How To Stuff A Kong

There are a number of reasons why giving your dog a stuffed Kong, West Paw Toppl Toy, or other similar product can be good for your dog…and for you.

Be Clear In Teaching House Rules

Have you ever lived with or worked for someone who criticized you often for things that you did when you didn’t even know in advance that what you were doing was something unacceptable?

When Multiple Cues Compete In Dog Training

I was watching a client show me how she asked her dog to lay down the other day. She first got food in her hand, then bent over from the waist, moving her food hand all the way to the ground while saying ‘down’ to her dog. Little did she realize that each one of […]

People Spotlight: Susannah Maynard

Occasionally you will see me take a break from my behavior columns to write about an organization, event, or person making a difference. Today, I want to introduce you to Susannah Maynard, the gifted animal photographer behind Cincinnati’s pet lifestyle magazine – CincyPet, for which I am the training expert columnist. In addition to CincyPet, […]

When Dog Training Cues Break Down…

A few weeks ago, I issued this challenge: If you think you have a dumb or stubborn dog, instead of labeling your dog, hold yourself responsible for creating an environment that motivates your pet to want to learn what you are teaching. To me, that is such an important challenge. It speaks to the way […]

Teaching Your Dog To Stand

Looking for a rainy day activity or just a fun new behavior to teach? Here I show you how I taught my Dawson to stand from a sit. This is also called a ‘kick back’ stand because he is using his back legs to bring himself up.  

Stop Repeating Cues In Dog Training

Just a friendly reminder. If you are needing to repeat your cue over and over, louder and louder, stop and give it some thought.

Why Bootleg Reinforcement Challenges Dog Trainers

You may have heard of bootleg as it refers to unregulated booze but I bet you didn’t know bootleg can also be a cause for major challenge when it comes to dog training, and changing the behavior of really any living species. I am referring to bootleg reinforcement.  Here is a scientific definition: With bootleg […]

Dawson Searches For His Meal

Instead of feeding him from his bowl, I often feed Dawson either through games, toys, activities or training. As you can see in this video, I think he enjoys this dog scent game a lot. If he didn’t I know I would need to change what I am doing or how I am doing it. […]

The Sit Challenge

In dog training, when it comes to teaching your dog behaviors, remember it is the reinforcement history that a behavior has that builds value and strength of that behavior. With that in mind this dog sit challenge practices a lot of repetitions of your dog sitting in a quick amount of time. How many times […]