Sit Pretty Dog Training

03/03/2026

I had one of my proudest training moments to date on Wednesday! Two of my reactive clients took their first group class at Canine body and mind! Cody and Willow are going to be Scentwork fiends!

02/23/2026

Hello friends!

We’re finally back with dog training myths!

A myth I’m seeing a lot lately is:
“Once my dog is trained, they’ll always be trained.”

WRONG.

Training has to be maintained. Think about it like training for a marathon, you don’t train once and expect to stay marathon-ready forever. If you stopped training for two years and tried to run one, could you maybe do it? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not.

Dogs are the same way. Skills fade, habits change, and life gets busy.

I know I’m a weird little dog nerd who loves training with my dogs every day, but dogs actually love it too. Training gives them structure, mental stimulation, and helps keep their skills sharp.

The good news? Maintenance doesn’t mean hours a day. Even a few minutes woven into your routine makes a huge difference.

What’s a skill your dog could use a refresher on?

01/10/2026

Hello gang!!!! Happy new year! Thanks you so much to those of you who took my survey. Just two little announcements:

-This year I am going to shift my posts from breed boredom busters to dog training myths. The reason for the switch is that last year was certainly my busiest year of training in my 3 years, I found myself dreading writing and over thinking my posts and that’s no fun lol so I am going to switch to something easier that I’m a little more passionate about.

-Next up I am hoping to run my first group class this year, I’m not going to share a lot of details yet but if you’ve completed foundational training with me you are who I’m looking for!

More to come, in the new year! (A photo of Sage at discount tire for tax)

12/22/2025

Hi friends! I’m doing some market research on additional dog training services people might be interested in! I’m specifically targeting dog owners, if you are a client of mine you can also take this survey! If you take this survey you will be entered to win a drawing of a $20 Chewy gift card. Please share with your friends and family, thank you!

We would love to hear your thoughts on what services you would utilize as a pet owner, and what barriers prevent you from hiring a trainer.

12/19/2025

Hello gang! Sorry for the lack of posts, this year was a lot. Just wanted to share a holiday PSA. You better exercise your dog BEFORE your holiday plans!!!! If you are having family over OR going to a family members house for a few hours, do something to drain their energy. Take them for a sniffing walk, practice sit/stay, play fetch, scatter food, teach a new trick. Literally anything! So they can nap peacefully in their crate, while the festivities are going on. Here’s a photo of my babies on a walk on thanksgiving for tax.

08/18/2025

A little Sage content for your timeline 💘
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNgivq9PdT2/?igsh=MXJzNG01MTJlYmN4ag==

08/03/2025

Loving these new bandanas and t-shirts from K + H Designs! My childhood best friend Kristen has been running her business for a number of years now, and the products she puts out are amazing!!! Go follow her and order some sick custom t-shirts 😈

07/26/2025

Hot weather = indoor training days!
Here’s what I’m practicing during this heat wave that will also come in handy six months from now when we’re buried in snow/cold:

-Leash potty breaks: Keeping potty trips short and on-leash so they’re not baking on the pavement longer than necessary.

-Cooperative care practice: We’re working on desensitizing to winter gear like booties and jackets now, while it’s calm and controlled indoors.

Staying inside doesn’t mean enrichment stops!

Other ideas:
-Food enrichment: frozen toppls, kongs, licki mats. Pair this with your mat training to work on the dogs off switch!
-“Find it” games with treats or scent hidden around the house
-Shaping tricks or fun cues like ‘spin’, ‘play dead’ or ‘pick up your toys’

Do the best that you can for your dog every day!!

07/16/2025

Back with another breed boredom buster: Australian shepherds! My dearest and long time client Cody is an aussie (pictured below). Aussies are a very smart and chaotic breed to say the least. They tend to struggle with reactivity, like most herding breeds I might add. One things Aussie’s love, MOVEMENT. These dogs were meant to be working on the farm ALL DAY! These dogs need multiple outlets, but I also like for them to work A LOT on lower arousal activities. I also find these dogs loveeeeee to train, they are some of my favorites to train with due to their drive. So here are some activities I’d recommend for Aussie’s to keep them busy and to strengthen your bond with them!
-Scent work: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-scent-work/
-Engagement exercises: Specifically whiplash turn and up down by Leslie Mcdevit
-Agility: even if it’s a cheap set you get from amazon or you craft one from PVC pipes, they love to climb and jump
-Mat training: spelled out very well in Leslie’s Control unleashed book, but there are lots of videos on mat/place work. Focus more on the dog relaxing there as opposed to staying there for obedience!

07/12/2025

Mat training except it’s just spare blankets I had in my car

06/18/2025

Hello again! We’re back to breed boredom busters today! Next up golden retrievers!!! Man’s best friend, I have quite a few goldens as clients who I love dearly. However, this is my time to mention that golden retrievers are horribly bred in our area due to the good old amish, if they don’t do health testing, if you can’t meet both parents, they are NOT a reputable breeder. Some goldens are big ole dummies lol but most of them need a decent amount of training.The are very versatile!!
Here’s some boredom busters for those lovely little sweeties:

-Trick training: these pups love to learn a little trick. Also they are retrievers!!! Teach them to hold an object or retrieve something I beg of you! It’s adorable and impressive!

-Swimming: MOST of these babies love water!!! If they weren’t exposed to it when they were younger they may be weary of it. If that’s the case opt for a kiddie pool and keep throwing their tenis ball in there, let them figure out how to get it out.

-Body awareness: These guys have very happy tails lol so teach them where their butt is! It’s great fitness and good for confidence building. You could start by taking a strong milk crate or board game box and practice the dog putting two feet on it, then slowly walk into them to get them to move their butt! Until eventually they can move their back legs in a whole circle!

06/03/2025

We’re back!!!!!!!! It’s been requested that we start with heelers for Breed boredom busters! Believe it or not my sweet nephew Axle is a heeler mix! I love a heeler, they are a little psycho but ultimately little sweeties. They tend to have obsessive tendencies since they move so much faster than us lol. They love things that move fast! Don’t fall into the trap of giving your heeler a ball and letting them have constant access to it. If you want anything to be reinforcing to your dog do not give them constant free access! Here’s some boredom busters for you and your heeler:

-Flirt Pole or Frisbee: I love a frisbee or a flirt pole for a heeler. It causes you to be involved in the activity! With balls the dog can chew on them and make them move on their own, but the fun of these activities is that it’s much better if the human participates.

-Trick training: heelers love to learn new things, you gotta tire them out physically sometimes to get them to focus, but they are capable of some sick tricks due to their small size!

-Running: now listen maybe you aren’t a runner, neither am I! But get on a bike and have your dog run next to you. It doesn’t even have to be for a long time! Heck 5 minutes of you biking and your dog running is great. They make great little attachments for your bike that you can attach your dog to so their leash doesn’t get tangled. Now look up a few videos on this first before you get started (it’s called bikejoring) so you can be safe and have a good time! Teaching them to treadmill would ALSO be a great option. I wouldn’t do this OFTEN we don’t want to build endurance in our dogs. But once OR twice a week depending on the dog could be a good option!

I’ll be back next week with Golden Retrievers!