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Pitch Perfect Paws, Warren, PA (2026)

09/29/2026

🐾 Good Dog Etiquette... A Tuesday thought...

On our walk today, I noticed a trash can along the street that had clearly become a popular marking spot for neighborhood dogs. When the puppy went to add his contribution, I stopped him and moved him along.

And believe me, I get it — boy dogs (as well as some girl dogs) mark! Mine certainly does. 😂 Marking is perfectly normal dog behavior, and I give my dog plenty of appropriate opportunities to do it on our walks. But just because it's natural doesn't mean he gets to mark wherever he wants. That's where I come in as his handler.

On another stretch of our street, I picked up three piles of dog p**p that definitely weren't ours.

It got me thinking about something we don't talk about as much when we talk about dog training: being a good steward of the spaces we share.

Yes, dogs p*e. Dogs mark. Dogs p**p. That's part of having a dog. But where we allow them to do those things is part of being a responsible handler.

Someone else's trash can, mailbox, flower pot, lawn decoration, car tire, or other personal property doesn't need to become our dog's bathroom. And if our dog p**ps, we pick it up — even when it's inconvenient, even when nobody is watching.

I don't expect dogs to understand property lines or neighborhood etiquette. That's our job.

For me, training isn't just about having a dog who sits, stays, heels, or comes when called. It's also about teaching him how to move respectfully through a world that belongs to all of us.

And sometimes that simply means, “Nope, buddy. Not there. Let's keep walking.” 🐾

Being a responsible dog owner isn't complicated. It's just one more way we can be good neighbors — and good stewards of the places we're lucky enough to enjoy with our dogs.

Photo of a sign in my neighbors' yards. They should not need a sign...

09/26/2026

Fear-Free Friday: Tick Checks.

Today's lesson comes courtesy of a tiny, unwanted visitor I found on the puppy. A tick. And here's the surprising part: we haven't been hiking or anywhere particularly exciting for the last couple of days, which means there's a pretty good chance he picked it up right here in our own backyard. Apparently, ticks don't require an adventure.

But finding a tick this evening got me thinking about something else: a tick check is a handling exercise. Think about all the places we need to be able to examine carefully on our dogs:
- Ears
- Face
- Neck and under the collar
- Armpits
- Belly
- Legs and feet
- Between the toes
- Around the tail

Those aren't necessarily places every dog is comfortable having a human poke, prod, separate fur, or examine closely. That's where Fear-Free training comes in.

I don't want the first time the puppy learns that I'm going to inspect between his toes to be when I absolutely HAVE to get something out there. So handling them on different parts of their body beforehand is training.

Touch a paw, get a reward. Look in an ear, reward. Lift a leg, reward. Separate some fur and examine the skin or check between the toes, reward.

And if your dog is uncomfortable with anything? That's information. Slow down, make the exercise easier, and work at a level where your dog can be successful.

The goal isn't simply to teach a dog to tolerate being handled. I want the puppy to learn that having his body examined is safe, predictable, and nothing to worry about, because someday he might have a tick. Another day it might be a sore paw, an injured ear, a burr tangled in his fur, or something a veterinarian needs to examine.

The more comfortable our dogs are with being handled before something is wrong, the less stressful those moments can be when something is wrong.

So today's Fear-Free Friday homework: check your dog for ticks, even if they've only been in the backyard. And while you're doing it, pay attention to how your dog feels about being checked. Tick prevention protects the body. Cooperative handling protects their emotional well-being too. And while the puppy thoroughly enjoys being looked over by me, he would like his uninvited backyard guest to know that he is not welcome back!

09/21/2026

⚾️🐾 The puppy went to his first baseball game!

And while we didn’t quite make it to the end, I’m calling this one a BIG win.

When I take a young service dog in training into a brand-new environment, I try to stack the deck in our favor as much as possible. Yesterday happened to be just about perfect. Rain was threatening, attendance was lighter than usual, and I chose our seats very intentionally — front row against the wall so there was nobody directly in front of him to investigate, in a mostly empty section, and on the aisle in case we needed a quick exit.

Before the game started, I gave him some time to simply take everything in. New smells. New sounds. People moving around. A completely different environment than anything he'd experienced before.

I rewarded him for choosing to sit or lie down and settle. Then, as the game was starting, I gave him a bully stick. That was intentional too. I wanted him engaged in something familiar and enjoyable while the crowd noise began to build, rather than having his full attention on every cheer, clap and shout.

Once he finished it, the treats went away and I let him just...experience the game. And he did REALLY well. ❤️

He was actually beginning to settle nicely when someone tried to interact with him (please don't distract working dogs! 😬), and shortly afterward he decided he needed to potty. I tried waiting for him to settle again before leaving, but he wasn't able to. So we left.

