Blog
Learn more about our successes, our struggles, and what we have learned from our clients at The Freckled Paw.
A week with a puppy!
Callie here with another confession: it has been a very long time since I have lived with a puppy. Earlier this month I got to spend a week with a 5 month old Australian shepherd puppy who quickly reminded me that puppies are no walk in the park. I now have a new...
My life with multiple dogs
Some of you know I just brought home a fourth dog. Yes, I currently have 250 pounds of dog in my house. That number will be a little lower once Toad looses some weight. Poor Fat Fat. How do we make this work, and how do we keep the peace? I am going to give you the...
Dog Training: Easy, but not Simple
I am currently taking an online class to teach Cargo how to formally heel. We may or may not do any obedience work, but I am a huge nerd and enjoy training my dogs. This particular class is a 3 session in depth into the details and small particles of the heeling...
Successful Virus Quarantine: Dog Edition
Some of us are headed into week three of quarantine here in the US. That's three weeks of uncertainty, figuring out this "new normal" routine. On top of "stay at home" orders, many of you are now working from home, homeschooling your kids, and trying to keep up with...
Dog Training: A reflection on 2019
So often this year I was the second, (third or fourth) trainer that people had seen or asked for help for their dog. That's okay, I am not the trainer for everyone, that's why there are more than one of us! Unfortunately for some of these people, the first trainer...
Teaching manners
What is one of the things that is sure to embarrass dog owners? Their dogs jumping on people. Whether it be when someone comes into the home or when saying hello to somebody on a walk, seeing those front paws fly into the air usually causes owners to turn red. Our...
K.I.S.S. Loose leash walking success!
Walking our dogs is the first thing that most people say when asked "what activities do you do with your dog?" For those who have easy to handle dogs, walking is a stroll through the neighborhood. There are dog owners, however, who dread taking their dogs out in...
Canine Enrichment: The W’s
Enrichment is a new buzz word in the dog community. It began awhile ago in the zoo world because the animals were being put in an unnatural environment and needed to satisfy some of the needs that are not met in captivity. Its slowly making its way into pet households...
The puppy and the cold weather
Well 2020 started out really nice, I was on the beach barefoot for a few days there. These days we are back to typical January weather, wet and cold. I hate the cold weather, one day when I have made all the money, I'll be a snowbird and winter in sunny Florida. (We...
Adoption Counseling
We have a new dog in the family! I had the privilege of accompanying my cousin to our local animal shelters to find his new best friend. He's never lived with a dog, his parents didn't have dogs growing up so he only had my train wrecks to play with. (I didn't get a...
Our Favorite Things
Our Supply List! We put together a supply list for those of you on your training journey. Everyone loves getting an amazon package so we have created a list of things that we know and love to help curb (or encourage) your online spending. Most of these are amazon...
I am not against exercise
I want to clarify something from a previous post. If you would like to read that post first, you can find the link here: I don't walk my dogs. The most frequent time that I tell my clients to stop walking their dogs is when they are reacting to stuff outside. This...
The one thing you need to know about bringing home puppy!
Jon wrote our blog this week! He's become our puppy guru and has a great tip for all the new puppy folks out there! The one solution for most of your puppy problems! For many, the story of a puppy being "hard headed" and obstinate is all too familiar: "She just keeps...