Blog
Learn more about our successes, our struggles, and what we have learned from our clients at The Freckled Paw.
One Huge Thank You
A Huge Thank you for your support! If you follow us on the socials you have seen a glimpse of our new home on Granby Street. We are hard at work getting things cleaned up and ready to invite you all in so we can continue to offer the very best in dog training for your...
Why Private Dog Training Might Be Right for Your Pup
Once you decide that you need a little individualized attention for you pup, how do you decide between the growing list of people who call themselves trainers. Let me walk you through how we put together our private dog training programs. Maybe you can benefit from...
Do you hate walking your Reactive Dog?
I get it, I really do! With Pixie, I remember those first spring days coming home from appointments thinking how wonderful it would be to go walk my dog. Then pulling into the neighborhood to find that everyone else had the exact same idea. Between the kids playing in...
Tips on finding the right breeder
Deciding on a breed and breeder for your next puppy I wish more people would reach out to trainers to help them find a puppy. We know lots of dogs, and can certainly help direct you to a breeder and puppy that will match your lifestyle. Here are some of the...
Saved by a stick of string cheese
Dogs are looking for information on how to navigate the human parts of living their life. Situations like jumping, walking on a leash, to bark or not to bark could be prevented or at least managed by well timed piece of something like a string cheese . “My dog won’t...
Like potato chips, multiple dogs are the way to go!
Your first dog was perfect, why not get another one! They need a friend and you did such an awesome job with the first one, you are feeling pretty great about your training abilities. Just like the second kid, the second (or third, or fourth) dog may not be that easy....
The Dog Bites: Knowing why aggression happens
Aggression in dogs can be really scary. Since April is dog bite prevention month, lets talk first about why dogs bite. The two most common reasons are pain and fear. Dogs have many ways they communicate that they are uncomfortable, and unfortunately many people...
When Training Doesn’t Work
Some clients come to us with a laundry list of things they would like to work on with their dogs. Things like barking at the window, the neighbors dogs, the wind blowing, alert barking for no actual reason, guarding spaces, humans, treats or toys, picking fights with...
Being Realistic about your dogs limitations
Unrealistic Expectations I have to be very careful about the dog training content I consume on the internet. First, if the trainer happens to be abusive in the name of training, then I do not want to stroke their ego by giving them more views. These are usually the...
I can do it myself!
Can you though? Your dog will probably figure it out eventually, maybe. Your last dog figured it out so this one will too. Anyone with more than one child will tell you that's not correct. Every dog you raise is going to different. They will start with different bag...
Why Adopt a Shelter Dog
October happens to be Adopt a Shelter Dog month, and what a great month it is to bring home a new family companion. Bringing a dog into your home is a life-changing decision, filled with joy, love, and new adventures. While there are many ways to adopt a furry...
Our Favorite Dog Training Locations in Virginia Beach Virginia
Our Favorite Dog Training Locations in Virginia Beach Virginia Welcome to a new blog post series on my favorite places to train dogs. I always strive to be as transparent as possible with what the dog training programs will look like. Hopefully this will give you a...
The most over looked symptom in any Behavior Case
Pain in Dog I am coming out of two full years of injured dogs. Toad needed bilateral TPLO surgery to save his knees in 2022. Cargo was diagnosed with Medial Shoulder Instability in December of last year. My dog cabinet looks like a whole pharmacy. We have been to...