Dog Trainer Wishes

 We hit 800 followers!

So here are 8 whimsical truths every dog trainer wishes dog owners magically knew; preferably delivered by a dog with a big heart! 

8 Things Every Dog Trainer Wishes Owners Knew

1. Your dog isn’t being “stubborn,” they’re being dog.

Most dogs aren’t plotting mutiny. They’re just trying to make sense of our human weirdness. Clear communication beats frustration every time. The behaviors that we often label as "stubborn" such as staying laid down when we beg them to come our way or trying to rush ahead of us instead of walk nicely, are generally driven by natural dog behavior. Behavior happens based on what has been reinforced in the past mixed with what is going on in the moment. If they are comfortably chilling and the bed and we call them, it's only natural that they would question "why!" If your boss called you on a day off and asked you to come into work, you'd want to know why before heading in. 

2. Reinforcement isn’t bribery; it’s how all living beings learn.

If treats were cheating, every teacher with gold stars would be in jail. Rewards simply say: “Yep, THAT! Do that again!” If we naturally love the job we are being asked to do, we need a very small reward to do that job. However if we hat the job we are being asked to do, we need to be paid big or will not likely do that job again. Reinforcement involves both intrinsic (something that makes us feel good) and extrinsic (something that is added to make us feel better) rewards for a behavior or job we just did. Both humans and dogs learn best when they love what they are being asked to do! Sometimes there may be a fear or hesitation to do a certain job, perhaps we are not sure we know how to do that job, and that is exactly where a reward is best placed to build value for the work that is being done. Dogs, humans, and all animals learn best when there is a reward!

3. Sniffing is not optional. It’s the dog version of checking email.

Letting your dog sniff on walks is enrichment, empowerment, and decompression rolled into one wagging package. Humans are more visual and often enjoy watching...TV, funny dog reels, anything entertaining. However dogs are more scent driven and enjoy sniffing a wide variety of scents every day. We don't have to let them sniff everything! But making sure they have time in each day to do this very natural dog behavior is important for quality of life and mental health!

4. Training happens in tiny moments, not dramatic movie montages.

Consistency beats heroics. Five good minutes a day is magic! The best training happens in your house when you need a specific behavior in order to be successful in accomplishing a job together. Teaching the dog good manners at the door, at dinner time, and other big moments in the day can be taught in small bursts throughout the day. A young puppy needs to go out to potty frequently; this is the perfect time to teach a door manners routine that will lead to the behavior you want your adult dog to do at the door. Dogs thrive on routine, some more than others. Teaching dogs to have manners happens in tiny moments, yet we often forget that when we start training formal obedience such as heel or stay, suddenly wanting to do long training sessions that are hard for the dog. While you can build up to longer training sessions to practice known behaviors, it's best to teach new behaviors in short, 1-3 minutes bursts of time.

5. Overexcited brains can’t learn, no matter how loudly you ask.

If your dog looks like a confetti cannon about to explode, they need calm, not commands. This is why so many dogs struggle with greeting people or other dogs; they are so excited with the idea of greeting that they simple can't do the calm behaviors we are asking for.  The solution involves helping the dog calm down before the greeting so that they can remember the manners we are training. This is where management comes into play while the dog is learning to control themselves. Crates, gates, and leashes can be used to prevent the dog from rushing into a greeting and often self reinforcing moment. This is why we use leashes out on walks and in group classes! Leashes prevent our over-excited dogs from rushing to interact with everyone while we pull out all our focus games to help our dog calm down and choose us over the distraction. Only once we have calm can we allow greetings or train new behaviors.

6. Socialization isn’t “go greet every creature in a 3-mile radius.”

Quality beats quantity. Calm exposure > chaotic interactions. Think peaceful museum tour, not mall on Black Friday. Most dog owners focus on socialization during the puppy stage getting as many people to pet the puppy as possible and finding as many dogs to play with our dogs as possible. However this often sets the puppy up to fail as not all people or other dogs interact appropriately with the young pup. Some people might be too excited to pet the puppy, therefore raising the pup's excitement during the greeting that will carry over to future greetings. Some dogs might correct a pup for rude behavior, but many dogs will over-correct often causing the pup to be fearful of dogs. It's mega important to choose the right people and dogs for our puppies to interact with. And on the flip side, it's mega important to teach our puppies that they don't get to greet every person or dog they see and that ignoring strangers has value too.

