Spring is finally upon us, and it brings with it the promise of rebirth and growth. However for dog guardians, Spring can be a season of horror. As the snow piles retreat under the blazing sun, they reveal the saturated grass beneath them, and with that comes…the mud. Mud coating dog paws after a walk, kicked up into the coat of your dog’s underbelly, and ground into the fabric of their harness. Silhouettes of dirty foot prints now cover every horizontal surface of your home, and the vague smell of a sewage pipe wafts from your dog while they sleep. Meanwhile, you’re blazing through mop water ..read more

My two beautiful boys. Kaslo (left) and Buster (right.) Photo by Tiffany Wilson Pet Photography. I have had the pleasure and responsibility of being the guardian to two dogs of my own during my adult lifetime. Growing up, I lived with a multitude of dogs that were family pets, or working dogs (my Dad worked as a canine handler for the police department), but these two are my own; and I am theirs. Both of these dogs were shelter dogs before I welcomed them into my family. I’ve always had a soft spot for my heart for shelter dogs - the dogs who were forgotten about, discarded, or perhaps those ..read more

Taking your reactive dog out for a walk is never a guaranteed experience. It can be something that is relaxing and enjoyable, or it can be pandemonium. In the reactive dog community, we talk a lot about managing our dog around triggers - walking in quieter places, or at times of day when we are less likely to encounter distractions - but what about how we are walking our dog? Heading out prepared and with the right equipment can be the difference between chaos and calm, so today, I want to share with you the equipment I would recommend for anybody with a reactive dog. Treat pouch Having eas ..read more

You might hear someone say that their dog has “stranger danger,” which, if you recall your elementary school years, sounds like a good thing. This isn’t the case when it comes to our canine companions. “Stranger danger” is a common label used to describe a dog who is standoffish, nervous, or even reactive towards people they are unfamiliar with. Not only can this type of behavior make it difficult to invite guests into your home, but this can make accomplishing grooming and veterinary care incredibly challenging to perform. Fight or flight? When faced with a conflict or perceived threat, our ..read more

Separating pets from their guardians while at the veterinary clinic is not a new practice. In fact, it’s something that has been happening for years. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing, the flames were flared during lockdowns, and owners were denied any access into the veterinary clinic for almost two years. With the world back to ‘normal’ (whatever that means), it makes me wonder why this is still common practice and why we continue to assume that taking pets “into the back” is setting them up to be more successful for veterinary procedures. We are often told th ..read more

A dog who pulls on the leash can change the course of your entire dog walk. It can turn an outing from relaxing to frustrating in a flash, not to mention, the constant pulling can be uncomfortable to those holding the other end of the leash, and even dangerous (hello icy winter sidewalks). A dog who pulls on the leash can only be described as disobedient, an alpha, challenging you, normal. A dog pulling on the leash doesn’t have a hidden agenda; they’re not trying to challenge your leadership, nor are they “bad dogs.” Leash pulling is a common complaint received by dog trainers, such as mysel ..read more

We are on week five of the cooperative nail trimming blog series, and it is time. That’s right - if you’ve being following along with each week’s training plans, working at your dog’s pace, and ensuring their consent and comfortability along the way, you should almost ready to clip a nail! We have addressed our dog’s comfort with the nail clippers as well as paw handling separately, so now we need to combine the two together. Here are a couple of training reminders before we begin: your dog should be happy and willing every step of the way. The easiest way to gauge your dog’s comfort level ..read more

We are four weeks into our cooperative care nail trimming blog series, and that much closer to actually clipping some claws; but before we can do that, we need to get our dog comfortable with the handling and restraint involved in a nail trim. I encourage you to train and utilize a “start button” or “stationing” behavior when doing nail trimming, however, we are still going to have to manipulate the dog’s paw to get the best vantage point and angle at which to trim the nail, so handling is something that cannot be avoided. As with everything involved with cooperative care, we need to find a s ..read more

Dogs are really good at learning associations, such as what might predict the start of something else. For example, most dogs quickly learn that when you pick up their leash it predicts a walk. They likely respond to the leash being picked up with excitement and a happily wagging tail! Similarly, are dogs can also learn what actions or items might predict bad things for them. For example, when you open the cupboard that houses the ear cleaning solution, your dog might respond by running away and hiding. That’s because they’ve associated that cupboard with the unwanted process of having their ..read more

A primary component of all cooperative care training is teaching the animal a way to provide their consent for the handling you are attempting to do. The care we are providing is not cooperative unless the animal tells us “OK, I am ready. You can start.” “Start button” behaviors. I like to teach my dog to “opt in” or choose to participate in their husbandry care using a “start button” behavior. This is a behavior that the dog voluntarily performs as a way to communicate to the handler that they are ready. When the dog starts the behavior, this is the traffic light changing to green - telling ..read more