Apex Canine Behavior & Training

08/27/2026

🐾 The Pavarotti Project - We Could Use Your Help

With several upcoming medical expenses for the dogs here at Apex, The Pavarotti Project medical and care funds are currently depleted, and we’re hoping our community might be able to help us build them back up.

For those who may not be familiar with it, The Pavarotti Project is an initiative through Apex Canine Behavior & Training created to help dogs whose behavioral, medical, or individual needs put their safety, stability, or future at risk.

The project provides support for dogs and families who may otherwise be unable to access the level of behavior support they need, as well as dogs within the shelter-rescue-foster system who need additional assessment/training/advocacy to successfully move forward. This can include dogs struggling with significant fear, anxiety, reactivity, or aggression; dogs facing surrender, displacement, or behavioral euthanasia when appropriate intervention could provide another path forward; and sanctuary dogs in our care who may require long-term or lifelong support because traditional placement is not appropriate for them.

Donations to The Pavarotti Project go directly toward the costs associated with helping and caring for these dogs, including veterinary care, medications, food + daily care, behavior assessment and rehabilitation, training and management equipment, safe housing, transportation, enrichment, and other case-specific expenses.

Funds also allow us to reduce or waive the cost of professional services for dogs in the shelter-foster-rescue pipeline, as well as privately owned dogs when financial limitations would otherwise stand between a dog and the help they need. For our sanctuary dogs, donations help provide the safe, stable environment and ongoing medical, behavioral, enrichment, and day-to-day care they need for as long as they remain with us.

At its core, The Pavarotti Project exists to create options for dogs who might otherwise run out of them, whether that means helping a family keep their dog safely at home, giving a shelter-foster dog the support needed to reach a sustainable placement, or providing lifelong sanctuary and quality care when placement simply isn’t the right answer.

Right now, we have upcoming medical expenses for the dogs here and would be incredibly grateful for any help replenishing the fund so those needs can be met as they arise.

If you’d like to contribute, our donation links are below. No amount is too small. A few dollars from a lot of people can add up quickly, and sharing this post is another meaningful way to help get it in front of more people.

For anyone who would prefer to contribute directly toward supplies, we also maintain an Amazon Wish List with food, enrichment, cleaning products, and other items we regularly use for the dogs. Items purchased from the list are shipped directly to us and help offset the everyday costs of caring for them.

🐾 The Pavarotti Project Donations:
https://www.venmo.com/u/thepavarottiproject

📦 Amazon Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3N4U8PG96I2EK?ref_=wl_share

Whether you donate, send something from the wish list, share this post, or simply continue supporting the work we do, thank you. Every bit of support helps us continue showing up for dogs who need someone in their corner. 🖤

08/14/2026

Friday nights are for….

“Chewies & Chill” 🐶🦴🐾

Really proud of this baby dog for learning how to relax in his own space even with the excitement of another dog being here. Hazel, being a certified therapy dog, is a seasoned pro at being able to handle distractions - so she’s been a truly exceptional partner for Bear to practice with. Hazel is a really special dog, and Bear very much adores her. It’s been really lovely to watch their relationship develop along the way. 🖤

08/12/2026

Hazel is back for another stay with me this week. 💕

This one is a little extra special.

Hazel is 9 years old now, and I’ve had the privilege of knowing her for her entire life. I first met her as a tiny puppy, and over the years I’ve worked alongside Hazel and her humans through so many different chapters…from AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, to her Canine Good Citizen, to Therapy Dog training, and plenty of other things in between.

And all that work eventually led Hazel to a pretty important job. For years, she has worked alongside her mom, who is a guidance counselor, as a therapy dog in an elementary school. It’s been incredibly special to watch the tiny puppy I knew all those years ago grow into a dog who has been able to have such an impact on so many people.

Hazel stayed with me earlier this year, and during that visit I noticed some changes in her mobility that I felt were worth mentioning to her humans. As always, they went above and beyond for her. Since then, they’ve added some additional supportive care to her routine, including biweekly acupuncture.

Getting her back several months later and seeing the difference has been SO incredible. This girl has been happily trotting around, moving more freely and you can tell she just feels so good in her body.

It’s one of the things I love most about having dogs like Hazel come back to stay with me over the years. I don’t just get to know them during one snapshot in time, I get to see who they become.

I met Hazel when she was a tiny puppy just starting to learn about the world. I got to be there for the training milestones, watch her grow up, and eventually watch her take everything she learned and go on to do something pretty incredible with it.

And now, at 9 years old, I get to know this chapter of Hazel’s life too.

She has a little more gray on her face these days, and life looks a little different than it did when we were working toward puppy and training milestones all those years ago, but she is still so very much Hazel.

There’s something pretty incredible about realizing that the little puppy you helped teach and watched grow up is now nine years old,
and somehow, you’re still part of her story.

Nine years is a long time to get to love somebody else’s dog. I don’t take it for granted that after all these years, her humans still trust me with their girl, or that I still get to have Hazel come back through my door.

