Carla Blackmon

CPDT-KA

Offering personal, private, one-on-one training sessions that help build confidence, diminish destructive behaviors, teaches appropriate behaviors for releasing excess energy and encouraging calming techniques.

May of my clients have separation anxiety, fear based aggression, overstimulation, under-stimulation, destructive behaviors, excessive barking, leash reactivity, and general reactivity to other dogs and people.

My training focuses on pet friendly, family friendly exercises that help your pet and your family live more comfortably together. I work on improving families one pet at a time. Prior to all training I start with a behavior consultation to get a clear picture of what your goals are for your family and your pet. We discuss what you want your dog to do and how we can go about helping that happen. We discuss health, environment, family dynamics, schedules and likes and dislikes of your pet. Then, we create an individual plan for your family. I have found that when we focus on the things we would like our pets to do quite a few of the nuisance behaviors diminish. Training should be fun for all involved and easy to implement into daily life. I can show you how.

Early on I was working as Veterinary Assistant and was in charge of the regular boarders. There were two that stood out to me for different reasons. One was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. He was in our clinic often for eating things he wasn't supposed to. One day he decided to help clean up the backyard. So, he ate a bunch of sticks and leaves. He came to us and proceeded to share his bounty with us by regurgitation. Because of this behavior, he boarded with us often. He was with us for and extended stay. He had his own bowls and food. He refused food from his bowl and wouldn't touch his water. We tried all the tricks of the trade to get him to eat. He'd take treats but not eat his food. One afternoon, I took out his food and water and swapped them. I put the food in the bowl the water was in and the water in the bowl the food was in and put them in his run. He was ecstatic! Apparently, we just had the food and water in the wrong bowl. It made me laugh but also think, hmmm. What else are we missing that they are trying to tell us? The second dog was a small Shih Tzu. He had earned the reputation as being a very unfriendly boarder. I sat next to his kennel and would wait until he gradually approached me and wouldn't attack my legs or try to bite. After about a week or so, he would come sit in my lap and hang out before heading into his kennel after walks. I was the only one who could get him out of is kennel for walks and to go home. He showed me he was scared but with patience and understanding, we can get along. This started my deep dive into behavior and how we treat our pets. I wanted to learn to communicate better so our pets can live better in our world.

I love watching dogs think.

One or two cues are all you need to have fun and be successful with your dog. It should be fun for all.