A Rottweiler puts a puncture wound in the family’s new kitten, and everyone starts doing the math on rehoming. It’s the obvious conclusion. It’s also, more often than not, the wrong one.

Ripp’s people called me after he caught Dixen, their Maine Coon kitten. They weren’t asking whether an animal had to go — they’d moved past that. They were asking which one. I didn’t talk them out of it on the phone, because if what I found was a dog genuinely hunting the cat, they’d be right.

Then I met Ripp. I watched him with Dixen in the room, and he wasn’t locked on and checked out — he could still hear me, take a piece of food, think. That’s the line that matters: a dog over it can’t learn, a dog under it can. Ripp was under it. And what I was watching wasn’t a predator. It was a dog with no impulse control who’d spent years rehearsing the chase on rabbits in the yard, now trying to work out where a brand-new animal fit in a house that had always been his.

That’s a training problem, not a rehoming one.

The work took about six sessions. We started at a distance where Ripp could actually think, and closed it a little at a time — teaching him to clock the cat and then choose to look away instead of lock on, and paying him for that choice until it stopped taking effort. I watched Dixen just as closely, because a cat who freezes or bolts feeds the exact response we were trying to shrink. So Dixen learned something too: that walking through a room was safe, and that a flat-out sprint across it was the one move guaranteed to bring a Rottweiler with him.

Ripp and Dixen live together now. The cat has the run of the house, sprints included, and the family that called me ready to give one of them up kept both.

— Polly, Northern Colorado

Structured walks that keep your dog’s progress moving between our sessions. Trainer-led or with you along, depending on your goals. Predictable, low-pressure outings that build steadiness without overwhelming your dog.

Leash reactivity and barrier frustration · jumping and nipping · overstimulation and prey drive · fear and anxiety · confidence · resource guarding · puppy foundations · social skills and safe dog introductions · hiking and camping manners · separation anxiety · working-dog behavior

If your dog is doing something that isn’t on this list, ask me on the call.

1. A free 15-minute phone call. You tell me what’s going on. I tell you honestly whether I’m the right fit, what the work would likely look like, and what it costs.

2. A behavior evaluation (about 90 minutes). I meet you and your dog, watch the behavior, and build a plan around your goals and what your dog needs.

3. Sessions. We work the plan together, adjusting as your dog changes. You’ll get a written summary after each one so you know exactly what to practice.

Proper behavior change takes time — think weeks and months, not one visit. But you’ll see your dog moving in the right direction, and you won’t be doing it alone.