Our Furry Friends Training

10/22/2026

10/21/2026

🐾 Challenges with your new puppy or adolescent dog?

Whether it's your first puppy/dog or your 10th, Our Furry Friends Training offers a variety of free and paid ways to help!

From small-group Puppy Kindergarten and other training classes, to private in-person lessons, LIVE private video lessons, self-paced programs, and FREE Facebook resources… "there's something for nearly every need and budget!

Let's find what works best for YOU and YOUR dog! 😊

👏👏👏 Get started with a FREE 20–30 minute phone consultation!

☎️ PM me or call/text 530-622-PUPS (7877).

10/21/2026

🐾 HELP! MY PUPPY WON'T STOP BITING! 🐾

Someone once asked me:

“We adopted Rosie, a 1½-year-old Chihuahua mix about three months ago. She’s smart, has a ton of energy and likes to play ‘bite’ — A LOT! We have toys, we play with her and walk her. How can we curb the play biting?”

They also wondered whether getting another dog might help.

Great questions!

Puppies naturally use their mouths to play, explore and communicate. One important lesson is bite inhibition — learning to control how hard they bite.

They begin learning this from their littermates. Bite too hard and the other puppy may yelp and stop playing.

We can continue that lesson at home!

🐾 STAGE 1 — Teach that bite pressure matters.

For gentle mouthing, say a calm “Ow,” briefly withdraw attention, then redirect to something appropriate to chew.

For HARD bites, end the interaction and walk away. If necessary, use a brief, calm separation.

If saying “Ow!” makes your puppy more excited, you may sound like a squeaky toy! 😂 Try a quieter, deeper tone or simply withdraw attention.

The younger the puppy, the longer I generally stay in this stage. With older pups, I move on more quickly as they learn.

But don't stay too long! We don't want puppies learning, “I bite my person...and they give me a toy!” 😄

🐾 STAGE 2 — No more teeth on people!

Once your puppy understands bite pressure, it's time to teach that even gentle mouthing ends the fun.

Teeth on people = play and attention stop.

Equally important, reward appropriate play and calm ways of asking for attention!

🐾 WHAT ELSE HELPS?

Try sniffing walks, food puzzles and short training games to channel excess energy. Teach your puppy to sit for attention instead of grabbing hands or clothing, and reward calm behavior!

Not all biting is playful. Fear, guarding or stiff, threatening body language may call for an individualized behavioral assessment.

And another dog? Not necessary! Rosie can learn better ways to play with the family she already has! ❤️

The goal isn't to punish puppies for being puppies. It's to teach them how to interact appropriately with their humans!

Questions? Put them below!

And if you'd like some personalized help with your own little shark, that's exactly why I created SURVIVING PUPPYHOOD! — personalized, LIVE video training right in your own home! 🐾

🐾 Our Furry Friends
Training with Respect & Understanding

P.S. This is my Miniature American Shepherd, Savannah, at 4½ months. She came to me part shark! 🦈 Don't let that innocent face fool you — we've worked HARD on those puppy manners! 😂

10/21/2026

🐾 PUPPY TRAINING ON DEMAND… WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST! 🐾

😮 Puppy biting, jumping, barking, crazy on the leash, potty accidents, crate training, chasing the cat, or other frustrating challenges?

Imagine having an experienced trainer working with YOU and YOUR puppy through personalized, LIVE video lessons, right from the comfort of your own home!

I know first hand how challenging puppyhood can be! My little Savannah has been one of the most determined, persistent puppies I've ever raised. I adore her, but that first month… WOW! 😄

That's part of why I created…

🐾 SURVIVING PUPPYHOOD! 🐾
From Puppy Chaos to Confident Companions!

With 30 years of professional experience, I'm bringing personalized puppy training directly to you, with appointments available quickly WHEN YOU MOST NEED HELP!!!

3 LEVELS OF SUPPORT TO MEET EVERY BUDGET AND EVERY LEVEL OF NEED!

🐾 Mini-Package
🐾 Signature Program
🐾 Deluxe Program ... includes 2 on-demand SOS calls

❤️ AND THE SUPPORT DOESN'T HAVE TO END THERE!

During or after working with me, you can join my affordable monthly Surviving Puppyhood Facebook Community for ongoing HELP: Training tips, educational videos, and answers to your questions.

📞 START WITH A FREE PHONE LESSON!!!!

We'll talk about your puppy's challenges, and I'll share practical tips you can use right away, whether or not you decide to sign up!

🐾 Our Furry Friends
Training with Respect & Understanding
Cherie Maitland

☎️ 530-622-PUPS (7877)

10/21/2026

RESOURCE GUARDING:

Teaching Your Puppy That Giving Something Up Doesn't Mean Losing It!

Resource guarding can be a tricky issue, and it's important to distinguish between a puppy who simply doesn't want to give up something valuable and a dog who is showing more serious guarding behavior.

