When you live with multiple dogs, in a suburban area where walks are done, it's important to keep in mind the different personalities of each dog. If one dog is reactive to stimuli outside, whether other dogs or people or cars, etc., consider walking that dog by himself. That will allow you to do what's necessary to avoid triggering him. When multiple dogs get walked together and one of them is reactive, it's not fair to that dog. For example: you have one super social dog who enjoys stopping to greet other dogs or people and the other one doesn't. The other one is distressed and barking the e ..read more

I hate to say it but.....winter is coming. If you are someone who wants to use a coat or boots on their dog, now is the time to make a really good positive association with these new items. It takes time to get your dog used to having them put on along with walking in them. If you wait until you want to use them you will likely not be successful. You might end up with a dog that struggles every time you try to dress them. First - decide if you actually need to use boots or a coat on your particular dog. I don’t use them daily on my dog. I do use a cream on the paws in winter when there is a l ..read more

The developmental period of adolescence can be a very challenging time for both human and dog. It begins at 6 months of age and continues until the dog reaches physical maturity at approximately 2 – 3 years of age (depending on breed). Six to twelve months are often the most challenging. Every dog is different. Challenging phases will come and go. Some will be more challenging than others. They are more interested in their environment then in you. They are dipping their paws into independence. There are many changes occurring within your dog’s body during this time – biological, physical, and ..read more

Training new skills, teaching new behaviour to a different species is not easy but it’s one of the most important things to do when you bring an animal into your home. For reasons unknown to me, I see unwillingness in many dog guardians to understand this very basic concept. Teaching is a skill. Learning takes time. Expecting dogs (it's only with dogs) to intuitively know what we expect of them the moment they enter our home is unfair to them and to us. Dogs get punished for behaviour before ever learning what else they should do. Imagine that for a moment. You are asked to perform a task with ..read more

Puppies NEED to chew. They need to chew as young pups as well as when their adult teeth begin coming in at 5/6 months. Exploring with their mouths is a normal part of development. Instead of struggling with trying to stop your dog from chewing you need to provide legitimate chewing opportunities at each stage. As a pup, redirection and building a reinforcement history for chewing on appropriate items is necessary. This can include floppy toys, fleece toys, silicone or rubber, squeaky toys, Toppl's, Kong's, Bully sticks, etc. A strong reinforcement history for chewing on appropriate items and l ..read more

I receive a number of enquires about new puppies and resident older dogs not getting along. By the time a new puppy enters the home you have lifted the restrictions you originally had in place for your older dog. This might have included baby gates, crates, exercise pens, and supervision in general. Their needs, in general, are different. Different needs require different strategies. Life with a puppy is different from life with an older dog. Your older dog can roam around the house freely as you no longer have concerns about chewing or peeing in the house or the curiosity of a new puppy to d ..read more

Behaviour = Consequence. Period. We all perform behaviour to achieve a particular consequence. The consequence sometimes can be unintended. For example: 1) Your dog sees another dog and barks or lunges towards him. You jerk on the flexi leash and yank him backwards to stop him. You think you are teaching your dog not to bark at other dogs. What he is learning is other dogs predict discomfort. 2) You call your dog in from the backyard and close the door or from play in the park and put the leash on to leave. In both cases you give your dog a cookie. You think you are rewarding your dog for comi ..read more

Think back to the good old days, when we enjoyed a meal in a crowded, noisy restaurant with many different conversations, laughter, and raised voices surrounding us. How did we manage to have a conversation with our friends or family at the table? By eventually tuning out the ambient noise. Sometimes our brain might pick up a conversation or two from nearby or loud tables, but eventually they faded into the background again. Our brains focused on the people we were with and blocked out all others. The ability to block out irrelevant noise developed over the course of our lifetime. It’s why we ..read more

It's so easy to unintentionally train your dog to do something you don't like. One of the most common behaviours I get asked about is jumping, over excited dogs on walks. Why does that happen? It begins in the home before leaving. Dogs are masters at learning your behaviour patterns. They know when you are going to bathe them or cut their nails or put on their jacket or give them food or go out the door for a walk. We humans, fall into predictable behaviour patterns quickly and easily. Take a moment. Sit down and walk yourself through exactly what you do before you take your dog for a walk. My ..read more

When training your new puppy or older dog it’s important to have an end goal in mind. Depending on that goal there will be a different number of steps to go through until you get to the final result. Testing at each level is a step I believe is often overlooked for many people.  I have been working on teaching “out’ with Louie. My expectation is when he hears it to drop what is in his mouth.  Today he jumped on my bed (not a problem for me) and decided my pajamas were a good thing to grab and chew on. I was in the bathroom but could see him in the mirror.  I have done many repet ..read more