Eisa’Bel Curran
The Enterprise had a chance to speak with local dog trainer Eisa’Bel Curran, who we are excited to announce will be bringing an occasional column to this paper on a range of topics related to dogs, dog training, and pets in the local area. As part of her column, Curran will be providing information to the valley’s many dog owners about the kinds of things she hears about in her professional daily life. In addition to owning and running Bel’s Dog Training, Eisa’bel is also a tech at the Soda Springs Animal Clinic. As a result, she has a lot of experience with the pets of the community.
Curran grew up just to the south in Davis county, where she says that her lifelong love of animals started. She “took all the animal classes I could,” as she says, and also involved herself in livestock judging and FFA activities. She pursued a more formal education at the Bridgerland Technical College, and has worked on the boarding side of the equation as well as the obedience training one.
In 2022, she started her own training operation, Bels Dog Training, which she continues to expand. Bels Dog Training offers a range of options for owners who are committed to working with their animals and Curran to achieve the results they want from their animals. She essentially offers both inpatient and outpatient options, where dogs can be boarded and trained for intense attention, trained once a week on site, given home sessions, and even attend group sessions.
One thing that many people have expressed interest in that Curran would also like to pursue is the idea of a large group dog walk, where owners could meet to help socialize their animals in realtime with other owners.
Bels can be reached at 801-589-2735, or on Instagram or Facebook by searching “Bels Dog Training.”
Without further ado, here is Eisa’Bel’s first column, on puppies.
“The Dog Trainers Diary”
By Bels Dog Training
Common mistakes new puppy owners make
Over the years of working and training dogs/puppies, I quickly realize how common dog owners make mistakes when trying to adjust to a new dog or puppy. Bringing home a new companion is exciting but also can be quite challenging when adjusting to a new schedule and routine. So here are a few of the common mistakes and how to avoid/work on them.
1: Waiting too long to start training
Many people think training starts “when they’re older.” But by the time your puppy is 16 weeks old, they’ve already learned a ton—good or bad. Every time they jump up and get attention? Learned behavior. Every time they chew a slipper and you laugh? Learned. Every-time they whine or bark and you react, they’ve trained you.
Training starts the second you get the puppy. The biggest focus is your relationship and what you want that to look like. A lot of behavior problems start from the first day when you let mild infractions (pushy, tantrums, rude behavior) happen over and over.
2: Confusing Socialization with Chaos
When you think of Socialization what do you picture? Meeting and interacting with everyone you see? Even if they don’t like you? Well that’s not the case. That’s how you create problematic behaviors like excitement reactivity. Socialization should be neutral and calm. You choose what the dog interacts with and what they don’t. Socializing is different, being able to watch the environment (soaking up the scene) and learning to handle/deal with emotions.
Controlled, positive experiences.
Overloading your puppy with loud sounds, busy places, or dozens of people can backfire. Go slow. Let them observe the world with you beside them as their safe place.
3: Too Much Freedom
You bring home your new dog/puppy and give them free range of the whole house, uh-oh they peed on the carpet, they chewed in the TV wires. Giving them too much room too fast without expectations and boundaries can result in behaviors you don’t want. Start small and build up the environment over time.
The other side note is not having direct communication (a leash, your first line of communication) when or if you need to pull/direct them out of a situation. Leave a long leash on, if they get into trouble you can use the leash. (Remember your building in your relationship).
4: Expecting Too much, too soon
This one is big. Puppies are babies. They have short attention spans, bursts of energy, and emotional ups and downs. Some days they seem to “get it.” Other days they forget everything.
Progress isn’t linear. Patience and consistency matter more than perfection. Celebrate the small wins.
5: Sleep
Ah the puppy or the dog is barking all night long what do I do?!! Maybe you’ve seen your puppy go “crazy” or seem almost like the Tasmanian devil. Lack of adequate sleep can lead to increased irritability, hyperactivity, even health issues from fatigue.
Newborn to 8 Weeks: Puppies at this stage require approximately 18–20 hours of sleep per day to support rapid growth and development.
• 8 to 16 Weeks: Sleep needs remain high, with puppies still requiring around 18–20 hours daily.
• 4 to 6 Months: Sleep duration may decrease slightly, but puppies still need substantial rest, often around 16–18 hours per day.
• 6 to 12 Months: As puppies mature, their sleep patterns begin to resemble those of adult dogs, averaging 12–14 hours of sleep per day, including daytime naps.
If you found these tips helpful or find yourself still struggling please reach out to Bels Dog Training for further guidance. If you found these helpful, leave a review on google!
