What feels kind in the moment isn’t always what’s right.

Sometimes leadership looks uncomfortable before it looks like love.

Respect isn’t forced—it’s earned through clarity and follow-through.

What your dog listens to is what you consistently enforce.

How do you introduce a new dog to his new home, dog-brothers and sisters, and home dynamic? Very delicately.

So many dog owners get stuck trying to correct that big explosive moment with their dog in the heat of the moment rather than stacking all of the little permission based exercises in order to prevent the reaction from ever happening.

For any dog that has successfully avoided pushing through a stressful situation, and reacts with aggression, barking, growling, or flight, the reward is to either scare the threat away by growling, or to run from it.

One of the best ways to prevent an ugly situation from ever occurring with your dog is by addressing any shift in behavior at its lowest level of interest, (ears perked forward, closed mouth, crinkled forehead, a glance away from you), before it has chance to escalate into something that cannot be reversed.

If there isn’t a “NO” in your conversation with your badly misbehaved dog, then you are reinforcing whatever behavior she is currently exhibiting.

Human negligence is causing the euthanasia epidemic we are seeing in our country. Dogs fall victim to human ignorance, thoughtlessness, and poor management on a daily basis. A lack of realizing the importance of discipline, order, and obedience training can turn a remarkable dog with an immense capacity for companionship into a destructive, aggressive, or hyper annoyance the next.

Dog training tools, such as the Prong Collar or E-Collar, are not evil or inhumane. Only the energy and intent behind the tool can be labeled as such.

One of the hardest skills to master, at least for myself, was keeping my cool when things get hairy with my dogs.

When finally reunited with your dog after a board an train, you can expect to see that nothing has changed in regards to his behavior and the relationship he remembers with you.

Feeling sorry for your dog should not be the reason to withhold structure because “he’s been through so much already.” Your dog needs a healthy future filled with accountability, rules, and boundaries that convince him that he no longer needs to make all of the decisions on his own.

If your dog is exhibiting any behavioral issues, chances are you may want to take a good look in the mirror.

Our Story of the Rescue: While animal abuse is seen on a daily basis and unfortunately cannot be denied, it is far less a cause of it’s current behavioral problems than most dog owners think. We need to move from a place of feeling sorry for, or making excuses for our rescues, to leading, training, and guiding. This is they only way to move your dog forward to a healthy state of mind. Holding on to your dog’s past can be more harmful than the actual abuse itself. 

So why so much focus on creating CALM with our dogs? Aren’t they supposed to have fun and run around like little maniacs? Creating Calm On Command can have a major impact on arousal and anxiety issues.