It’s Time for a Road Trip! “Load up Buddy, letʼs hit the road!” My dog jumps right into his crate and settles on his bed, gnawing away at his bully stick. His crate takes up a good chunk of cargo space with our bags tucked into what little space is left on the side. Next […]
Training with Puzzles When clients invite me into their home for training, they usually have specific behaviors they’d like to work on. Maybe it’s jumping, or mouthing, or even walking doggy on a leash without being pulled down the street. I am there to help with the issues most important to my clients. And, I […]
We all live busy lives. Even when things are not busy, we want to enjoy that and not fill our days with things-to-do. I fall into this line of thinking as well: when I am busy, I do not feel like I have time to do all of the things on my list, and then […]
For many of us who own dogs, rattlesnakes are a real concern. We may feel like we can avoid them ourselves, but feel less certain that our dogs can do the same. In addition to training our dogs to avoid rattlesnakes, it is also important to understand the rattlesnakes themselves and to acquire information about […]
There’s a popular saying that really bothers me: “Fake it ’til you make it.” I disagree with the concept and fail to find that to be good advice. What does it mean? It seems to mean that when a person does not know something, or does not have the skills to do something, that person […]
So, this is not a pleasant topic. No one likes to think they won’t be able to experience some of life’s great events. But we also know it’s a truth that we won’t be around forever. Due to that inevitability, it is a good idea to plan for when we are not. Some of us […]
Finding a good dog trainer is both simple and complex. It’s simple in that it just requires research. It’s complex in that it can be difficult to distinguish if a trainer will be helpful or harmful. Here’s a short list that will help alert you to some red flags and also recognize someone who has […]
Our adventure began when my husband and I adopted our fearful American Staffordshire Terrier from a San Diego shelter. People sometimes call this breed of dog an Am Staff, or staffie, or pittie, or pibble. Even more people call it a pitbull, although I prefer the other nick-names. We brought her home. We expected a […]
Watching the evacuations and rescues of Hurricane Harvey on TV, it’s easy to judge. It’s easy to say, “Shoulda, coulda, woulda.” We all want to believe we are prepared for a disaster, but the reality is that most of us are not. And maybe we can’t be ready for every possible scenario. But we can […]
I teach a class for reactive dogs. A reactive dog is one who overreacts to environmental stimuli. Usually, it’s other dogs. Most dogs do not get along with strange dogs and really have no interest in meeting them. Sometimes, dogs react to people. They may have had a negative experience with someone in the past, […]
I love my comfort zones, as most people do. There are a few times in my life I’ve stepped out of it: when I took a ride in a hot air balloon in Botswana (I won’t do that again), or when I camped for the first time. A few months ago, I decided I wanted to learn […]
When we say someone has “hands-on” experience, it means that he or she has personal interaction with or planning of a subject. Training a dog is a “hands-on” activity, meaning that there is detailed managing and decision-making in teaching the pup to understand what you are communicating. So is it really hands on or hands […]
A few weeks ago, I was teaching a Beginning Manners class for adult dogs. I said to the human students, “I love dogs who say ‘No.’” The students looked at me doubtfully, and I continued, “Just like with your children: you want them to be able to say ‘No.’” Expectedly, I got a laugh and […]
You may have read the title of this blogpost and thought, “How can canine massage not be successful?” It is possible. Have you ever had a massage that you did not enjoy? As humans, we may not want to tell the massage therapist that we are not enjoying it. Maybe we do not want to hurt their feelings, […]
This last week, I received the results of my dog’s DNA test. My mom and dad in-law bought me the test for Christmas and I finally got around to testing our pup about a month ago. My dog is what most people would refer to as a “pit bull,” although that is not really the […]
How can you build a confident pup? It’s no secret that doing something repeatedly buids experience or skill. That skill then builds confidence. It is said that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make someone an expert at that thing. I’m not sure if that’s true, but certainly there will be an increase in skill […]
When working with clients, I find that people often have high expectations for themselves and for their dogs. Having high expectations is fine, but make sure that you and your dog can reach those goals. For example, if you want to train your chihuahua to jump 6 feet, you can’t succeed unless you change your […]
As a trainer, this is a question that potential clients often pose to me. Pet owners often look at their furry friends and think, “Why can’t he do this?” or “Why doesn’t he want to listen?” “What’s Wrong With My Dog?” The fact is, we more often ask ourselves why our dogs are doing something […]
Thinking of getting a new doggy? Maybe you already have a dog in mind, or maybe you just want to see what’s out there. Here are a few tips to help you in your search when choosing that new canine companion. 1. Do you want to have a dog as a permanent member of your […]
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