What it Means to Be Your Dog’s Advocate

getting licks — Becki and Josie, Both Happy and Enjoying a Workshop

Have you thought about that?

While we’re always talking to our clients about what that means and how they can be their dog’s advocate, the catalyst for writing my most recent article, Your Dog’s Advocate published in Whole Dog Journal, was an amazing student in our Rocket Recall Workshop held in Atlanta in March of this year.

Things don’t always go as planned.

This lovely client and her dog had attended other workshops, agility events, and had been in other like situations, though for some reason her dog just wasn’t comfortable in this particular workshop setting. Thankfully she was skilled at reading her dog’s body language and truly understood her dog was having difficulty in the environment.

Learn to read dog body language.

This client’s sweet dog was displaying a wide variety of stress signals telling us that learning wasn’t happening and the dog was uncomfortable. After attempting to modify the environment to help her dog feel more at ease, it was clear the dog wasn’t making progress.

Be ready to adjust to insure your dog’s comfort.

The student did exactly what was needed, packed up and headed home where her dog could relax in the comfort of her own home. She had her dog’s best interest at at heart and was the most amazing advocate for her dog!

Read More on how you can be Your Dog’s Advocate.

Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a CPDT-KA, a CSAT (Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer), a Pat Miller Certified Trainer Level 2, Faculty for the Victoria Stilwell Academy of Dog Training and Behavior, a dog*tec Certified Professional Dog Walker and the founder of Cold Nose College in Murphy, North Carolina. She enjoys providing behavior consulting and training solutions to clients in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, as well as offering educational opportunities and distance consults for clients, dog trainers and dog hobbyists throughout the U.S. www.coldnosecollege.com

Lisa Waggoner

Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a passionate advocate for humane, science-based, force-free dog training. She’s the author of The Original Rocket Recall™: Teach Your Dog to Come. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, a Pat Miller Certified Trainer-Level 2, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, and a faculty member of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior.