Month: April 2025

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Potty Training 101

Just a quick tip because most dogs will need to learn about potty training or need a refresher.

If your pet is unsupervised they have the ability to use any part of the house as their bathroom. Why would you assume they know they shouldn’t? They don’t. Unless someone teaches them consistently they don’t know. They don’t know right from wrong, they know what they’ve been taught (or not taught). And even IF they know to use the bathroom outside, if they are new in your house they don’t know where the door is.

Spanking or yelling at your pet for using the house as a bathroom will not work. Even if you catch them in the act. Animals learn best when undesirable behavior is never an option. It’s avoided. It’s prevented.

Potty training can be time consuming and frustrating because it can take a REALLY long time. But there is a way to speed it up?

Keep your dog tethered to you at ALL times. Puppies, adults, seniors, any dog that is moving into your home. Sound inconvenient? It is. But guess what it works SO well!

You will see when your dog is starting to show signs of needing to go to the bathroom. You will see sniffing, restlessness, etc. And you can bring your dog outside when you see these signs.

If your dog does seem to pee without you noticing ahead of time, I guarantee youll catch your dog in the act mid stream and you can pick the dog up or walk the dog outside. No harsh or loud words needed. Because you catch your dog in the act it is an effective correction.

If your dog is unsupervised around your house, you are less likely to notice the signs or if the dog uses the bathroom. And then it’s too late.

No matter what, consistency is the key. Your dog needs to be tethered to you all day every day for this to work quickly. But know what the added bonus is? The best part?

The relationship you will develop with your dog during this time will be so deep and so connected. You will literally be spending all your time together. Your dog will learn to trust you and to follow you (this helps recall!).

It is also very easy to ask for random “sits” or “downs” at various times during the day. Working your dog like this helps with enrichment, education, bonding, and stress relief. There are so many benefits.

If you have a new dog coming to live with you or just recently brought a dog into you family give it a try! But really give it a fair chance. Its not just a few days, its more like a few weeks. All day, every day, consistently. And crate when you aren’t home. Or can’t tether.

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Lost Pets

Today is #NationalLostDogAwarenessDay

But let’s remember cats also get lost very often too .

I have done many lost pet sessions. Here are some things I want to share with all of you. Important things to remember to keep your animals SAFE. A lost pet is heart breaking for the guardians and scary for the animal. Though some lost animals are just freak accidents, most are preventable. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever lose your pet I encourage you to read all of the information below. Maybe it will come in useful. Maybe you can share it with someone. Hopefully it’s never needed. But if it saves even one pet from getting lost, it’s worth it.

  • It’s the animals that people think will never “run away” that get lost most often. Most likely the guardians aren’t as aware or attentive because of a false sense of security.
  • Newly adopted pets go missing ALL the time. Within days of adoption. Keep an eye on them, because they will be adjusting and maybe fearful they may try to run out the door, slip a collar, or just have another “new pet” incident occur. These animals DO NOT know where home is.
  • Holidays! With people in and out and more going on, animals can get scared and flee. Or they may unknowingly slip out of the door or fenced area due to guests leaving things open, not paying attention, or just the animal not being properly supervised because of the busy environment.
  • Fireworks. Even pets you think aren’t afraid have the potential to get spooked one time. When there are fireworks secure your pet at all times. This is the biggest cause of missing pets.
  • Car accidents. So many dogs are lost from accident scenes. They are not near home, don’t know how to get back home, and sometimes they are even injured. Buckle your pets in like you would do with your kids. It keeps them safe. The last thing you want to worry about during a car accident is where your dog is. The flee the scene quick and far because they are so afraid.
  • Put a GPS on your pet. Please! Identification tags and microchips are great if they end up found but most animals are too scared to ever approach a human when they are lost. A GPS will help you find your animal right away! This is the single best thing you can do to make sure your pet is found. And make sure the GPS collar stays charged to at least 35% so you have a buffer of time if the animal is lost.
  • Sadly, the vast majority of lost pets will never return home. They either are too afraid to show themselves to humans, they will die, they will get hurt and be unable to get to help, or they will be picked up and never identified. When fear takes over they are irrational. They will not come to people or you, they get too scared.

IF YOUR PET IS LOST

Put scented items outside of your home. Things that smell like YOU. Your pet loves YOU. This will help. Dirty clothes is best. And change it every couple days, to freshly dirty clothes to make sure the smell is strong.

If you go out searching make sure no one is calling frantically or yelling. That is scary for a pet. As soon as your animal is lots all sense of reason is gone. Their natural instincts kick in and they try to stay safe. Survival kicks in. They will be afraid, thinking you are MAD if you are yelling frantically. Call their name like you are playing with them.If it sounds fun, it sounds safe, and that is the best chance you have of brining them out of hiding/running.

  • Get a drone ASAP. Time is of the essence. The longer your pet is gone, the less chance you are going to have a happy reunion. As soon as your pet is gone, react. Don’t wait.
  • If you have a dog, and your dog has really good dog friends, bring those dogs to search. Animals will be more likely to show themselves to other animals.
  • Animals know how to hide to the point that many times a human will walk by (even their guardian) and NOT see them. They get so scared it’s all they know how to do. If your pet is lost look in and under EVERYTHING, even if you think the area is too small, too dense, or too unappealing. Your pet will hide in spots that you will walk right by and never notice. Search every single inch of every single area. It’s next level hide and seek. Trust me. I have seen many animals be found deceased in areas that were searched before the animal died.