He made it all the way to the 7th inning at his very first baseball game. For a 10-month-old puppy experiencing something like this for the first time, I'll take that!

We also lucked out with the PERFECT first game. There was plenty of normal crowd noise, but the game itself was rather uneventful — no home runs or huge moments that sent the entire stadium into an uproar. In fact, when we left in the 7th inning, nobody had scored at all. 😂. I couldn't have planned a better introduction if I'd tried.

And that's something I think is important when we're socializing and training young dogs: we don't have to throw them into the hardest version of an experience to teach them how to handle it.

Choose the quieter game. Choose the empty section. Choose the seat with an easy exit. Bring something that helps them settle. Give them time to watch and process. And if they tell you they've reached their limit? Go home.

Success isn't always staying until the final out. Sometimes success is seven innings. ⚾️🐾❤️. Here is a video of him chewing his bully stick, not caring about all of the cheering, activity, or announcements going on around him...

09/19/2026

“Can I pet your puppy?” 🐾

I hear this question ALL. THE. TIME.

And I have to admit...I still feel guilty when I say no.

Sometimes people completely understand. They smile, say “Of course!” and immediately disengage.

Sometimes they look genuinely disappointed, and then I feel terrible......

And sometimes...they keep talking to him, reaching toward him, making noises at him, or otherwise trying to get his attention anyway. At Cleveland Clinic recently, I had someone continue trying to engage him even after I had clearly said no.

Here’s the thing I wish more people understood:

When I say no, I’m not being unfriendly. And I’m certainly not trying to keep my puppy from ever enjoying people.

I’m training a service dog. For him, people need to be part of the scenery.

I’ve been working with this little guy since the end of February. I have put hundreds and hundreds of hours into teaching him that when we are working, the people, dogs, noises, food, shopping carts, children, squirrels, smells and everything else happening around us are NOT his business. His job is me.

And at this stage of training, an interaction that seems completely harmless to someone else can undo far more training than they realize. If he learns that strangers are likely to talk to him, pet him, or become exciting social opportunities while he's working, suddenly every person we pass becomes someone he needs to check out.

For a pet dog, that might not matter much. For a service dog, it matters enormously.

And the stakes are pretty high. If a service-dog prospect ultimately washes because he cannot reliably work around people and distractions, replacing him could mean another $5,000 or more—and starting the entire process over again.

But here's something else people may not realize: He DOES get to meet people! Sometimes I say yes.

Recently, a very sweet 11-year-old boy asked to pet him, and for reasons I won't get into, I felt that interaction was important. So I said yes. But even then, the puppy had certain behaviors he needed to give me first. It was a controlled interaction, and it became part of his training.

And there are other times when he is completely OFF the clock. He gets to interact with people. He gets to play with dogs. He gets to sniff things, be silly, get the zoomies, and just be a puppy.

I think of it as my 80/20 rule. About 80% of the time, other people and dogs are simply part of the environment. We notice them, but we don't need to interact with them. The other 20%? Absolutely! Go be social. ❤️

I'm not trying to raise a puppy who doesn't like people. I'm trying to raise a puppy who likes people but doesn't believe he is entitled to interact with every person he sees. And honestly, that's a pretty useful skill for pet dogs, too.

So whether a dog is wearing a service-dog vest or not, whether he looks like he's working or not, and whether he's the cutest puppy you've ever seen and you simply MUST touch those ears...please ask first.

And if the answer is no, the kindest and most helpful thing you can do is simply smile and disengage. You may have just helped train a service dog. ❤️🐾

09/14/2026

Okay, today, my puppy blew me away. 🥹🐾

After over THREE HOURS at Cleveland Clinic today—EKGs, blood draws, a doctor visit, waiting, hallways, elevators, a first-time escalator ride, people (so many people...), and all the stimulation that goes along with all of those things—I decided to see if the puppy could “Find the Car.” I was prepared to walk up and down the entire floor of the parking garage because I genuinely didn't know if he could find our car, or if he had enough brain left to do it. And I did not know where the car was. I only remembered that we got on the elevator on floor number five.

So we got off the elevator at 5. I gave him the cue: “Find the car.” And you will see, he doesn't move... Then I realize why. “OKAY. Find the car.”

“Okay” is his release cue. Apparently somebody was following the rules better than I was. 😂

And off he goes.

Now watch his nose.

At first he makes a choice, but seems tentative about the direction he has chosen. Then you can see his nose go down, seemingly checking for information. He picks his head back up and starts gaining sp*ed. A little farther along, his nose goes down again, almost like he's double-checking. And then he's SOLID.

