Urban (Dryland) Mushing This sounds like you need a sled and a husky but fear not. Urban (Dryland) Mushing was created for sled dogs to keep them in shape during off season. Today it is becoming a very popular activity. There are even competitions if you’re really digging it! You’ll need a mushing harness, hip belt and bungee lead, a hiking trail and your preference of how you will move. This includes walking, hiking (Canihiking), running (CaniCross), biking (BikeJoring), skateboarding, scootering and more! Teach your dog mushing cues: Gee (Turn Right) Haw (Turn Left) Easy (Slow Down) On By ..read more

We have almost all been there. You’re cute pooch is jumping on everything…you, the furniture, your guests. You say, “No,” “Off,” or “Down.” Nothing works. It seems as if they didn’t even hear you or are completely ignoring you. This is one of the reasons dogs are surrendered to a shelter. Most of us tend to think of our dogs like our children. We teach them what is right and wrong. When they do wrong, your first instinct may be to scold them. When they do right, we sometimes forget to give them praise. This is normal, but it doesn’t actually tell your dog what type of behavior you’re looking ..read more

The field of Force Free Dog Training is often misunderstood. Do we use treats? Yes and No. Do we use Reinforcements? Yes! Yes! Yes! Let’s first look at the definition of Reinforcement. In simple terms, Reinforcement is “anything that strengthens or increases a behavior.”  By definition, reinforcement is not always treats. It is anything that motivates an animal to repeat a behavior. A reinforcement can also be toys or pets/rubs. Again, it is what motivates your dog.  We do use treats more frequently however. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, almost every dog has some ..read more

Thinking about adding a new dog to your family? A dog is a permanent commitment. This new addition should be considered as much a member of your family as the humans. For this reason, it is important to choose a dog that fits your family’s lifestyle. Here are 7 things to consider when choosing a new dog. What is a typical day like in your household? Is anyone home during the day who can care for the dog? If not, are you willing to hire someone to walk and care for your new friend? There are also several Doggy Day Care facilities in the area where your companion can spend the day. You will be ..read more

Ever heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Well..It’s just a saying and not true at all.  Do you ever feel like that because your dog is getting old, they probably aren’t interested in training? That’s not true either. I used to think the same way but in my years of training, I have found quite the opposite to be true. One of my older clients who stands out the most is Taka and his mom. He is the one who made me passionate about training dogs of all ages. When I first started working with Taka, not only was he recovering from horrible burns, he was 9 years old. I w ..read more

As trainers, we often get asked what age training should begin. Our answer? As soon as you bring them home - usually around 8 weeks. This is minus a few days for your puppy to settle into their new surroundings. Why is it so important to start working with your puppy so early? Your puppy is a sponge. Just as we have discovered with human babies, puppies are able to learn at a much younger age than we used to think. In addition, puppies’ critical socialization period ends around 16 weeks - give or take a week or two.  Often, socialization is a misunderstood term. Some think it means to h ..read more

A solid foundation for your dog begins with the basics. Knowing Basic Skills has several advantages: Your dog develops good manners through learning basic skills. Your dog must learn the basic skills before learning more complex skills. Basic skills can be used in a multitude of situations. Taking your companion in public places will be more enjoyable. Your trained dog will be happier. So will you. The “Wait” Skill Look, Sit, Stay, Come, and Heel are a great start, but there are other skills that I incorporate into training because of their flexibility in multiple situations. For ..read more

The speed at which your dog learns each new skill will depend on how difficult the skill is, how consistent it is taught, how your dog is rewarded, your dog’s preferences and patience. The very first element of dog training starts with you. You MUST be in the right frame of mind before beginning a session. Forget what just happened with the kids. Forget about what’s going on at work. It’s just you and your dog. You must be calm and confident and in the right frame of mind when training. 1. A Solid Foundation for Your Dog Begins with the Basics Knowing Basic Skills has several advantages for y ..read more

I’ve always been fascinated with dogs doing tricks. I could spend hours watching dog trick videos on YouTube. I finally decided that it would be fun to teach my dogs a few tricks. Little did I know I was in for a delightful surprise. About a year ago, I began teaching Emmett a few tricks. He has always been a very sweet, affectionate dog, but with a huge amount of energy. He gets bored very easily. When I started trick training with him, I saw how excited he would get – not in the sense of a dog out of control with excitement but the “Oh Boy” kind of excitement. His ears would perk up. His fo ..read more

Earlier this week, our house was being shown so I had to leave with our pups for a couple of hours. Emmett, my assistant, has always had anxiety when riding in cars. When we first found him as a stray, just getting him in the car was almost impossible. It is obvious to me that someone dumped him from their vehicle. We work with him regularly to help him overcome his fear and anxiety and he has improved dramatically. As always, I did my “flight of the bubblebee” act, cleaning like a mad woman on the day of the showing. For some reason, this cleaning episode was much more stressful than the oth ..read more