Category: Dog Training Info

Puppy training that might save your dog’s life.

There are many reasons to include teaching your pup to tolerate handling in your early puppy training lessons.  Dogs that allow the feet, mouth, and ears to be manipulated are easier to groom and examine. Having worked as a vet tech years ago, I can attest to how appreciative the vet and the staff are if they do not have to wrestle a dog for a routine examination.  Of course, not only is it easier on the staff, it is […]

Thank Dog for “old school” dog trainers!

“Cutting edge.” “New.” “Innovative.” “Modern.” “Science based.” “Humane.” Force free.” “Balanced.”… The list of  attributes dog trainer’s use to describe themselves is overwhelming. Almost as overwhelming as walking through the dog food isle trying to pick the best food for a new puppy. It’s hard to keep pace with which rendition is trending and which has become So yesterday. 🤢 There does seem to be one commonality amongst the influencers today though, and it isn’t a description that is aspired […]

E-collar Training: Pressure vs Confusion

I often advise students in my professional e-collar training course to “Trust the Process.” Learning to persist is one of the bigger challenges I see people struggle with. We live in an age of instant gratification. And while e-collar training has played a role in helping people speed up seeing results, it has also falsely mesmerized people into believing changing behavior will always come fast and easy.  E-collars help us gain off leash reliability. They are an enormous advantage to […]

The three building blocks for a well behaved dog.

1. Exercise – Because a dog’s naughty behavior is often the result of pent up frustration It is important to remember that dogs have descended from wolves, predators that were on the move for many miles each day. Today’s companion dog no longer needs to hunt to survive, but they still need movement. Unfortunately, far too many dogs are lucky if they get even a short walk around the block each day. Lack of exercise is one of the most […]

People that should NOT use an e-collar

There is an e-collar training post on this website that was originally published in 2011 — At that time, the blog was housed under a URL named, The Truth About Shock Collars. I was devoting a considerable amount of time to educating the public about remote collars and their proper use. It was important to me (and still is) to spread reliable information on how to use the tool.  My desire to counter the anti-Ecollar sentiment is equally important. Sentiments […]

The Only Seven Words Your Dog Needs to Know.

I’ve been helping people train their dogs for many years. When someone is new to training there is a lot to learn, which means I’ve heard some questions pretty routinely. One of the common ones is, “What should I say?”  This question comes up when people want to stop the dog from displaying an undesirable behavior, but they aren’t certain what to say. If the dog spots a squirrel and tries to chase it. or darts for the edge of […]

What lens are YOU looking through?

Pet dog trainer, field dog trainer, working k9 handler, service dog trainer, competitive bite sports decoy, competition obedience master. The list of areas of expertise is long. Many areas overlap and intersect – but sometimes important nuances don’t.

The road ahead…

I recently sold the dog training company I founded in May of 1998. That’s My Dog, Inc was a great run for nearly 24 years. Now, there is a new owner, with new visions for the future. I’m happy to see my baby in good hands and thrilled with the transition. Since the announcement of the sale, many people have reached out to either congratulate me on my retirement or ask what’s up next? Because I believe that for every person that […]