Episode #238 Training Your Own Dog as a Retired Veteran

In this powerful episode, Amy Jensen speaks directly to retired veterans who are considering training their own dog — whether for companionship, emotional support, or even future service work. Learn how the process of training your own dog can offer purpose, structure, connection, and healing in this next chapter of life.

Amy shares best practices for getting started, tips for choosing the right dog, and how to build a bond rooted in trust through positive reinforcement. 

📋 In this episode:
 • Why dog training benefits veterans beyond obedience
 • How to choose and train the right dog for your lifestyle
 • What training structure works best for adult learners
 • How BAXTER & Bella supports veteran trainers
 

Whether you’re starting with a new puppy or working with a trusted companion, this episode is full of encouragement and real-world strategies to help you succeed.

🐾 Learn more and get started today at baxterandbella.com
And as always, happy training!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you are a veteran and looking to train your own
dog, whether for service work orjust companionship, today's
episode is for you.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical

(00:23):
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hi you guys, today's episode isa meaningful one.
We're talking directly to ournation's retired veterans.

(00:47):
First and foremost, I want tosay thank you for your service.
Your strength and dedication donot go unnoticed.
So in this next chapter of yourlife, you may be considering
training your own dog.
Maybe it's just forcompanionship, maybe you need
emotional support or even futureservice tasks.
Today I want to talk about howthat journey can benefit you

(01:07):
personally, what best practicesto follow and how Baxter and
Bella can support you every stepof the way.
First of all, why train yourown dog as a veteran?
For many veterans, returning tocivilian life comes with unique
challenges.
Dogs can play an incrediblerole in that transition.
They offer structure, purpose,connection and even healing.

(01:28):
Here's what training your owndog can offer.
First, they can offer mentalclarity and daily routine.
Training requires consistencyand patience.
These are things that bringstructure and focus into our
everyday lives.
Next, dogs bring deepconnection.
When you train your own dog,that bond runs deep.
The dogs learn your cues andyour timing and your needs.

(01:52):
They really get to know you andyou get to build that strong
bond with them.
Now emotional support andstress relief also is available.
Dogs are very intuitivecreatures.
With the right training, theycan offer you grounding
companionship and they can eveninterrupt anxiety or stress.
The more time they spend withyou and are around you, they

(02:12):
start to pick up on things thatyou're dealing with and they
start to learn how to assist you.
Dogs also offer a renewed senseof mission.
For many people, we find thattraining a dog offers them a
renewed sense of purpose.
It gives them a goal to worktoward, with clear milestones
and real world impact.

(02:33):
Now here are some bestpractices.
If you decide, hey, yeah, Ithink I could train my own dog.
Whether your goal is awell-behaved companion dog or a
dog that supports specific needs, here are a few tips to get
started.
Number one be sure you choosethe right dog.
So look for a breed or a mixwith a temperament, size and
energy level that fits yourlifestyle.

(02:54):
Next, we want you to work witha responsible breeder or rescue
understands your goals.
If you need help with that,please reach out to our
organization, baxter and Bella.
We have created tools andresources for you to help you
identify these things.
We also want you to choose apuppy that has been temperament
tested so you might've heard ofthe Volhard puppy aptitude test.

(03:16):
That's a good start.
These kinds of tools can helpensure your puppy is suited for
training, and we also like youto speak with the breeder or the
rescue and find out as much asyou can about this specific dog
that you're wanting to choosetheir personality, how they
respond to stress, just the inand outs of daily life and what
they've noticed about this dog,and then we can give you advice
on to yeah, that would be a goodfit, or yeah, probably not.

(03:38):
Let's keep looking.
Number two is to start early,but it's never too late.
So if you're starting with apuppy, we want to begin
socialization and basic mannersright away.
We help you do that as part ofour program in Baxter and Bella.
If you're training an adult dog, or maybe a rescue that you
found, we want you to startwhere they are.
Dogs are incredibly adaptableand progress is always possible

(04:02):
Inside our program.
We take you from basic throughadvanced, so there's a spot for
everybody.
If you find a dog that's alittle bit older and they have
certain skills but not others,we can help tailor this training
program to them.
We also here at Baxter Bella,highly recommend positive
reinforcement.
We want to reward what we wantto see more of.

(04:22):
So whether it's food, praise,play, attention, positive
reinforcement creates trust andmotivation.
We want this dog to be soexcited to go to work with you.
We don't want there to be anyfear or intimidation involved.
Now the number five would be totake breaks when needed.
Remember, training is a journey.
It's not a race.

(04:43):
You're not in any kind of hurryto get the training done.
Some days are going to feelbetter than others, and that's
okay.
I like to tell people, traininga dog is like a roller coaster.
Some days you're on a high andother days you hit a low, but
overall you're making upwardprogression.
There's just some um bumps andvalleys along the way.
That's pretty normal.

(05:03):
Remember, you're building arelationship with this dog.
We're not just teaching themskills.
We're not creating robots,right?
We're creating um.
We're helping to foster arelationship where this creature
can trust you and you can trustthem and you can start to work
together to help each other.
Now, how can we help?
Here at Baxter and Bella, we'veworked with many people who want

(05:24):
to train their own dogs.
Whether you're working with apuppy, a rescue or an adult dog
you already have.
Our program is designed tosupport you at every stage.
So when you join, you'llreceive step-by-step lessons
from puppy basics to advancedskills.
This includes videos,worksheets, real-world demos.
You can watch it anytime.
Everything we do has beenrecorded so you can watch on

(05:46):
demand.
We also teach things live andif you want to find out the
schedule, once you join you'llsee a calendar and you're
welcome to come to live events.
So we also offer live coachingcalls and Q and a sessions with
our training team.
This offers more personalizedsupport.
You also have direct access tocertified trainers for email
questions or feedback um, prettymuch 24 seven.

(06:09):
Now our goal is to empower youto succeed on your own terms, at
your own pace, and then we giveyou the expert help when you
need it.
So if you're a retired veteranconsidering training your own
dog, I want to tell you this youare not alone in this journey.
Your experience, discipline andheart already make you a great

(06:33):
candidate for success.
At Baxter and Bella, we areproud to support those who have
served and we'd be honored towalk alongside you as you train
your own dog, not just to obeycues but to become a trusted
companion, a partner and afriend.
We thank you again here atBaxter and Bella for your
service and we thank you fortrusting us with your next
mission.
If this episode resonated withyou, please share it with
someone who might benefit.

(06:53):
To learn more or to join ouronline training program, you can
visit us at Baxter and Bellacom.
Again, we're here to help andwe're cheering you on every step
of the way.
Until next time, happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you

(07:15):
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.