Wondrous Tails Dog Training

03/25/2026

Whether you're overwhelmed with a new puppy or struggling to fit dog training into your family's chaotic life, day training might be a great option for you. Learn what day training is and why we prefer it over board-and-train.

Whether you're overwhelmed with a new puppy or struggling to fit dog training into your family's chaotic life, day training can be a fantastic option for your dog. Learn what day training is and why we prefer it over board-and-train programs.

03/24/2026

Even though we are in an urban environment and I can't let him off leash (or even on a long line), Zuko still takes the lead on most of our walks. What does this look like?

1) I let him decide which direction we go at intersections

2) He can stop and sniff whatever he likes for as long as he likes (with the exception of things that might be dangerous or places where marking will damage landscaping)

Even a 10 to 20min walk becomes much more enriching when the dog is allowed to make his own choices about how far he wants to go and how he interacts with his environment.

03/04/2026

When we first met, Zuko showed very intense reactive behavior towards anything moving too fast, and towards certain people. Bikes, skateboards, roller blades, joggers, power walkers, workers in high-viz, and loud men all were overwhelming for him. He lunged, barked, snarled, spun on the end of his leash.

Today, we walk around Green Lake with hundreds of those things and he never breaks from his confident strut.

When Zuko told me, through his lunging, barking, spinning, and growling, that these things were scary, I believed him. We spent years building up his confidence, building trust in each other, and, through the slow, gradual, work of counterconditioning and desensitization, helped him overcome his fear.

I did not shock or choke him into compliance. I treated his fear as the real, valid emotion it was, and helped him to find a way through it.

There is nothing more powerful to me than the way a dog's world opens up when he heals from reactivity.

02/19/2026

...put a treat under a ramekin?

Enrichment doesn't have to be time-consuming, fancy, or expensive. I put about 5 of these around the house at varying levels of difficulty, and it kept Zuko busy for a good 15 minutes.

02/18/2026

Seriously what is even the point of walking your dog if you don't let them sniff. Sniffing is the #1 way your dog gets information about their world. It releases endorphins, lowers stress, and builds confidence and safety.

All dog walks should be sniffy walks.

02/14/2026

02/13/2026

(in which Zuko ruins my point by sitting anyway 😂)

"Wait" is what most people want most of the time when they ask for a sit. I didn't tell Zuko to sit. He sat because it was easier for him to contain his excitement from a sit. All I asked for was "wait."

"Sit" is just an arbitrary position a dog puts their body in. "Wait" is the actual behavior (ie, not acting like a freak) that gets the dog what they want. What position they put themselves in while waiting is irrelevant.

02/10/2026

The gate of my apartment building's potty patch is broken, but I had to walk over to pick up Zuko's 💩 Asked Zuko to "stay" while I picked up and threw away his business and made my way back to him.

There is always a better, kinder way than pain, fear, and intimidation.

02/05/2026

Called him once, from out of sight, around a corner, and at the top of a large hill, in a distraction-rich environment. No aversive tools used, ever. There is always a better way to teach and communicate with your dog than by using pain, fear, and intimidation.

02/03/2026

01/30/2026

Dog training is absolutely political. You cannot advocate for humane, evidence-based, and welfare-forward treatment of animals without also advocating for humane, evidence-based, and welfare-forward treatment of human beings. Every living creature deserves respect, decency, understanding, and to not be m*rdered in the street by masked thugs.

No pain. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.

01/27/2026

Enrichment with the enrichment deck from ! Zuko and I love this deck and use it multiple times a week for quick, easy, and fun enrichment activities. Zuko had a blast with this "Swiss Roll" activity! He spent at least 10min digging apart the towel and got a good mental workout in.

Enrichment games like these not only help keep your dog's mind engaged, they also can help lower stress, making them crucial tools for reactive, anxious, or overstimulated dogs.

Interested in an enrichment deck of your own? Drop us a DM for a discount code.