Meet Blake Woody of Paw Commons Pet Resort

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Woody.

Hi Blake, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Thank you for having me! I have been working within the Animal Training and Human Education fields for 14 years. My working philosophy is that animal training should not be overly complicated or daunting, it is the small moments that make the biggest impact. These principles are essential not only in training animals but also in developing strong leaders and teams. I have had the honor in working within Zoos, Animal Rescues, Non-Profits focused on children and Animals, and have run my own businesses.

My favorite thing to share is that I am a classically trained musician that was supposed to join the circus but ended up at the zoo.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. There is a statement that says: You never want a flat line on an EKG. To be alive you need the ups and downs.

Having perseverance through difficult times whether that is compassion fatigue, standing out in your career, or cultivating a change in your industry is important. It’s easy to talk about perseverance but going through the action of every day making a choice to keep moving forward is something entirely different. The best suggestion that I would give anyone and what I honestly still practice is finding moments of gratitude even in the chaos.

Life is a series of ups and downs whether you want to look at it from an EKG machine or think of it as a roller coaster; we need both to enjoy the highs and lows of work, that’s what makes the road fun to travel.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Before I go into the whole business, let me start with the key takeaway, I would love for your readers to know that dog training doesn’t have to be difficult and the beautiful thing about dogs is they are adaptable to us humans. All of my training staff get to work with your dog to do anything but it’s how we support humans and their learning that makes us different.

We also have a Working Dog Program; people who are interested in having their dog do therapy work, service dog, facility dog, and advanced well-mannered dog training can do that with us. Having an owner-trained service dog is more accessible than many people realize. We help you navigate that pathway to success.

Ok, for the business – Paw Commons has been around for over 20 years. We have 4 locations in San Diego and Encinitas, California as well as two locations in Arizona: Scottsdale, and Gilbert. We are a full-service resort, meaning we offer Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Retail, and Training. Our Training Department became a full department in 2021 and has flourished into a growing and successful team of trainers.

My Team utilizes a Balance Method of Training with a focus on relationship-based management. Which is a fancy way of saying we educate our training team in animal training theory and human animal bond. An example of a technique we use is the difference between a well-trained dog and a well-mannered dog.

• Well-trained is a dog who knows the commands but needs to be told what to do.
• Well-mannered is a dog who anticipates expectations and completes the behavior without prompting.

Knowing the difference between and what it takes for both of those pathways is something our team not only educates but also helps the owner have the most success.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of risk-taking. We are taught in school to avoid risk at any cost. However, to have some success you need to learn how to make informed risk moves. It is the practice of pushing outside of your comfort zone and leaning into the un-comfortability of growth that teaches us how to make those moves.

In my own work, training and handling can be dangerous. Questions of doing things with correct technique, reading behavior fast enough and correctly, and concerns about making the right choice for the dog and for their human owner. And it also doesn’t hurt to mention, that in the training community you’re always being assessed and judged by other trainers. Creating an environment of constructive feedback and collaboration in that type of setting is super uncomfortable but needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pawcommons.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawcommons
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PawCommonsScottsdale/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakewoody/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/paw-commons-scottsdale-scottsdale-3?uid=QY_ovqjOkZ63dLG46u9rEA&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)