We all know how most kiddos feel about Halloween and the same would go for a large number of adults. All that mystery, sugar and walks to haunted destinations under crisp conditions can send chills down someone’s spine. But what about our dogs? Do they care for Halloween? I guess we will never know unless…we …
I am sitting at a local restaurant just watching the world go by as we wait for the food to arrive. I spot an older man with a youngish Golden Retriever. It appears they are both going for a walk. The dog is in close proximity of the owner and occasionally moves away from the…
Adding a new dog to your home could be one of the most challenging things you might have to do with your existing pup (s). But it doesn’t need to be so. If you plan ahead and follow a few simple rules, your dogs will stand a better chance of getting along and even becoming…
One of my colleagues and I are having a conversation about the state of affairs in the world of animal training- specifically we are talking about dogs. We both have reached the conclusion that hearing about misconstruction, inhumane methods of training in the name of helping animals wears really heavy on us. We agree to…
We are on our regular walk with the dogs. One of the things that we do while hiking with them is practicing coming when called. If we want reliability, we must practice. If we want reliability, we must also pay the dog. Deuce is really, really reliable at recall, and that makes me smile with…
Even in the world of training, concepts are thrown around with the implication that everyone else knows and agrees with the definition of said concept. When it comes to training, and setting behavior goals, it is so much more valuable to be as specific about what we can observe in our dogs instead of labeling…
I am reading an intake questionnaire from a new client and my internal alarm goes off. Reading a potential client’s intake form is very helpful in learning about what the present situation is like, as well as learning what the client’s goals and expectations of training are, and what their future life with their dog…
This is a continuation of last week’s post on the same household dog fights. As I mentioned in that post, having to manage and live with dogs that are injuring one another is not a picnic. It can be very stressful for the dogs as well as the people. Also, depending on the severity…
We are at the vet’s office having Rio’s bandage changed when an acquaintance walks through the doors with her dog. Her dog appears somewhat shaken-up and has a bloody injury close to his eye. “What happened?” I inquired. They tell me that this is the fifth time their dog has been attacked by their other…
There is something called “learned irrelevance” and if you live with dogs you have experienced this my friends. You have also experienced the opposite: your dog realizing that what is happening at the moment is frankly quite relevant to them. Learned irrelevance refers to our dogs becoming keen observers of circumstances that mean nothing relevant from…