Aska’s Animals Dog Training & Behavior Services

Thanks to generous donor funding, we expanded our free and subsidized one-on-one dog training with our Canine Behavior Specialists for dog owners in need. Our goal is to keep pets in their homes and out of shelters by addressing behavioral issues before surrender becomes necessary.

Here’s everything you need to know about dog training at Aska’s Animals:

1. Urgent & Immediate Assistance
2. Upkeep & Prevention
3. Canine Behavior Education

We use positive reinforcement and science-based, reward-driven training methods. Meet our Canine Behavior Specialists:

 

Sam Diaz: With experience at Spring Creek Animal Hospital in Jackson, Wyoming and PAWS of Teton Valley, Idaho, Sam recognized the critical need for behavior support within shelter systems and owned pets. Driven by this insight, Sam pursued the Dog Trainer Comprehensive Course in order to be able to better support both shelter residents and local pet owners. Now, as the Canine Behavior and Enrichment Coordinator at Aska’s Animals, Sam is committed to helping pet owners and shelter partners better understand and support their canine companions, ensuring they feel their best and thrive in their environments. 

Krissi Goetz: With experience at the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson, Wyoming,  Jackson Hole Positive Training, Western Border Collie Rescue, and Second Chance Humane Society in Ridgeway, Colorado, Krissi is dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and the people who love them through promoting better understanding and rescue, and strives to continually learn more about how understanding behavioral influences and educating humans can create a better world for dogs. She has penned the Jackson Hole News and Guide Good Dog column since 2013. Basically, she is a complete dog dork! 

 

Priority for free or subsidized services is given to dogs at risk of being surrendered or with behavior concerns impacting the safety and health of the household and community. For those able to afford regular dog training, we offer Dog Training Punch Passes. 

1. Urgent & Immediate Assistance – behavior support for people in crisis

• Are you considering surrendering your dog to an animal shelter? Has there been an “incident” that has left you feeling lost, scared, and unsure what to do? We offer personalized training sessions to address your dog’s unique needs with our Behavior Team.

Four-Pack of Dog Training Sessions

What’s Included: Four 1-hour training sessions: Work with our expert Behavior Team to achieve your training goals. Whether you just got a new puppy, want to revisit some basics for your adolescent dog or are working on something specific, this is a perfect option for you.

• Session 1: Virtual Onboarding: Training starts with educating the humans! This session focuses on onboarding, understanding your goals, and preparing you with essential information. If you’ve previously worked with our Behavior Team you are more than welcome to meet in person for your first session.
• Sessions 2, 3, & 4: Flexible Options: Enjoy in-person training sessions within a 15-mile radius of Victor, ID. Choose the comfort of your home (travel fees may apply outside this area) or a nearby public meeting spot. These can also be done virtually as well!

Purchase a four-pack of Dog Training sessions here.

After purchase, our Behavior Team will connect with you to get started. You’ll complete a behavior questionnaire so we can tailor the training to your goals. Before the first session, you’ll be assigned homework, including a series of our free video tutorials, to ensure you get the most value from your training.

If you are struggling with canine behavior and need a scholarship, please reach out to behavior@askasanimals.org. Free canine behavior support is available for those needing immediate assistance or dealing with advanced issues.

 

2. Upkeep & Prevention – individual dog training sessions for consistency and long-term support.

Single Dog Training Session

What’s Included: One, 1-hour training session: Partner with our expert Behavior Team to meet your specific training goals.

For First-Time Clients: We require an onboarding virtual session for your initial training. Future sessions can be done in person or virtually.

For Returning Clients: Enjoy the convenience of training in your home (travel fees may apply outside the area), at a nearby public location, or virtually.

Purchase a single Dog Training Lesson here.

 

3. Canine Behavior Education – community workshops, behavior videos, and other resources.

 

Free In-Person Dog Behavior Group Workshops

We host monthly free dog training workshops in the barn. These workshops provide valuable insights into dog behavior and communication, helping Teton Valley dog owners understand the difference between management and training. Attendees can ask specific questions and receive guidance from our dog trainers in a supportive, judgment-free environment. No dogs allowed.

See the schedule and sign up here (https://askasanimals.org/events/). 

 

Free Virtual Dog Behavior Lessons

Want to start dog training right now? Check out our comprehensive library of canine behavior videos. Lessons include Bringing Home a Puppy, Canine Stress Reducers, Coming When Called, and so many more!

 

Let’s hit the ground running and build the foundation for a happy, well-behaved pup! Our primary goal is to help keep dogs in their homes and prevent them from being surrendered to shelters and we do not want the cost to get in the way. Thank you generous donors for making these dog training and canine behavior resources available for the Teton Valley community! 

For more information or assistance, contact our team behavior@askasanimals.org

Have you had a great experience with dog training at Aska’s Animals in the past? Consider making a donation so other dog owners in Teton Valley have access to these resources!

