Transforming Puppies 2.0
A Next Generation Program Growing Resilient, Joyful And Calm Dogs
The Missing Link to Raising Resilient, Joyful Dogs
An Industry-Changing Online Course by Dr. Laura Donaldson & Bestselling Author Annie Phenix
23 March at 3pm MST / 5pm EST on Zoom
For compassionate dog guardians who want to give their puppies the best start – and for dog pros ready to shift from obedience-based classes to trauma-informed foundations.
Are We Asking Too Much from Puppies … and Missing What They Actually Need?
Most puppy training focuses on teaching puppies to sit, stay, and comply with commands. But what if compliance is the wrong goal?
What if the real key to raising a calm, confident, resilient dog isn’t about teaching more commands but about understanding your puppy’s brain, body, and emotional needs?
This course is here to change the way we raise puppies, for good.
What Life with a Puppy Looks Like When You’re Getting the Wrong Advice (or None at All)
Puppies are adorable. But living with a dysregulated, overwhelmed puppy? That’s another story.
❌ You’re told to “be the alpha” so your puppy respects you – but all it does is make your puppy more fearful and confused.
❌ You’re constantly correcting – barking, nipping, zoomies – and it feels like your whole day is spent putting out fires.
❌ You’re drowning in conflicting advice from TikTok trainers, neighbors, and even your vet – and none of it feels right.
❌ You’re desperate to get it right, but every “quick fix” feels too harsh – and your gut says, “This can’t be right.”
❌ You’re embarrassed at puppy class when your pup is the “wild one” – the barker, the hider, the zoomie king or queen.
❌ You feel like you have to micromanage every second, terrified that if you relax, you’ll accidentally “ruin” your puppy.
What no one tells you is this:
Your puppy isn’t being naughty – they’re dysregulated. They don’t know how to co-regulate with you, and they haven’t yet built the self-regulation skills they’ll need for life.
When You Focus on the Wrong Things, Here’s What Happens:
- Puppies learn to suppress their feelings, not process them.
- They follow commands out of fear or confusion, not because they feel safe enough to truly learn.
- They miss out on learning how to think, problem-solve, and regulate themselves, leaving them fragile when life gets hard.
- Their bodies stay tense – because they never learn how to relax.
- They miss true socialization – flooded with too much, or cut off from healthy experiences.
- The process feels stressful and disconnected – for both of you.
And these puppies often grow into anxious, reactive, or shut-down adult dogs.
Not because you didn’t care. But because you were given the wrong map for the journey.
Hi, I’m Dr. Laura Donaldson, PhD, CDBC, KPA CTP
“Compliance is not Cooperation”
Certified Trauma Professional
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
Creator of the Slow Thinking is Lifesaving for Dogs® & Making Befriends With Your Dog programs
Award Winning Writer on Dog Behavior (winner of 2018 Maxwell Medallion Award for Best Magazine Article on Dog Behavior & Training, Dog Writers Association of America)
Four Paws, Four Directions Dog Training & Behavior Consulting, LLC
Most puppy classes are based on compliance rather than helping puppies learn the foundations for lifelong habits of cooperation, self-regulation, thinking before acting and navigating any environment calmly.
My “transformed” puppy class makes these both its focus and goal. Puppies learn social problem-solving skills and the beginnings of how to self-regulate rather than just following human commands.
Hi, I’m Annie Phenix
“Puppies need nurture before they need training.”
I’m a professional dog trainer with 25+ years of experience and author of two bestselling books:
📖 The Midnight Dog Walkers: Positive Training and Practical Advice for Living With Reactive and Aggressive Dogs
📖 Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs
I understand the impact of fear and stress on both dogs and humans – because I’ve lived it.
When I adopted my two Heeler brothers, Finn and Cooper, they were malnourished, traumatized, and completely shut down.
They barked, growled, and hid from everything.
Even as a professional trainer, I felt overwhelmed.
So I threw out everything I thought I knew and dove deep into science-backed, force-free training methods, focusing on nurture, trust, and emotional safety before anything else.
The result? A complete transformation.
We’ve now joined forces to share a better way for you and your puppy to create a secure relationship built on confidence, resilience and trust.
