Here’s a little glimpse into one of our group training classes at Lowe’s 👀 One thing that is VERY important in our program is exposing service dogs in training as early as possible to the sights, sounds, movement, distractions, and overall chaos of public environments. As you can see in this video, there are other dogs around, carts moving, people walking by, noises happening, and lots of things competing for attention — and little Mr. Cole is doing SUCH a great job staying engaged with his training and leaving the other dogs alone 👏 He is VERY eager to work and very enthusiastic about training 😂 As you can see… he definitely hops to the training occasion hahaha 🐶 One of the coolest things to watch with puppies is seeing that moment where they start realizing:“Wait… focusing on my human is actually REALLY fun.” What are you (and your dog(s)) up to this weekend?! 👀

If you have a puppy and a pool, pool safety is something that is REALLY important to think about 🐶 Having proper pool safety fencing/barriers in place is incredibly important because puppies are curious, fast, and accidents can happen very quickly. One of the best things you can teach young dogs early on is how to confidently find the stairs/exit of the pool in case they ever accidentally fall in. That’s what this video is demonstrating 👇 The process starts by introducing the puppies to the steps and helping them understand where the exit is. Then, little by little, the distance away from the stairs is increased so they can learn how to confidently swim back to safety on their own. A lot of dogs that do not understand where the exit is will instinctively swim to the edge of the pool and start trying to climb out vertically against the wall. Once panic sets in and they lose that natural horizontal swimming position, situations can become dangerous very quickly. Teaching puppies where the exit is ahead of time can make a huge difference in an emergency situation. It also helps build confidence and comfort around water at a young age 🐕‍🦺💦 If you have a dog, do they like swimming? Or are they part of the “absolutely not” club?

Most dogs naturally want to heel on the outside of a shopping cart. Why? ➡️ It’s more comfortable. ➡️ It doesn’t block their view. ➡️ They can see what’s happening around them. Walking behind a cart feels different. It partially obstructs their vision and changes the picture they’re used to in heel position — so it takes practice. Here’s how to help them succeed: ➡️ When first introducing the cart, don’t stand centered behind it. ➡️ Shift your body slightly to the right side while pushing. ➡️ This creates a small “pocket” of space behind the cart. ➡️ Your dog can heel comfortably in that pocket — without drifting to the outside. You’re not forcing the position — you’re shaping it. Over time: ➡️ Practice short distances. ➡️ Build duration. ➡️ Gradually move back to pushing more centered. Cart work is a skill. Teach it like one! 🐕‍🦺 For those of you who already have a service dog — Does your dog naturally prefer the outside of the cart? Or were they confident walking behind it right away? Curious to hear your experiences 👇

When you’re out and about with your service dog — doctor’s appointments, travel days, long outings — it’s always a good idea to have a doggy go bag ready to roll. Think of it like a diaper bag… but for your very important working dog!! Here’s what Saffy’s go bag looks like as a great example: 🦴 Comfort + Entertainment • Chew bone • Non-squeaky toy • Mat for your dog to settle on • Dog Booties 💧 Food + Water • Water jug • Drinking bowl • Extra treats • Food training pouch 🧻 Cleanup + “Just In Case” Supplies • Poop bags 💩 • Pee pad • Paper towels • Gloves • Towels • Wet wipes • Hand sanitizer • Extra Leash 🔌 Extras • Chargers Julie and Saffy even keep two versions of the bag: 👜 Small bag → quick outings like doctor appointments 🎒 Big bag → longer adventures when you want all the essentials Because when you’re prepared like this… you’re basically ready for anything. And trust me — if your dog is working somewhere boring for a while, having a chew or something to occupy them can make a huge difference. 💬 Now I’m curious… What do you keep in your dog’s go bag? Did we miss anything? Huge thank you to @Julie Kelley and Saffy for showing us Saffy’s diaper bag setup! 🐾✨

The Meat Section! Dogs have an incredible sense of smell… and let’s be honest, one of their favorite smells in the world is meat 🍖 🥩 So when a service dog walks past the meat section at a grocery store, it can be a very tempting situation. But a well-trained service dog learns something very important: Ignore the food and stay focused on the handler! No: • Sniffing • Licking • Jumping • Trying to investigate the shelves Instead, the dog should be calmly walking with their handler and checking in for guidance. In this video, you’ll see Saffy the black lab doing exactly that — walking past the meat section while staying focused and ignoring the food!🐕‍🦺 Great job, Saffy and handler @Julie Kelley Training moments like this help build reliability so service dogs can confidently accompany their handlers anywhere they’re needed. 💬 Question for you: If your dog could choose one aisle in the grocery store to live in, which one would it be? 😂🐾