When Rolled Over, Does Your Dog Always Want A Rub?

There are so many different circumstances when I have seen a dog roll over to expose his belly.  At night time, my Dawson often jumps next to me on the sofa only to roll over in a total state of relaxation and will stay in that position for as long as I will continue to […]

Getting Your Puppy Off To The Right Start

If you have just brought a puppy into your home, NOW is the time to begin to build your relationship in a fun, loving and nurturing way. Your puppy needs to learn from you that his world is safe, that his needs will be met, and that YOU are worth listening to because good things […]

Making Less Probable Behaviors…More Probable

A client was telling me the other day how her dog has become so drawn to their basement. She told me there really isn’t much down there but her dog runs down the stairs at top speed, then either with or without a toy runs laps. Typically, her dog will solicit play more frequently in […]

Your Puppy Has Your Sock, Oh My!

This dog is a reminder…mistakes can happen. If you have left your things out, where a bored puppy has access to, don’t be surprised if you find something of yours in your puppy’s possession. Your puppy had a need to play, burn off energy and have something in his mouth. Without you giving him choices […]

Is Your Puppy Really Aggressive?

When I get calls about an ‘aggressive’ puppy, often, what I am really getting a call about is a puppy that is overly tired, is frustrated, plays roughly, is over stimulated, growls and/or barks during play, or has low bite inhibition.

Stopping Puppy From Biting Pant Legs

A common problem I hear a lot from puppy owners is that, when they have pants on and are walking near their puppy, their leg gets pounced on or they find themselves with a puppy attached to their pant leg – often pulling and making noise. It may be very frustrating for that person but […]

Tips For Teaching Your Dog To Come

A client the other day wanted to train his dog to come to him reliably when called, as his dog had been ignoring his pleas to come with greater and greater frequency. Whenever that happens, it is important to remember that recall (your dog coming to you when called) is a behavior, and, just like […]

Is Saying Good Sit Good For Training?

So often I see people tell their dog GOOD sit after their dog sits, or GOOD whatever the behavior is that the dog is doing. However, to help their (and your) dog to learn to do that behavior when asked, just saying GOOD or YES or CLICK and then following that with something your dog […]

Preventing Danger In The Park

Dawson and I had an unexpected hiccup in our otherwise relaxing outing to a busy local park this morning. Dawson was sitting next to me while I had stopped to talk with someone when suddenly I saw three large dogs (one that probably weighed over 100 pounds) running directly toward us, dragging their handler who […]

Stopping Your Dog’s Bad Habits

Does your dog have ‘bad’ habits that you’d like to stop? It is a common question.