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 […]
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 […]
Teaching Your Dog to Give Up a Prized Possession
Teaching your dog to give up a prized possession willingly in return for something superior is an important skill. We teach dogs in our classes and in our in-home training sessions at CNC. Teaching your dog to “trade” helps your dog stay happy and comfortable. This is especially true when you approach her while she’s […]
A Barking Interruptor – The Quiet Cue
I received a call this week from a couple whose only complaint about their dog was her incessant barking. I could tell they were frustrated. They used the phrase “driving us insane”. They also shared how much they love her and what a wonderful companion she is. This is a call I receive multiple times […]
If I Could Only Teach ONE Thing to My Dog – Targeting, Part Two
In my first article on targeting you learned that targeting teaches your pet to touch an object with a part of his body. Dogs are most commonly taught to target an object with a nose or paw; but using shoulder, chin, or EYES are very useful (Oh wow! Could ‘focus’ be considered a type of […]
The Box Step – Prelude to Loose Leash Walking
Have you ever considered how terribly hard it must be for your dog to walk slowly, on leash, in a straight line beside you? We get lots of requests about to get a dog to stop pulling when on leash. The answer is the box step. Think about it. When have you EVER seen a […]
It’s Shocking I Didn’t Know | Shock Collar
It’s one of those things you don’t know, what you don’t know, until you know. As a force-free trainer my focus is on solving training and behavior issues through the use of Positive Reinforcement. I hope my former personal experience with using electronic shock with underground fence/shock collar systems may help others. Pet owners should […]
If I Could Teach Only ONE Thing to my Dog | National Train Your Dog Month
National Train Your Dog Month exists to promote training for the family dog, and the good news is that training can be FUN and BENEFICIAL for both you and your dog! Training doesn’t need to be long or complicated. In fact, studies have shown that your student’s learning actually benefits from shorter sessions, consistently sprinkled […]
