It is early afternoon, which means prime naptime for both dogs. I am going about my business when I hear a fly buzzing around me. I am one of those people that have a very low tolerance for noise. And a fly buzzing around is more than I can handle. I reach for the flyswatter…
Category: Fear
Stormy Weather
It’s March and I am beginning to desensitize Deuce to the noise of thunder. Deuce, like so many dogs, is afraid of storms. Be it the noise, the lightning itself or potentially all the atmospheric conditions that accompany a storm. Deuce’s thunder phobia (or storm phobia, perhaps more accurately) is not really bad, but it…
My New Rescue Dog Does Not Let Friends In The Yard
Question Our rescue dog is adapting very well to her new home, which has 2 other dogs. Formed a great bond with her human. She will not let some people in the house, others she welcomes….. one person she welcomed, interacted with and then when he went to his car and returned, she wouldn’t let…
How Many Dogs Friends are Needed to Keep a Dog Social?
Question: My 3-year-old 65 lb. female dog Wanda feels uncomfortable meeting new dogs while on walks due to her excitement of seeing another dog mixed with the frustration of being unable to appropriately interact because of the restraining leash. So at all costs I avoid having her meet new dogs when we’re out on walks….
Rules of Engagement
During the Xmas holiday we took the dogs snowshoeing. We found a spot where dogs were invited to run off-leash while we went snowshoeing. We were all excited to get out of the car to begin the “big adventure”. John was out of the car first and proceeded to let Deuce and Rio out of the…
Help with Crossing a Bridge
One of my clients submitted this question about her dog Juby. I suggested to her that we meet for a training session and that we video it too so that I could show others how to go about a similar situation. Our session lasted 40 minutes from beginning to end. Most of it is caught…
Building Confidence – What does it mean?
Recently I was talking to the participants of my Agility class about the benefits of engaging their dogs in novel experiences as a way to build up their confidence. But what exactly does that mean? So here is how I think of building confidence in our dogs. The goal of any confidence boosting exercise is…