Up until a few years ago I was an extremely active member in the Crossfit community. I ended up with a back injury that forced me to walk away from the sport, but I still admire the mentality of the athletes that show up to challenge themselves physically and mentally. A popular saying in the […]

I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who read our last post “The Happy Heeler is Not Always Happy”. The outpouring of support we received was truly inspiring, and wildly unexpected. We are with you, and know that reactivity is not a life long issue if you do not want it to

As much as I wish this post was about Vinny, it is actually about Chief. I don’t discuss it openly often but he has always been a reactive dog. Herding breeds have the tendency to be reactive. They like to control movement, they are protective of their space, and heelers specifically tend to choose one

Clearly, I love my dogs dearly. I mean it when I say they are my family. I utilize training to make their world as big as possible, and give them every opportunity to enjoy their lives to the fullest. All that aside, I often wonder if I did the right thing by giving working breed

A popular buzz word in the dog community is socialization. Everyone talks about it, but outside of professional training or owners that have undergone extensive training with their dog, almost no one can properly define it. I find this word to be highly misleading and am here to offer a replacement option. When I think

Since the day Chief came home, I started training immediately. I was so anxious to do “all the things”. Every month he aged I felt excited to be closer to working towards our goals. The puppy days flew by and suddenly we were competing in sports, hiking big trails, and running miles together. I am

Although this blog will be about Chief, our story all starts with my rescue dog Vinny. Vinny is a 4-ish year old German Shepherd mix. He had an extremely difficult and abusive life before coming into mine, and with this baggage came extreme behavior issues. He is an excessively sweet dog to the few people