There are people talking and moving. Cars are passing. There are, naturally, fascinating pieces of parking-garage debris that he felt required his attention... After the first “leave it,” he even gives me this adorable playful little moment. It was like he was thinking, “Ooh, thing on the ground! … Oh! Right! Yay, I have a JOB!" Then he goes right back to work. When he picks up the second piece and I ask him to drop it, he does so instantly and again goes right back to work.

From the time he starts walking until he reaches our car: 1 minute and 29 seconds.

That's 1 minute and 29 seconds of navigating, making choices, handling distractions, responding to cues, getting back on task, and continuing to search.

And he found it.

His final alert isn't quite his usual confident one. He's actually a little tentative when he gets there. But he's right. That's our car. I'm so grateful that I decided to try to catch this on camera. I actually expected this to be a very different video—one showing how I would train through him not finding it.

Was it perfect? Nope! And honestly, that's one of my favorite parts of this video. Because training isn't about creating a dog who never gets distracted or never makes a less-than-ideal choice. He is still a puppy. He is still very much in training. At 9 months old, I EXPECT him to get distracted and make mistakes. But he responded when I asked, recovered, went back to work, and problem-solved his way through that garage...

He is building skills and is learning how to use them in the real world, when he's tired, when things are happening around him, and in this case, when I don't already know the answer and can't help him get there.

We're both still learning how to do this together. Sometimes you just have to let them show you what they know. And today, the puppy knew his job.

Find the car.

And he did.

Pretty darn proud of this little guy. ❤️🐾

09/13/2026

🐾 Dog training has changed — and that's a GOOD thing.

A lot of us grew up hearing things like:

“Don't comfort a frightened dog. You'll reinforce the fear.”

“Don't pet an overexcited dog. You'll reward the excitement.”

“Spray them with a water bottle when they bark.”

“Shake a can of pennies.”

“Make sure they know who's boss.”

And here's the thing: when we know better, we can do better.

Modern, humane training asks us to look beyond simply stopping the behavior in front of us.

Why is the dog barking? Why are they lunging? Why can't they settle? What is the dog feeling, and what skill does this dog need right now?

A dog who is overwhelmed may need distance.

A dog who is overexcited may need help regulating.

A dog barking out of frustration may need an alternate behavior to perform.

And sometimes a dog who is struggling simply needs a calm, trusted person to help them come back down to earth.

That doesn't mean we ignore inappropriate behavior. I absolutely don't want my dog lunging toward another dog, even if his intention is simply, “OH MY GOODNESS, A FRIEND!!!”

But I can teach him that lunging isn't how we continue to act without frightening, startling, intimidating, or physically correcting him.

We actually worked through this today at the craft fair. After trying to greet another dog, he became VERY excited and was lunging toward the dog. He definitely just wanted to say hi, but it's not appropriate. Another day I will share that article. After realizing he was not going to change his behavior without some help, I got down on his level, gently petted him, and helped him settle. I was told that I shouldn't pet him because I was “rewarding” the lunging.

What actually happened? My touch didn't increase the lunging. It did the opposite. It actually finally stopped it... He settled into me, his arousal came down, and the lunging stopped. Once he was calm enough to think again, I could redirect him and reinforce the behavior I DID want. Seconds later I had several folks tell me what an amazingly well behaved dog I had. Because I gave him the tools that he needed.

That's my job as his trainer. I don't just need to tell him what not to do. I need to teach him what to do instead — and help him get into a state where he's capable of learning it.

Does that take more time than a quick correction? Sometimes. But I'm not looking for the fastest way to suppress a behavior in the moment. I'm looking to teach skills that will last — without fear, force, or intimidation.

Training isn't just about asking, “How can I stop this?”

It's about asking, “What do I want my dog to do instead, and how can I help them get there?”

Spray bottles and shaker cans might interrupt behavior.

I'd rather teach behavior. ❤️🐾

Christine Porter — Pitch Perfect Paws
Fear Free Certified Professional

09/11/2026

Fear Free Friday: FRISBEE FUN!

When you're raising a puppy—especially a service dog in training—it's really easy to turn EVERYTHING into a lesson. Sit. Wait. Leave it. Come. Focus. Settle. Walk nicely. Ignore that. Pick this up. Don't pick THAT up.

But puppies need something else, too. They need opportunities to play, explore, experiment, make choices, and discover things just because they're FUN.

On one of our camping trips, Paulie tried playing Frisbee for the very first time. I didn't care whether he caught it. I didn't care whether he brought it back perfectly. There were no corrections and no wrong answers. We just played.

Play is an important part of Fear Free training because it helps build confidence, strengthens our relationship with our dogs, gives them an outlet for natural behaviors, and teaches them that interacting with us and trying new things can be rewarding.

Not every interaction with our dogs needs to accomplish something. Sometimes the goal really can be: Did we both have fun? Judging from these pictures, I'm going with YES. ❤️

What does FUN look like for your dog? Show me your dogs having some Friday fun in the comments!