7. Management is not failure; it’s strategy.

Baby gates, pens, leashes, and closed doors aren’t signs you “lost.” They’re signs you’re smart enough to prevent chaos before it erupts. Often when I suggest that a dog owner puts up a baby gate to stop the puppy from running out the front door, I get the response that the owner doesn't want to live like that and would rather just train the dog to stay away from the door. However it's not always management OR training and most generally it will involve both management AND training. Sometimes it easier to use management for the lifetime of the dog than work hours, weeks, months on training. That's totally OK if the choice is to use long-term management. Often the management is only needed during the training stage, then can be phased out once the dog understands the behavior you want.

8. Relationship always comes before obedience.

Trust, connection, and teamwork are the real superpowers. Tricks are just the sparkles on top. This is huge! This is how all of the Yooper Paws group classes and private sessions work. Each lesson is founded on teamwork, communication, and cooperation with the new behaviors being taught within the teamwork framework.  This doesn't slow down training at all! Teamwork actually speeds up training in the fact that we create a dog that wants to be with their human and do all the cool things WITH their human.

We hope you enjoyed this list!

If you don't follow us on social media, you're missing out on lots of great training tips, fun social interactions among dog owners, and learning how to understand your dog better. We try our best to make our social media accounts positive, and uplifting for dog owners vs some of the hate and discontent that is commonly found on social media. 

Here are the great ways to follow us:

YooperPaws FB page: https://www.facebook.com/YooperPawsOfLove/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ypoflove/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yooperpawsoflove

Patreon: patreon.com/YooperPawsofLove

Bio-Site: bio.site/YooperPaws

For simple social content, our Facebook and Instagram accounts are basically mirrored so you can choose which one is best for you. Facebook allows you to share pictures of your dog in the comments, but Instagram does not, therefore we interact more with fun games on Facebook.

YouTube is the best place to see un-edited training videos. All our raw footage of training sessions with my personal dogs and many of our clients is posted here. Also all the videos from our great e-books are hosted on You-Tube.

Patreon is where all our online classes take place, but there is also more in-depth training available to both free and paid memberships. This is where I often create training around the most common issues I'm seeing that month or create training that is more advanced for working dogs.

Bio-Site is new, but also the best place to see our monthly projects and sales. This month we have info on the Creating a Calm Christmas series & the Fresh Start to Dog Training Workshop available. Bio-site allow us to keep one consistent link for you to find, that gives you access to our projects that are always changing. This is great if your favorite social media platform is Instagram as we can't put a link in a reel, but you can always find the bi0-site link in our Instagram profile.

If you need help finding the right social media platform that meets your needs we are happy to help!

Also if you'd like to help us grow, please take a moment to visit the platform of your choice and like 3 posts, comment on 2 posts, and share 1 post to your feed. Our goal is to grow our social media content to over 1,000 people following us on Facebook & Instagram

Thank you for supporting Yooper Paws and helping us grow!

Understanding Attachment

Affection vs. Attachment: The Heart of Your Dog-Human Bond

We all love those puppy snuggles, the wagging tails, and those big, soulful eyes that melt our hearts.  That’s affection; it’s love in the moment, the feel-good stuff that keeps our bond warm and fuzzy.

But attachment? That runs deeper.
Attachment is the trust your dog feels knowing you’ll show up to meet their needs, guide them through challenges, and keep them safe in a confusing world. It’s not just about love, it’s about security.

Here’s the thing:
A dog can be affectionate without being securely attached. That’s when you see clingy, anxious behaviors; the dog who can’t settle when you leave the room, or the one who panics when the leash goes on because they’re not sure what’s coming next.

Affection says, “I love you right now.”

Attachment says, “I trust you always.” 

When we focus only on affection, we risk building a relationship based on emotional highs. When we nurture attachment, we create a partnership built on calm confidence, teamwork, and mutual understanding.

A Fresh Start!

The Fresh Start to Dog Training Workshop is designed to create stronger attachments between human and dog. This 5-month adventure in connection, confidence, and calm teamwork with weekly games is designed to grow with you and your dog. Along the way we sprinkle in loads of force-free training tips, help dog owners understand their dog better, and how to move away from struggles by focusing on the behaviors you want your dog to do more often. Then we end each with with a chance to reflect and plan your next steps with your dog.

Both Yooper Paws of Love & Crazy2Calm Canine Coaches are available to support you and your dog all along the way!

Learn how to bring joy back to training through simple weekly games designed for every dog and every human.

Join the Fresh Start Workshop for just $15 / month and plan to stick around for the full 5-month arc (that’s $75 total if you stay through the whole series), but you can cancel anytime.

Ready to join?

1. Visit the Yooper Paws Patreon Membership Page

2. Choose the Fresh Start Membership tier for $15 / month. Your first monthly payment confirms your spot. 

3. Start training on November 18
   The workshop officially begins Nov 18. Each week you’ll get lessons, games, and support all designed to be simple, practical, and fun, and delivered right to your email box!

