I know that you are a good dog person. This is true however you have been meeting dogs. You’ve been doing your best with the info you had. You come from a place of caring about dogs and wanting to connect with dogs.

That said, here are safe ways to meet a new dog:

• Give a tiny “hello”.

• Toss a treat away from you and past the dog

• Act as if the dog isn’t there.

• Look away from the dog.

• Give the dog space.

• Give a tiny wave

Next let’s talk about a few ways to meet a new dog that are scary for dogs. Before I began learning about dogs, I had met dogs in all of these unsafe ways.

July 4th fireworks are coming if you’re in the US! Or if you’re in LA, fireworks season has been here for weeks.

Today is a great day to ask your vet if behavior meds are a good match for your dog.

Trixie had a dental yesterday. 

When we scheduled the dental, the veterinarian said I'd be dropping Trixie off. 

I've seen Trixie's fear when she's taken away for a drop-off appointment. I asked:

“Is it possible for me to be with Trixie for as much of the dental as possible? I know she's less afraid with me there right before and after.” 

One night last week, our toddler almost ran into the street.

We were coming out of the farmer's market, and I said: “Okay, we've got to hold hands crossing the street.”

The toddler started running towards the street. I ran after, I scooped the toddler up. And I said “Okay, I've got to carry you the rest of the way home because it's too hard for you to hold hands right now.”

And I was feeling scared, mad, confused. Doesn't the toddler know that we always hold hands crossing the street?

Are you struggling with potty training?

If your dog has an accident, this is a BUMMER. It is SO NORMAL to feel frustrated, hopeless, even angry. I see you and you're not alone.

The ONE THING that will make potty training way harder: punishing your dog.

tl;dr: No

A few years ago while traveling with Heather, I got heat exhaustion. I lay on the trail feeling hot and scared. Heather said compassionate things to me and helped me cool off.

The next day, did I:

A. Drink no water so I’d get hot and scared again and Heather would say nice things? OR

B. Hydrate and otherwise take more care of my body?

If you picked B, you’re right! Do I need to be sick or scared for Heather to say kind things? Of course not. I know Heather loves me no matter what.

Your dog can know that too.

Trixie used to bark A LOT at dogs and people outside our home.

She’d hear someone and bark. Run to the window. See the trigger, then bark more. 

Sounds scare Trixie. I relate. Sounds can make me anxious too.

Training, enrichment, meds, and management help Trixie bark much less.

Let’s start with managementaka arranging the environment. 

Wanting our kid and dog to feel safe together inspired me to become a dog trainer. It ain’t always easy! Two scenes of me helping our toddler feel safe:

What happens if my dog gets it right?

What happens if my dog gets it wrong?