Rebecca Gridley

What do you do when you have tried everything? It seems like things get better one day, but the next, things go two steps back. This struggle is something I have lived through and made me the trainer I am today. My own special needs rescue dogs had so many things going on. What started as just some simple frustration behaviors at first became full-blown behavior. Everything that is touted as a solution, redirect here, click and treat for this, just didn't work. Between stress, exhaustion, and tears, I kept thinking, what the heck is going on, I have rehabbed so many other dogs over the years, but this is different! And this is where learning about our furry companions really begins. In my over ten years as a vet tech and in my education (Masters in Physiology), some pieces stood out, but putting together this puzzle was tough. Over the past several years, I have spent time diving into everything I could, learning about the whole behavioral health picture for my dogs, and it was starting to make sense. It turns out my special guy had undiagnosed pain for years. And the pain was leading to growing behavioral concerns. Had I known then what I know now, we could have saved years of frustration, stress and struggle. This has been the case for several of my client teams too!Is every case pain related? No! But by understanding body language, how our dogs interact with space, sounds, and objects and how they problem solve even the simplest (but still frustrating) concerns like connected leash walking and prey drive, we can create a smarter (not harder) approach with choice and never using pain or fearMy goal, no, my mission is to help pet parents near and far connect with their dogs on a deeper level, understand the WHYs of a behavior, and gain hope and success in achieving goals. If you want a trainer that will just tell you to click and treat or a quick single-session fix, that is not me. When we work together, we are going to get to know your companion on another level, and you'll grow the skills you need to observe, and problem-solve so that you can live your best life with your dog (or rabbit).