So yes, keep the belly rubs, cuddles, and kisses! 

But also:
🐾 Provide consistency and clear communication.
🐾 Support your dog through big emotions instead of reacting to them.
🐾 Play together, not just for fun, but for connection and learning.

Because your dog doesn’t just need to know that you love them…
They need to know they can count on you. 💞

How Attachment Supports Fearful Dogs

For fearful dogs, the world can feel unpredictable, noisy, and overwhelming. New people, strange sounds, sudden movements ... all of it can trigger uncertainty. In these moments, a secure attachment between dog and human becomes the most powerful safety net a dog can have.

When a dog truly trusts their person, they don’t face their fears alone.
Instead of reacting with panic or avoidance, they begin to look to their person for guidance. That’s the magic of attachment, when it turns the handler into a source of comfort and stability.

Think of it like this:
💬 Affection says, “I love you; I’ll pet you when you’re scared.”
🤝 Attachment says, “I’ve got you; you can lean on me while we face this together.”

Fearful dogs often have trouble regulating their emotions because the world feels unsafe. When they form a strong attachment to their handler, that relationship becomes the emotional anchor they need. The human’s calm energy and clear communication help the dog’s nervous system relax. Over time, this consistent co-regulation teaches the dog how to return to calm on their own.

That’s why attachment-based work isn’t just “bonding.” It’s emotional rehabilitation.
Each predictable walk, every successful “look at that” game, every calm breath beside you tells your dog:

“You are safe. You are understood. You can trust me to guide you through this.”

And as that trust deepens, confidence blossoms. Not because the fear disappears overnight, but because your dog learns that together, you can handle it. 

The Fresh Start Winter Workshop is perfect for dog owners with fearful dogs!

The Fresh Start Workshop provides a supportive, step-by-step approach that helps dog owners build confidence and connection with their fearful dogs. Through gentle games, structured reflection, and relationship-based training, handlers learn to create safety, predictability, and trust; the foundation fearful dogs need to thrive. Each week focuses on clear communication and teamwork, empowering both dog and human to move past fear and into calm, cooperative learning experiences.

Check out a 7 Day Free Trial of the Fresh Start Membership through Nov 30th.

Join Patreon under the Free Trial and if it's not what you expected you can cancel before ever being charged. This offer is only available before Nov 30th when registration closes until next year.

Attachment: The Foundation of Every Successful Service Dog Team

For a service dog team, attachment isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential.

Service dogs are more than companions; they are trusted partners who must interpret subtle cues, make quick decisions, and remain steady in the face of unpredictable environments. That level of teamwork can only grow from a deeply rooted sense of trust and attachment between the dog and their handler.

A securely attached service dog doesn’t just obey commands, they read the human. They tune into changes in breathing, posture, or emotion, adjusting their behavior based on what their partner needs. Whether it’s a mobility dog anticipating a balance shift or a medical alert dog catching a signal of distress, their ability to respond reliably stems from the confidence that their person is consistent, kind, and trustworthy.

Without that emotional security, even the most well-trained service dog can struggle. Inconsistent communication, high-stress environments, or unclear expectations can erode confidence, making it harder for the dog to perform calmly and accurately.

Attachment gives the team their rhythm; that seamless, almost invisible communication that makes it look like they move as one. 

Building this bond means:
🐾 Prioritizing trust before task work.
🐾 Using calm, clear communication rather than correction.
🐾 Supporting your dog’s emotional needs as much as their working skills.

When a handler and dog share a secure attachment, it transforms every task into a partnership and every challenge into an opportunity to grow together. The result isn’t just a well-trained service dog, it’s a confident, connected team. 

A Fresh Start Workshop strengthens service dog teams by building essential foundation skills that enhance communication, focus, and reliability in a variety of environments. Through structured games, impulse control exercises, and recall challenges, handlers learn to read their dog’s cues, reinforce desired behaviors, and foster a strong bond of trust and teamwork. These skills directly translate to increased safety, efficiency, and confidence for both dog and handler in real-world public access situations.

Crazy2Calm Canine Coaches are available throughout the whole workshop to help you adapt the games based on your abilities. The workshop provides a clear training plan for 5 months that will help you and your service dog grow as a TEAM using the Crazy2Calm approach of Teach, Engage, Adapt, & Motivate.

Join the Fresh Start Workshop and join other SD Handlers this winter!

If you are a Crazy2Calm Patreon Member, ask your Crazy2Calm Canine Coach if you qualify for a discount for this workshop!