Crimson Hound

• Did you just bring a new puppy home?
• Are you thinking about getting a dog?
• Does your dog need a little extra help with manners? 
• Is your dog fearful or anxious in new environments?
• Does your dog bark and lunge at dogs and people?
• Does your dog guard his food bowl or toys?
• Does your dog bark and howl or destroy things when you are away?

We are here to help WITH ALL OF YOUR DOG TRAINING NEEDS

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Why choose in-home private dog training?

Why choose Crimson Hound for your dog training needs

AVSAB Statement on Humane Dog Training

“Based on current scientific evidence, AVSAB recommends that only reward-based training methods are used for all dog training, including the treatment of behavior problems. Aversive training methods have a damaging effect on both animal welfare and the human-animal bond. There is no evidence that aversive methods are more effective than reward-based methods in any context. AVSAB therefore advises that aversive methods should not be used in animal training or for the treatment of behavior disorders.”

Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s full position statement.

Read the Association of Professional Dog Trainers position statement on LIMA and the use of aversive tools.

Were you referred to Crimson Hound by your veterinarian, a pet professional or a family friend? Send me an email and tell me who I can thank for the referral and I will send you a one-time coupon code for 10% off the price of a package.

Crimson Hound, LLC is based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I offer in-home consultations throughout the Coulee Region, as well as virtual sessions for clients based anywhere. In addition, I offer online courses and a select number of small group classes on various special topics.

Equality & Diversity Statement
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We recognize, respect, and value diversity. 
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We strive to have a positive impact on the environment, to practice anti-racism and anti-oppression, and to promote social justice in our business and personal lives.
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We are committed to inclusion across age, gender, race, religion, and identity. ​

Are they problems behaviors or unmet needs …

As the modern world continues to change, many of us find ourselves confused by the latest technology and even missing the “good old days”.  We don’t realize that these changes to our world have had drastic effects on our dogs’ lives as well.  

• Border collies no longer have sheep to herd … but herding kids, bikes or cars is frowned upon.  
• Jack Russell terriers are no longer employed in keeping vermin out of our barns … but killing our pet hamster is not acceptable.  
• Dalmatians were bred to run alongside carriages all day … now they may spend 8 to 12 hours in a crate every day. 
• Huskies were developed to pull sleds across the arctic tundra … now some find themselves living in Florida condos. 

Our pet dogs are captive animals with unmet instinctual needs and very little autonomy over their own lives. We control every aspect of their lives . . . when and where they eat, drink and sleep … when and where they go potty . . . who they interact with . . . how they play . . . As a matter of fact, many of us would struggle to name even one or two aspects of our dogs’ lives that the dog controls. Although with the best of intentions, we have created pet dogs who are frustrated and confused by their own reality . . . often resulting in what we perceive as “problem behaviors”. In reality, many of our dogs are suffering from what has been coined “Pet Madness Syndrome”. They are not only frustrated and confused, they are suffering mental health issues as they attempt to navigate the space between what we humans selectively, and very purposely, bred them for over thousands of years and what we expect from them today in our modern world.

… or perhaps just misplaced expectations?

Our dogs have been stripped of the right to consent. Imagine, if you will, trying to dress up a wolf or a tiger – or even your cat. Get out the bandages, right?! But what happens when we decide to dress up our dogs? Now that’s a different story, our dogs had darn well better just relax and take it. In addition, think of this same wolf/tiger/cat/dog scenario in other circumstances – giving baths, grooming, walking on leash, recalls . . . even petting. In short, a dog is the only living being that is expected to perform with perfection and precision regardless of what scenario we present – or we see a problem to be “fixed”.

Are these truly issues that need to be fixed . . . or do we just need to adjust our own expectations?

We need to take an honest look at our relationships with our dogs and ask ourselves . . .

• What was the original purpose of my dog?
• Am I offering my dog opportunities to meet his needs?
• Am I being realistic with my expectations?
• How can I help my dog navigate this modern world into which he has been trapped?