The best thing you can do is PREVENT a lost pet. A lost pet is something no one (pet or guardian) wants to go through. PLEASE GPS your pets. It is the most likely way you will ever find them immediately if they ever go missing. There are many GPS options available. Even if they are not exact, they will give you a small area to check. Please share this information far and wide. Let’s keep pets HOME and SAFE with preventative measures.

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Challenges, Not Problems

Sometimes I learn from the animals and sometimes I learn from their guardians. 

One of my regular clients emailed me and used the word “ challenges “ instead of problems. It reminded me how important it is to make sure all of you understand the difference. 

None of the animals have problems. They are perfect beings in every day.  Many though, have challenges, just like humans. These challenges can be from past experience or just part of who they are. 

When someone has a challenge to overcome, support and empathy is needed. Not discipline. Not frustration. Not anger. Not a lack of understanding. When animals are trying to overcome challenges this can display as behavioral issues or insecurities. 

In those moments, you can explain something to them 1000x but they won’t understand. You can correct them over and over but they won’t understand. They will just suffer more and be more confused and feel more alone. 

What they need is for you to understand the challenge they are facing and trying to overcome. They need empathy. They need support. This support looks like you setting up their environment for them to succeed. That is the most important and effective thing you can do. 

SET UP THEIR ENVIRONMENT FOR THEIR SUCCESS. 

If you could view “problems” as “challenges”, how would that change your reaction to the situation?   And how would that change the way you engage with your pets in those moments?  Something to think about. 

They are so similar to us in so many ways. And if more humans understood that and offered them the same kind of patience, time, and understanding, relationships between humans and animals would be so much easier. 

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Personalities Can’t Be Changed or Trained

Please don’t try to make your pet into someone it’s not.

Some pets are INTROVERTS. They like to spend more time alone. These are great for people that work a lot, have busy social lives out of the home, or aren’t looking for a pet they can cuddle with all the time. When you have an introvert, you can’t take it personally if they want to be alone.

These introverts are also good for people that can accept their pet’s personality and allow their pet the alone time that is desired.

There are others that are ACTIVE ADVENTURES! These are great for active people. Runners, hikers, people always on the go and willing to take their pet with them &/or provide plenty of exercise and engagement at home. If these pets do not get what they need (exercise and engagement) they usually become destructive and develop nuisance behaviors because they are frustrated.

Then there are some that are EXTROVERTS. They want to be with people ALL THE TIME. These pets are great for people that are home a lot, people that have busy homes with lots of people in and out, people that like to bring their animals to many places.

And let’s not forget the BROKEN pets. These pets need extra kindness, extra patience, and extra time. These pets are good for people with an extra gentle heart. People that are healers. People that can ADAPT their life to help these animals feel safe and secure.

Try your best to pick a pet that fits your lifestyle. It makes things so much easier for you and the animal. But, when you get a pet that doesn’t fit your lifestyle… what do you do?

So what do you do if you get an animal that doesn’t fit your lifestyle?

Have realistic and reasonable expectations. You can’t change them so try to do your best to provide what they need and all of a sudden everything gets easier.

This means adapting your lifestyle in some way, just like you would for a child. There are ways you can do this without burdening your family or without changing your lifestyle drastically. It requires compromise on both sides. But we do it for human children, and we need to do it for animals too.

* You can hire pet care (short check ins, full days, walks, day cares, play time, etc.)

* You can create quiet, isolated spots in the home for your pet to access when in need of alone time.

* You can set boundaries. There is NOTHING wrong with telling people they can’t pat your animal, engage with your animal, or hold your animal. There is NOTHING wrong with telling people your pet needs space. Or saying your pet is learning, and you need someone to disengage. YOU are the voice for your pets. YOU must advocate for them so they can succeed.

  • Set up self driven enrichment. There are many options for in home pets to keep them busy and entertained. Bird feeders by the window, engagement toys that toss food, dog/cat TV is now an option, music, etc.

* Give your animal a job is was meant for and bred for and ENJOYS (horses especially!)

* Get your animal a friend if they are social. This does WONDERS for ALL types of personalities.

* Make small changes to your life. More time to play, walk, go for a ride, etc… It can be 10-15 min or 60 min and it WILL help!

* When you DO have time, stay off your phone or the TV and engage with your animal fully. This attention on them WILL make a huge difference for all types.

Remember, animals don’t get to coose where they live. We choose. And if we choose to have them live with us, we are agreeing to make sure we meet their needs (physical and emotional).

So if you are considering bringing a new animal into the home, ask the current human about the animals personality type, its needs, and do breed research. Consider age, breed, current living situation of the animal. Explain yours to its current caretaker. Talk and communicate. The goal is for everyone to be happy.

Remember if your animal is doing something “wrong” it is their way of communicating their needs are not being met. Punishing them won’t help. Meeting their needs and understanding them will.

