Ruff Start Dog Training

09/04/2026

I'm out of town for the holiday weekend. Athena is my buddy on our trip out of town! Carrots is in the back cuddling Rosie. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

09/01/2026

🎒🐾 Back to School… but this time, it’s for the DOGS! 🐾🎒

The kids aren’t the only ones going back to school this September! 📚🐶

It’s time for your pup to sharpen their skills, learn some new tricks, and become the best-behaved member of the family. 💙

📚 New September classes are now enrolling!
🐾 Small class sizes
🎓 Reward-based training
⭐ Real-life skills for real-life dogs

Pack those treats, grab your leash, and let’s get to school! 🐶🎒

Sign up directly at:
www.ruffstartdogtraining.com/class-sign-ups

Or

📲 Call or text Amy at 219-314-1874 to save your spot!

Dog Trainer in West Virginia, Dog training near me, therapy dog training, dog obedience training, service dog training, dog training, dog training classes near me, dog potty training, aggressive dog training, behavioral dog training, reactive dog training, Upshur dog training, certified dog trainer

09/01/2026

Some days you just have to give a shout out where it's due! One of my clients has a dog on medication for anxiety. His vet left her practice so they had to find a new vet, which meant we needed to do some training first. This dog does have a bite record, so we wanted to set him up for success and have a happy visit at the vet so he didn't stress out and hurt himself or the staff. We went to Stonewall Jackson Veterinary Hospital on 33 and let me tell you, that staff is PHENOMENAL! They let him wait outside or in his car until his appointment time (just for training sessions, not an exam). When we went in, they gave him space, got low to the ground, avoided eye contact, and this poor dog, as scared as he was, warmed up enough each time to be able to take treats! That's hard for a fearful dog. The appointment came and I got a BOOMING update from the owner about how well he did with his appointment and that he was cuddling the staff by the end of it!

A vet clinic taking the time to allow training AND being as good as they were says a lot about the quality of the place. I'm so impressed with the staff there and am so thankful they let him warm up a bit. Changing associations is so important for vet visits because they CAN BE a huge cause of trauma in dogs. A vet who strives to reduce that gets points in my book. If you know any staff there or Tonya (the vet), please tag them. They deserve the recognition of this post! I'm so impressed.

08/30/2026

🐕 Here's something interesting to think about when it comes to “dominance” and dog training.

Chimpanzees and hyenas both live in complex social groups with hierarchies. A hierarchy that might, upon observation, look like dominance. That doesn't mean we look at their relationships and conclude that the animals need to be physically intimidated or punished in order to behave appropriately.

Imagine visiting a zoo and seeing a zookeeper using an electric shock to get a chimpanzee to do something. Or repeatedly jerking on a hyena's neck. Or hitting, yelling at, or physically intimidating an animal because it didn't respond the way the trainer wanted. Most of us would probably feel uncomfortable watching that.

And I think that's worth thinking about.

Our ethical standards shouldn't change simply because the animal we're training is a dog. 🐕❤️

Dogs are incredibly capable of learning through consequences, communication, repetition, reinforcement, and relationship. We don't need to rely on fear or intimidation to teach them how to live successfully in our world.

And just because a method CAN make an animal comply doesn't automatically mean it's the most ethical way to teach.

I don't believe that people train that way because they're mean to their dogs... I think they do it because they don't know the other ways to do it. Let me give you the tools to do it ethically and see how FUN training your dog can be!

If we believe animals deserve humane treatment, that principle should apply to all animals—including the ones sleeping on our couches. ❤️

08/25/2026

Many people think that rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior is the whole idea of dog training, when really, associations are the main idea. Your dog's associations with the world around them are trumping operant conditioning (+/- rewards, and +/- punishment) at every turn. Changing associations is the bread and butter because they are an involuntary response your dog has to the stimuli around them. It's not about punishing your dog for lunging and barking at a trigger... It's about the emotional response to the trigger that your dog has no control over. If they associate a trigger with punishment, they'll fear and hate it. If they associate that trigger with reward, they'll love it. Changing associations is the bread and butter of how we teach our dogs. Operant conditioning is secondary.

08/24/2026

When day 2 of a week long board and train hits!

08/23/2026

I have an obedience class up for September on the website. There's only 3 spots left! Sign up now at www.ruffstartdogtraining.com/class-sign-ups

08/21/2026

AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior) released a helpful guide on how to find a recommended trainer. See below!

ASVAB official statement on what to look for in a trainer! This is exciting!

08/21/2026

I live in the country and I have no cell service at my home. My Internet, which is how I make calls is in and out every few minutes, so I can't get a lot of calls. If you have questions, please feel free to message me or text me at 219-314-1874.

08/18/2026

Got my wisdom teeth taken out today. I'll be recovering from that this week, so no classes this week. We will resume the 25th! Have a great week everyone!