One of the things I like to teach is an object exchange, starting with items your puppy doesn't consider particularly valuable.

When your puppy has a lower-value item, offer a really yummy cookie or little piece of meat near their nose. As they release the item to take the treat, say "Drop it!", mark the behavior with a "YES!" or praise, and reward them.

Then, here's an important part... give the item back with a "Take it!" command!

You're teaching your puppy that giving something up doesn't necessarily mean losing it!

Practice this with low-value items first, gradually working toward more valuable objects as your puppy becomes comfortable and successful.

Make it a game! You want your puppy to see giving something up as a positive experience, not something to resist or worry about.

I also think it's important to look at the bigger picture. How much foundational obedience training are you doing? Are you providing consistent structure, clear communication, and predictable expectations? Or are you letting your puppy run the show...And boss you around? You are not alone!!

Many new puppy owners don't realize just how much these things matter! While resource guarding isn't necessarily about a lack of leadership or respect, building a relationship of trust, understanding, and cooperation can make a tremendous difference in your puppy's overall behavior.

And I know firsthand how challenging puppyhood can be!

I'm currently raising Savannah, my own little puppy shark! 🦈 While I absolutely adore her, that first month was something else! She didn't back down easily and has been one of the most determined and challenging puppies I've ever raised or worked with in almost 30 years of professional dog training! 😁🐾

One important caution: If your puppy is stiffening, growling, snapping, or showing signs of serious resource guarding, don't try to force an exchange or take things away. That's a situation where I'd recommend individualized professional guidance. Please reach out, I can help with my live private video lessons series.

📚 I'd also highly recommend the book Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson. It's an excellent resource for understanding and working through resource guarding.

And if you'd like some personalized help with this and other puppy challenges, I offer a FREE puppy training phone consultation, as well as my LIVE private video lessons program:

🐾 Surviving Puppyhood!

From Puppy Chaos to Confident Companions!

I'm happy to share suggestions you can start using right away!

And if you take advantage of the free consultation, you're absolutely not obligated to go any further with training, and I honor that!! ❤️

Feel free to PM me!

🐾 Our Furry Friends

Training with Respect & Understanding

📞 530-622-PUPS (7877)

10/20/2026

Do you like it?

Brochure will be available later this week. 530-622-PUPS.

I'm enjoying changing the cover to do with the seasons.

10/20/2026

Please reach out. Would love to help.

We could start with a free phone consult, and we'll go over your challenges with your dog and get you going on some solutions.

Our Furry Friends Training ~ 530-622-7877

10/17/2026

EVER WISH YOU HAD A DOG TRAINER LIVING IN YOUR GUEST ROOM? 😄

Someone you could call on when your adorable puppy suddenly turns into a little SHARK? 🦈

Or when they're jumping all over everyone, pulling you down the sidewalk, chewing everything in sight, or leaving another puddle on your living room floor?

Well, I can't move in... but I CAN help! ❤️

Introducing...

🐾 SURVIVING PUPPYHOOD! 🐾
From Puppy Chaos to Confident Companions

Personalized, LIVE online puppy training through private video lessons, right in your own home!

With almost 30 years' experience training people and their dogs, I've helped families raise thousands of puppies.

And I'm still raising puppies myself!

My now 6-month Mini-American Shepherd, Savannah, arrived as an adorable little SHARK! 🦈

Forget peaceful puppy cuddles! She wanted to lunge for my face, head, and hair with those needle-sharp teeth! She was pushy, persistent, and not easily discouraged!

Fortunately, I adore her and knew how to help her work through those challenging behaviors.

And that's the kind of help I'd love to offer YOU and YOUR puppy!

🎁 START WITH A FREE PUPPY TRAINING CALL.

Let's chat about your puppy, what's challenging you most, and how I can help!

I'll share a few helpful tips you can try right away and recommend a training approach that fits your puppy's needs.

No obligation to continue with me — just some friendly, professional guidance! ❤️

🐾🐾 3 TRAINING PACKAGES TO CHOOSE FROM!

Mini-Package • Signature Program • Deluxe Package

Ready to make puppyhood more enjoyable for BOTH of you?

PM me or call/text 530-622-PUPS (7877) to schedule your FREE puppy training call!

Cherie River Maitland
Our Furry Friends
Training with Respect & Understanding

10/16/2026

TRAINING QUESTION FOR THE DAY:

How can you set your dog up for success today?

This came up again when I was posting on a dog training question on social media about someone teaching their dog to not jump on their sofa, and a lot of people were saying to teach off and things of that nature.

What I suggested was preventing the wrong behavior with a leash and with a verbal correction. And a redirect, not always waiting till after the wrong behavior has happened to try and fix it and try and fix it. And try and fix it... a loop we don't tend to get out of.

What can you do today to set your dog up so they don't get to do the wrong thing and they are directed again and again to the right choices?

Note: Dakota at Our Furry Friends Training Doggie Day Care.