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Simple concepts. Easy techniques.
Articles, thoughts and philosophies that will move your training forward.
Training doesn’t have to be complicated or frustrating.
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Are classes or private lessons better for training your dog?
Is it better to go to dog training classes or take private lessons? Let's look at some crucial questions to ask yourself... How’s your budget? Classes are almost always less expensive than taking private lessons. Dog trainers generally set their hourly rate and if you...
4 things that will simplify your dog training time
Gah! It’s so hard to fit training into a busy family life. From the minute you’re up in the morning, you’re going somewhere, doing something, coming home or going out. If you’ve got kids, the issue is compounded EXPONENTIALLY, because everyone’s going in different directions.
But you adopted a dog. You made the commitment and sometimes behaviour needs addressing. I have 4 things I recommend to make training easier, without biting into your busy day.
How coffee made me think about setting up easy-peasy dog training
My kitchen is a decent size but not the most efficient.
A couple of years ago when I started drinking more coffee at home, my kettle was in the northeast corner of the counter, my coffee paraphernalia was to the west of that in a cupboard, and my compost pail was in the south east corner…the sink was in the middle of all that. But the whole ‘system’ wasn’t working. You know where this is going, right?…
To Be or Not to be…a dog’s dog
We all want our dogs to be friendly to other dogs—and shouldn’t it come naturally? Dogs are social, after all. So why
does an otherwise sweet-natured canine buddy turn into a killjoy at the park? One reason is that dogs can be introverts, too. Like humans, they can have bad days and they occasionally form instant dislikes to certain dogs, or feel uncomfortable meeting strangers. But we get to choose our friends and are free to avoid anyone we can’t stand. Dogs pretty much have to go wherever we take them.
Top 5 Tips for Dog-People Greetings
It’s holiday season and that means lots of visiting and visitors. Follow these tips so that your dog is welcome to say hi to anyone on the street or at home.
Nosework FAQs
Nose work, scent work, scent detection, sport detection…..
…..It doesn’t matter what you call it – it’s a sport for pet dogs, based on real life bomb, drug or contraband detection.
What are the dogs searching for, if it’s not bombs or drugs?
3 Simple Fixes for Food Training Gone Wrong
I love using food in training.
Close up or at a distance, it’s dead easy to deliver as a reward and dogs generally love it and want to work for it.
Some dogs will do cartwheels for cheerios (can anyone say “Labrador Retriever”)?
Food can be used not only as the perfect reinforcement for good behaviour, but it can also be used as a lure.
How to do the “Running Bunny” in Nosework
In the sport of nosework (or scent detection) dogs search for a target odor that has been secretly placed in each of the four
‘elements’. Dogs must learn to search containers (like boxes or suitcases), interior spaces, exterior spaces and vehicles. In a nosework trial, dogs can be asked to search any kind of vehicle.
How to Play the Shell Game in Nosework
Recently I had a friend over to do some nosework. She has two dogs. I have two dogs. Three out of four dogs failed the
container search because they alerted on a distraction instead of the target odor. What was so irresistible? Pancakes!
How to Socialize Your Puppy
Puppy socialization is something I think about a lot because I’m a trainer and I run puppy socialization classes here in Victoria
BC. But what socialization is, and how it can be accomplished is at the forefront of everything I do because I think it is misunderstood and mishandled by many new puppy owners.
What is Puppy Socialization Really?
4 things that will simplify your dog training time
Gah! It’s so hard to fit training into a busy family life. From the minute you’re up in the morning, you’re going somewhere, doing something, coming home or going out. If you’ve got kids, the issue is compounded EXPONENTIALLY, because everyone’s going in different directions.
But you adopted a dog. You made the commitment and sometimes behaviour needs addressing. I have 4 things I recommend to make training easier, without biting into your busy day.
How coffee made me think about setting up easy-peasy dog training
My kitchen is a decent size but not the most efficient.
A couple of years ago when I started drinking more coffee at home, my kettle was in the northeast corner of the counter, my coffee paraphernalia was to the west of that in a cupboard, and my compost pail was in the south east corner…the sink was in the middle of all that. But the whole ‘system’ wasn’t working. You know where this is going, right?…
To Be or Not to be…a dog’s dog
We all want our dogs to be friendly to other dogs—and shouldn’t it come naturally? Dogs are social, after all. So why
does an otherwise sweet-natured canine buddy turn into a killjoy at the park? One reason is that dogs can be introverts, too. Like humans, they can have bad days and they occasionally form instant dislikes to certain dogs, or feel uncomfortable meeting strangers. But we get to choose our friends and are free to avoid anyone we can’t stand. Dogs pretty much have to go wherever we take them.
Top 5 Tips for Dog-People Greetings
It’s holiday season and that means lots of visiting and visitors. Follow these tips so that your dog is welcome to say hi to anyone on the street or at home.
Nosework FAQs
Nose work, scent work, scent detection, sport detection…..
…..It doesn’t matter what you call it – it’s a sport for pet dogs, based on real life bomb, drug or contraband detection.
What are the dogs searching for, if it’s not bombs or drugs?
3 Simple Fixes for Food Training Gone Wrong
I love using food in training.
Close up or at a distance, it’s dead easy to deliver as a reward and dogs generally love it and want to work for it.
Some dogs will do cartwheels for cheerios (can anyone say “Labrador Retriever”)?
Food can be used not only as the perfect reinforcement for good behaviour, but it can also be used as a lure.
How to do the “Running Bunny” in Nosework
In the sport of nosework (or scent detection) dogs search for a target odor that has been secretly placed in each of the four
‘elements’. Dogs must learn to search containers (like boxes or suitcases), interior spaces, exterior spaces and vehicles. In a nosework trial, dogs can be asked to search any kind of vehicle.
How to Play the Shell Game in Nosework
Recently I had a friend over to do some nosework. She has two dogs. I have two dogs. Three out of four dogs failed the
container search because they alerted on a distraction instead of the target odor. What was so irresistible? Pancakes!
How to Socialize Your Puppy
Puppy socialization is something I think about a lot because I’m a trainer and I run puppy socialization classes here in Victoria
BC. But what socialization is, and how it can be accomplished is at the forefront of everything I do because I think it is misunderstood and mishandled by many new puppy owners.
What is Puppy Socialization Really?
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I write about all kinds of dog training stuff…puppies, terrible teenagers, sport training, nosework, reactive dogs. So many topics, and so much to say! If you’d like to understand more, train more, and enjoy your dog more, then subscribe!