Canine Counselor, Inc

04/04/2025

Listen how Phyllis helped a gamebred genetically dog aggressive American Pit Bull Terrier who tried to kill a dog at 5 months old to learn to coexist with other dogs and integrated her into her pack by taking tools and pressure OFF the dog.

These strategies are counterintuitive to a lot of typical dog training advice available today, and not only do they work, they are more effective long term and are easier for the humans and dogs to upkeep over time.

If you want to learn more and witness/practice strategies like this first hand, we are hosting a small group fully immersive four day shadow experience on dog aggression in May... it's looking like we are already full after starting to roll it out lowkey a couple days ago, but if you want to join the waitlist or be first to know when we host the next one in the fall, get in our DMs asap 😉 more info in the podcast around the 47 minute mark.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7m9wtG6HAm6Pp7Q93OpwPV?si=3cGQdmZ8R0uAtVvfLQbuOQ

What Dogs Have Taught Me · Episode

04/04/2025

Phyllis recently did a podcast with our friend Julie Hart discussing some case studies with different dogs she's trained, including a game bred genetically dog aggressive American Pit Bull Terrier who's now living with her pack. Check it out!

What is better than case studies about dog training? Here are a few in this podcast with Phyllis Smuland including how she trained a dog aggressive APBT that is now living with her dogs.

Hear real examples and case studies of the dogs that Phyllis and I have trained, illustrating the principle that sometimes less is more. We emphasize the importance of keeping things simple. We start with the foundational elements, which are often rushed when training dogs. We analyze whether a dog follows our lead, how to build trust, and what clients truly need from their training experience. This podcast offers numerous examples of how we have guided clients to change their behavior in order to improve their dogs' performance in lieu of over-training the dog

However, this podcast isn't just for dog trainers. Dog owners will also find valuable tips to enhance their relationship with their pets.

Phyllis Smuland has been training challenging dogs for nearly four decades. Her clients often become loyal supporters, frequently returning to her for help with multiple dogs across generations. She relied on referrals for nearly 35 years without a website or formal marketing until about five years ago, yet she managed to build a successful income based solely on word-of-mouth recommendations.

Soundcloud free - https://on.soundcloud.com/pgLYMaSEeMoMkXgr5

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/7m9wtG6HAm6Pp7Q93OpwPV?si=GQHKC-TFS56wSRi4bKffKA

Apple - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7m9wtG6HAm6Pp7Q93OpwPV?si=GQHKC-TFS56wSRi4bKffKA

04/04/2025

We had the absolute BEST time hosting Lifesaver Seminar by Jason Vasconi here in Spotsylvania VA!

Jason and Liz are the coolest folks, but besides just enjoying getting to spend time with them, they delivered a dynamic, engaging, and super fun workshop on safely conducting large field socials.

And we made so many new friends! 🥰 it was such a lovely group of participants, and we had a blast chatting and getting to know everyone.

Such an amazing experience! We can't wait to start hosting these for the public here in Spotsy-- stay tuned for more info on that ;)

Thanks to all who attended! We hope to see y'all back in May for Heather Beck and can't wait to chat with some of you more about our custom shadow programs.

03/21/2025

Day one Lifesaver Seminar by Jason Vasconi underway!

01/28/2025

A lot of dog trainers focus heavily on the sit command, but if Phyllis Smuland has helped train your dog in recent years, there's a good chance sit was not one of the things she covered.

She recently sat down with Julie Hart to talk about what sitting actually means to dogs, why it's pretty rare for her to teach dogs to sit, and how this seemingly simple command can actually be harmful to many dogs and break trust in your relationship.