And getting to spend this week with a happy, frosted-face Hazel who is apparently feeling good enough to trot everywhere she needs to go…

Not many things come close to that feeling.
🐾🖤🐾

08/12/2026

Just a heads-up for anyone whose dog is currently receiving Adequan! 🐾

The FDA has announced a recall affecting specific lots of Adequan Canine due to the potential presence of glass fiber material.

This does not mean all Adequan is affected, and there’s no reason to panic or discontinue a prescribed medication without speaking with your veterinarian. If your dog receives Adequan, especially if you have doses at home, it’s simply worth checking the lot number against the recall information and reaching out to your veterinary team if you have any questions.

Sharing for awareness since I know quite a few dogs in our community use Adequan. 🖤

Two lots of popular medications for dogs and horses have been recalled over potential glass fiber contamination. Here's what pet owners should know.

08/07/2026

“I have no idea what I’m doing, but I know I’m doing it really well.” - Jude, probably.

I was trying to film some clips for an upcoming product review, but Jude had other plans.

We’ve been spending a lot of time working on his chin rest/head down behavior because it’s incredibly useful for cooperative care, especially while navigating his current medical workup. The moment he saw me standing there, he was convinced this was his cue and kept enthusiastically offering the behavior, hoping he’d cracked the code.

This little meatwad always knows how to make me laugh.

The product review is still coming… but Jude definitely earned today’s spotlight.

Has your dog ever been so sure they knew what you were asking? 😅

07/30/2026

Thank you for the well wishes for Jude. 🖤

Yesterday we were able to get in to see our primary care veterinarian and get some pain management on board to tide him over until our appointment with the neurologist. The team had nothing but wonderful things to say about Jude and how “he’s a completely different dog from the one they first met”. He handled the exam and blood draw like a champ, and was happy to munch on his snacks while they did what they needed to - as I always say, he’s a “Big Food Guy” lol

Next week we will be traveling up to Maine to see Dr. Hodshon, a wonderful veterinarian who previously oversaw Pavarotti’s care back in 2022 (she was the one who diagnosed his brain tumor).

Thankfully she is familiar already familiar with me and the fact that I tend to have dogs who need “extra considerations” as part of their care plan. The behavior component is always an added challenge when seeking care for D.I.N.O.S (Dogs In Need Of Space). I’m incredibly grateful to have such supportive and understanding providers around us.

We are still unsure at this time what is actually triggering these episodes of intense pain, as we have been unable to pinpoint the origin (now, or during the previous episodes). Our best guess is that is something nerve/spine related, we will likely need to pursue advanced imaging to get a better understanding of what’s going on.

As I mentioned before, he does unfortunately carry two copies of the gene for Degenerative Myelopathy, which is something that has always been on my radar since I received his genetic results. I’m really hoping this is not related to that, as the prognosis is not great *IF* that’s the case. The most frustrating part is knowing that DM is something that could have been avoided entirely if he had been bred ethically + health testing was performed on his parents, but that’s a discussion for another day.

For now we will be doing our best to keep Jude quiet and minimize his physical activity. He’s pretty stoked about all the extra attention and snacks, but not so much the mandatory rest. Keeping him on rest for the next week will definitely be a challenge, but we have lots of enrichment supplies here to help mitigate that. I’ll try my best to keep you all updated as we find out more. 🐾

07/28/2026

Please send all of the good vibes for Jude (aka Jude-Bug, Judy-baby-bug, “just a baby”, Meatwad, Dough Boy).

Last night he had another neurological episode and he is in a lot of pain at the moment if he tries to move his spine (I’ve been keeping him basically immobile since then). He has an urgent appt with our vet this afternoon to get pain management updated, and also an appointment with a neurologist next week. Unfortunately he does have two copies of the gene for degenerative myelopathy, so I’m really hoping this isn’t related to that. We are keeping him as comfortable as we can for the time being, and despite being in pain, he is still pretty chuffed about all the extra attention and getting his meals delivered bedside.

07/26/2026

Happy Birthday-Gotcha Day Miss Willow 🎀

Ten years later and she is still obsessed with…

Her big brother.
OMG PEOPLE.
Chipmunks.
Socks.
And disrespecting her surroundings.

“She doesn’t even go here”, but we love her anyway.

07/25/2026

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8t9WkvG/

07/23/2026

The way we explain behavior determines how we respond to it.

Every day, I meet people who are trying their absolute best to help their dog. They’re reading books, watching videos, practicing exercises… and often also carrying an incredible amount of guilt…

“Did I do this?”

“Did I miss something?”

“Did I ruin my dog?”

One of the most important things I hope people take away from my work is that behavior isn’t just about obedience or training. Genetics, health, pain, emotions, learning history, environment, and countless other factors all play a role.

The way we explain behavior shapes the way we respond to it. If we assume a dog is being stubborn, dominant, manipulative, or spiteful, we’ll focus on stopping the behavior. If we recognize that behavior is communication, we can start asking a much more productive question:

Why is this happening?

That question doesn’t excuse dangerous behavior, and it doesn’t mean we ignore safety or stop training. It means we approach behavior with curiosity before judgment, because understanding why a behavior exists is often what allows us to change it.

I hope this perspective helps someone who needed to hear it today.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about dog behavior?

-Seren Maxwell 🐾