Often when I'm talking with clients, I can sense their frustration about their dog's behavior issues. Living with a fearful or anxious dog is hard for owners. And it's normal to want things to be resolved as quickly as possible. And I've covered "How Long...
This week we said goodbye to our goofy, adventurous, always happy, Mr. Barbo. These goodbyes are never easy but I can take solace in knowing we shared a beautiful, fun life together, filled with over a decade of adventures, snacks, travel in 18 states (via...
When you share your life with a dog struggling with fear, separation anxiety or are caring for a sick or senior dog, it's easy to get so immersed in caring and protecting for them, that you push your own needs aside. This is a topic that comes up with many...
As I've written in the past, I currently share my life with two senior dogs. Mr. Barbo, who will be 14 in just 2 weeks and BooBoo will be 14 in October. And I know, as lucky as we are to have two large dogs reach these senior ages, it's also heartbreaking. ...
Enrichment isn't optional. It's not a nice, extra thing we should be doing for our animals - it's a critical part of their well-being, health and happiness. Enrichment is ensuring we are meeting all of a species needs. This is not optional. And because of...
Did you know that puppy biting and mouthing is completely normal dog behavior? While it may be annoying (and painful!), especially if you've got small children, it is a normal part of your dog's development. Puppies explore their worlds with their mouths...
A while ago I wrote about the importance of interval training in dog training. This idea of mixing high intensity practices with periods of rest or easier practices is a concept encourage my clients to use when training their dogs, especially separation...
Living with a dog who is noise phobic is hard, on the dog and on the people. It's difficult to watch a dog trembling, hiding, refusing to eat high value food, trying to escape or refusing to go outside. Sometimes sound phobias happen at predictable times we...
If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur - Red Adair I love helping people and their dogs. My mission is to help people and their dogs live happier lives together. And I provide tons of freely available...
As I recently discussed, behavior is never random. And it's also not a slippery slope. Dog-dog issues don't predict dog-human issues or vice versa. There are plenty of dogs who are great with other dogs but who are afraid of strangers. Just as there are plenty of...
Whenever I do an initial separation anxiety assessment or have my initial consult with behavior clients, they inevitably ask "how long will this take to fix?" and I can never give them a concrete answer. I'm not hiding anything, in fact, I'm being completely...
Download my latest free download: Be A Good Neighbor with my top tips for being a good neighbor when your dog has separation anxiety. Get your copy here! If you think your dog might have separation anxiety or are looking for some guidance on separation...