The top 3 ways you can be a responsible dog owner in Teton Valley:

1. Clean up after your pet.
2. Obey all local ordinances, including leash requirements. 
3. Spay/neuter all your animals and advocate for others to spay/neuter their pets!
4. Don’t allow your pet to wander, especially in populated areas.

This 4th point – don’t allow your pet to wander, especially in populated areas – is a hot topic in Teton Valley. Roaming dogs in downtown Driggs have been reported to scare children from playing outside and prevent people from gardening in their yards. This is not the kind of community we want to live in! Nor do we want non-dog owners to despise dog owners. 

Together, we can work together to become a community of better dog owners.

Here’s how:

Everyone should spay/neuter their pets, and if you’re going to let your dog off leash, spay/neuter is mandatory.

• Consider Mickey, a female dog that wasn’t spayed, roaming and interacting with a male dog that wasn’t neutered. Earlier this year, we got a phone call about a local dog named Mickey, a beautiful golden retriever well-loved by her family. One day, while unattended, an unknown male dog impregnated Mickey. The pregnancy wasn’t wanted, but the owners weren’t comfortable giving Mickey an abortion so 8 puppies were brought into the world, unwanted and homeless. Unfortunately, Mickey’s family couldn’t care for the puppies so they were surrendered to a local shelter which eats up vital resources. To give these puppies the best chance at life, they were brought to Aska’s Animals. In an ideal world, no more puppies or kittens are born without thoughtful and intentional breeding, but if a mom has already given birth, the best we can do is provide her a calm quiet place to raise her kids until everyone is spayed/neutered and ready to be adopted. For many animals, a safe supportive place to grow up prevents them from ending up in the shelter system in the future.

If you’re going to let your dog off leash, you need to practice and master voice and sight control with your dog.

• Voice and Sight control means you can adequately control your dog by using voice commands and sight commands such as hand gestures. If you’re going to have your dog off leash, you must:
  • Have your dog in sight and be able to see the dog’s actions.
  • Be able to prevent your dog from charging, chasing, or displaying aggression towards any person or animal. Most, importantly, your voice and sight commands need to override difficult circumstances and distractions.
  • Make sure your dog has proper identification – a collar with tags as well as a microchip – in case they get away from you. This takes the burden of locating or housing lost dogs off local shelters’ to do lists by returning the missing dog to their owner as quickly as possible.
  • Remember that just because your dog is friendly does not mean other dogs are friendly or social. Perhaps, the neighbor dog your dog keeps trying to play with is feeling weak from kennel cough or they’re recovering from surgery. No matter what, you can’t assume that all dogs want to have interactions with other dogs. 

What do you do if you see a stray or unattended dog in Teton Valley?

• Teton Valley does not have an Animal Control Officer (ACO), but we would greatly benefit from having an ACO because more and more dogs are moving into town. It’s important that the city has an understanding of why our community would benefit from an ACO so if you see a stray or unattended dog, please call the Teton County Sheriff’s Office in Driggs. The non-emergency phone number is (208) 776 – 8200. Currently, residents have been forced to resolve these issues on their own and dog owners are not being held responsible for animal mismanagement.

Do you or someone you know need 1:1 dog behavior support? 

Because of generous funding from donors, Aska’s Animals offers free or subsidized dog behavior services. We aim to keep pets in their homes and out of the shelter system through a variety of methods. Behavioral issues are a common reason that animals are surrendered to shelters, but we work to address these issues while the dog is still in their familiar home environment and with their family in the hopes of creating a more harmonious existence in the existing home. Aska’s Animals Canine Behavior Specialists Sam, Ramsey and Krissi only use positive reinforcement methods and science-backed reward based training methods. If you or someone you know needs 1:1 dog behavior support, please contact our team or learn more here.

Other important aspects of being a dog owner:

When you commit to being a dog owner, you need to:

• Be extremely thoughtful when selecting a pet.
• Only choose a pet that suits your home and lifestyle and follows the rules of your HOA or community ordinances.
• Keep only the type and number of pets for which you can provide appropriate food, water, shelter, health care, companionship, etc.
• Plan to have these pets in your home for the entire length of their life.
• Provide appropriate exercise and mental stimulation such as enrichment.
• Properly socialize, train, and manage your pet.
• Make sure your pet receives proper vaccinations.
• Spay/neuter your pet.
• Budget for potential emergencies and enroll in pet insurance.
• Properly identify your dog with a collar and tags and microchips.
• Making alternate arrangements if you can no longer provide care for your pet.

Thank you for being a part of the animal rescue journey with Aska’s Animals. The farm is bustling, the team is motivated and growing, and we’re witnessing firsthand how far every donor dollar goes. We’re thankful for your financial support that makes this lifesaving work a possibility. Because of you, we can continue to advance our mission – to provide rescue, sanctuary, and canine behavior training to our community. If you’ve been thinking about supporting our mission, Tin Cup Challenge season is a great opportunity to double your donation.

