Cat & Dog Introductions – Slow and Steady Does It
Oh how fortunate we were decades ago when introducing new dogs to existing cats and new cats to existing dogs in the home. No need to tell you all the things we did wrong. Let me just say I’m very thankful Lady Luck intervened so that in the end everyone was happy and able to […]
Trainer Tried & Tested – Gifts for the Dog in Your Life (and the dog lover, too!)
Gift Giving Made Easy In this season of gift giving, we wanted to share some of our favorite picks for your dog and the dog lover in your life. All of these are tried, tested and enjoyed and were given Two Thumbs Up from the trainers here at Cold Nose College and Four Paws Up from our […]
Thinking of a Puppy for Christmas? Think again.
There’s nothing that evokes the “Normal Rockwell Christmas Experience” like the picture of a family with a soft, cuddly puppy next to a Christmas tree. My sincere hope is that the family was wise and did their homework in order to be well prepared before bringing the sweet puppy home. If they did, they’ll be […]
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 […]
Setting Judgement Aside
Professional dog trainers and behavior consultants who use force-free methods are some of the most compassionate people I know. We couldn’t do this work if we didn’t care deeply and want the absolute best outcome in every situation. So it pains me to think about these same individuals judging their clients for the choices they […]
Agh! Agh! Why saying “No” can be a major hindrance to your training goals.
In a group class the other day, I witnessed a couple constantly using their voice like a buzzer noise, “Agh! Agh!” with their dog in a harsh tone. They were attempting to tell the dog he was doing something wrong, though it was easy to see from the dog’s body language that the dog was […]
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 […]
What it Means to Be Your Dog’s Advocate
Have you thought about that? While we’re always talking to our clients about what that means and how they can be their dog’s advocate, the catalyst for writing my most recent article, Your Dog’s Advocate published in Whole Dog Journal, was an amazing student in our Rocket Recall Workshop held in Atlanta in March of this year. Things don’t always […]
The Power of Incompatibility
I had a house full of out of town friends visiting this past weekend and it sure was fun to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in quite a few years, some in over 15 years, which was prior to beginning my professional dog training career. When someone finds out what I now do […]
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 […]
