We are all about prevention around here! Prevention of injury, prevention of practicing unwanted behavior, and most importantly prevention of behavior issues. Yes, I hope to put myself out of business with all your perfect pups living their best lives. Since I have a ways to go to make that happen, let’s talk about one of the quickest ways to make a difference in your dog’s life.  Tapping into your dogs natural ability Dogs have been specifically bred for certain traits and behaviors for generations. Ingrained in their brain is the need to do the thing they were specifically bred for. Thi ..read more

I took this photo after Cargo spent 45minutes of my hour Zoom session with a client barking at me. All that noise wore her out. Dogs bark. Full Stop. That’s what they do. Often I am called when the barking is getting excessive or happening at inappropriate times. When that happens, my first goal becomes figuring out why the barking is happening in the first place.  Sometimes it’s a breed thing. Some breeds are more vocal than others. Some individuals within a breed are more vocal than others. Hounds find the thing. I see it when hounds are out on walks and suddenly they begin to sing th ..read more

Many of us get dogs to share many aspects of our lives with. We want a dog who is content to hang out in the house when we leave, one who can adapt to people coming into the house, and most importantly one who does not embarrass us when out in public. What are the requirements for  a dog we can take for a walk in the neighborhood without it feeling like another mentally taxing chore. Lets break down some of the big things! No barking The neighborhood does not need to know when we are out on a walk. They also do not care that there is another dog (person, car, squirrel, kid, bicycle…) also ..read more

I have yet to find a magic wand to teach dogs to walk politely on the leash. If anything I have found lots and lots of ways to sabotage your dog’s leash skills. I tell every client that I want them to think of the leash as a “seatbelt not a steering wheel”. That means the leash is only there to keep your dog from doing something dumb, like running into traffic. Leash laws exist for a reason right? The leash also provides you a safety net to prevent your dog practicing skills that you never want to see, like running up to unfamiliar dogs or people. Here are three tips to help you master your do ..read more

Cebastian works on a puzzle near the Christmas tree. Here in Virginia, we are lucky enough to only get a few months of the year when the weather is too horrible to walk the dogs. This is especially true if we have mild winters. That doesn’t mean we want to be out in the cold. So what do we do with our dogs when it’s cold and dark and we just don’t want to go for a walk? Here are a few of my favorite things to do with my dogs instead of walks. Conditioning Avoiding Vet visits is always a priority in my house. Some things are unavoidable like upset tummies and the various lacerations my dogs s ..read more

It’s that time again! If you are like me, your dogs get whatever they want whenever retail therapy needs to happen. I still like to have a few things in their stockings for Christmas morning. This year we are focusing on small businesses that are killing it with their great ideas for your pups! These vendors are local to us in the Hampton Roads area. Ulti-Mutt Dog Toys- https://www.ultimutttoys.com/ I cannot say enough great things about Dave and his products. If you have worked with me, you have seen his Euro lead and long lines in use regularly. They are the only leashes I will use now! The ..read more

Are you ready for another dog? There is a TikTok challenge going around, advocating for or against getting a dog for your dog. It could be a great thing getting a second dog (or third or fourth) but are you really ready? In addition to twice the food cost, twice the vet bills, twice the love, there is also lots of effort that comes with multiple dogs. I have a bunch of dogs ,so obviously I am Team Multiple Dogs. Let’s look at some reasons you might want to bring home another canine companion, but may not be quite ready. “My dog is always getting into stuff and never sits still” Being kenneled ..read more

Finding your puppy’s first mom You have settled on a breed! Now let’s talk about how to determine how to find a breeder who is going to give you the best possible companion for the next 15 years. Many people think that just because they find a purebred dog that means it is well bred. That could not be farther from the truth! In this post we are going to uncover some of the important things that your well-bred dog’s breeder will be doing that a more unscrupulous “breeder” would not be doing. The proof is in the product in this case. I recommend people look for a puppy from a breeder who shows t ..read more

Daisy has found her forever home. She has a German Shepherd to play with regularly, and her mom walks a mile every morning. Since that’s all she would walk with me, this is perfect. Her family had suddenly lost their older dog to cancer, Daisy is happily filling the void that their dog left in their home. Daisy is a lovely dog who deserved a wonderful pet home. She could have easily stayed with me, but she would not have thrived here. I am a person who requires my dogs to get out and do things or spend time training and learning new skills. Daisy did not enjoy either of those things so placing ..read more

Resilience in baby puppies helps create a more confident adult. This 5 week old schnauzer puppy navigated the stairs and cleaning products to get his dinner. I am finding myself using this word often these days. What is resilience in dogs and why am I using this term so much? Resilience dictionary definition: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness When working with dogs, this is a term that I use when a dog can “bounce back” from something happening. Their “recovery” from a stimulus. Something “scary” happens, but their return to “normal” is how I view a dog’s resilienc ..read more