Happy New Year! Thank you for all the responses to my recent survey asking for blog topics. Many of them have already been covered but I will revisit them and maybe break them down a bit more. But, with the start of the new year, I thought it would be a good...
2022 was a hard year for many, including my own family losing Mr. Barbo in August. I've had clients struggling with separation anxiety, and other fearful or aggressive situations: dogs biting children, resource guarders, dogs who don't like to be touched,...
This past Halloween and holiday season I've seen a rash of social media posts, usually videos, of clearly scared dogs and people laughing at them. Dogs startling at lawn inflatables. Dogs backing away from people in costumes. Dogs barking at toys or decorations...
Often in dog/toddler or dog/baby interactions I see parents urging their child to "be gentle" and while I'm sure this is well intentioned by the parent, it's really not a safe way to allow your child to interact with your dog. Depending on the age of the child,...
In some celebratory news, last month marked 3 years that I've been writing weekly blog content (except for a few weeks I took off!) and sharing it with you all. And a huge variety of topics, though some, like fear and aggression, separation anxiety, normal...
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this, I’d be sitting on a private island somewhere retired right now. And honestly, before I was a trainer, before I knew better, I said the same thing about my BooBoo. It’s easy to jump to that conclusion if...
During this week of Thanksgiving, I'm reflecting on the many things I'm thankful for and that includes all of you. I am thankful for dogs, and their people, who care so deeply about them and want so desperately to help their dogs live a better life. I'm...
With Thanksgiving and winter holidays approaching (here in the US), it's likely you're gathering with friends and family and your dog is expected to seamlessly integrate into that chaos. While you may be out of time for training helpful skills like down/stay on a...
Social media is full of posts from people asking for trainers who are breed experts for their specific dog's breed. It's also full of terrible advice that certain breeds require certain dog training methods while other breeds need a different type of...
Download my free guide: 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar. I talk more about why not to use these tools, a deeper dive into regulation and give you citations to the research if you'd like to look at it for yourself. There are better, more humane, more effective...
I am not a betting person but if I had to bet, I'd wager you got a dog because you wanted a companion, a family member, something to love and nurture - not something to control with force, fear or pain. Whether it is out of desperation, poor guidance from...
Often during my family dog consults I get asked about when kids can walk the family dog alone. Many times a dog is added to the family to "help teach the kids responsibility" (by the way, not something I recommend) but usually parents are hoping they can entrust...