Did you know that humping is completely normal dog behavior? While it is often one of the most common things that gets owners worked up and embarrassed (I'm assuming that stems from our aversion to discussing sex in open ways, but that's another topic!), we...
If you've ever exercised a lot or trained for a big event, you're familiar with interval 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,...
I've written before about how I share my life with two senior dogs. Mr. Barbo and BooBoo are both 13 and since October, they've both struggled with some serious medical issues, prompting me to face the reality that, as our vet says, "they didn't get the...
There is no substitute for quality training and behavior modification but there are a lot of management strategies to manage or overcome unexpected situations when they occur so your dog isn't practicing doing the wrong thing. Sometimes having the right gear...
Do you ever feel like your dog listens to you better than your spouse? Do you wonder if you're just lucky or maybe the dog "likes you better"? Sure, your dog might be more attached to one person over the other, but maybe instead of luck, it's the matching...
Are you ready to set you and your dog up for successful training sessions? Here's 5 secrets to help make your training sessions the most effective and efficient they can be. Keep your sessions short. For basic skills, try to train in 10-15 minute blocks. If...
When you have a dog who is afraid of stranger and leash reactive, it can make walks and just living your life, very challenging. It's embarrassing, disruptive and in some cases, possibly dangerous, But there are things we can do in the course of training to...
I recently shared my 100th blog post. To help celebrate this milestone, I dug into my site stats to see what resonates with you, my clients, my readers. Here is a recap for you of my top 5 most visited posts: Decompression: 9 Ways To Help Your New Dog Adjust...
Puppies are hard work. They're usually harder than people anticipate and that's assuming you have a well-bred, generally problem free puppy. I've had puppy clients with severe fear issues and I've had puppy clients with medical issues like UTIs and bladder...
If you've been here a while, you know I'm a huge advocate for evidence based training, continuing education and debunking myths that can be harmful or misleading. In all my work with rescues and shelters, every single one has ascribed to the myth of...
FEAR IS NOT DISOBEDIENCE. Yes, I'm screaming. If I could reach my rooftop I'd scream this from there. As someone who specializes in fear and aggression cases, so often I come across clients who are frustrated with their dog "not listening" in certain...
"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better." -Maya Angelou This is Bandit. He was my first dog as an adult, long before I was a certified and highly credentialed trainer and behavior consultant. While he wasn't the dog that made...