Blog

Latest Articles 

Get free advice, training ideas, and more from Whiskers & Wags trainer Donia Roorda! Check out the available content below.

Avoiding End of Walk Frustration

We’ve all been there, we are at the end of a great off leash adventure, heading back to the car and suddenly our dog won’t respond when we call them, or worse takes off back into the park when we grab the leash to collect them.  If given a choice I think most of our dogs would happily adventure for another couple hours, unfortunately life gets in the way and usually we have to end a walk before our dogs are ready. This leads to frustration for our dogs but also as anyone who has experienced this will agree, frustration for us!  

Retractable Leashes…yes or no?

A question I get asked a lot is “how do you feel about retractable leashes?” While I can see the appeal of a conveniently coiled lead that can provide your dog with more freedom at the click of a button, I think there are a few things to consider before using them....

Respecting the Growl

As humans we have many ways of communicating. We can use our words to tell someone if we like something or if we don’t like something, and hopefully a fellow human will respond accordingly to that communication.

Our dogs come with their own ways of communicating. We know when our dogs like something, they might wag their tail or jump for joy, but what about when they don’t like something?

Recent Blog Posts

A few of my favourite things- Food Dispensing Toys!

If you’ve trained with me, you know I am a big advocate of enrichment. Providing our animals with enrichment has many benefits; prevents boredom, builds confidence, reduces problem behaviours, provides mental stimulation, and provides decompression, to name a few! I...

10 Ways to tire your dog without throwing a ball

We’ve all heard “a tired dog is a good dog!”  But how do we achieve that? High adrenaline activities such as repetitive ball play & intense play with other dogs may achieve the desired effect short term but can cause us trouble in the long run!  We can...

Avoiding End of Walk Frustration

We’ve all been there, we are at the end of a great off leash adventure, heading back to the car and suddenly our dog won’t respond when we call them, or worse takes off back into the park when we grab the leash to collect them.  If given a choice I think most of our dogs would happily adventure for another couple hours, unfortunately life gets in the way and usually we have to end a walk before our dogs are ready. This leads to frustration for our dogs but also as anyone who has experienced this will agree, frustration for us!  

Whiskers & Wags Student Community

Please click the button above and then click the “Join Group” button on Facebook. We’ll review your request, and if you’re a past or present student, approve you to join! 

Available Services

“We found Donia when we were struggling with our dog Murphy’s fear aggression towards other dogs we met on leash (and sometimes off leash). Her work has given me the tools to work with Murphy and keep up the progress he has made. Donia was open and personable — she helped us so much and has so much knowledge!”

— Wendy & Murphy