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A Better Dog

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Personalized, one-on-one dog training designed to strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Free follow-up support included
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We help solve behavior challenges like anxiety, aggression, leash pulling, and more with in-home, walking, or virtual sessions. ABD seeks to improve relationships between dogs and their owners through focused, attentive training sessions to address a variety of issues including pulling, lunging, jumping up, resource guarding and aggression.

10/12/2026

The art of doing nothing…

We hear from owners all the time who’s dog is struggling wtih one behavioral issue or another. They admit to being exhausted from trying any number of things to get their dogs’ “energy out”. Whether it’s hours of throwing the ball or excessive (unsupervised) outside time or a week full of time at doggie daycare the behavioral issues continue.

The pursuit of physical exhaustion will only provide temporary benefits to the owner.

What is not often sought out is the art of teaching your dog to settle. This is best done through a combination of physical and mental exercise.

In the case of Leo (9 months) and Louise (9 years old)it can better help these dogs, with different energy levels and play styles, coexist more peacefully.

In heightened states of arousal these two have had difficulty making good decisions which has caused this family with young children to keep the dogs separate from each other. No one wants to live like that.

The family has gone above and beyond putting in the effort needed to move the needle in the right direction. Crate usage, structured walks & controlled feedings have helped to get them to the point you see pictured below. Both dogs sharing the same energy and the same space. Leo on Place and Louise in a down.

There is a time and place for the high energy stuff (gas pedal) but there also needs to be time given to low energy activities (brake pedal).

10/09/2026

So this morning ….

Our dog Jango draws attention wherever he goes. This morning we walked past three elementary school kids waiting at their bus stop when I heard…

Kids: “ what kind of dog is that?
Me: “he’s a mix of a few breeds.
Kids: “Is he a guard dog?
Me: “ No, he is a rescue.”
Kids: “How many people has he rescued?”
Me: “just us” 😄

09/29/2026

Getting off to a good start…

Fletch is a young Silver Lab puppy and the owner’s first dog. We were asked to help Fletch start toward being the best version of himself.

Among the list of “to-do’s” was helping Fletch with his leash manners. Biting the leash was becoming a common occurrence that needed addressing.

For most dog/puppy owners a leash is used almost exclusively outside. When Fletch gets outside there is more to see and do so naturally he gets excited. The combination of this emotional uptick with the simultaneous restriction (frustration) of being on a leash moves Fletch to become a bit overloaded and redirect his energy into bitting the leash.

To give us the best chance for success we started working on this issue in the home. We put Fletch between the owner and the wall to assist with proper placement. Used his food as a motivator and attached the leash. The leash is added during this in-home exercise to make it part of the walking “picture” in an environment that is less exciting than the out doors.

As you can see in this short video with the dog working in the house he has nowhere near the same amount of distractions to contend with and can more easily focus on the task as hand.

09/23/2026

Sometimes you just have to ask…

Four month old Daphne had a change of heart. Her family reached out for help after Daphne refused to walk on a leash for the previous two days. The family had no idea what was behind this change.

We had them come to us for a Walking session where we work on all things related to being better on leash.

Daphne, and her parents were quick to learn the yes & no of leash communication which was at the heart of the problem. With the walking issue corrected we had some extra time to try something new for Daphne.

We introduced her to Place training using Kuranda dog bed. Daphne responded very well to this new task so I decided to up the ante. A ramp was added to the edge of the cot (it was deliberately unstable).

Daphne did great getting on the ramp and when it swayed from her movement she just paused to take it in before continuing to the end. With each successive pass the movement of the ramp meant less and less.

It was truly impressive to see such a young dog process both of these new challenges in such a deliberate and positive way.

You too may be surprised what your dog can do if you just ask.

09/17/2026

What motivates your dog? Most say “food’, some say “toys or praise”. With one year old Rook the answer was “James”. Let me explain.

Nearing the end of our session I learned that Rook would not get into the car so we decided to address it. Using a leash we could easily walk Rook past the car but once the tailgate opened Rook bailed. He actually panicked a bit.

We were slowly making progress on getting Rook into the vehicle when James spoke up. He was a family friend who had stopped by during the session. James said the dog loved him so he offered to get in the backseat of the vehicle. The only way for Rook to get to James was through the tailgate. It took all of about 2 seconds for Rook to launch himself into vehicle. After a couple of rounds with James in the car we did several more rounds with the car “James-less.” From then on Rook got into the vehicle with little to no effort.

The takeaway…..to get that first successful rep Rook needed a combination of appropriate stress (the leash) and a valuable reward (James). Once Rook learned he could get in the vehicle both the leash and James became less necessary. I’d love to take the credit but, thanks James! Totally Brewed Cafe

09/15/2026

Super sweet Maybelle is a 9 month old Catahoula who has been with her family for about three months. Over that time she has developed an ever growing list of things she will not do.

1. Maybelle will only come out of her crate for her dad. If he is at work she will just spend her day the majority of her day in the crate with the door open. She often will not come out for mom.
2. She now has to be walked to the park to even go to the bathroom because she will not got bathroom in her own yard and she will only do this with her dad.
3. If Maybelle gets more than 4ft from the house she darts back home unless she is on leash with her dad.

During the session we focused on Maybelle and mom. Their relationship had to improve. We started with a small amount of engagement using food. During this exercise I had the dog sit to get the food reward. Sitting was something I was told the dog would not do ✔️. Mom took over and the dog continued to make the correct behavior choices.

