Mystic Chateau Acres Dog Training

06/11/2026

A lesson on dog greetings from one of my favorite dog trainers, TURID RUGAAS. Turid taught me so much through her writings.

Thanks for all you have, and continue, to share Turid. You have inspired and educated so many dog parents and dog trainers over the years!

A more natural training
Lesson 1

Dogs are born into family groups and adjust to the family members and learn to be social and cooperative, communicating with the language they have: body, mimicry and sounds. Parents teach their offspring to grow up, being polite to each other, working together, but being free individuals, choosing where to walk, what to do. Our dogs get restrictions to a degree that make them unconfident and insecure. And not polite.
But they do have their language, so by learning to use it you might see much clearer how to speak with them.

Read more in the comments..

06/11/2026

Congratulations to CHELSEA and Karen for successfully completing their MCADT Concerned Dog Program. They have been working diligently along with 'Dad' to build CHELSEA'S trust and ability to adapt to new and exciting environments. Now, they understand the importance of providing agency, maintaining a loose leash, and creating distance from triggers to help Chelsea manage her feelings in positive ways. Congratulations to CHELSEA and Karen, and Bill too! 🎉🐾💕🎈

06/07/2026

Congratulations to ANASTASIA and Mary!
They have completed their MCADT Essential Skill Program and become Canine Life Skills Experts. Nice job ANA and Mary!

05/29/2026

Important info!

Tonight I ended up trying to help a friend whose puppy ate a kid's vitamin containing xylitol. Simple accident: kid dropped vitamin, puppy scarfed it down. (Note: this household is knowledgeable and is xylitol free, but a relative bought the vitamins, unaware of the risk to the dogs.)

The puppy only ate *one* vitamin. Which turned out to contain 1500 mg of xylitol.

100 mg/kg is the threshold for hypoglycemia which can be fatal. At 500 mg/kg, hepatic necrosis occurs -- destruction of liver tissue.

So just ONE chewable vitamin ended up creating a serious problem for a 30 pound pup (which is not quite 14 kg).

The emergency vet induced vomiting. Thankfully, the puppy had had a meal and so there was food in her stomach. In the vomit was the orange tablet, identifiable though dissolved.

Quick thinking on the owner's part (including grabbing the bottle of vitamins) and fortunately a nearby 24/7 emergency vet hospital meant that this pup received prompt treatment, and should make a full recovery.

Check your medications, vitamins, gum, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, peanut butter and more for xylitol, also known as birch sugar.

This is useful information to have on hand:
https://www.calculatorsfordogs.com/health-nutrition-calculators/xylitol-toxicity-calculator

ALWAYS contact vet and ASPCA Animal Poison Control center immediately!

As for everyone (the non-vets) recommending the use of hydrogen peroxide, please update your understanding:
https://www.gsvs.org/woodbridge-nj/blog/hydrogen-peroxide-for-dogs-emergency/

Pass this along. I hope you never have to use it.

05/24/2026

There’s a quiet grief many animal people carry when they begin seeing things differently.

Because once you realize how much of traditional animal handling was built around suppression instead of understanding…
you can’t fully unsee it.

You notice how often animals are praised for tolerating discomfort.
How often fear gets labeled as “respect.”
How often shutdown gets mistaken for calmness.

And for a while, it can feel heartbreaking.

But then something beautiful starts happening too.

You begin noticing the tiny signs of aliveness returning.

The horse who starts expressing opinions again.
The dog who becomes playful after years of hypervigilance.
The animal who finally realizes:
“I don’t have to disappear to be safe here.”

That moment changes both lives.

Because animals were never meant to be emotional machines built for human convenience.

They are nations unto themselves.
Full beings.
With inner worlds as rich and meaningful as our own.

And when we stop trying to dominate those worlds…
we get invited into them.

04/25/2026

Congratulations to LADY with Mary Anne!
They have completed their MCADT Concerned Dog Program.

04/21/2026

Nice resource on building trust with your dog.

Our newest blog post digs into signs your dog doesn't trust you — and more importantly, what to do about it.

Spoiler: building trust isn't just about being "nice." It's about creating an environment that's predictable, full of choice, and safe enough for your dog to feel genuinely secure.

Read it here: https://petharmonytraining.com/5-signs-your-dog-doesnt-trust-you/

04/18/2026

Nice graphic!

How often does this happen to you? Lovely walk invaded by a dog that doesn't have the training and understanding your dog does!

04/18/2026

Congratulations to ZOEY and Dorothy!

They have completed their MCADT Essential Skills Program!

02/20/2026

Congratulations to FELLOW and Joanne A. Labate! They have completed the Do More With Your Dog Canine Conditioning Fitness 4 Program. Proud of this team!

Do more with your dog Canine conditioning fitness level four