Sorry I know this is often posted here but I am new to obedience training and this is my first Golden. He is a smaller male weighing in at 63 pounds. I purchased a SMALL J&J dog dumbbell off of Amazon.com and to me it doesn't look like it fits right. At least not based on what I see on the forums here? He can shift this around in his mouth and get it onto his molars. Also, he doesn't want to pick it up by the bar although that could be a training issue I suppose. This one is 2.5" bar and... Another Dumbbell Fitting Question ..read more

Hey there, we are located in South Florida and are looking for a place to board our 2 red Golden Retrievers for training for a few weeks. They are 1 and 1.5 years old. What are your thoughts on boarding? Will the dogs listen to us when they get back, or will they only listen to the trainer? We would be willing to go as far as Orlando. Thank you. Any information will be helpful ..read more

Our girl just turned 6mos and overall she's been doing great... when it's just us. I'm trying to work on her level of excitement when interacting with other people/animals. If we go somewhere with people, especially children, it's like her behavior goes right out the window and she just gets way over excited and goes crazy. She just HAS to interact with everyone. I haven't been able to take formal obedience classes due to my schedule so I've been trying to DIY all her training. Any tips or... Chaos ..read more

Hi all, I'm wondering if this forum has suggestions for helping me to regain my dog's focus. She's just about 16 months old and I have had here in basic obedience training as well as agility from 10 weeks on. She is going through adolescence, which means some days she is rock solid and other days...whew! Here's a scenario: we arrive at the training center. I get her out of the car and ask for a hand touch and a sit which she immediately does. So far, so good. Then someone comes from... Tips for getting your dog's head (back) in the game ..read more

I have no great delusions about what I should set for goals for my dog who really does not have a high drive (yes, I have tried all the standard tricks, I work with three obedience trainers [who collaborate- so it s not like he is getting mixed messages], subscribed to Connie Cleveland’s Obedience Road- I really am trying) but I would like to try to get him to Open. He is not field lines- so I am not needing to develop a hunting dog but man- I cannot get this boy to pick up a dumbbell to... Retriever who won’t ..read more

Hi, I am fairly new to competition obedience. My Golden and I have only competed in Rally obedience and have one more triple Q left for our RACH. This year I would like to focus on obedience training and start to compete in obedience trials. I want the equipment needed to train for all levels. The only thing I don't have are scent articles. I have a J&J dumbbell and a Max200 dumbbell. J&J is a medium and the Max200 is 7cm x 6cm (standard angle/diameter). I am wanting to buy scent articles... Opinions on Dumbbell sizing ..read more

Hello! We have a sweet 12wk old female who is obviously still an ADHD cardboard-shredding alligator puppy. My girlfriend's daughter is 14 and they love each other, but after a few weeks at home the pup seems to be playing more aggressively with her. I think she sees her as another "puppy" and all the acceptable play rules go out the window. I curb the biting by rolling her lip under her teeth and it's been working for me. However, when the 14yo does it, she gets "mad" and growls and... Human Training ..read more

Anyone have recommendations for a trainer in Northern NJ? I found Instinct Dog Training in Englewood, but don't know much about them except online reviews. Thanks ..read more

My 14 month old girl is ball-obsessed. She is great at retrieving the ball and bringing it back, but then won't give it to us. She rarely obeys the drop it command, and seems to enjoy making us try to wrestle it out of her mouth. Any training tips? She's axreal sweetheart otherwise ..read more

Does anyone use an electronic whistle for their whistle recall? Any cons over a traditional whistle I should consider? My recent bout of flu and the cough that's still hanging around is making an electronic whistle sound like a great option. Do you find that your dogs generalize the sound of different whistles or not without specifically training for that? In other words, can you switch whistle brands on a whim or does that cause confusion for your dog ..read more