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 […]
Does your cat love her cat carrier? So many cats do not because the only time they’re put in it is to go to the vet. In years past, I’ve bled while trying to stuff my cat into the carrier and by doing so I was likely as stressed as she was. It doesn’t have […]
Good news! There are so many different ways to teach a specific dog a skill. Thankfully, with positive training, you can quickly and easily guide your dog to the final goal behavior, all without the use of force, fear or intimidation. The most common methods are luring, capturing and shaping and your choice of which […]
When introducing new things into a dog’s environment it’s important to consider how a dog will perceive the new object. Dogs, like people, learn through association (classical conditioning) and develop a positive, negative or neutral emotional response to new people, places or things. Any new first interaction and experience needs to be a positive one. […]
“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 […]
Oh my, the number of times we’ve had clients who are dismayed because a very well-meaning son or daughter gave them a “surprise” gift of a dog or puppy. Bringing a dog into your home, no matter the age, should be a well thought out decision and one that the intended owner should make for […]
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 […]
Shaping is an amazingly effective training technique which not only teaches your dog specific behaviors, but actually teaches your dog how to learn. And it’s FUN. Fun for you. Fun for your dog! Whether you want to teach your dog to enjoy a crate, go to mat and stay, hold a dumbbell for Competitive Obedience, teach a service […]
Oh no, it can’t be! Those two words that always make me cringe the first time I hear them: The Holidays. Yes, indeed, it’s that time of year again. Before I remember the warm fuzzy feelings of how lovely the Holidays can really be, my mind runs to everything I need to get done before […]
Last week I learned that our 5 year old Australian Shepherd, Cody, may have an autoimmune disease, perhaps Lupus. We’ve been on a 2 year search to identify the cause of his chronic lameness, fevers of unknown origin and skin issues and have consulted a plethora of local veterinarians and specialists both near and far. […]
