As a dog behavior specialist, Joann has the experience and knowledge to help!
More than just a blog on canine behavior
Joann has over 29 years of experience training dogs and working with owners on behavior issues. She has the learning and knowledge to have helped hundreds of dogs over her career as a trainer and behavior specialist. The blog is just one way to share her information. Private Consults for behavior are another.
One of the most rewarding parts of working with dogs is helping them stay in their homes with the families that love them.
Through private behavior modification programs in the owner’s home, many issues can be addressed and corrected.
We have a no-nonsense approach to helping you and your dog. You will always get the full story and it will always be realistic. You will also be able to see visible results from your efforts.
I’d be more than happy to help, Just contact me and let me know what issues you are dealing with and we can schedule a personal one to one visit
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My dog knows
As a trainer, there are some things that I hear all the time and some basic misunderstandings with clients between their view of things and mine. (And I inevitably get myself in trouble because of it). My dog “knows it” is one that always trips me up. When I hear that, I chuckle to myself

Leadership vs. Dominance
Leadership does not mean dominance. A leader has more to do with respect than dominance. Leadership is an understanding (a communication, if you will) about who is greater in the hierarchical stricter than others in a given social group. Being the provider of your dog’s food is the primary way to communicate with your dog

In-home practice made fun
Q: I’ve been to training, but it’s hard to practice at home. What can I do? A: When you attend a training class, most, if not all, trainers will tell you that you must practice frequently with your dog. Some will even get specific and tell you that you need to practice at least 10

It takes attitude
Did you ever see one of those people that can ask your dog to do anything, and they just blindly obey, leaving you stupefied? You asked, asked, and asked again with no response from your dog and here comes this stranger and viola, obedience. Did you ever go through training sessions and come away completely

Remove “NO” from your vocabulary
Dogs are great. They are so exciting and fun when we bring them into our home. If they are a new puppy, there are so many firsts and you revel in seeing them grow and learn. If they are a shelter/rescue (or older) dog, you feel the overwhelming feeling that you just did something fantastic

Treat Bags – Benefit and Drawback
Treat bags are wonderful things. They make it easy to grab a treat during training. They keep dog treats and crumbs out of the washing machine from the pockets where you last had the treats. They are convenient and people love them for training. So what could be wrong? As a trainer, I recognize the