Category: Dog Training Info
Electronic collars are great tools, but I want to make sure that we all understand that training and successfully solving behavioral issues is a complex process. There are a myriad of tools and techniques that are helpful in providing solutions, but IF there are underlying health issues that are unresolved or other foundational issues, no amount of work and practice is going to make a significant difference. There are so many considerations to take into account when you are trying […]
Dog Behavior Problems and Solutions. Will You Choose Reasons or Results? I recently wrote about 5 ways to mess up your dog. The list included obvious mistakes in dog ownership like not providing enough exercise or structure, but it also mentioned, “letting sympathy rein” regarding how we often view shelter dogs or dogs with anxiety issues. To make my point about how useless sympathy is in helping rehabilitate dogs that have behavioral issues, allow me to share with you a bit of my […]
Teaching a Dog to Retrieve: A Rewarding Skill to Practice Teaching a dog to retrieve is one of the most rewarding skills you can work on. I’m not talking about the game of chasing a ball and bringing it back to you. While that is certainly a fun activity and good exercise for your dog, I am speaking to the task of deliberately retrieving specific items and delivering them into your hand. Many dogs will chase and pick up something like […]
Hiking with your dog is an excellent way to improve your relationship and build a powerful connection. Hiking with my dogs is one of my favorite activities. I love the solitude of the woods and sharing that time with my dogs makes the experience even better. Being on the trails does us good, both physically and mentally. I know that the idea of letting a dog off leash makes many people nervous. The thought that a dog might bolt and […]
Dispensing dog training help and advice has been high on my list of priorities for a long time, but you probably can’t tell it from my presence (or lack of!) here on my own blog!! I have a good excuse. I’ve spent much of my time this past year writing and filming for my friends at Gun Dog Supply. Together we’re creating some awesome dog training tips through a series of articles and videos. It’s FREE stuff, so how cool […]
Possessive behavior in dogs is dangerous but it can be prevented. Big issues can arise when a dog becomes confident at defending bones, toys or other items. Some dogs even become possessive of people and won’t let others approach or sit next to “their human”. This is scary in a number of ways. If a dog with resource guarding issues gets a hold of anything potentially dangerous it can be very challenging to try and take it away. It is […]
My dog is stubborn is a sentiment I hear fairly often. Believing dogs to be willfully disobedient seems to be an easy leap for many of us to make. After all, why wouldn’t our dog listen? Perhaps they just like to be difficult and cause us frustration? I’m certain that from time to time dogs do make an actual judgment to ignore our directives. But I don’t think it is as often as we want to assume. All these years […]
Dog aggression is not a fun topic. I know some dog trainers probably see it as sort of sexy and seem to take a lot of pride in repeating the phrase “I work with aggressive dogs” There has been a good deal of television culture and drama built around the buzz concepts of dog aggression, dogs that bite, and rehabilitation. There is nothing sexy or exciting about it, IMO. It is sad. It breaks my heart a little bit each […]
Dog Obedience : High Expectations Needed Dog obedience is important for both the dog and owner to fully understand. I wanted to share video from a recent training class at That’s My Dog!. Well, truth be told, it is more like a fun outing we do with our clients a few times a month rather than an actual class. We invite our clients to participate in our traveling classes once they have completed the basic introductory course of dog obedience. […]
My travels have introduced me to trainers, competitors, and enthusiasts who have a passion for dogs and an obvious understanding of how to connect with them. I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to meet so many talented dog people through the years. Jonathan Brinkley is one of those people. We met while I was teaching a workshop at Kennel Club USA in Ohio a few years back. Jon understands how dogs learn, has a versatile tool box, and an […]