 

We are so excited to announce Jenna Martin is Aska’s Animals new Advancement Director.

Jenna Martin, a native of Jackson, WY, developed a profound love for animals and the great outdoors while growing up in the beautiful surroundings of her hometown. It wasn’t until later in life that she realized the uniqueness of her upbringing, where not everyone had the privilege of having buffalo roam their elementary school playgrounds, as was the case in Kelly, WY.

Seeking a change of scenery, Jenna pursued a different environment and graduated from the University of Hawai’i with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Despite her academic and scientific training, Jenna’s true passion lies in marketing, branding, and nonprofit development. After completing her education, she immersed herself in volunteering for various animal rescue nonprofits, which led to employment for over six years at an Aska’s Animal’s partnering organization. This experience laid the foundation for her current position.

Currently residing in Victor, ID, just a short distance from Aska’s Animals, Jenna, and her husband George share their home with four rescues – three dogs and one FIV+ kitty. Jenna’s journey from the picturesque landscapes of Wyoming to the vibrant biodiversity of Hawai’i has shaped her passion for animal welfare and the environment, and her commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of furry companions.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, volunteered, liked and shared AAF…we can provide the community this much-needed level of support because of your generosity.

Welcome to the team Jenna!

How To Be Your Dog’s Advocate This Holiday Season

With the holiday season comes visitors to your home. Here’s how to be your dog’s advocate when friends and family arrive. Unfamiliar people arriving at your home can be an upsetting situation for your dog, especially if your dog is sensitive or fearful. While you may know folks are coming, your dog very likely does not. Visitors are followed by a tsunami of sensory input – smell, sound, and sights, along with the excitement on the part of the humans when they rush to answer the door. All of this can make even the best-behaved dog an over aroused mess.

Exposure therapy does not work for dogs. For dogs who are unsure, fearful, or just not excited to meet and be touched by unfamiliar people, ‘making’ them meet or be touched by a stranger to help them ‘get over their fears’ is not recommended. It’ll likely only increase their discomfort and concern around strangers.

In all situations, your top two priorities as a dog owner are 1) keep your dog feeling safe (whatever that looks like for your dog) and 2) build your dog’s trust in you to keep them safe. It’s important that you carefully manage circumstances and experiences so that your dog enjoys the experience and learns that visitors can be great.

Many dogs find it far less worrying to enter a room where visitors are already present; it’s a different context to dogs than already being in a room that someone enters. This 3-step way to slowly introduce your dog to visitors begins with sound and smell and then moves on to sight.

1. Have visitors give you a heads up a few minutes before arriving so you can set the stage. You can also keep your door locked with a note that reads, ‘We hear you but need a moment to set our dog up for success.’

a. Set your dog up in the car in the garage (where he can’t see visitors pull into the driveway), so he isn’t present when the person arrives. Once your visitor has entered and settled in, move your dog from the car into a space he finds safe in the house. Maybe a crate in a peripheral area, or a hallway with a baby gate that prevents his access to the main area of the house, or an exercise pen. This way, he can hear and smell but not see the visitor. Be sure to give him a relaxing long- term project like a raw bone or new bully stick when he comes into the house and loads into the crate or hallway. Another option is to utilize a bedroom to give your dog a bone or something similar with the bedroom door closed.

• It’s important to note the amount of time the dog will be confined will greatly vary dog to dog. Some dogs will be ready to meet your visitors after 10 minutes, some will need a couple hours and others will need multiple visits.
• For visitors who are unfamiliar, depending on the dog and their fear levels, you may want to leave them confined with a bone for the entirety of the visit.

2. For dogs who are less fearful, after some time, provided the dog is calm and relaxed, you can then add the next sense: sight. On a leash, bring the dog from the out-of-sight confinement into an area within sight of the visitors but still some distance away. Perhaps to a peripheral exercise pen or a cozy crate in the room your visitors are in. Bring his soothing lick or chew project with him.

3. If your dog is ready, give your dog access to the visitors, but first, be sure to educate your visitors about human versus dog body language. Often the best way to help the dog feel comfortable once out of confinement is to instruct your visitors to ignore him. Dogs innately find many human gestures and body language threatening – especially human greetings, which include 3 major scary things for dogs who are sensitive or who have not been well socialized (or both!) – direct eye contact, leaning/reaching and facing them head on. Unfortunately, most people exhibit all these behaviors when greeting a dog, so it’ll benefit the dog – and help them to feel more at ease – if you coach new people to greet him in a more ‘dog like’ manner.

• For some dogs, fear manifests as nipping at the heels of unfamiliar people especially when they get up or move between rooms. If this is how your dog reacts, the best route may be to keep your dog confined to the space in which they feel safe.