Introducing a Better Way: Transforming Puppies 2.0
Co-Regulation Over Compliance – Raising Puppies Who Feel Safe, Calm & Confident in the World
This 100% online, self-paced course – co-created by Dr. Laura Donaldson and Annie Phenix – gives you a new map.
You’ll discover:
✅ How to work with your puppy’s natural learning processes instead of fighting against them
✅ Why co-regulation is the missing piece and how to do it with your pup
✅ How to build lifelong self-regulation skills in your puppy, so they can stay calm under stress
✅ How to spot early signs of trauma or overwhelm and intervene gently
✅ The power of free work, proprioception, and interoception for growing calm, body-aware dogs
What’s Inside the Course
🎥 Dr. Laura Donaldson’s Presentation (2 Hours)
Next-gen puppy raising rooted in neurobiology, trauma science, and co-regulation.
🎥 Annie Phenix’s Presentation (1.5 Hours)
Real-life case studies showing exactly how to help puppies recover from early trauma and develop healthy nervous systems.
Bonus: AVSAB Position Statement on Humane Dog Training
Because science matters and this is your foundation.
Lifetime Access
No rush. No expiration. Come back anytime.
Imagine Life With a Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppy
✔️ Relaxed Walks, No Drama – Instead of lunging at every passing dog or freezing in fear, your puppy trots beside you, tail wagging, taking in the world with curiosity, not stress.
✔️ Visitors? No Big Deal – Your puppy doesn’t launch into a barking frenzy or hide under the couch when the doorbell rings – they check things out, wag their tail, and settle in for belly rubs.
✔️ Solo Time is Okay – Instead of panicking when left alone, your puppy chews a toy, naps, or calmly watches the world from their safe space – because they trust you’ll always come back.
✔️ Handles the Unexpected Like a Pro – A loud truck rumbles by? A bag blows across the sidewalk? No meltdown, no shutdown – just a puppy who takes a breath, looks to you, and carries on.
This is what’s possible when puppies learn emotional regulation, not just obedience.
Transforming Puppies 2.0 isn’t just a puppy training course.
It’s a blueprint for lifelong emotional resilience – for puppies and their people.
Your Next Steps:
Purchase the Course
Just $50 (special price valid only until March 31st)
- Open for purchase now (on Dr. Laura Donaldson’s Thinkific platform)
- Course materials will be unlocked on March 23rd (after the Free Live Q&A Call)
- Lifetime access
Free Live Q&A Call
Join Dr. Laura Donaldson & Bestselling Author Annie Phenix for an exclusive live Q&A session where they’ll:
- Reveal why traditional puppy training misses the most important step
- Share a sneak peek of their course, Transforming Puppies 2.0 (including some of the slides!)
- Answer your questions on puppy behavior, trauma recovery, and force-free foundations
Is This for You?
This course is a perfect fit if you’re:
A puppy parent who wants to raise a calm, confident dog without force or fear.
A trainer or behavior pro ready to update your puppy curriculum to match the latest science.
A rescue volunteer or foster working with fragile pups who need more than basic training.
Ready to Raise a Puppy Who’s Truly Resilient?
Your puppy’s future starts now, and it starts with understanding their body, brain, and emotions, not just teaching sit and stay.
Get lifetime access for just $50 (special price valid until March 31st)
What people have said about Annie’s bestselling book Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! These skills apply at any age, especially for dogs who missed solid puppy foundations.
100%. Science and compassion are our only tools. Our training is based on respect and aims to create deep safety for dogs. There is no room for any methods or tools based on fear.
No problem! The course is pre-recorded, so you’ll never miss a thing. The recording of the live Q&A call will also be available in the course area.
Not at all! It’s made for curious, compassionate dog guardians, too.
Still Got Questions?
Get in touch: https://choosetotrainhumane.com/contact-us/
You Have a Choice
You’re here because you want the best for your puppy.
Now you can either hope for the best or spend $$$$ to hire a traditional trainer using methods that don’t offer what your puppy really needs … either way, you’ll miss out on much of the beautiful life you could have with your puppy.
Or you can give your puppy (or your client’s puppies) the calm, confident future they deserve.
This course is only $50 (special price expires after March 31st) but the shift in how you see your puppy?
That’s priceless.
So what’s your next step?
We look forward to seeing you inside.
Laura & Annie
