An ongoing debate among dog trainers is the use of and need for punishment. Some trainers use primarily punishment to train dogs. Some use primarily positive reinforcement and try to avoid using any punishment. Most fit somewhere along the spectrum. Some say you can have a highly trained reliable dog without the use of punishment. [...]
I'm always interested to hear how people come up with names for their dogs. Some go with the popular names while others use the opportunity to be more creative. When I hear an unusual name, I am always curious to hear how the name was chosen. A quick search for the most popular dog names [...]
As you might know, Romeo was neutered a couple of weeks ago (December 2010), so he was on limited physical activity for while. Last Friday was the first time since his neuter that I took him back to the dog park in Larkspur - 16.5 acres of wide open space. He was definitely in need [...]
The holiday season tends to be very hectic for most of us. This means some of our usual routines go out the window. Unfortunately, for our dogs, this often includes training, walks and other important bonding and exercise time. When people travel without their dogs, many people see their dogs' manners and training take a [...]
Following is an excerpt from Alexandra Horowitz's Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. (If you want to learn more about how dogs experience the world, I highly recommend reading this book.) "The sniff begins with muscles in the nostrils straining to draw a current of air into them--this allows a large [...]
