Your Dog’s Sniffing and Social Media—What Do They Have In Common?

Dog sniffing fire-hydrant - Pee Mail

I’m pet sitting for friends this weekend and have the pleasure of walking a different dog in another neighborhood. It’s been a nice change of pace, especially after being mostly homebound due to the pandemic. Why Dogs Enjoy Sniffing During a Walk In addition to enjoying my own change of scenery, I couldn’t help but […]

Don’t Blame the Dog!

So often in training, when a dog doesn’t perform the desired behavior in response to the given cue, we blame the dog. I often hear, “He’s blowing me off!” or “She’s being stubborn!” However, in reality, the handler just didn’t make it clear enough for the dog to fully understand what the person was trying […]

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 […]

Beware of Superdog Syndrome

There’s a menacing problem in the pet dog world and I’m going to attempt to do my best to keep this from happening again in our own home. Yes, it occurred once 3 years ago….January 31, 2009. The truth is, a great many dogs are affected by this syndrome, including many of our clients’ dogs. […]