A dog dressed as a unicorn princess in a pink tutu, with a unicorn horn headband decorated with colorful roses and a large pink flower, set against a plain background.
An illustrated dog dressed as a vampire, wearing a black cape, a white shirt, a red bow tie with bat wings, and a yellow heart pendant around its neck.
Digital illustration of a dog with bat wings and horns.

The Familiar's Field Guide

spooky season skills for dogs and their guardians

This October, dog training gets a spooky twist.

The Familiar’s Field Guide is a playful training adventure inspired by folklore from Justus’ novel The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow.

Each week, you and your dog face a new creature of the Ceoghast: mischievous pumpkin creatures, sly thief-spirits, witches, or wandering tricksters. Together, you’ll learn the skills needed to outwit them.

For your dog, these are foundational behaviours and seasonal tricks.

For you, they become shared rituals, survival charms, and storytelling magic.

What You’ll Gain:

  • Survival Skills: Learn four essential behaviours: nosework searches, loose-leash walking, recall, and calm settling.

  • Cunning Tricks: Master four whimsical tricks: paw pledge, retrieve with drop, bow, and play dead.

  • Strengthened Bond: Deepen your connection through creativity, shared storytime, and play.

  • Long-term Magic: Carry home not just well-practiced behaviours, but a renewed sense of joy, resilience, and shared ritual… one that endures long after Halloween ends.

This is more than a class; it’s a survival school and a story you step into together.

And when the Ceoghast calls again, you’ll be ready.

Spooky Familiar Portrait Add-On (Optional)

🕯️ Want to glimpse your familiar under October’s spell?

Summon a custom spooky portrait of your familiar! Now available separately in the shop.

By starting this course, you agree to the Terms and Conditions

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Illustration of a dog with a police uniform and a red turban.
A Halloween-themed cartoon of a small dog dressed in a purple fuzzy spider costume with a pink and purple spider hat on its head. The dog is biting a large orange pumpkin with green vines.
A cartoon-style illustration of a dog facing upside down, with blue eyes and a red and blue painted face, against a black background.

Meet your instructor

✳

Meet your instructor ✳

Justus Joseph

Certified Professional Dog Trainer • Storyteller • Author

I’m the founder of Lineage of Love Dog Training and the author of The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow. My approach to working with dogs blends expressive, positive dog training with imaginative storytelling, because real connection comes from both trust and play.

With years of experience, advanced coursework in canine behaviour, and ongoing certification as a Canine Behaviour Consultant, I specialize in helping guardians and their dogs build confident, joyful relationships grounded in empathy and calm.

This October, I invite you to start training with a touch of magic. The Familiar’s Field Guide turns your dog’s everyday skills into fun survival spells while you explore lessons that glow with lore from the Ceoghast.

Together, we’ll transform training into ritual, story, and connection… and have fun doing it.

Happy Haunting!

Line drawing of a hand giving a treat to a dog, with a stylized text that reads 'Justus Certified Professional Dog Trainer'.
Woman with purple hair and black lipstick taking a selfie while holding a small black and white dog, both dressed in Halloween costumes. The woman wears a Halloween-themed headband with ghosts, bats, and orange disco balls. The background has Halloween decorations.

JUSTUS & BRONTË

The Familiar’s Field Guide is inspired by lore from my debut novel, The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow.

⚠️ A Note Before You Dive In: This is not a dog training book, and it’s not about dogs at all. The Heart Witch is a YA folk horror novel: haunting, eerie, and full of uneasy magic and terrible choices. It’s what I call “horror-lite” — atmospheric and unsettling, with strange creatures and heavy choices, but without the gore of adult horror.

There are no dogs in the story, and the events that unfold are not the happiest ones. It’s meant for readers who enjoy spooky folklore, witchy themes, and a touch of darkness.

If you’ve enjoyed the Ceoghast encounters in our training, you might love stepping deeper into that world through the novel.

The book, ebook, and audiobook are available everywhere books are sold. You can also buy them direct here:

Get the book.

Book cover titled "The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow" by Justus Joseph. The cover features an illustration of a glass jar containing a human heart, set against a dark, forested background with falling leaves and small glowing lights.
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Course FAQ

  • Easy! 🎃👻 You can purchase your spooky portrait here! I’ll create a one-of-a-kind portrait that blends your pup’s personality with just the right amount of eerie magic.

  • Nope! The course is inspired by the world of The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow, but you don’t need to know the story. Each creature encounter is explained in the lesson, and the skills stand alone as practical dog training.

  • Not at all! The “spooky” element is for the humans: stories, folklore, and atmosphere. For your dog, it’s a positive training program built with rewards, play, and connection.

  • You’ll work on four survival skills (focus, loose-leash walking, recall, calm settle) and four cunning tricks (paw pledge, retrieve with drop, bow, play dead). These are practical foundations and fun seasonal extras.

  • This course is suitable for puppies through adult dogs. No prior training experience is required. Skills are taught step by step with plenty of room to adapt for your dog’s needs.

  • This course is enrichment-based and gentle, but it does not address complex behaviour challenges on its own. If your dog needs extra support, you’re welcome to contact Lineage of Love Dog Training for private coaching options.

  • It runs for 4 weeks (with 8 lessons total: 4 skills + 4 tricks). Each lesson can be completed at your own pace, with practice in between.

  • The course is available online, with lessons arriving once a week on October 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th. Materials are accessible anywhere and will remain accessible until the end of November 2025.

  • No — the Field Guide is a training program, not a book bundle. If you’d like to read the YA folk horror novel that inspired it, you can find The Heart Witch of Speckled Hound Hollow here. Please note: the novel is not about dogs and contains unsettling themes.

  • Yes, this is designed as a seasonal program. It will return each October with new twists and extra surprises.

  • Ceoghast is pronounced KYOH - gahsst.

    It comes from the Irish word for fog, Ceo (kyoh), and an abbreviation of ghastly (gah-sst)