Walking My Dog Helped A Child Feel Safe Around A Dog

Yesterday when I was walking my dog, we had an opportunity to help a child feel safe around a dog. This is our story, an important story for parents and those who have a dog. My dog, Dawson, and I came across a mother and her maybe two-ish year old little girl. The little girl’s […]
Tips For Dressing Your Dog In A Halloween Costume

For me, one of the most fun aspects of Halloween is seeing all the little kids dressed in costumes. The really young kids are the cutest! For many others, coming up with unusual, elaborate and/or comical outfits for their dog is also what makes the holiday fun. If you are among them, here are my […]
Keeping Kids Safe Around Dogs at Halloween

I talk a lot about minimizing stress on dogs at Halloween. It is an important topic as Halloween can be cause your dog to be fearful or over stimulated. However, it is also important to talk about dog bite prevention tips parents on keeping kids safe around dogs during Halloween Trick or Treating. When your […]
Shifting Focus In Dog Training

Let’s refocus how we look at dog training. Instead of seeing dog training (parrot training, and training any animal) as how we GET our pet TO DO something…. Let’s practice seeing training as a way of BUILDING communication,collaboration, trust and enjoyment WITH our pet. When we do that… Our pet will be INSPIRED to WANT […]
While He May Look Fine, This Is A Fearful Dog With Anxiety

There are many who, if they passed us on that day, would have thought, because this dog did not bark or lunge at the person or car he saw at a distance…that he was FINE. He may have looked like he was enjoying being on leash in the community. What do you think? Actually, while […]
Is Your Dog FINE?

Is your dog fine? When clients tell me their dog was FINE at the groomer, FINE at the vet, FINE when accompanying them to a busy park, FINE when children are running and screaming…my question to them is, “What does FINE look like in that context?”
So, You Want To Stop Your Dog’s Bad Behavior…

Ugh, you are on a very important Zoom call and your dog will not stop barking at your feet! Or your doorbell rings and your dog begins barking, twirling and jumping on you as you go to open the door. You are frustrated. You want to stop your dog’s bad behavior. This is a reminder […]
Teaching Your Dog Good Manners In The Kitchen

When you are cooking in your kitchen, what does your dog typically do? What would you like for your dog to do? Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw with WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle program filmed this dog training tip with me last year where I talk about teaching your dog good manners in the kitchen.
Why Should You Use A Marker In Dog Training?

When I am training a dog (or other animal), you hear me use words like GOOD! and YES! a lot. You also often see me pull out a clicker. There is a lot more to me using those sounds than my simply expressing my excitement. They are training tools, called markers, that help my student […]
Teaching Your Dog To Settle Is A Valuable Lesson

When you and others think about dog training, typically what comes to mind is teaching your teaching your dog to sit, lay down, come when called, stay in position, walk on a loose leash and other active behaviors. Yet teaching your dog to settle is a valuable lesson.