have it.

“DROP.”
“DROP.”
“DROP!”

They pause, look at you, and disappear under the bed with it.

Dogs learn fast.
Grab it. Run. Hold on tighter.

Because now, people chase, voices change, hands reach in and the item can become even more important.
There can now be a level of “excitement” in keeping it. There’s also a lot of attention.

Sometimes dogs stop hearing
“Drop”.

And start hearing:
“you’re about to lose this”.

If you are relying on a word IN the moment, there needs to be an understanding of the word IN that moment.

Otherwise they may not be learning
“let it go”.

They’re learning.
“keep it while you still can”.

05/17/2026

Team Charlie showing off in tricks class on Thursday!

05/17/2026

Congratulations to our PupBeginner graduates!
Team Birdie pictured below

05/14/2026

**May PupBeginner Class Special**
GET $20 OFF when you sign up for PupBeginner class!
Use Coupon code: MAY26-20

Don't wait until it's too late and problems start! 🐾
Let's get you and your puppy/dog started off on the right foot!

Sign ups and info on our website:
https://www.laurietuttledogtraining.com

Up coming classes:

-PupBeginner 7 week class - Same day/time each week.
5/30/26 Saturday's 11am East Gate Park
Location: Eastgate Park, Dothan, AL - By the pickleball courts.
4 dogs per class.

Have a dog that's not fit for class?
I travel to you and work with you and your dog one on one!

See my website for more info:
https://www.laurietuttledogtraining.com
☎️219-776-7312

05/13/2026

The more you know! The better you train!!

🐾 What if the thing your dog is obsessed with is actually your biggest training asset?

That's the Premack Principle in a nutshell — and once it clicks, it changes how you see the whole environment around you.

Here's the concept: behaviour that your dog finds highly rewarding can be used to reinforce behaviour they find less rewarding. You're not fighting against what they want. You're using it.

Grandma's Rule puts it best:
🥦 Do the less fun thing first → earn the more fun thing.

In practice it looks like this:

📣 Dog rockets back to you on recall → gets released straight back into the game
🚪 Dog waits calmly at the door → the door opens
👁️ Dog checks in with eye contact on a walk → gets to go investigate that smell

No food needed. The real world becomes your treat pouch.

This is one of those concepts that sounds simple but has a huge ripple effect on your dog's impulse control and their relationship with you — so I made a full video breaking it all down:
📺 https://youtu.be/RNkT_oOhLYA

05/10/2026

Please understand they don’t understand what is happening and most suffer from abandonment issues and need time, support, and even a little help with a trainer once they adjust. It’s up to us to make the transition as smooth and stress free for them as possible.

Their world completely changed.
And they don’t know why.

We see their quietness as coping or relaxing so we can accidentally expect too much, far too soon.

One of the hardest parts with newly rehomed dogs is their stress doesn’t always look dramatic.
We would recognise that easily, but some dogs become extremely still and quiet.

Some follow people constantly.
Some sleep more.
Some avoid all interactions.
Others become busy, mouthy, overexcited or unsettled.

We have a job to do from the second they arrive and it’s not about training.
It should be far more about observation.

We should be watching.
Learning who they are.
Recognising patterns.
Seeing what changes their emotional state.

What startles them?
What helps them relax?
What environments suddenly change their body language?
When do they seek distance?
What happens around food, visitors, handling or rest?

They are telling us who they are and how they are coping, often as clearly as they can and we have a duty to listen.

One thing nearly all rehomed dogs share? It’s incredibly easy to unintentionally overwhelm them.

And it’s usually done with the very best of intentions.