To Shave or Not to Shave? What’s Best for Your Dog?
Should I shave my dog this year? That’s a question many lovers of dogs face each summer. We do want to keep our dogs cool, but what to do? This is part 3 in my series of Keeping Your Dog Safe This Summer. If you missed part 1, How to Help Dogs with Fear of […]
How to Easily Fix This Common (and Frustrating) Dog Training Challenge
Last year I surveyed dog lovers from all around the country…engaged in a cross section of ALL dog activities/dog sports/working dogs. Can you guess what was in the Top 3 Common Struggles? “My Dog Gets Distracted, Looses Focus, Won’t Listen.” I totally get it. A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about […]
How to Train Your Dog When You Have No Time
A most common complaint from people about training their dogs. You know, I’ve been working with horses and dogs for a really long time, about 35+ years I guess. And, for the past 25 years, I’ve been helping teach people how to have a better relationship with their dogs, and how to get results in a […]
Games to Play with Herding Dogs Pt 2
More Games to Play with Herding Dogs When You Don’t Have Sheep in Your Backyard Remember: Herding dogs not only require serious physical activity every single day, but they need serious mental activity too. Thinking is one of the things herding dogs are great at, and they’re not truly happy without daily mental exercise. Most […]
A Fun Game to Satisfy Your Herding Dog’s “Herding Instinct” When You Don’t Have Sheep to Work.
One of the things that get herding breed dogs into trouble is not having a REAL job to do every day. A real job like grazing the sheep. Or bringing the cows home. Or putting the chickens and ducks to bed each night. You might be doing a great job of providing plenty of exercise […]
Is Your Misbehaving Dog Begging for Help?
Remember the last time your dog ‘got distracted’, ‘blew you off’, or just ‘didn’t listen’? • Maybe the last time your dog broke her stay? • How about when he left you to sniff the ground or pee on a post? • Wasn’t that just last week that she leapt right over the A-frame contact? […]
Let’s Be Perfectly Clear: Dog Training Basics
Clarity leads to each partner taking responsibility for their part of the partnership…intuiting what the other wants and needs. It’s a beautiful thing! If you’ve been around me for more than a minute, you’ve probably heard me speak about “Clarity” and how important that is to training our dogs. But, what does that mean, […]
Do You Say This to Your Dog?
I’m pretty sure that when I say that I can relate the child raising struggles my young niece has to the struggles I have with my dogs, that she politely waits until my back is turned and then rolls her eyes. But, it’s true. I can’t help but see the parallels between child raising and […]
The Single Most Powerful & Effective Dog Training Tool …
It all boils down to Communication. Unless you and your dog learn to fluently communicate every single time you are interacting, you can bet you’ll have struggles ahead. Communication is the single most powerful and effective training tool we have. Maybe the ONLY one. Think about it…what else is there? You, your […]
Maya’s Journey of Transformation
Another Story of Transformation I Want to Share with You. You may know my sweet and sassy Maya…or you may know of her story. She is quite a gal, with a jaded history. 😉 She was kicked out of 3 homes, and stood on death’s door because of her impossible behavior. She was labeled ‘untrainable’, […]
Dog Training Partnership that Rocks!
I just have a quick announcement for you today. A new video of me and my dogs. As I put this quick video together today, I am reminded of how much I LOVE the partnerships I have with each of my dogs. My heart fills with gratitude and love just thinking about it. You can […]
One of my most painful mistakes and what I learned
If you’re anything like me and most of my students and clients, your dog is a core part of your life…and you do, or would like to do, lots of fun things with your dog. You dream of enjoying the benefits of having a happy, friendly dog in your life…a dog that you can take […]
