Frequently Asked Questions: When can I fade the treats?
Last night during one of my group classes, I had a student raise her hand and ask "I don't know if it's too early to be asking this, but...
Change Takes Time
One of my coworkers quit smoking last month. She had been smoking for over half of her life, and for health reasons decided to quit cold...
Leash your dog!
A few weeks back I had a student in one of my basic obedience classes ask if he ever would be able to walk his dog off leash in their...
Training Tip Tuesday: Your voice says one thing, but your body says another!
"Remember, dogs are first and foremost a physical species. Verbal communication comes second." I say this to my students very often. I...
Training Tip Tuesday: The Power of Novelty
Who here has heard or said the phrase "I'm full of this!" following a meal time? I've heard this phrase after someone claims that they're...
Training Tip Tuesday: Verbal Markers Part Two
This is a continuation of my last training tip Tuesday post on verbal markers (which can be found here). Last week I discussed the...
Training Tip Tuesday: Verbal markers
Truth be told, I will probably always prefer training new behaviors with my clicker. I LOVE my clicker with a passion, as does my dog,...
Walking is something we do WITH our dogs
Picture this: You and your closest friend are walking in your favorite downtown area on a beautiful fall day, taking in the sights and...
The real reason I don’t use punishment to train dogs.
As a force-free dog trainer in a community that has more punishment-based trainers than not, I spend a lot of time justifying my methods...
“Help! My dog sees another dog/squirrel/cat/person and all of his training goes out the window!”
Does your dog listen perfectly when there are no distractions, but once you add in anything new and shiny all that training goes right...
