We know that our own stress can greatly affect our performance and ability to function, but do you ever consider how your dog's stress level might affect his/her performance? Not only your dog's stress level, but your own stress level can affect his performance as well. My Sunday afternoon Basic Training Class graduated yesterday (April [...]
One of the things I miss about being in the suburbs (perhaps the only thing!) is the variety of dog-walking routes we had available. Although we had some favorites routes, I tried to make sure I included plenty of variety, even if it was walking the opposite way or on the other side of the [...]
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a hunter, but I do allow my dogs to practice their "hunting" skills with no intent to actually kill anything. It's a great energy-burning outlet for them and a chance to do what comes naturally to them. I find it very interesting to observe the differences [...]
I have pretty high expectations for my dogs. I have specific goals and expectations for what Romeo will eventually be doing. (Note: I originally wrote this blog post when Romeo was under 2 years old in March 2011.) I expect him to be extremely well-behaved and reliable wherever we are and whatever I ask of [...]
I'm itching to get competing in Rally Obedience with Romeo! In preparation for competing, I needed to find some drop-in classes where we could perform some practice courses with other dogs around. Either there are not many out there, or I just can't find them. I found a Rally drop-in class on Friday mornings. Perfect [...]
