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Skylar McClellan, CPDT-KA

@emberleash

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Hey, I like your dog.
Positive Reinforcement Dog Trainer.
Serving the Central Coast of California + Online.
I’ll see you halfway there.

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6 months ago

🌼 Practice Doing Nothing? Yep. That’s today’s homework.

Hi. Maizie the Mini Trainer here. 👋🐾

Humans are always trying to do more training. More tricks. More commands. More exercise.

I’m here with a very important professional opinion:

✨ Sometimes… just sit down. ✨

Find a bench. Bring some treats. Let your dog watch the world instead of charging through it.

Every squirrel they don’t chase…
Every dog they notice and then look back at you…
Every person who walks by without becoming the most exciting thing on Earth…

That’s training.

Did you catch Bellow spotting another dog? 👀 Instead of making a big deal out of it, he remembered his job, checked in with Dad, earned a click and a treat, and went right back to relaxing.

Gold star, Bellow. ⭐

If your dog already knows Stay, this is the perfect place to practice it. If they don’t, that’s okay too. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is helping your dog learn that the world doesn’t always need a reaction.

Now if you’ll excuse me…

I’m very busy supervising this bench. 😌

#MaizieTheMiniTrainer #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement by @emberleash

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2 months ago

🚨 Hi. Yes. It’s me. Maizie. The Mini Trainer. You’re welcome.

I’m officially open for business, and before you ask—yes, my rates are negotiable. Mostly based on charm. Yours, not mine. So… do your best.

You can find me tomorrow at Heritage Square Park in Arroyo Grande Village, surrounded by 45 other creatives who are all very talented. I’ll be the one keeping things interesting.

🐶 I’ll be accepting your dog training questions for tips. My credentials? Impeccable vibes. My confidence? Effortless. My patience? Selective. My judgment? Swift, but fair.

💛 Bellow will also be there, doing his usual thing—standing around looking important. It’s a role he takes very seriously.

🧶 There will be snuffle mats. Handmade. Very cute. You’ll probably want one. Maybe more. I won’t stop you.

Come say hi, bring your questions, and enjoy the chaos in a controlled, charming sort of way.

See you there. Or don’t. I’ll still be fabulous. 🔥🐕 taken in Heritage Square Park by @emberleash

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3 months ago

Hi. It’s me, Maizie the Mini Trainer.

Today we talked about reactivity, which is when dogs bark or freak out because their feelings got too big. Sometimes they’re scared. Sometimes nervous. Sometimes stressed. Sometimes they saw one leaf move weird and decided absolutely not.

And some humans see this and go:
“You know what would help? Punishment.”

Respectfully… that is suspicious behavior.

If YOU were overwhelmed and somebody scared you more, would that help you feel calmer? No. You would probably cry in Target.

Dogs are not trying to ruin your walk. They are having a hard time. Big difference.

So instead of worrying about “winning,” maybe help your dog feel safer first. Tiny feelings turn into giant feelings really fast.

Okay bye.

#ReactiveDogs #PositiveReinforcement #MaizieTheMiniTrainer by @emberleash

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5 months ago

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes.

Some of them have pouches for some reason.

Not totally sure what this one is, but it was very soft and polite.

10/10 would accidentally adopt. by @emberleash

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5 months ago

Dogs and kids. Big topic. Bigger responsibility.

A lot of people focus on teaching the dog how to be “good” with children, and yes, that matters. What’s MORE important? Teaching kids how to be respectful of dogs.

Because you can train a dog all day long.
That does not mean they’ll make perfect choices when they’re overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or pushed too far.

Helping children learn how to read, respect, and interact with dogs safely is one of the most important things you can do. Not just for your dog at home, but for every dog they’ll meet in the world.

Maizie has been incredible to watch in this. She follows instructions, carries them out, and somehow manages to teach other people too.

Bellow absolutely adores her.

What makes it even sweeter is that Maizie has spent much of her five years working through a fear of dogs, and now she’s become the best little “mini trainer” around.

If you’ve seen our Maizie the Mini Trainer series, you already know she’s basically 42 years old in spirit and wildly overqualified for kindergarten.

#MaizieTheMiniTrainer taken in Grover Beach, California by @emberleash

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6 months ago

One year with Bellow.

Somewhere between raising two girls, building a business from the ground up, and having loud opinions about how dogs should be treated in training… this dog quietly became the steady thing in the middle of all of it.

He’s been there for the chaos. The long days. The moments where I’m stretched thin and still showing up anyway.

And through all of it, he just keeps choosing us.

What you’re seeing here isn’t luck. It’s what happens when a dog is given a phenomenal start and then raised with intention. Bellow came to us because of an incredible human @jojo_thegolden who put in the kind of work most people never see. Early training. Thoughtful exposure. And the kind of commitment that quite literally saved his life when he battled puppy strangles.

That foundation matters. It shaped the dog who now shows up for our girls, for our life, and for every piece of this journey.