Next, we tackled the 4ft fear of leaving the house 🤦🏻‍♂️. Using food, mom got Maybelle onto the grass but as soon as she consumed the food the dog darted back to the house. We then added a slip lead to eliminate the dog’s ability to exercise her “fear” and retreat. With the cycle broken, mom re-deployed food and viola into the yard Maybelle went. Over and over again the dog continued to search for the food that was scattered farther and farther into the yard away from the house. By the end of the exercise the slip lead was no longer needed.

I call this short video “Not afraid any more.” This is an example of what happens when a dog learns they do not have to be afraid.

PS: Thanks to all of leadership exhibited by mom during the different exercises, mom was also able to take Maybelle on a walk around the neighborhood. Another new step in the right direction.

09/11/2026

Happy Friday everyone, from Daphne

Why wait…..

Many puppy owners encounter a variety of behaviors that they hope or expect their dog will ‘grow out of it”. While that does happen, often the dog practices these behaviors over and over to the point that it becomes normal for the dog to continue acting that way.

Enter Daphne. A 4 month old English Bulldog whose decided in just the last two days that walking on the leash was not on her to-do list. Daphne was the family’s 5th EBD but between her “wild” behavior at home and her refusal to walk on a leash mom reached out to ABD. We were able to set an appointment for the next day.

Daphne was curious and engaging right from the start but (surprising no English BD owner) she was a bit stubborn. We spent time showing the owners how to maximize their communication with her. That means the best leash handling practices; proper use of tone and inflection and appropriate body language cues to ensure that Daphne understands the yes/no of daily life.

Once we made improvements to her leash manners I had a couple of new things for Daphne to try. We started by working her on our Place cot. The family had a hard time believing this self-described “wild” puppy could learn to stay on the cot in just a few repetitions. I then added a ramp to the cot which was unstable on purpose. Daphne crushed it! Not only did she get on the ramp but when it moved under her feet she paused briefly before continuing on her way to the food reward that was waiting for her

The end of the session left us with a much calmer puppy and owners who realized what their young dog was capable of doing. A win-win.

09/08/2026

Milo had established his list of demands from a very young age. At less than 6 months old he had already decided…

1. Not to go for a walk without the family’s older dog. To make matters worse, when the two dogs are walked together “its a 💩 show.”

2. Nip or bite in response to being touched or handled. No grooming allowed! This behavior was worse with the family’s college age daughter but he did take a nip at mom for daring to wipe him off after being outside.

With Milo’s behavior getting worse by the day mom reached out for help.

Meeting Milo showed me what was driving his behavior. His response to new things or people is to be uncomfortable or nervous. With practice his responses just got worse.

After a brief introduction it was straight to walking…by himself. Milo spent a minute learning about leash pressure communication before heading out. Not one time did he flatten out or refuse to move for me or his mom once we got going. ✔️

Back at home we practiced Place. What surprised me was the ease with which Milo got on and stayed on the cot. He’s a very intelligent dog and responded well when asked to use that noodle of his.

Next we introduced Milo to recall. Again the “A“ student did his best.

Now that we had established a higher level of engagement and trust it was time to teach Milo how to act when being wiped off. This is something he as to tolerate often due to having short, little legs 😬. After just a few reps Milo went from trying to avoid the towel to accepting being wiped down using treats as the reward for making good choices. There was never any attempt from him to bite or even growl.

Side note: During the 2 hour session Milo received almost no physical affection. Why? Improving the relationship with his family was going to be done through leadership and engagement. When affection tops the list it often has a negative effect with nervous dogs like Milo.

Smart and handsome!

09/04/2026

During our training sessions we never work only with a dog or only with the owner. We are often working with a dog/human relationship in need of repair. Enter Ralphie, a three year old who’s been making some bad decisions.

While Ralphie is an angel with his dad he has been less than his best with his mom. If Ralphie thinks it’s taking too long for her to get his leash on he expresses his displeasure “teeth first”. It’s more of the same when he is done receiving affection from mom as well. Ralphie has graduated to taking his 💩 show on the road by aggressively nipping at other dogs and people when he doesn’t like how things are going in the moment.

It did not take long for Ralphie to respond aggressively when I tried to move him away from my training bag. When aggression is the dogs’ first response, nothing but problems will follow.

I had mom run each exercise/task during our session. Ralphie received clear yes/no instructions along the way, getting very limited affection from mom in the process. While Ralphie was much improved, he wasn’t perfect but he did show all of us that change was possible.

Your relationship with your dog has to be a healthy one for each of you to get the most out of it. If you are struggling with your dog, do not hesitate to seek professional assistance.

08/31/2026

An update on MILLY……

Milly was adopted this past Friday! Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out. Animal Rescue Project Zhang Animal Rescue Center

Her new family includes another dog, cats and young children so there will be a flood of new things to get used to. The family is a past ABD client and asked that we come by on Sunday for a follow up. Milly was still decompressing and spent almost the entire time sleeping (and snoring).

We did develop a game plan for things like crate placement, feeding practices, interactions with the other animals and human encounters to set Milly up for success.

Milly has been in “the system” for a good portion of her young life so the goal is to enjoy the tiny wins and learn from any setbacks on the way to a happy and healthy family dog.

The following video was provided by the family. If you want to know what it means to a dog to get adopted put in your headphones and enjoy.

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Centre Avenue
Portage, MI

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