09/04/2026

Fear-Free Friday — “Drop It” Could Save a Life

Yesterday, a very ordinary little training skill may have saved the puppy's life.

I took my mom to CVS after a doctor’s appointment to pick up a prescription, and while she was at the counter, the puppy and I sat down in the waiting area.

I noticed him pick something up off the floor. I thought it was a little piece of paper, so without much concern I casually said, “Drop it.”

And he did.

Except it wasn’t paper.

It was a little green pill. 😳

I have absolutely no idea what medication it was, how long it had been there, or what it could have done to a puppy his size. But I DO know that I was incredibly grateful to see it sitting on the floor instead of disappearing down his throat.

He got LOTS of treats for doing as I asked!!!!

And this is exactly why I teach “drop it” the way I do.

I don't want my dogs to worry that when I approach them or ask them to give something up, something bad is about to happen. I don't want them thinking, "Quick! Swallow it before she takes it!" or "I'd better run away and hide with this." A dog who has repeatedly had things grabbed, chased away from them, or forcibly removed can learn that swallowing something fast is the best way to keep it.

Giving something to me should be safe. Boring, even. And whenever possible, worthwhile. We practice with things that aren't emergencies. We trade. We reward. Sometimes he even gets the item back. The goal is to build a long history of learning that giving something up doesn't mean he needs to protect it from me.

Because the day your dog picks up something truly dangerous is NOT the day you want to discover that “drop it” has become a battle. Yesterday, I thought I was asking my puppy to drop a scrap of paper. Instead, I may have asked him to drop something that could have seriously hurt him.

Fear-free training isn't just about helping our dogs feel safe. Sometimes, the skills we build through that trust help keep them physically safe, too. ❤️🐾

08/31/2026

Mindful Monday — When “Won’t” Might Mean Something Else

The puppy and I have been having a little disagreement about where one should p*e.

He has always been remarkably good about house training — especially considering he grew up alongside an elderly, incontinent dog. He figured out very quickly that the rules were different for the two of them. Zygi might have an accident in the house, but that didn't mean the puppy could.

The backyard, however, has always been another story.

For quite a while, he preferred to wait until Zygi p*ed and then p*e over the same spot. If Zygi didn't go, sometimes the puppy wouldn't either. I'd end up taking him out front and starting a little “walk” before he'd finally decide it was an acceptable time and place to go. Since losing Zygi, that preference has become even stronger.

Unless he REALLY has to go, he will wait. And wait. And wait. Then I put the leash on, we start walking and... Oh! Apparently NOW we can p*e.

Even p**ping in the backyard — something he never used to hesitate about — has recently become less appealing to him. And it has made me wonder what he's telling me.

Maybe the backyard has become primarily a play and relaxation space in his mind, and he'd rather keep it clean. Maybe walking provides the smells and movement that help trigger elimination. Maybe Zygi was a much bigger part of his toileting routine than I realized. Maybe it's a combination of all three. I don't actually know. And that's the Mindful Monday part.

It would be easy to stand in the backyard getting frustrated: You KNOW you're supposed to go potty. Just GO. But he isn't being “bad.” He isn't having accidents in the house. In fact, he's showing remarkable bladder control while waiting for the opportunity he prefers.

So instead of immediately asking, “How do I make him do this?” I'm trying to ask, “Why might this make sense to him?”

That doesn't mean we can never work on changing it. There are certainly advantages to having a dog who will toilet in the yard when needed! But understanding what's behind a behavior can help us decide whether it actually needs changing — and, if it does, how to approach it without turning it into a battle.

And perhaps this puppy is also informing me that I no longer own the kind of dog who thinks a backyard is an acceptable substitute for a walk. Message received, little dude...

Mindful Monday thought: When your dog seems stubborn about something, spend a moment observing before correcting. Sometimes “won't” isn't defiance at all. Sometimes it's preference, habit, uncertainty, association — or simply a dog experiencing the situation differently than we do.

08/28/2026

Fear-Free Friday — What IS this thing?

On our recent travels, the puppy and I stopped at the Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, PA — which, fun fact, is dog friendly!

While we were there, we found this fascinating contraption where balls travel through tracks, tunnels, ramps and all sorts of moving parts and noises. And the puppy was intrigued. So we stopped. And I gave him time to watch it, listen to it, and figure it out.

Curiosity is something I love to see. When a puppy feels safe enough to watch, investigate and gather information without being pushed, he is building confidence and resilience for all the strange things he'll encounter later.

And judging by my puppy's face, I'm pretty sure he would have happily watched those little balls all afternoon. ❤️

Pitch Perfect Paws

09/29/2026

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