Photo by Rollan Budi / CC BY-SA 2.0 Have you ever calculated how much you spend a year on your dog? I haven’t because I’m not sure I really want to know. By just guesstimating the cost of food, vet bills, medications, supplements, toys, and other supplies—it’s a lot! Haley’s worth every penny we spend on her, but it sure is nice when we can save a few dollars here and there. Here’s how you can save money on dog expenses too! 50 Ways to Save Money on Dog Expenses FINDING YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND 1. Don’t shop, adopt! Find your pup at a local shelter or rescue and you’ll save a lot of money and us ..read more

Photo by Stonnie Dennis Dog Photography / CC BY-SA 2.0 The results from my reader survey are in and the number one request is for more articles on dog training. So, let’s get started! How many of these common dog training mistakes are you making? No worries if you’re guilty of a few of these. I’ve made plenty of mistakes too, just ask Haley! This is a brief list but I’ll be expanding on some of these topics throughout the year. 10 Common Dog Training Mistakes 1. You’re not training consistently. Training your dog takes a certain level of commitment. We all have busy schedules but putting in ..read more

When it comes to dog training, almost every article you read suggests using food or treats as an incentive, especially with positive reinforcement training. Food is a great motivator for most dogs but every once in a while, I get a comment or email from a reader saying their dog doesn’t work for treats. What? How can it be that some dogs aren’t motivated by food? Those tasty tidbits are like magic wands that can be pulled from your pocket to mesmerize and control your pup’s behavior. Well, at least until they gobble them down. So what’s going on with these dogs that just aren’t interested in t ..read more

Photo by John Attebury / CC BY 2.0 Do you have a dog with holiday stress? Every year, Haley watches as I begin to drag out all of our Christmas decorations. Some are in the garage, some in the basement and others in closets. She’s a velcro dog, so she follows me on my many trips back and forth and all around the house while I gather the objects of festive cheer and distribute them elsewhere around the house. But that’s just the beginning of all the busyness that takes place this time of year. She tags along while we select and cut down our Christmas tree, she’s on floor duty in the kitchen t ..read more

If you have a Houdini dog that manages to slip out anytime a door is opened or your pup practically knocks you over while trying to squeeze past you to get outside, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to train your door-dashing dog! Just make sure your pooch knows the Sit command and is fully housebroken before you get started. Ready? Just follow these simple steps! How to Train Your Door-Dashing Dog When your dog wants to go outside, give the Sit command while he’s near the door. After he sits, say “Wait” then slowly open the door just an inch, making sure he doesn’t push his way through. If h ..read more

Do you prefer energetic dogs or laid-back, calm dogs? I like spirited dogs. It’s entertaining to watch them get worked up and go a little crazy sometimes while playing, but there’s a downside to all that energy if a dog gets too excited too often. Here’s why! When Excitement is a Bad Thing Overly-excited dogs aren’t able to focus or listen to commands. It’s almost impossible to get their attention once they reach a high level of excitement. It’s easy to mistake excitement for happiness, but too much excitement can lead to anxiety or unhealthy obsessions, like those pooches that chase tennis b ..read more

If the sound of fireworks or thunderstorms sends your dog scrambling to leap into your lap or cower under a bed, your pup’s not alone. With their keen sense of hearing, loud noises can be overwhelming for most dogs, leaving them pacing the floor, panting or trembling with fear. Some dogs may even urinate on the floor or become destructive while trying to escape from a crate or a room. Dogs and fireworks aren’t a good combination. As a matter of fact, July 5th is one of the busiest days of the year for many animal shelters as they work to reunite lost pets that have run away after hearing the l ..read more

We’ve all heard the advice that as dog owners, we should be the alpha dog or pack leader in our house or else our dogs will assume the role, take over, and pretty much make our lives miserable. That’s the basic theory behind traditional dog training methods, made even more popular by a certain TV-show dog rehabilitator. The training style commonly uses dominance and force-type methods based on the notions of alpha dogs and pack mentality. Those concepts evolved from studies done more than half a century ago while observing wolves in captivity. In contrast, positive reinforcement (+R or force-f ..read more

Whether we’re off to discover a new hiking trail or just traveling a few miles up the road to visit Grandma and Grandpap, summertime means more trips in the car with Haley. She loves going everywhere with us, but we don’t particularly love all the hair, mud and mess that’s left behind in the Jeep when we get back home. Over the years, we’ve discovered these tips for keeping your car clean when traveling with a dog. Well, “cleaner” at least! 10 Tips for Keeping Your Car Clean 1. Groom Your Dog If it’s shedding season or your dog is a nervous shedder when riding in the car, brush or comb your pu ..read more

In the world of positive reinforcement (reward-based) dog training, the term “correction” almost seems like a bad word. For many people, it conjures up images of old school trainers that use aversive, physical methods and tools to train and control their dogs. As a matter of fact, many dog training facilities that only use positive reinforcement (+R) techniques never mention anything about giving corrections because it’s often perceived as politically incorrect. But does that mean using any corrections with positive reinforcement training is taboo? I’m a big believer in positive, reward-based ..read more