Seems our dog brains rarely power down, and there has to be a depository for all our musings. We hope you enjoy this ongoing collection of our training thoughts, with a bit of CNC news thrown in here and there.
My favorite expression is, “You don’t know what you don’t know till you know it.” That was true when I sought dog training information in 2003 before I became a certified professional dog trainer. Luckily, I found my way to modern, scientific, humane dog training information, which led me to
Would you be comfortable if your child’s math teacher described her as headstrong or stubborn because she wasn’t doing well in class? Would you assume the teacher is right and your child is willfully choosing not to learn her multiplication tables? Or, would you consider that your child may not
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
When I opened my new dog training and behavior consulting business four months ago, I reached out to local veterinarians, groomers and boarding facilities. I also took a little time to research other trainers in my area to see who was out there and what kind of services were being
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
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
Be one of the first to attend our brand new and exciting Shaping Workshop! 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 dog to open or close a door, a Front for Rally,
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
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
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
