Robin's Lifestyle Dog Training and Boarding

10/14/2026

✂️🥜🐶 WHAT IF WHEN YOU SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR DOG MATTERS JUST AS MUCH AS WHETHER YOU DO IT?

Preventing unwanted litters matters. But is it time to rethink HOW we sterilize dogs? Hormone-sparing procedures, including hysterectomy and vasectomy, can prevent reproduction while preserving natural s*x hormones.

🔬 NEW 2026 PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH

Over 10 years, researchers reviewed records from 56,254 veterinary patients, including 313 dogs with mast cell tumors and 638 tumor-free comparison dogs. The study was accepted for publication in The Veterinary Journal.

🤯 1. TIMING MATTERS!

Dogs spayed or neutered before age 2 had 343% higher odds of a mast cell tumor diagnosis compared with intact dogs. Dogs sterilized after age 2 showed no statistically significant increase.

🐕 2. SIZE MATTERS!

Compared with small dogs, medium dogs had 2.6 times the odds and large dogs 5.2 times the odds.

⚖️ 3. WEIGHT MATTERS!

Overweight dogs had 80% higher odds than dogs at an ideal weight.

🧬 4. BREED MATTERS!

Compared with mixed-breed dogs, American Pit Bull Terriers had 7.5 times the odds and Boxers 3.9 times. Some breed groups were small.

❤️ 5. WHAT ABOUT SURVIVAL?

Neutering status wasn’t significantly associated with survival after surgery. Tumor grade and size were more important predictors.

🔬 WHY MIGHT HORMONES MATTER?

S*x hormones influence immune function and development. Researchers propose that early hormone removal and changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) may play a role, but this remains unproven.

🐾 THE BIG TAKEAWAY

Preventing unwanted litters doesn’t always mean removing hormone-producing organs. It’s time for individualized conversations with veterinarians about WHEN and HOW we sterilize dogs.

📄 Download the FREE PDF with the latest research surrounding Spay & Neuter Syndrome. Link in comments!

10/06/2026

You know it’s a good lesson when you schedule an hour… and somehow you’re still there an hour and a half later because the puppy is just too damn cute. 😂🐊

This little Malinois absolutely worked his brain today. We covered SO much, and by the end of the lesson he was basically in a puppy coma. 😂💤

Learning is exhausting when you’re tiny, adorable, and trying to absorb an entire education in one afternoon.

Safe to say we got our money’s worth out of that session. 😂🐾

10/01/2026

If one more person tells me, “I don’t use a collar because it can collapse my dog’s trachea,” I’m going to scream. 😂 Here’s the difference between you and me: you let your dog pull you. I teach the dog how NOT to pull. Then you switch to something like a harness because you feel bad about the pressure on the neck, while the dog is still dragging you down the street and practicing the exact behavior you’re worried about. TRAIN THE DOG. Stop using equipment as a crutch for a training problem. The goal isn’t to find something your dog can pull harder against — it’s to teach the dog not to pull in the first place. 😂

09/25/2026

Who decided what a “trained dog” is supposed to look like?

I think sometimes dog trainers get caught up in producing a dog that represents their standards instead of asking a much simpler question: What does this owner actually need from their dog?

Some people want beautiful obedience—a tight heel, perfect place, immediate downs, the whole package. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But those aren’t always my people. 😂 My people are often saying, “I don’t care if my dog heels perfectly. I need him to stop losing his s**t when another dog walks by.” Or, “I need him to stop guarding his food.” “I need to have people over.” “I just want to walk my dog without being dragged.” THAT is the standard I’m interested in.

And that’s why I don’t believe every dog automatically needs a two-, three-, or four-week Board & Train. I finished one in six days. That’s what that dog needed for the goals his owner had. Could I have kept him longer and polished his obedience? Absolutely. But if that’s not what his owner hired me for, who exactly am I polishing it for? Me?

There’s also a huge difference between obedience and behavior modification. A dog can have spectacular obedience and still be terrified of strangers. He can hold place beautifully and still guard his food the second he’s released. He can heel like a damn champion and still explode when another dog gets too close. Obedience gives us tools, but it doesn’t automatically change how a dog feels.

Behavior work is about understanding what’s driving the behavior and changing the dog’s response to it. We’re working with perception, emotion, arousal, coping skills and decision-making—not just teaching commands. That’s one reason I’ve spent so much time studying behavior and different approaches, including SATS Training system, T.B.T.E, and many more. I don’t want one method or one predetermined program that I squeeze every dog into.

When someone calls me, we talk about the dog, the problem, their household and, most importantly, what they actually want their life with that dog to look like. Then we build the training around that. Sometimes it’s six days. Sometimes it’s several weeks. Sometimes it’s a couple private lessons. Sometimes obedience is a big part of it. Sometimes it isn’t.

The dog determines the timeline. The problem determines the training. And the owner’s real life determines the standard.

I stopped trying to produce my version of everybody’s “perfect dog.” I’d rather help you live happily with the imperfect one you already love.

Train Where Life Happens™

09/21/2026

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vms3.71213?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUd9BZ0ZGNwBRuVKWNsY2sFG5UgcGRvZgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6qIP1exzKvi2dWVec3R0DLKODEv-0EaXp3ZV6j28KvBTf1aAkIKTjqqmsPwA_aem_Cd04m6s205q-30tGpq8GNg

🚨 A HUGE NEW STUDY IS CHALLENGING WHAT PET PARENTS HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT GRAIN-FREE DOG FOOD.

A 2026 Veterinary Medicine and Science study analyzed Dog Aging Project data from 47,000+ dogs and found grain-free diets were NOT associated with increased odds of developing new heart problems.

🤯 More than HALF of owners who reported feeding grain-free were WRONG when researchers checked the ingredients. Foods that sounded grain-free actually contained rice, corn, wheat, barley or oats.

Researchers also followed 7,113 dogs for two years. Dogs that switched to grain-free had FEWER newly reported heart diagnoses than dogs that never ate grain-free, while dogs consistently eating grain-free showed no significant difference.

Both grain-free AND grain-containing foods can contribute to nutritional DCM. So can poorly formulated raw and homemade diets.

Peas, lentils and potatoes aren’t inherently “bad,” and adding grains does NOT magically make food cardioprotective—there’s ZERO taurine in grains!

The bigger question is whether the finished food provides enough bioavailable protein and essential amino acids for the dog eating it.

And here’s the overlooked problem: AAFCO “all life stages” foods meet nutrient requirements for growth and reproduction, but adult dogs often need far fewer calories than growing puppies.

So owners feed less to prevent obesity. But when you cut food, you don’t just cut calories—you cut protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals too.

A food can meet AAFCO requirements on paper, yet a lower-calorie dog eating less receives less of EVERY nutrient, not to mention some dogs genetically don’t make enough taurine for heart health.

🐕 The question isn’t “grain-free or grain-inclusive?”

It’s: Is THIS dog getting enough protein, essential amino acids and other critical nutrients for the calories they actually consume? That’s the nutritional DCM conversation we should be having.

Calories change. Nutrient needs don’t.

09/20/2026

FYI: Booked up next 3 weeks for In-home Training sessions.

1 spot left for Dog Boarding during Christmas!