I hear it all the time, “I have the best dog, he/she is very protective of me and my family”. Or, we want to buy a dog to protect our family, but we don’t want a trained protection dog. Typically, these people are talking about German Shepherds or those types of dogs known for protection, …
Roasted turkey, fresh baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh baked pies; these are the many delights that await the coming holiday season. This time of year brings lots of entertaining with lots of food. It is also the time of year where disaster can strike a festive holiday meal as the lovable family dog …
Have you seen it? Have you noticed? All over Minnesota people are bustling with the long-awaited coming of spring. It took long enough to get here (as usual) but now that it has begun to look like the long winter is over, we are all preparing and becoming more active. Animals are no exception to …
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 …
One important thing that dogs must learn is how to take treats from people gently. When taking a treat, there should be very minimal or no sensation of teeth on the person’s hand, much less any type of pinch or bite. To combat this, I have heard many people give treats to their dog while …
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 …
As a dog trainer and behaviorist, there are certain issues that I am asked about on a consistent basis. While each dog and each situation has nuances that make it unique, there is advice and tasks/training that can be done in each and every case that will help. I received a call today that is …
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 …