Alright doggo friends… I need to see your dogs living their BEST goofy, off-duty (aka “free dog”) life. Post a pic of your service dog (or pet) being a total happy potato! 😂🐶

Sandy is practicing her STAY command with her rock star puppy raiser, Colton! 🌟 As you can see, we use a visual hand cue—holding our hand out like a ✋ stop sign—to help reinforce the verbal cue “Stay.” 💡 Training tip: Always return to your dog’s heel position before giving physical praise. This keeps things clear and consistent, so your dog learns that praise happens after you’ve come back to them and they’ve held the position successfully. Sandy nailed it—she stayed three times in a row like a total pro! After that, we released her from working with the cue “Free Dog!” and gave her extra love and playtime. 🥰 Way to go, Sandy and Colton! 💪🐶💛

Goal: Make Halloween a positive, confidence-building experience! A social, confident dog can be taught to ignore — rebuilding a scared dog is much harder. 🐾 Big Ideas: ✨ Desensitization > Discipline. This is not an obedience exam — it’s a confidence field trip! 🎯 Positive Association. Costumes, masks, noises = treats, praise, fun! 💡 Avoid Fear Rehearsal. If your dog looks worried, increase distance and make it easier. We do not want “Halloween = scary.” 🧡 Before Halloween: 🐶 See the spooky stuff early: Visit a dog-friendly store like Lowe’s. Don’t activate everything — start far away, let your dog look, mark confidence (curious look, step forward, sniff) and treat! 🎭 Costumes at home: Have familiar people wear hats or simple props first, then masks later. Pair each new look with treats and praise. 🔔 Doorbell warm-up: Play a soft doorbell sound on your phone; treat for calm. Gradually increase volume. If not ready, silence the real bell for Halloween night. Have a Halloween Night Game Plan: 🏡 Set the scene for success: - For green dogs/puppies, hang out outside (driveway/yard). Fewer doorbell surprises and more space! - Keep sessions short (3–5 minutes), then take breaks. 🍬 Treat partners: Give trusted, costumed friends a few treats. Ask them to crouch sideways and let your dog choose to approach. Approaches/sniffs = mark & reward! ➡️ If unsure → more space: See hesitation? Quietly step back a few feet, reset, and try an easier rep. No forcing greetings. 🐾 What to Reward vs. What to Redirect: ✅ Reward: soft eyes, tail neutral/loose, steps toward, sniffing, taking food, curiosity. 🚫 Redirect: freeze, lean away, tucked tail, scanning, refusing food. Add distance, breathe, make it easier, then reward the next bit of confidence. 💬 Simple Handler Scripts: 🗣 To a friendly neighbor in costume: “She’s in training—could you crouch and offer her this treat? Let her come to you.” 🧍‍♀️ If you need space: “We’re giving her a little distance while she learns—thanks!”

We had a fantastic training session at Lowe’s with our little potato, Sandy! 🌟 She was an absolute rock star during her food training and desensitization session with her new best friend Colton! At this stage, the focus is all about positive exposure to new scenarios and experiences. Obedience will come as the dogs grow and mature, but the most important thing you can do with your puppy at this young age is socialize them appropriately. This helps them grow into confident, happy dogs who are excited to be part of our big exciting world! 🌎🐶 We’re also thrilled to introduce Sandy’s new puppy raiser family: Colton and his brother and sister Kyden and Kenzie and super mom @Holly Westcott . Colton is already showing he’s a rock star too, and tomorrow Sandy will be officially placed with her new foster fam!!🎉 We can’t wait to watch their journey together and share all of their progress inside Cool Dog School.🐾💙

🎉 Everyone, please welcome our newest addition, Sandy the Goldendoodle! 🐾 She’s a little champion rock star and jumping into her very first Spot lesson! Learning SPOT is going to help her in so many ways — it builds balance, boosts confidence, gets her comfortable with new surfaces, teaches her a front-feet target, and helps her develop rear-end awareness. These foundations are not just fun, they’re hugely beneficial for her future as a service dog! Spot training carries over into a variety of advanced tasks and behaviors she’ll be learning down the road!