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The Rescue Dog’s Psalm

August 12, 2012

I am moved lately by the power of love and how the simple act of kindness toward a dog needing a new or loving home brings this power into play in our daily lives. Just the other day, a friend relayed a touching story to me. She had been traveling in a popular tourist town [...]

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The P-Word: Why “Punishment” Makes Me Cringe

March 11, 2012

As a dog trainer, nothing makes me cringe like the use of the P-Word: “Punishment.”  I have a visceral reaction to it, like I have to several of the other culturally and emotionally charged words in our English language.  Here’s why I react to the P-Word: From the get-go, dogs don’t know right from wrong [...]

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When a New Home is the Best Home — For the Dog

August 21, 2011

Weekly I meet with dog owners full of angst. As a dog behavior consultant, disillusioned dog owners come to me with regularity, their dreams of a raising a perfect puppy or giving a better life to a rescue dog going awry. Usually it’s something simple (pulling on the leash, jumping on visitors, digging in the [...]

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“D” in Daycare? “A” in Canine!

May 22, 2011

The plethora of doggie daycare centers around the country in the last few years is nothing short of mind-boggling.  But with the popularity of daycare services for dogs, there comes an unrealistic expectation –that all dogs can and should be social with others – they’re “social animals”, after all.  The truth, however, is not nearly [...]

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It’s Not About “SIT!”

April 3, 2011

 Many years ago, when I first began my career  as a dog trainer, I was out training one of my students at our country feed store.  While I was putting the dog through his Sit/Down/Heel paces, a young homeless man passed me with his puppy on a rope and muttered, “Sit is stupid.”  At the [...]

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“THE SCOOP” on Housetraining

February 20, 2011

Some dogs housetrain themselves; others need our help in being convinced that it is more pleasant to do their business outside than on our Persian carpet. For a dog, pooping and peeing is just another behavior, like begging at the table or hanging around my horses.  Like with any behavior, they will repeat it if [...]

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BORDER PATROL: Teaching Boundaries

January 9, 2011

Does your dog fly out the door when it is opened?  Run into the street from the front lawn?  Leave the room you are in to maraud around the house on his own?  Your dog could use some boundary training!   To teach your dog safe and practical boundaries, you need just three things: a [...]

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#1 Cause of Dog Behavior Issues: TOO MUCH FREEDOM!

December 19, 2010

When dealing with dogs, we must THINK like a dog.  It’s not what we do that matters, but how the dog PERCEIVES what we do.  When we give our dog too much freedom – the freedom to patrol the entire yard or property while we are gone, the freedom to hike off leash without voice [...]

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October is National Pet Health Month: EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF CANINE EMERGENCIES

September 12, 2010

Running a boarding kennel, my whole world revolves around knowing and teaching staff about the early warning signs of dog health issues. My colleagues in the business do the same. Some dog owners, however, prefer to let their dogs stay in their home while they travel, and ask a friend or relative to watch their [...]

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FISH & OTHER DOGS: Sometimes They Just Don’t Like Them

August 29, 2010

My husband hates fish.  I wish he liked fish.  I like fish. Don’t all normal, healthy people like fish?  Maybe if I put fish on his plate every night for dinner, fed him MORE fish, got him used to fish, surrounded him with fish…he’d learn to like fish.  He just needs more exposure to fish… [...]

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