#cottleville

Scrolling Pinterest got me rethinking what “entertaining” means—especially when Saturday rolls around and a few friends spill out my small back door, looking for somewhere other than the kitchen. My deck, as-is, cramps the vibe. There’s never enough space for more than four, and the steps are awkward and steep.

I started looking up local examples of how people here extend their homes outdoors—those Cottleville patios that morph seamlessly into living spaces, firepits and built-in benches and everything connected by clever design. Eventually, I dove down the online rabbit hole until I found a guide from Supreme Deck Builders focused on Cottleville projects. This was the page: https://supremedeckbuilder.com/cottleville/

They talk a lot about decks as “extensions” of the house, not just afterthoughts. What really inspired me was the mix-and-match of modern materials (shout-out to composite, again, for easy clean-up after BBQ sauce disasters) and smart upgrades—like built-in seating that fits logically with the space, custom planters, or shade for those sunny Missouri afternoons. They even emphasize matching decks to existing patios or architectural features, which is perfect since I already have a quirky old flagstone path and a tiny brick fire ring.

What I’m considering now is something multi-functional—a deck that steps down, maybe splits in two levels, with planter boxes and a “spill zone” for all the inevitable muddy shoes. The guide helped me see how little changes (stair angles, bench placement, drainage details!) can make the difference between “deck with a table” and “actual hangout zone.”

Still dreaming, but I’m one step closer to hosting the next Sunday brunch outside—no crowding, no awkward chair logistics, maybe even enough space for cornhole someday.

Hike along Dardenne Creek, around two lakes, and through woods on the Dardenne Greenway and other trails in Cottleville, Mo. I hiked 2.8 miles on the Dardenne Greenway and used other side trails to form a loop. In addition, I did a .8-mile out-and-back hike on a natural surface trail through the woods on Kountz Fort Trail. This walk totaled 3.6 miles with 102 feet of elevation gain. Driving To…

#ARIES: Vas a encontrar mucha conexión con una persona que conoces desde tiempo atrás pero que hasta ahora no te había atraído con la intensidad que lo hace en este momento. Esa sensación va a provocarte energía mental y esperanza emocional.

If you live in a multi-dog household, I'm sure you've already experienced some of the struggles that can come with training multiple dogs. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to make it easier! Teach new things individually first. Always go through the learning stage with any new behavior in a low distraction environment, one-on-one. Additionally, making individual time for each dog allows the opportunity to grow and build individual relationships with each dog in your household. Using crates, tethers and baby gates makes separating dogs much easier. Crate training has many additional benefits as well. You can also provide the dog that isn't training an interactive game or toy, like a stuffed kong. Once you've taught all of the dogs in your household a Place command, we recommend using that as well during training sessions. One dog can be practicing self control by maintaining their place command while the other works with you!

We would also recommend using different release words for each dog. A release word is what we use to tell the dog they no longer need to stay in a command and they're free to do whatever they want. Some common release words, are free, break, okay, release, relax, etc. Those are just some examples, you can get creative! Using different words for each dog allows you to free one dog from a command while keeping the others in place without adding a lot of confusion. Once you're dogs have a solid understanding of their obedience commands and release words then you can start working them together. In the beginning if you have access to multiple handlers (1 person for each dog) that can be helpful as the dogs adjust to listening around each other. If it's just you, don't worry, you can still make it happen, you'll just need a little more patience. It'll be helpful to keep the dogs on leashes so help maintain control and reinforce behaviors. Remember to ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT. Now that you've been working your dogs separately and together, it's time to work that training into your everyday life. Use your training when you're out on walks, before feedings, at doorways, and the list goes on and on! The more you practice, the better your dogs will be! Happy Training

If you're familiar with our training programs, you'll know that we train in 3 different stages: learning, correctional and proofing. Once you're ready to move into the proofing stage, you can use the 3 D's of dog training to help you! 

Duration - Duration is time. Mostly duration refers to how long your dog will hold a command. Place is the easiest command to start with when building duration. Gradually build up the time your dog can help his commands until he'll hold them as long as you need! 

 Distance - Distance has to do with the amount of space between the dog and you. Build distance by moving farther and farther away until you're even out of sight! Another way to practice distance work is by actually signaling commands from a distance away from your dog.  

Distraction -Distractions are anything and everything that may motivate your dog to ignore you and/or break his commands. Fun things, scary things, smelly things, etc. are all distractions. Work on your obedience in as many situations as you can think of, including different locations and around various distractions. The more things you proof your dog around and through, the better he'll be!  

Too often we, as trainers, see dogs that have been spoiled and/or coddled into terrible mindsets. Many behavior problems stem from owners trying to do good, but unfortunately making the behavior worse by spoiling and coddling. A lack of rules and boundaries is setting both you and your dog up to fail. It's amazing the changes you'll see by simply instilling some consistency by the way of rules and boundaries into your dog's life. Dog's DON'T want to lead and actually thrive when rules and structure are put into place. Most likely, your dog will thank you for taking the decision making away from them. It's important to avoid coddling ANY fear or anxiety. Picking up, petting or cooing a fearful or panicked dog is actually reinforcing that state of mind. It's better to either ignore those behaviors or redirect them into better choices like a 'place' command. So how can you improve?

Provide rules, structure and set firm boundaries. Stay consistent!

Don't spoil your dog without good behavior first! It's okay to spoil a well-behaved dog as long as the rules you've set are maintained.

Don't coo or inadvertently reward fear.

Ignore unrealistic fears, you want your dog to see you as unfazed so he can relax too!

Need help getting your dog into a better place with training and behavior? Call us today to schedule your FREE consultation.