Remember, you’re creating habits here, so don’t push your luck! You’re better safe than sorry. If you decide to leave your dog crated in your bedroom chewing merrily away for the duration of someone’s visit, your dog is having a start to finish relaxing, safe-feeling experience – and that’s the goal.

Some folks believe a dog who goes over the top when someone comes to the door is being ‘protective.’ More likely, the dog is just over aroused or afraid. Either way, we don’t want to allow or encourage our dogs to get this stressed out when someone comes to the door; allowing your dog to practice barking at visitors to the house when they arrive is asking for trouble. Why?

1. It elevates stress levels, and these will take time (days or even weeks) to recover. This is undesirable because it can affect behavior across the board.

2. It’s not your dog’s job to worry about who is coming to the house – it’s yours. Allowing him to believe it is can lead to undesirable habits and unneeded stress in his life.

3. It’s dangerous! If a medic needs to enter because you passed out in your bathtub, but your dog has been allowed to believe it’s their job to decide who comes in the house…uh oh. Think of it this way: every experience a dog has in which he feels safe and comfortable interacting with people is a deposit in the bank account…the more deposits he has the more wiggle room you’ll have when it’s time for an unexpected withdrawal (overwhelming experience) down the road. And so, while creating good experiences is key, so is avoiding fewer ideal ones.

If your dog shows signs of nervousness, anxiety or fear when visitors are in your home, your job is to be your dog’s advocate and to ensure safe, fun experiences. This holiday season, when visitors enter your home, a good goal is to set up experiences in which you can be sure that your dog will feel calm and safe from start to finish.

Questions? Check out our virtual and in-person Behavior Workshops as well as the Resources page of our website!

The 8 Most Important Things to Teach Your Puppy

Puppy parents are eager to teach their new family member skills that will set everyone up for success long term, but ‘sit,’ ‘stay’ and ‘come’ aren’t the most important lessons to focus on. This list of what puppies really need to learn builds a foundation for the confidence and trust puppies need to learn before voice control commands.

The world is a safe place:

Teaching your puppy to socialize safely builds the puppy’s confidence in themself and the puppy’s trust in you. Facilitate enjoyable, worry-free experiences for your puppy by first paying close attention to their physical cues for stress and fear. While playing with another puppy, walking in a busy place or meeting new people at a barbecue, don’t rush, force or coerce your puppy to interact with things they are tentative around. It is your job to protect your pup from well-meaning but overwhelming folks or from too-intense experiences.

My human will protect me:

Dogs protect themselves with fight or flight, so if your puppy does not feel safe, he might bite or run away. To build trust with your dog, you must try to understand, listen to, and respect how your dog feels. This includes preventing your puppy from getting into situations in which the puppy will feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Alone time is okay:

Before you came along, your puppy was likely with their littermates and never experienced alone time. Because dogs are not allowed everywhere, it is important to teach puppies that alone time is okay. Start with crate or confinement training. For more information, read our blog post  ‘Confinement Training and Why It’s So Important.’

Riding in the car is fun:

No matter how much time your dog will spend in the car in the future, it is important your puppy learns the car is not a scary place. For many puppies, they are afraid of the car because it makes them feel motion sick and they have associated the car with leaving their littermates or going to the vet. Without force, before even turning the engine on, train your puppy to feel comfortable in the car by creating a safe place with a crate or a dog bed and a high reward delicious treat.

House training:

Teaching a puppy where they are allowed to go to the bathroom is essential for everyone’s health and happiness. Crates, puppy pads, consistency, attention, understanding and patience are keys to house training your new puppy.

What is appropriate to chew on:

Puppies explore the world with their mouths and adult dogs chew to relieve stress so teaching your puppy about what is appropriate to chew on will set everyone up for success in the future. Just like house training, good management is important to teaching this lesson. Provide your puppy enjoyable chew toys and keep the chew toys exciting and interesting by mixing them up throughout the week. For more enrichment ideas, read our blog post ‘Indoor Enrichment Activities.’ 

Resource guarding prevention:

It is natural for dogs to protect their food, toys and safe place so it is important for puppy owners to teach dogs positive association with humans approaching their food bowl, taking a toy out of their mouth or entering and exiting their safe space. There is no telling which puppies will be guarders. Even if your puppy shows no signs of guarding, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure with resource guarding.

Health and wellness tasks:

Grooming, baths, toenail clipping, ear drops, eye drops and taking medicine are all tasks you can help your puppy get comfortable with when they are young. High reward treats, saying ‘yes!’ and belly rubs are great ways to build positive association with everyday activities.

This is a long list, we know, but once you have helped your puppy grow to be a confident and happy youngster, you will have a foundation for a happy life together.

Questions? Check out our virtual and in-person Behavior Workshops as well as the Resources Page of our website!

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