Hello Fellow Dog Lovers!

Thank you for subscribing to our monthly newsletter! We’re thrilled to have you be a part of our ever growing community of dog lovers and training enthusiasts. Each month, you can look forward to receiving valuable training tips, behavior insights, and updates on our upcoming events and classes. We're excited to share this journey with you and your furry friend(s)!🐾

Table of Contents

• Featured Upcoming Class: Advanced Good Manners

• Each month, we feature one of our upcoming classes …

• Monthly Training Video: The Different Types of Muz …

• Why Choose Ready Set…Train! for Group Training Cla …

• Dogs of the Month: Tony

• Halloween Can Be Spooky for Dogs Too: How to Keep …

  • Option A Management— “Quiet Night In” (Best for pu …

  • Option B — “Easy Training- at the Door” (For socia …

  • 1) Doorbell = Treat Party

  • 2) Pattern Games (predictable = safe)

  • Upcoming Classes/Events

  • Follow us on Instagram

Featured Upcoming Class: Advanced Good Manners

Each month, we feature one of our upcoming classes to give you a deeper look into what the class entails. This month, we’re excited to highlight our Advanced Good Manners Class

What is our Advanced Good Manners Class?

Take your dog’s training to the next level with our Advanced Good Manners class! Building on the foundation from our Beginner Good Manners course, this class introduces more advanced behaviors such as heel, place, settle, leave-it, and drop-it.

Our goal is to strengthen the skills your dog has already learned by increasing difficulty with added distractions, distance, and duration—helping them master commands like come and stay in real-world situations. We focus on loose leash walking, impulse control, and maintaining focus around higher-level distractions, with a strong emphasis on staying calm around new dogs. Each week, we introduce different dogs into the studio, allowing your pup to practice handling new distractions in a controlled environment.

This class is ideal for dogs with a solid foundation who are ready to refine their skills. It’s also a great stepping stone for those interested in advanced training such as CGC certification, therapy dog work, rally, or agility.

Sign up today and continue your dog’s training journey! https://www.readysettraindogs.com/book-online?category=b7edb5b7-db72-4d08-ab4b-c42e613d4d7d

Monthly Training Video: The Different Types of Muzzles

Why Choose Ready Set…Train! for Group Training Classes?

Dogs of the Month: Tony

Name: Tony

Age: About 4 (he’s a street dog so we’re guessing)

Favorite Activity: Tony is an environmental activist and spends his time hunting down and eating lantern flies!

Favorite Food: Lantern Flies obviously and freeze dried bananas.

Favorite Trick: Tony likes relax mode on his mat which is his safe space.

Best personality trait: Despite his reactivity initially, Tony is very good at matching play styles of other dogs.

Fun Fact: Tony is highly allergic to every single protein and grain. He requires a prescription diet. Freeze dried fruits and veggies have been a life saver for training!

Tony graduated from our Beginner class and just wrapped our Out & About class! As a rescue, he can feel unsure around new people and unfamiliar places, which used to show up as barking/reactivity. Thanks to his mom Brooke’s consistent, thoughtful training, Tony is making awesome progress—during our recent outings he navigated busy, high-distraction locations with little to no outbursts.

You might recognize Tony and Brooke from Hound Haven and the Paws and People Food Pantry. Brooke is a fantastic advocate for both animals and humans in our community. If you’re able, please consider supporting the pantry with a food or monetary donation. And if your pup needs a spa day, check out Hound Haven for grooming!

Hound Haven Website: https://www.houndhavendoggrooming.com/

Paws and People Food Pantry: https://www.pawsandpeoplepantry.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNOxvNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE4Z2pOaVg0dTI5QkNZbEVLAR4wtiRnAxBoIy80OF3pubcr6ta5_zof8lDGt8QWEuwozP_nzJS7SWHzpOEXpw_aem_I5bGK5FmNvwarntzhU9XaQ

Halloween Can Be Spooky for Dogs Too: How to Keep It Low-Stress and Safe

Halloween is fun for humans—but for many dogs it’s a perfect storm of triggers: strange costumes, masks that hide faces, unpredictable movement and noise, and a doorbell that never stops. If your dog already struggles with reactivity, stranger danger, or sound sensitivity, the night can quickly tip from exciting to overwhelming.

Let’s think about it from the dogs perspective. For our dogs Halloween involves

• Novel & uncanny sights: masks, capes, bulky silhouettes, wheels (wagons, strollers), glowing props.

• Unpredictability: fast approaches, groups clustering at the doorway, sudden squeals.

• Territory invasion: repeated doorbell knocks at the same spot your dog protects daily.

• Reduced scent & facial cues: masks and makeup block the “normal” info dogs use to identify people.

In our opinion there are two ways you can handle Halloween night with your dog.

Option A Management— “Quiet Night In” (Best for puppies, fearful, or reactive dogs)

• Create a safe room away from the front door: covered crate or gated room, white noise or fan, calming music.

• Prep long-lasting chews/lick mats and a stuffed Kong or Toppl.

• Put a “Please don’t knock—nervous dog resting” sign outside and leave candy on the porch. Or turn off all fort lights to let trick or treaters know you will not be passing out candy this year.

• Leash for potty breaks and use reflective gear—costumes can spook even calm dogs outside.

Option B — “Easy Training- at the Door” (For social, resilient dogs)

• Use two barriers: a closed door + baby gate/ex-pen line behind you. This creates what we call an air lock. That way your dog never has direct access to the outside.

• Keep dog on a harness + leash with a mat several feet back from the threshold.

• Keep jackpot treats and a treat jar on the porch so kids can toss a treat toward your dog from afar (if dog is comfortable). Never force greetings.

• Reward your dog when they hear the doorbell, when people approach, and when they are watching all the strange costumes.

Start Preparing Now!

Don’t wait until the day of Halloween to start getting your dog prepared for all the triggers they will experience. The sooner you start preparing the better we set our dogs up for success! Here are some training ideas to work on with your dog.

1) Doorbell = Treat Party

• Record your doorbell/knock on your phone.

• Play at low volume, mark/click/say “Yes!” and scatter treats each time your dog hears the sound.

• Gradually increase the volume and vary the timing.

• Goal: Bell rings → your dog orients to you expecting snacks on their mat.

2) Pattern Games (predictable = safe)

• Look At That (LAT): A family member wears a hat/mask outside the front door. Start at a distance the dog notices but is not reacting or showing signs of stress. Dog glances → Mark/click/“Yes!” → treat; increase difficulty slowly.

• Treat & Retreat: Visitor toss treats to or behind the dog while they are behind the gate at the front door. This lets your dog interact at easy levels and teaches your dog visitors are good.

• Costume Dress Rehearsal: Wear a costume around the house to desensitize your dog to the sight and movement.

With these training tips hope fully Halloween will be less spooky/scary and more relaxing/enjoyable for furry friends.

Upcoming Classes/Events

10/5: 1:00 pm- Advanced Good Manners | First Class

10/15: 7:15 pm- Advanced Good Manners | First Class

10/19: 10:00 am- Puppy Start Right Preschool | First Class

10/26: 11:30 am- Beginner Good Manners | First Class

10/26: 2:30 pm- Beginner Good Manners | First Class

11/9: 1:00 pm- Out and About Class | First Class

11/19: 7:15 pm- Beginner Good Manners | First Class

All of our upcoming class still have several spots available. Sign up today! https://www.readysettraindogs.com/group-training-classes

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