We all love our dogs and we want to show them how much we love them. One of the most common bits of information I deliver to clients is that most dogs don't like to be hugged or kissed. It's a hard conversation to have and it often shatters them. They tell me,...
Today I'm thrilled to share that my new course, Conquering The Urban Jungle: Helping Dogs With Their Fear Of Being Outside, is now available! This has been many months in the making and I am so excited to be able to finally share it with you. This course is...
As a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator and a certified behavior consultant whose speciality is fear and aggression, I work with a lot of families with dogs and kids. Some contact me ahead of time, to help prepare their dog, or address concerns before the baby...
Understanding how to read your dog's communication is the single most important thing you can to improve your relationship with your dog. This is probably why one of my most popular free downloads is my infographic on dog communication. If you missed it, you can...
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I always ask clients about their dog's medical history and I'm always scanning for red flags...
Over the years I've had clients come to me sheepishly asking for help because their dog doesn't like when they are getting intimate or showing affection like handshakes, hugging or kissing with other humans. And kudos for them being brave enough to ask for...
I've written about the importance of enrichment how giving your dog outlets for normal dog behavior like sniffing is important and how enrichment isn't optional. But, let's face it. We all have busy lives. And sometimes the weather may not cooperate with...
I've written about the importance of enrichment how giving your dog outlets for normal dog behavior like sniffing is important and how enrichment isn't optional. Often we overlook social interaction as part of our enrichment plan. Remember, dogs are social...
People mean well. I know they do, but there's many old ways of interacting with dogs that we were once thought to be the right way, but aren't. One of these myths is that when we meet a dog we should present our hand "for them to sniff." And, I have a...
Full disclosure, I have a strong bias against big dogs playing with and living with small dogs. There, I said it. Sure, many big and small dogs successfully do play or live together, but for me, the risk of something going wrong, just isn't worth it. Many...
This is my next installment in my Back To Basics series. The first post on housetraining can be found here. Did you know that puppy biting and mouthing is completely normal dog behavior? Puppies explore their worlds with their mouths (and noses) so picking...
As someone who focuses on fear cases, I have a disproportionate amount of people who view their dog's fear issues as behavior "problems" that need "fixing" instead of recognizing that fear is not disobedience. The more I was thinking about this, the more I...