Pawrenting Bru

Pawrenting Bru Bru & I explore our lives together! 🐾 Welcome to First-Time Dog Parent – where the fur flies and the tails wag!

This page captures Bru's journey growing up with me, and my journey as a with her 💞

Bru is a Doodle - most likely a Golden Doodle, but I'm not sure. I found her in Richland Area Rescue Center in Feb 2024 - the story goes that she and her 3 siblings were left at the center's gate. When you look at her pictures it's hard to understand why or how someone would abandon such pretty munchkin

s! I guess, she was supposed to paw into my life 💞🐾💞

This page is all about our - Bru & my - life "pawing" together :)

As any Doodle Pawrent will tell you - 🐾🐾🐾 - is a Doodle thing!


01/21/2026

Dogs, just like humans, learn best with some patience and some play ❣

01/10/2026

A super simple recall - Whistle as attention, Come as command, Treat as paycheck for work well done!

P.S. So many dog parents want their dogs to "listen to them" WITHOUT treats (or some other form of reward). Sure - why don't you try going to work without a paycheck at the end of your work period!

01/02/2026

A dog's learning isn't dependent on their age - it's dependent on your knowledge of how learning happens, and working on building their trust in you 🐕

❣ 2025 with this girl, Ms Bru Doodle ❣With you - Bru - this year, I learned what it is to be the primary caregiver for a...
01/01/2026

❣ 2025 with this girl, Ms Bru Doodle ❣
With you - Bru - this year, I learned what it is to be the primary caregiver for a being for whom I'm their whole wide world...

🔸️Your trust in me nudges me to practice patience and love
🔸️Your patience with me nudges me to see you & what you want, and not assume what I think you want
🔸️Your presence in my life brings me pure happiness to see you happy and content
🔸️Your forgiveness and love make me try being a better caregiver for you
🔸️Your choosing me over your most favorite food fills me with deep gratitude and love
🔸️Your (what I experience as) acceptance of me as I am teaches me acceptance and grace

You will probably never know how you've shaped my life and my choices over these last 2 years...

I hope I'm able to give you the happiest, healthiest, goofiest, yummiest of lives there is ❣

My baby girl, kissssssiiiieeeeeesssss forever

12/27/2025

‼️Do NOT try this at home‼️
Bru and I share a rapport, she trusts me, and I can read her cues to see her tolerance level in the moment - thus, this is a moment of teasing banter between us. She knows I mean no harm.

Not every dog will see it that way - so please don't try it with any dog, unless you speak dog & the dog fully trusts you ❣

12/24/2025

The tone of your voice sets the vibe of your training - an excited dog needs less excitement from you, and a not so enthusiastic dog needs some of your energy!

So how's your tone? 🤔

When you bring a dog into your life you sign a social contract with them.No one brings a dog home planning to give them ...
12/23/2025

When you bring a dog into your life you sign a social contract with them.

No one brings a dog home planning to give them up in a year. But that’s exactly what happens to so many dogs who never got the skills they needed to fit into their human's life.​

When you adopt a dog — whether from a breeder, a shelter, or the parking lot cardboard box — you’re entering what Miller calls a 'social contract'.

On their side: companionship, affection, and that ridiculous full‑body wiggle (and warmth) when you walk in the door.

On your side: food, safety, vet care… AND teaching them how to live in your world.​

Training isn’t “extra credit” for good owners. Training is how you keep your end of the deal.

Your dog didn’t ask to share a house with doorbells, Amazon delivery, toddlers with crackers, and squirrels 5 feet away they’re not allowed to chase.

They need you to show them what “right choices” look like in this weird ape environment of ours that they don't get!​

The dogs who stay in their homes aren’t the “good” ones.

They’re the dogs whose human/s decided, “I’m in. I’ll teach you how to navigate this.”

That’s the contract.

P.S. This is an old pic - when Bru got spayed last year after coming into my life ❣

12/23/2025

While Bru is super-duper food motivated, not every dog is! Some love play, some love specific toys - the idea is to explore what motivates your pup!

What's yours into? Food? Play? Mischief 😈

"96% of dogs surrendered to shelters had no real training at all." - Introducing Pat Miller & "The Power of Positive Dog...
12/22/2025

"96% of dogs surrendered to shelters had no real training at all." - Introducing Pat Miller & "The Power of Positive Dog Training"

Pat Miller is a dog trainer who spent 20 years in animal protection at the Marin Humane Society before writing this book.

She's what trainers call a "crossover" — started with traditional methods (choke chains, corrections) and switched to positive reinforcement after her own dog Josie refused to train and hid under the deck.

This book is basically her saying: "The old way destroys relationships. There's a better way."

She opens with this statistic: 96% of dogs surrendered to shelters had no real training at all. Not because they were “bad dogs,” but because no one ever invested in teaching them how to live in a human world or how to communicate with their person.

I've worked with hundreds of dogs across different contexts. The ones with the strongest bonds?

Not the ones with the fanciest obedience titles. It's the ones whose humans invested time in understanding their dog, being consistent, and making learning fun.

Bru was a rescue at four months with her three siblings — zero training. She didn’t arrive knowing what “sit” or “here” meant.

But we built a relationship where she wants to listen. That’s the difference: not control, but choice.

(P.S. Yes, okay, it’s also because she’s the biggest foodie there is!)

Bru loves being chased - this is one of those rare moments where she's the chaser!I've noticed many dogs are one or the ...
12/21/2025

Bru loves being chased - this is one of those rare moments where she's the chaser!

I've noticed many dogs are one or the other - they either like chasing or being chased - which one's yours?

Oh, and also, she likes to play with other dogs only in open spaces. And she ❣ snow ❄

Address

Madison, WI
53705

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Pawrenting Bru posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share