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Make it FUN!

Make it FUN!

When you are trying to teach your pets new things, make it fun!

When you are trying to get your animals to listen or respond to you, make it fun!

I see so many guardians try to distract “misbehavior” with frustration or anger. This NEVER works with animals. They don’t see the behavior as the problem. They see YOU as the problem. They don’t want to approach YOU because of your energy.

Animals are such highly energetic beings. Our best communication with them will come from our energy.

If your dog won’t come back when you call it, calling angrily or with frustration or authority won’t help. Would you want to go back to someone who is mad? But if you are happy and excited, your dog will want to come back to you!

If your horse is not yielding off the leg or not going forward and you keep hitting or kicking it, do you really think that will make the horse want to go? Nope! It makes the horse tense. But! If you make it fun, just go for a gallop, the horse will then want to have FUN!

If your cat is scratching something and you yell or make a loud noise to distract it, you’re just making your cat nervous, but if you distract your cat with an alternative FUN activity/game, your cat will crave the game, more than the inappropriate scratching spot.

Animals learn best through ignoring the negative and using positive distractions and techniques. It’s actually very simple. They will learn faster. They will trust you more. Communication between the two of you will improve. They will be happier. You will be happier. Because happy pets are easier to live with.

This applies to all species. Try it, I promise it will work better than frustration and anger. You aren’t rewarding undesirable (aka bad) behavior with positive and fun tactics, you are showing them how much better and more fun “good” behavior is. Its changing their thoughts and their focus. And ignoring undesirable behavior.

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Our Pets Are Sponges

* Our Pets Are Sponges * 

Our pets absorb all of our low emotions. It’s their job. 

* Sadness

* Anger

* Negativity 

* Often times even our illness

They want to protect us so they will absorb all of this from us. If we don’t help them clear these emotions, they will become ill, depressed, or act out with nuisance behaviors. 

A couple days ago I talked about leaving your emotions at the door before you walk in the house. This protects your pet and minimizes the low vibrations we bring into the house. But our pets will still absorb negative emotions from us, from visitors leaving energy in the house, from life with us (their guardian!) etc.. It is inevitable. So here is what you can do to help them release it. Especially when times are very stressful. 

* Allow them time outside to be grounded (if they are not solely inside pets). Going out and touching their paws to Mother Earth helps release energy. 

* Inside pets – this is why they lay in the sun! The sun provides a natural energy cleansing. If you see your pet lying in the sunlight indoors, they are cleansing. 

* Give your pet permission to release – Thank your pet for unselfishly absorbing your heavy energy and emotions. Tell your pet they do not need to hold that for you. Then (with your hand or a pet brush) brush their entire body with a flicking motion as you visualize the heavy energy being brushed off their body.  Do this once a week or more if under stressful situations or immediately following a confrontation or low energy situation. This is why so many animals love to be brushed. They know it clears their energy.  (Unless their matted, then it hurts!)

* Meditate with your pet. We meditate to balance ourselves. Our pets need the same. Go to where your animal is relaxed, sit with your animal, where your animal is comfortable. Set an intention to include your animal. Take a couple deep breaths. Feel you are breathing in the energy of your pet. Then breathe out the energy that you want them to release.  They will feel this and start to relax  and release even more during the meditation. In closing, ask your guides to protect your pet.

Keeping your pets energy balanced will help them live longer, happier lives.

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Reactivity

Let’s talk about our pet’s reactivity again. So many humans expect reactivity in animals just to vanish! If the reactivity seems like it is unreasonable, frankly it might be… but let me give you something to think about.

How many of you are overly reactive when it’s unnecessary? Most humans are. Some have a fear of spiders and over react, even scream when seeing one. Reality? How can that little tiny spider hurt you? It can’t. But that doesn’t minimize your reactivity or fear.

Heights? Unless you have fallen, is that fear necessary? Nope. Psychological? I’ve seen people cry out of fear. The difference with pets? They can’t cry so they will growl, hiss, bolt, explode, etc… It’s the only way they can express themselves.

What about those little things people do that really anger you? (We aren’t all guilty of this but some are!). You might scream, swear, slam something. But yet you are upset when your dog (example) “reacts” to another dog? Maybe that dog did something completely offensive, you just don’t know! Or maybe the dog is just not a fan of other dogs… again, maybe irrational, but to whoever it is human, or animal, it seems rational.

Reactivity is annoying, I know it is. I have a VERY reactive strong pitbull. It can be dangerous. It should be worked on in hopes of improving it. The point I am trying to make is be patient. Accept it to some degree. Don’t ignore it. Reactivity is a sign of your animal being uncomfortable, frightened, stressed in some way. Try to help them. But be patience. And accept some animals will ALWAYS be reactive to some degree. That does not make them less lovable or less worthy. It does not make them “bad” or “aggressive.” It makes them an individual that has triggers and fears, JUST LIKE HUMANS.

If you all sit down and think of things that cause YOU to be reactive, I am sure most of you can find at least one. And Im sure it is something many others (including your pet) would say is irrational. But to you, it isn’t. And that’s ok. The same applies to your animal.

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