Sarah and the Pack

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Sarah and the Pack This page is intended for past and present pack members.

10/14/2026

I swear, dogs speak English.

10/10/2026

I’ve been teaching nosework with Ollie and seeing him learn and gain confidence has inspired me to do more nosework in general.

Today, the dogs took turns doing 1-3 minutes of nose work with me while the others watched and waited for their turn. Olive and Kiri have never done this before. Lenny and Leo are the most experienced. I love how different and unique each dog is and I love the challenge of adjusting my approach to fit the individual.

I am so, so grateful to have these dogs in my life. Thanks for sharing them with me!

There are cookies in the kitchen that I do not need to eat more of tonight, so I’m enlisting Ella and Kiri to put me on ...
10/06/2026

There are cookies in the kitchen that I do not need to eat more of tonight, so I’m enlisting Ella and Kiri to put me on puppy arrest. It looks like this:

10/02/2026

These two bring me so much joy.

And I have a confession: I never thought I’d own a retriever because I don’t like how they look or their really goofy temperaments.

I’ve always been drawn to the aesthetics and temperaments of dogs like border collies… malinois… heelers… malamutes… sight hounds… Great Danes… to name a few. Basically really intense breeds that have been bred to do amazing jobs like move herds of animals for miles, protect and guard against intruders, hunt, and exterminate pests. I thought that if I got better at understanding dog behavior and training, I’d have the skills to take an animal that has been bred for a very specific job and help it assimilate to my life where there are not many opportunities for herding, guarding, and hunting.

What I’ve realized is that genetics matter in a huge way. We can absolutely train dogs and modify behavior, but the fact is that a fulfilled dog with great welfare has opportunities to do exactly what we have designed them to do.

For that reason, my life will be shared with retrievers and even more specifically, retrievers that are purpose bred for companionship. When we all get to be exactly who we were meant to be, there is harmony and deep connection like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

09/30/2026

Here’s a bitchy (literally…) body language break down on some subtle dog-dog conflict.

09/27/2026

Leo, king of foraging, grabs a snack for the drive home.

The little’s and me.
09/23/2026

The little’s and me.

09/22/2026

Off leash reliability depends on your dog being able to listen and respond to you anywhere no matter what is going on. So be someone worth listening to!

This is a video of me out with Leo being interested in things he finds interesting. Yes, even dead bird carcasses. If my dog thinks I have good ideas, they stay close to me and are eager to engage with me.

Spoiler alert: this actually helps with E.V.E.R.Y. aspect of your relationship with your dog.

09/20/2026

Sharing is hard.

And the dogs in my care have to do a LOT of it—especially when it comes to sharing me. 😂

Competing over resources like human attention is often why dogs have conflicts with one another, and I prevent/avoid this by introducing the concept of taking turns in a bunch of different scenarios.

This is an example with petting. I make it really clear which dog’a turn it is by saying their name and “scritches,” and holding my hand in a little claw shape as an invitation for pets. When their turn is over, I say, “all done.”

If another dog gets pushy and interrupts, I calmly ask them to move away. If they can’t do that on their own, I help them.

The dogs catch on surprisingly quickly. They learn that when it’s someone else’s turn, they don’t need to compete for my attention because their turn is coming.

The hardest part?

Me being consistent :)

Ayla Ridley

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4215 Jessen Drive
Eugene, OR
97402

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+17078343032

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