Train To Inspire A Love For Learning

A beautiful thing happens when you teach in the most positive ways, with your priority being to create a lesson that will encourage your student to want to stay in the game and that will help your student to get what you are teaching. Your student will not only be able to learn what you […]

2019 New Year’s Resolutions For You And Your Dog

If you are someone who finds it helpful to create annual New Year’s Resolutions, I have some suggestions for you as it relates to dog training and your relationship with your pet. Below is my updated 2019 list of resolutions to give you some ideas.

Solving A Dog Fear Response

Sometimes behavior can be perplexing. Fears can seem like they arise out of the blue, but there is always a reason for behavior. It may take some digging to determine what that reason is, but there is always a reason.

Practicing Grooming Over Breakfast

This is one of the ways I give Dawson his breakfast. Not only is it a time when we both have come to learn positive associations with sitting together on the floor, it is also about teaching him a positive association with being combed and brushed. That’s especially important since he is a puppy who […]

Arranging The Environment For Training Success

From the perspective of Dawson, director of joyful learning. One day my mom moved my bed into our kitchen, and then gated off the space so I couldn’t leave. She said it was to help me learn my lesson of going to my bed when she tells me to.

From Barking And Pawing To Laying Down

The other day I had a first appointment with this adorable little girl and her human mom, and Sadie expended a lot of energy during that first half of our appointment moving back and forth between jumping on the sofa cushions next to me and bringing a toy to and pushing it at her mom, […]

First puppy Training Goals

I get asked from time to time, “When is the best time to begin training my new puppy?” My answer is always, “the day you bring your puppy home.” I am not talking about obedience training, although definitely what a great time to begin teaching your puppy that certain behaviors like coming to you when […]

Steps To Stop Barking At Doorbell

Wow, I could not believe my ears when I arrived at my most recent appointment with these girls and their human dad. Normally I would hear their resounding barking as I was walking down the driveway. But on this day, I got to the door and rang the doorbell hearing nothing but the sound of […]

Big News From Lisa

I have SO much news to share as to why I have been rather quiet the past few weeks.

A Lesson About Shoelaces

Instead of focusing on stopping behavior, think about what you would like for your dog to do instead. Toby likes to grab shoelaces and when you’d try to tie one, he’d do just that. It only took a couple minutes to teach him to stay sitting instead while I bent down to tie my shoelace.