The Senior Class. Considerations for a Gray Muzzle.
We’ve recently talked a lot about Cailie, our new puppy. There’s another Australian Shepherd dog in our home, too, and his name is Cody. He’s now almost 12 years of age. Sometimes I wonder, “How did he get that old?” Then I look in the mirror and realize there’s some gray in my muzzle, too. […]
Take Training Off Your To-Do List
You may be shocked to hear a trainer giving you this advice, but I promise you there’s a good reason. I used to ask my clients to schedule five to 10 minutes up to three times each day to train their dogs. But when I would arrive for the next session, most hadn’t found the […]
A Crafty Way to Train Your Dog
I have a new puppy! Well, she isn’t actually totally new, she’s just a little bit new. Kip is a 6 month old lab. That means lots of ENERGY and lots of FUN. It exciting, but there is a lot to train your dog on in the first few months. But sometimes it can be […]
Why Sit? | Train Your Dog to Sit
Sit. This seems to be the first behavior people think of when they start training their dogs. Have you ever wondered why we teach sit? Some say that its goes back to the competition obedience ring. But what if you don’t compete in that sport? Why should you train your dog to sit? The reason […]
Holiday Puppy. A good gift or possible failure?
With the holidays fast approaching I begin to think about gift giving and what to purchase for family, friends and furry ones. For many, that thought turns to a holiday puppy. We’ve all seen the heart warming videos of cute puppies wearing big red bows. The look of excitement on the faces of children is […]
Puppy Socialization, Optimist or Pessimist?
A New Addition Puppy Socialization: There’s a new puppy in the house! While we’re still grieving the loss of our amazing girl, Willow, it seems the stars aligned to lead us to Cailie. Cailie is a now 14-week old Australian Shepherd puppy who joined our home at 8 weeks. She’s helping us create some new […]
Shark Week – Preventing Puppy Nipping & Biting
Who doesn’t love a puppy? They are utterly adorable and give us a healthy dose of oxytocin. What’s not to love? Well, maybe those sharp, little shark teeth—all that puppy nipping and biting! Our new puppy Cailie is bringing to mind all the former puppies we’ve had and how we’ve channeled that puppy energy and mouth to […]
You & Your Dog – 10 things to help keep your dog safe and comfortable on the 4th of July
If there was one holiday dogs could vote to get rid of, I’m certain it would be the 4th of July. It’s such a celebratory day for us, but causes undue stress for so many of our furry friends. Did you know that more pets go missing this day than any other? While we may […]
When Your Dog Has Cancer – A Resource for You
Unfortunately, it’s highly likely that you have either had a dog with cancer or know of a friend whose dog has been diagnosed with this disease. Just this past month, more than a handful of my friends and training colleagues have received cancer diagnoses for their dogs. It’s a shocking moment and hard to know […]
Dog Training is Dog Teaching
If you’re reading this, you can thank a teacher. Someone taught you how to read when you were younger. They provided you with an important skill that’s expected in our society. In fact, another person taught us most of what we know and do. The same applies to dog teaching. So, it’s surprising that so […]