This past year has been a lot. In the best way and the hardest way.

And somehow, right in the middle of it, we got him.

Happy Gotcha Day, Bellow. by @emberleash

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6 months ago

Met a very interesting dog today.

Not totally sure what breed this is, but apparently they’re highly trainable if you pay them in worms.

Started working on marker training and Touch. He picked it up fast. Honestly, a natural.

Also a great reminder that consent is part of training.
He said “no” very clearly.
Then gave me another chance.
I did not improve.

We love a patient teacher.

Anyway. Turns out listening gets you invited back into the interaction. Ignoring gets you dismissed into a tunnel.

We’ll be making better choices moving forward.

Follow along for more highly professional training content.

Very special thank you to @conservation.ambassadors.zty for allowing me to work with him. Such a special day :)

#FennecFox #AnimalTraining #WildlifeEnrichment by @emberleash

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6 months ago

Let’s not pretend.

Prong collars “work” because they cause pain. That’s the mechanism. That’s the whole thing.

I just gave myself a couple corrections. It didn’t “tap me on the shoulder.” It didn’t politely get my attention. It hurt.

That’s what interrupts behavior. Not communication. Not clarity. Pain strong enough to make the dog stop what they’re doing.

And sure, you’ll see people put one on their arm or neck and shrug it off like it’s nothing. Cool. Humans also understand context. We know why it’s happening. We chose it. Dogs don’t get that luxury. They just feel something uncomfortable or painful happen and have to guess why.

Also worth noting, dogs’ skin and anatomy are not the same as ours. You can’t use yourself as a reliable comparison and call it science.

Here’s the issue. Yes, they’re easy to misuse. Bad timing, bad pressure, and things fall apart fast.

But even when used “correctly,” nothing changes. It’s still pain doing the work. And pain comes with baggage. Stress, avoidance, shutdown, fallout.

Clean technique doesn’t make it kind. It just makes it quieter.

Compare that to positive reinforcement. If you mess it up, you might slow progress. If you mess this up, you can create entirely new problems.

So yes. Prong collars get attention.

They do it by hurting the dog enough that the dog has no choice but to care.

No judgement intended for dog owners. We’re all doing our best. But if your trainer is leaving prong collars on the table as an option, they are not giving you the most modern strategies available.

They are allowing pain doing the heavy lifting. by @emberleash

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7 months ago

My two-year-old just ate dog food.
And instead of panicking, my brain immediately went:
Ah. Reinforcement history. Fascinating.

That’s because I’m a dog trainer, and that part of my brain never really shuts off. Part of that is because I also have kids, and a truth no one warns you about when you become a parent and a dog trainer: It’s the same job.

Tiny creature.�Big feelings.�No impulse control.�Deeply committed to whatever behavior is currently “working.”

You manage the environment so they don’t rehearse nonsense. Meaning stop them from eating the thing they shouldn’t.�You reward the behaviors you want more of.�You absolutely do not turn it into a power struggle over poultry-flavored pellets.

If you can survive a toddler confidently snacking on kibble while making eye contact, you already understand a bit about behavior modification.

Positive reinforcement is not just for dogs.
�It’s for anyone under three feet tall who moves fast and has opinions.

So yes, I can help you train your dog. And if you’ve ever negotiated with a two-year-old holding contraband kibble, you’re already more qualified than you think. by @emberleash

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7 months ago

Max is here to serenade your Saturday.

It’s hot out there. Stay cool and be thoughtful about those paws. Unless your dog is rocking booties, hot concrete and asphalt can heat up fast and get uncomfortable quickly.

Walks are wonderful. Dogs get a lot out of them. Fresh smells, movement, shared time with you. But a walk is not a requirement, especially when the temperature puts your dog at risk of overheating.

Indoor games, nose work, food puzzles, and short training sessions in a cool space can be just as enriching.

Let Max do the singing. You handle the shade and the common sense. by @emberleash

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7 months ago

Hi. It’s me. Maizie. The Mini Trainer.

Today I took Bellow to a very important business location. The butterfly grove. Then the beach. Then the campground. And then obviously… the amphitheater. Because that is where serious professionals do nosework.

Here’s why this matters. Dogs don’t automatically know that the game still exists in new places. The smells are different. The ground is different. The air is different. Everything is exciting and weird and important.

When you play the game in new places, your dog learns something very big. They learn that their nose still works everywhere. They learn they can think anywhere. They learn they can trust themselves anywhere.

Confidence isn’t built in your living room. It’s built in the world.

So yes, we went to the beach. Yes, we went to the forest. Yes, we went to the amphitheater. Because Bellow is not just practicing finding treats. He’s practicing being brave.

You’re welcome, Bellow. I take my job very seriously.

#MaizietheMiniTrainer #NoseworkForDogs #DogConfidence #CanineEnrichment #PositiveReinforcement by @emberleash

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7 months ago