MINDSET IS KEY WHEN WORKING WITH OUR DOGS

When we are angry, embarrassed, or frustrated with our dog’s behavior, these feelings affect our relationship our ability to help our dog modify those behaviors.  If, on the other hand, we can shift our mindset from “My dog is giving me a hard time” to “My dog is having a hard time . . . having big feelings . . . feeling frustrated, confused or afraid”, it takes our relationship to a whole new level, creates a stronger bond and provides a foundation for creating new behaviors.

Marissa Martino of Paws and Rewards Behavior Consulting has created a wonderful FREE mini-course called Powerful Perspectives where she helps dog owners reflect on their feelings and reframe their mindset from one of anger and frustration to one of empathy and understanding.

This is also where Family Dog Mediation^® can help. During our sessions, we will talk about why your dog does what he does and how his feelings may be affecting his behavior. Then we will create a plan that will set both you and your dog up for success.

What is Family Dog Mediation^®?

A Family Dog Mediator (FDM)^® is an individual with special training and education above and beyond training or behavior consulting.  FDM’s are certified pet professionals who are trained to assess each animal based on their L.E.G.S.^® – each individual’s Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self – because each one of a dog’s four L.E.G.S.^® plays a critical role in supporting that animal’s behavior.  

What is L.E.G.S.^®?

Learning is composed of all of the combined information the individual dog has learned during his life so far –and is continuing to learn every single day.  This includes such things as; ‘other dogs aren’t safe to approach’, ‘cars are scary’, ‘cats are fun to chase’, or ‘when mom has that look I better hide’.  Learning is more than just training a hand signal to sit or some other pattern of behavior, it is the key to a dog’s ability to adapt to new situations through prediction and anticipation based on previous experiences.  It’s happening all day, every day, and it’s often not what humans may intend!

Environment isn’t just the inside or outside of your house.  It’s everything your pet encounters and interacts with every day.  Environment creates both questions and answers for your pet … ‘Am I safe?’,  ‘What is happening?’,  ‘What do I do?’, or ‘I know what this means!’  Our job as humans is to control the environment, keep it safe, and make sure it provides the things that will meet our dog’s needs.  

Genetics is all of the information about life that our pets arrived on earth with already encoded in their DNA.  It is what tells a dog how to be a dog. It contains all of the specializations that humans have selected for, and against, since we began breeding dogs more than 10,000 years ago.  Genetics provides the basic instructions for herding, protection, companionship and retrieving.  

Self considers this specific dog sitting directly in front of us.  This unique individual . . . his personality, his age, his sex and reproductive status, his health, his nutrition, his disabilities or his injuries.  As an example of how to think of Self –the needs of a stray, skinny momma dog with 6 puppies are drastically different than the needs of a pampered, neutered Cocker spaniel who eats the most expensive dog food and has his own leather couch or a young male Siberian husky who lives in Alaska and is training to run the Iditarod.  We always need to start with the dog as the individual, not with dogs in general.

Family Dog Mediation^®

Family Dog Mediators^® evaluate these four L.E.G.S.^® and help identify the places where there are conflicts between a dog and its person.  As your FDM, it is my role to meet you and your dog where you are right now and to work with ALL of the L.E.G.S..^® that both you and your dog bring to the table. Rather than setting out to simply “fix bad behaviors” through obedience training, we will work together to create meaningful solutions.  I will help you manage your expectations for your dog’s behavior, help translate what your dog needs from you, and, moreover, help you meet those needs.  In addition, I will give you the tools to change behavior and help you and your dog live together in harmony!  These tools, which will include training plans and/or management protocols, will be based in honesty, compassion, understanding and compromise.  Family Dog Mediation^® goes BEYOND dog training.

We are here to help.

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Fearful, Reactive and Aggressive Behavior
– using Family Dog Mediation^® to help dogs who have “Big Feelings”

“Your dog is not giving you a hard time. Your dog is HAVING a hard time.”