When I get a call from a client concerned about a dog who is growling, snapping or even biting over bones or other valuables, people often seem to be skeptical that the behavior can be changed. It can! Fortunately, Zuzu is NOT possessive about toys – she loves to share! Zuzu started out [...]
Do you know what your dog’s motivators are? If you train using positive reinforcement or reward-based methods, you need to know! So what does reward-based or positive reinforcement training mean? In a nutshell, it means we are proactive in teaching our dogs what TO do, and we reward them for making the “right” or a [...]
Some people don’t enjoy walking their dogs because the dogs are so over-the-top excited, they leap around and make it difficult to get leashed up; they knock people over trying to rush out the door; and they practically yank arms out of their sockets dragging people down the sidewalk. Other people have the opposite problem: [...]
I often hear things stated as facts that really aren’t. I’m sure you do as well. In this case, the statements are about things like prey drive in dogs. Things like: “You can’t teach a dog not to chase wildlife.” Or, “You can’t teach a dog not to chase wildlife without the use of [...]
When training dogs, some things happen quickly. Some do not. Some dogs learn things in a few repetitions. Others need hundreds of repetitions. Some behaviors catch on quickly. Others seem like they are never going to happen. Until they do. Just as with humans, dogs all learn at different paces. In my classes, I try [...]
