Dog Training

Are you really utilizing play to bond with your dog and create impulse control? Play can be such a wonderful way to bond with your dog. Unfortunately I see it happen in a way that is hurting the human-dog relationship, rather than building it. Fetch at its core centers around one thing, catching prey. Since dogs are predators, they often enjoy when things squeak for a very specific reason relating to how it would sound if they caught an animal. That is why some dogs can’t even be around...

Let’s talk dog baths, but not just any dog, a dog that really struggles with being bathed, even becomes aggressive or panicky. Maybe you got a new puppy and want to condition your new puppy to like baths. These tips will make a huge difference. Checklist! Use a tub and pre fill 1/3rd or halfway w/ warm water Get a pitcher or large container to wet the dog down and for rinsing so you don’t turn the faucet on at all if possible. That is what can really startle and scare dogs, making them...

Things are changing. Many of us are going back to work, traveling again, moving for new jobs and other changes are really affecting our dogs. I am getting overwhelmed with messages and emails of dogs struggling with these changes. It’s not fair to them. They haven’t been prepared. Dogs are very social creatures genetically. That means teaching them to be alone is HARD sometimes and teaching them to be with people is easy. What I am seeing constantly is our dogs are over stimulated because...

Importance of Space for Dogs and Puppies The key to any training, puppy or dog is...SPACE. Becoming more aware of your environment and how the lack of space w/ certain things creates pressure on your dog. Things like: -Traffic -Neighbor saying hi to you -Friendly dog down the street -holiday decorations outside -barking dog behind a fence -etc. Sean O’shea, another dog trainer that has written articles on space, he came up with this as a good intro: “If there’s a crazy person loose in the...

Dogs and Holiday time! It’s that time of year again! So many people everywhere are planning on getting a puppy or rescue dog around this time. I often get a surge in business 1-3 months after the holidays for that very reason. There are some downfalls to getting a dog while on break and I’d like to give you some tips to avoid those pitfalls incase you are looking to add to your family this holiday season :) Downfalls: -You are very relaxed and just wanting to enjoy your time off. -You and...

When is affection appropriate? This is such a common question I get and there is no easy answer now that we live with our dogs and they have so much access to us. So I thought I would give you guys some ideas for clarity. If you are having some behavioral issues with your dog or feel your dog is getting anxiety, ask yourself the questions below. *When your dog respects you and your space when you ask. * When you’ve worked with your dog are working together nicely in most situations. * When...

HEAT WAVE! This time of year for many is tough. It’s so hot you can’t even walk your dog after 9am! This is really difficult for higher energy breeds so I wanted to give you all some ideas you can do with your dogs indoors. FIRST…just a little word of caution. A common misconception is that if you are okay with the heat, your dog is. This just isn’t true. Dogs do not sweat all over like we do, have thinner skin, need more frequent breaks in the shade and they have flesh for feet!...

If you want your dog to change, you must change There’s just no getting around this! If you want your dogs behavior to change then you must change-some of it has to be permanent, not temporary. All of the training in the world will only get you a little bit of improvement. If you want behavioral changes then your behavior has to change. Even the idea of what your life looked like with a dog may need to change. Especially if you have a dog with high levels of anxiety or aggression. What you...

Debunking some myths of what dogs need and want in a walk. Let’s keep talking about the walk. Recently I wrote in depth about how the walk can and should become a job for your dog. You can find this on my blog page. As valuable as that might have sounded to some, there are still often some thoughts that creep in making us owners feel bad about not letting our dog explore more. I understand that so I wanted to debunk some myths behind those ideas. If you were on the fence reading the last...

Let’s stop calling our dogs stubborn all the time. They very well might be stubborn and I know that is a word we trainers use probably too often as well, but the reasons behind the stubborn-ness are SO important. A main reason we see that creates stubbornness in dogs is no history of accountability or learning to learn how to do things by following instructions from man. That was a bit of a mouthful. Let me unpack that. If there is little to no guidance given to a dog from a person and no...