Darn Dog, I need to get this fixed!

  “I need to get this fixed and as soon as possible!” This is a statement we hear often from a prospective client when their dog has some sort of behavioral issue. They want their dog to behave differently but just don’t know where to start.  We understand, we were once there with Cody, our […]

Does Your Dog Think You’re Management Material?

When you hear the word management, I bet you aren’t thinking about your dog. But I and many of my training colleagues work hard every day to change that. Most people think of management as planning, organizing, leading and directing. Every one of these words describes the type of management you use with your dog […]

When It Comes To Crates, Think Outside The Box

*This article has also been featured in The Bark Magazine’s “guest posts” blog section* Most dog professional feel crates are a necessity when sharing your life with a dog. Crates can be a great management tool. They are helpful with a new puppy’s house-training routine. They can be a wonderful place for your dog to […]

You Wouldn’t Set a Puppy Up for Failure, Would You?

Unethical Breeding Practices My favorite expression is, “You don’t know what you don’t know till you know it.”  So with that statement in mind, I hope the myriad of people posting 5 and 6 week old puppies for sale online through local Facebook yard sales pages are, at best, misinformed and believe they’re doing their […]

A Parent’s Guide To Cesar Millan

The majority of recent canine research shows that dogs have cognitive abilities very similar to those of a 2- to 3-year-old human child. So it makes sense to compare how we treat our dogs to how we treat our preschoolers. What if Cesar Millan were your child’s preschool teacher? To what standards do you think […]

There’s No App for That!

  As “National Train Your Dog Month” comes to a close again this year, I’m reviewing the comments and questions below our daily Training Tip posts on Facebook. The overwhelming majority of comments were positive and the questions gave us great ideas for future posts. Thank you to everyone who participated. There were a few […]

How do I get my dog to stop ______?

All you have to do is fill in that blank with jumping, digging, barking, chewing, etc. First, think about it from a dog’s perspective. All those behaviors (digging, jumping, biting, barking and chewing) are typical species behaviors. They’re the things that all dogs need to get along and to live safely in their own world. […]

Lollipops & Dog Training, Where the Two Meet

It comes as a big surprise to our clients when we ask them not to talk to their dog during a training exercise.  Believe it or not, dogs don’t come with an English software package installed.  We have to teach them our language.  Oh certainly, they easily learn our body cues (even when we don’t intend for […]

A Growl is a Good Thing

Has your dog ever growled?  If so, you’re not alone.  Whether it’s in one of our group classes or in an in-home behavior consultation, people seem to be either embarrassed or angry because their dog has growled.  Just as it’s unrealistic for a person to go through their entire life and never raise their voice, […]