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How Long Should I Wait to Train My Puppy?
Either your pup is training you, or you are training your pup… They’re learning the minute their paws hit the turf! I am often reminded the importance of training a puppy. When I see adolescent behavior issues, lack of socialization issues, and when I see people waiting to engage in training in the first place.…
Read More“ALL SHE WANTS IS THE TREAT” – addressing complexities of training with food
Someone out there has put a spell on us. It was, no doubt, the many years of using more traditional style training where the use of food may have been considered ‘bribery’. When I began training in the late ’80’s, I would not have considered it, though there was a man on the horizon, Dr.…
Read MoreLEASH-WALKING: WHO’S WALKING WHOM?
Let’s bring leash walking into the conversation! 98% of my clients either: Have a request to change leash-walking habits that are occurring with their dogs; They have accepted the fate that walking with their dog on leash is a punishing event that they simply must endure; OR They cease walking altogether. Which one are you? You…
Read MoreDog Food and Attitude
Dog food and attitude – what our dogs eat and how it may be affecting their ability to change behavior. I was excited to have an appointment with Craig and his dog Jake last week. Craig’s original complaints for me to address were counter surfing, excessive whining, barking at what appeared to be ‘nothing’ and…
Read MoreYour Dog Can’t Do Anything Wrong
Your Dog Can’t Do Anything Wrong – just consider it a training opportunity What kind of feelings come up when you hear that your dog cannot do anything wrong? Does your primate kick in and defend its position in your relationship? If our dogs aren’t listening it must be because THEY are wrong! Right? From…
Read MoreA Healthy Canine Thanksgiving Feast
A Healthy Canine Thanksgiving Feast is No Feast at All Stop Begging Behavior Before It Starts Before we launch into holiday foods for our furries, a behavioral reminder: It takes a long time to reorient begging behavior if you feed from the table on this or any other day. Begging behavior results from reinforcement. In short, dogs…
Read MoreTreat, Don’t Trick, Your Dog this Halloween
Will You Trick or Treat Your Dog this Halloween? Halloween from a Dog’s Perspective Here are eight ideas to help understand Halloween from your dog’s perspective: Firstly, it matters less that your dog is well socialized to kids on Halloween than whether they are socialized to costumes. For those dog parents who say, “My dog…
Read MoreHeavy Petting
Non-stop Loving on Your Dog Could Be Causing Stress When I have a meeting with clients on what motivates their dog’s behavior, heavy petting the dog in the family is fairly consistent. The time I spend with an initial consultation is in observation of body language, is in identifying anxiety- producing situations where communication with…
Read MorePeople Food
People food? Dog food? Shouldn’t all food feed body and mind? I am fascinated with language, both its power as a trainer of dogs with their humans, and how we tend to repeat words/phrases/jingles. One of the most common refrains I hear is “My dog doesn’t eat people food,” which begs the question: Are we…
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