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This dog moves around me as I sit quietly in the chair. I do not fidget or shuffle. I am talking as I teach, but if I were alone with him I would be silent. I’m observing him closely.  He doesn’t so much as glance at me, his attention is everywhere else. I considered three of my options:

Option 1: I could make him stop moving.

The handsome black-and-white rescue dog looks around the room as he trots within the range of his leash. His handler, calm and experienced, catches every good moment this dog gives to him, rewarding it well. While this creates a pause, within seconds the dog is moving again, disconnected again.

My feet slap the ground jarring my legs with each step but I do not slow. The frozen mud of winter’s waiting must be passing beneath me but I do not notice. It may have been a nice day out, there may be birds calling through the otherwise winter barren trees, who knows?

Not me.

I am lost in a tangle of thinking; a busy brain enfolding on itself.

Pip can be a patient dog. She has to be with the amount of time I can spend in cyberspace.

The huge puppy stood still. He looked at me; his inner wheels obviously turning. Slowly he sat, watching me carefully. As his rear lowered I grinned, as his rear touched the floor a stream of warm praise surged out, then I reached for the treat I knew he loved. Stroking him as I delivered a goodie, we lingered in that happy moment, then I stepped away.

Yet another dog plummeted off a cliff in the UK this week. He lived. And that’s the news part of it since most of them don’t. And the UK isn’t the only place that happens. The sign here is from the US.

Here is a simple rule: Don't bet your dog’s life on your verbal control alone.

An easy, effective and fun game to play that can turn a dog's "oh no" into "Oh Good!". One of my favorite games for dogs who are fearful of sounds and objects.

by Sarah Wilson

Recently, I encountered four situations when I picked up the small dog I had with me. I thought sharing my reasons might be helpful, so here are the events and my thoughts:



1) Narrow Trail with Steep Drop Offs + Young Puppy + Family of Five on their Bikes

Human beings want to see our loved ones feeling loved; and, according to Relational Theory, this is especially true for women.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

HoHoHo can turn into

Bilbo wat

Seemingly ever popular, these tools are by far the most dangerous dog tool I know. After more than 25 years as a dog-care professional, I know multiple dogs who have died and multiple people who have ended up in the ER while using this sort of leash.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ― Albert Einstein

"He is so neurotic!" the frustrated Border Collie pet person exclaims.

"What do you mean?" I inquire.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and many of us will soon be enjoying (or not) family, friends, and multiple activities. Along with this will come vacation time, new toys for young and old, as well as both visiting and visitors.

When dogs come to me for a stay, people often ask with concern, “Do you think she’ll remember me?”

For many years, as a pro dog trainer, I have observed that people seemed to, rather miraculously, get dogs who offer  opportunity for growth in some key way. Certainly has been true in my life. I chalked this recurring pattern up to "fate," "karma," or "the universe" being at work.

One of the things the Parelli's talk about is making sure you put your principles before your purpose.

It made no sense.

This high-wire, intense dog was doing great in his training. He worked crisply and immediately, he worked eagerly and with an open mouth and yet... he was falling apart. Seemed when the stay got better, the crate behavior got worse; when the crate behavior got better, the door behavior fell apart.

I know, I know - it's early in the season but still, I want to put an idea on the table.