Training articles

Bringing a new dog into your home.

It's important people realize they need to put some thought into bringing a new dog into their lives and be prepared. These are some of my top considerations and tips for helping a dog get adjusted to his new life in your home and for setting your new dog up for success moving forward.

Should you go or should you stay away? What you need to know. 

It’s a great benefit to have a dog park in your city if you’re fortunate to have one or more than one.  If you’re lucky, you may also have a variety of mountain trails to take your dogs to like I do in my town.

Resource Guarding

One of the more challenging behaviour issues for dog owners to modify is Resource Guarding. It’s also probably one of the most commonly misunderstood or misdiagnosed issues by dog owners.

Achieving a Really Reliable Recall

Getting your dog to come when he’s called (the “Recall”) is one of the most important things he can learn.  Getting that training to be successful most of the time and in most circumstances is a really big challenge for a lot of dog owners.  

Positively Interrupting Behaviour

With all the dogs we’ve had and all the training and learning I’ve done over the years, there are certain cues that stick out as particularly valuable. Every class I teach – Puppy, Teens, Manners and Reactive Dogs – it’s always a cue I include in my curriculum. 

Ruff Housing.  

Do you know what good play between dogs looks like?
There’s nothing dog owners love more than watching their best buddy happily romping and playing with another dog. It just seems right and natural for dogs to have play buddies and to have many opportunities to play.

Get Ready – Baby!

I get a lot of calls for help from families who have welcomed a new baby into their lives only to discover that their dogs are less than thrilled about the new addition.  One of my goals is to find the best way to reach people who already have dogs and are planning a family.

Terrific and Sometimes Terrible Teens!

(aka “How did my friendly puppy become a reactive dog?!”) It’s not uncommon for young dogs to start displaying some reactivity on leash as they leave puppyhood and enter adolescence. It’s also common for them to start being slow to return when you call them.

Leash Your Dogs!

The skill of “walking on a loose leash” is not a terribly complicated skill, but it’s a challenging one for dog owners.  Google “no pull dog” and you'll find a huge variety of “solutions" and equipment from the reasonably humane to the downright barbaric.