Dog Training

Having lived with and loved a rescue dog who came to me with aggression problems, and having been around the block with various training philosophies to find one that worked,  I’m happy to see that progress is being made in the understanding of what actually helps and what hurts.  While I know there are many Cesar Milan fans out there, research is beginning to discover what many good trainers have known for a long time — traditional punitive training can … Read More

Hey guys, want to make your smart dog famous?  I’m writing a book that will include stories about how dogs demonstrate their intelligence. I’d like to include a story about your Doggy Einstein if you’ve got a good one.

If you think for a moment, I’ll bet you can recall several stories.

To help jog your memory:

Has your dog ever demonstrated uncommon common sense?

Has your dog ever shown cleverness or trickiness in getting its needs met, or in any other

Every encounter we have with our dogs is a training session– whether we know it or not.

So I start training consciously right from the very first day I get my puppy home. This keeps me focused on my behavior and interactions with my puppy, as well as hers with me. Doing so makes it less likely for an unwanted behavior to get very far before I can nip it in the bud. Good communication and redirection are key.

For … Read More

There is a trainer who shall remain nameless who believes in controlling a dog by what she calls the “Down Restraint Technique.” Translation: Alpha rolling a dog and keeping it pinned to the ground with an elbow in the dog’s throat, leaning on it’s side and having several people hold down the feet spread apart–yep, several people are required to pile on — until it submits.

The point of this?! Here’s the trainer’s rational: “What we’re doing is basically ‘de-throning’ … Read More

If you’re sick of hearing ccchhhhhtttttt, you’ll be happy to know that Dogwise is offering this DVD by Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth viewing.

Here’s the blurb and link from Dogwise:

Many trainers today find themselves facing questions and comments from clients like “Why don’t you do it the way that guy on TV does it? I think my dog is being dominant and he needs to be shown who is boss.”