Are you a safety advocate for your dog? Do you step in when needed to ensure your dog not only IS safe but FEELS safe? If we want our dogs to remain calm and not bark, lunge, snap or do other things we might consider "aggressive" or "reactive" or "excitable", we need to ensure that [...]
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 [...]
Senior dogs often get the short end of the stick when it comes to our attention, exercise, training and bonding activities. Since they are usually easier-going and less problem-causing than our younger dogs, it's easy to pass up activities with them because they are "fine" hanging out by themselves. Dogs are generally considered "senior" starting [...]
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 [...]
How many cues does your dog know? Have you ever counted? I did, and I'll get to that in a minute. But first. . . If you have done any training with me, you've probably heard me say at least once: "Mental stimulation is just as taxing, if not more so, than physical stimulation." OR, [...]
