4th of July Safety for Your Dog
The 4th of July holiday is fast approaching….mere days away! It saddens me each year on July 5th to read the numerous posts about dogs being lost on the 4th of July. This can be prevented. While you may want to take your furry friend with you to a fireworks event, the best advice I can […]
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 […]
Shaping….a Fun and Errorless Way for Your Dog to Learn
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 […]
Prep Your Dog for Holiday Guests – 6 Things “To Do”
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 […]
What is a Cue?
As trainers using only force-free training techniques, our clients are always puzzled when we talk about “cueing” a dog. We use the word Cue instead of Command. Why, you ask? Command implies that if the dog doesn’t do what we ask, something dire will happen. In force-free training, if the dog doesn’t perform the behavior I merely […]
Teaching & Training…..What’s the Difference?
by Brad Waggoner Yes, I’m a dog trainer by profession though the title is a bit misleading. When it comes to learning new skills and becoming proficient at them, there are two different things going on. There’s the acquisition of new skills (learning) and there’s the honing of those new skills (becoming fluent). So how […]
Ready, Set, Jump into Dock Diving!
I always find it interesting….those little things that lead me one tiny step toward another until I’m immersed in something totally new. As many of my friends can tell you, I’ve followed my heart down quite a few paths in life that led to some totally unexpected fun. It’s happened again, this time with a […]
Not Every Dog Can be a Therapy Dog
“I want my dog to be a therapy dog!” That’s the comment we hear in many phone calls to Cold Nose College. The truth is, though many people would like to do therapy work with their dogs, it takes much more than desire to make your wish come true. I never meant to become […]
A Reliable Rocket Recall: Teach It, Train It, Practice It….and Practice Some More!
At our most recent Play in the Pasture session, an off leash, outdoor social for clients and their dogs, my girl, Willow, joined in the fun. In addition to the the socialization experience of helping her to continue to enjoy the company of a variety of other dogs, I also use the time to practice Recall. Over […]
Wait, it’s important!
Nothing like having a new puppy in the house to remind you how many things a dog needs to know to live happily in our human world. Oh the things that Gibson knew that I had trained and eventually took for granted and the things Willow does not yet know. There’s a big gap. The […]
