I'm Marisa Cole, and I write or personally review everything published on this site. Before this became a website, it was twelve years of on-leash work in parking lots and quiet t…
I'm Marisa Cole, and I write or personally review everything published on this site. Before this became a website, it was twelve years of on-leash work in parking lots and quiet trails around Asheville — including six brutal months with my own German Shepherd, Bruno, who couldn't walk past another dog without falling apart. That history shapes every editorial decision here, from which topics we cover to how honestly we talk about timelines. You can read more about that background on the About Us page.
This site exists for the person standing on the sidewalk with a dog who won't settle, wondering if they're doing it wrong. Our job is to give that person accurate, force-free, genuinely usable information — not a highlight reel of a perfectly trained demo dog. We'd rather publish something slower and honest than fast and impressive.
Every article starts from either a real client situation, a question I've been asked more than a handful of times, or a gap I notice in what's already out there — recall that falls apart around distraction, crate setups that actually survive a chewer, reactivity management that doesn't require a perfect dog to work. Nothing gets written just because it's trending.
Training and behaviour pieces are written from my own certified experience (CPDT-KA) and cross-checked against current, credible sources — veterinary behaviourists, published trainers, and my own case notes when relevant. Build and DIY projects go through an actual build before they're written up; I don't publish steps I haven't tested with a saw, a drill, and a dog trying to supervise.
Everything we cover ties back to three things: puppy training, dog training and behaviour (with a strong lean toward reactivity and real-world distraction work), and dog furniture or DIY projects that solve an actual problem — like a crate that doubles as furniture instead of an eyesore in the living room. If a topic doesn't serve someone actively living with a dog, it doesn't make the calendar.
We don't chase viral training trends without scrutiny. If something new is gaining traction — a tool, a method, a piece of advice making the rounds — I look at where it came from, whether it's force-free, and whether it holds up outside a perfect training-video setting before it gets a mention here. When we reference studies or expert guidance, we link or credit appropriately, and we update older posts when the science or best practice shifts.
I recommend gear the way I would to a client standing in front of me: because I've used it, tested it with a real dog, or vetted it closely enough to stand behind it. Recommendations are never based on which brand pitched us hardest. Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — full details are in our Affiliate Disclaimer. This never changes what we recommend or how we describe it.
Like most independent sites, we run ads and occasionally work with brands to keep this project sustainable — it's genuinely how a small, honest site stays running without turning into a content farm. Any paid partnership or sponsored mention is clearly disclosed. You can find our full advertising and partnership terms in our Disclosure page, and details on brand collaborations are outlined on our Collaboration page.
I'd rather be corrected than be wrong in public. If you spot an error — a broken step in a build, an outdated recommendation, a claim that no longer holds up — we investigate promptly and update the article, noting significant changes where it matters. Corrections aren't buried; getting it right matters more than pretending we never got it wrong. You can flag anything through Contact or by emailing [email protected] directly.
Comments and community interaction are part of this site because dog people learn from each other, but they're moderated to keep the space useful and kind — no shaming anyone for where they're starting from, no aversive-training advocacy, no spam. The full expectations are laid out in our Community Guidelines, and we remove content that violates them without much back-and-forth.
Behaviour work takes months, not days, and nobody tells you that up front — so we do. If an article promises a fast fix for something like reactivity or resource guarding, that's a sign it wasn't written by someone who's actually done the work. Every piece here starts with management, respects the dog in front of you, and tells you the truth about how long things realistically take.
Questions about how a specific article was researched, or something that doesn't sit right with you? Reach out anytime at [email protected]. I read every message myself.