Critter Camp Canine Campus

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day to all of the puppers! Let’s celebrate them and share a pic of your furry best buddy ❤️🐶🎉

08/19/2026

We would truly appreciate your support for our rescued animals! 🐾❤️ Every donation, no matter the amount, adds to the grand total and makes a HUGE impact for the animals in our care. 🫶

❤️ Shares appreciated ❤️

Developing highly adoptable dogs through our positive reinforcement rehabilitation training program. This program is designed to save, rehabilitate, train, and rehome dogs and felines that have been abandoned, abused, neglected, placed on death row, or misunderstood. We give canines and felines......

07/22/2026

I came across this graphic today and thought it was such a great visual that I wanted to share it. I did not create this image, but it does an excellent job of illustrating something I spend a lot of time teaching dog owners.

Understanding canine body language isn’t just something that’s “nice to know.” It is one of the most important skills any dog owner can have.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that dogs “bite out of nowhere.” The truth is, the overwhelming majority of dogs don’t go from relaxed and happy to biting in a split second. They climb a staircase of stress, giving us body language along the way. The challenge is that many of those signals are subtle, and if we don’t know what we’re looking for, we miss them.

Even the sweetest, most loving dog in the world has a breaking point. Just like people.

Think about it this way. If someone keeps invading your personal space, you probably don’t start by screaming. You might politely ask them to stop. If they ignore you, your tone becomes firmer. If they still don’t listen, eventually you may raise your voice. Dogs communicate the same way. They just use their body language instead of words.

That is why you’ll often hear trainers and behavior professionals say, “Never punish the growl.”

A growl is not a dog being “bad.” It’s communication. It’s your dog saying, “I’m uncomfortable. I need more space.” If that warning is punished, some dogs learn that growling gets them in trouble. The discomfort doesn’t disappear. The warning does. When that happens, a dog may stop growling and move further up the ladder the next time they feel trapped or threatened.

Our job isn’t to stop the communication. Our job is to listen to it.

The earlier we recognize those stress signals, the easier it is to help our dogs feel safe, reduce their stress, and prevent situations from escalating. Understanding dog body language protects your dog, protects your family, and helps prevent unnecessary bites.

If you’ve ever adopted from us, taken one of my training classes, or simply asked me for advice, you’ve probably heard me talk about learning to “listen” to your dog’s body language. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give your dog because communication goes both ways. 🐾❤️

07/15/2026

Stay cool and safe! It’s brutal out there.

06/19/2026

CONGRATULATIONS Dasher and Cecilia on completing Obedience 1! 👏✨

06/16/2026

Check out these Obedience 1 ROCKSTARS! ✨

Great Job Maisy, Charlee and Frannie!

06/16/2026

GREAT JOB Maisy, Charlee and Frannie on completing Obedience 1 👏✨

06/02/2026

Working on stay!

Obedience 1✨

06/01/2026

Practicing all of our learned behaviors so far on the klimbs! Such rockstars! 🐾

05/22/2026

Welcome Cecilia, Missy, Dasher and Pepper to Obedience 1✨🐾