Working with people who then have to work with animals can be a tricky business. Even being a person who just works with animals can be a tricky business. When working with animals, we are working with a completely different species with its own way of thinking and operating and its own language. When working with pets and being surrounded by them all day you tend to forget that you are literally working with another species and it is in no way human. Unfortunately, that tend

We are going to start this post, with a human-related tale. A dad was put in charge of watching his two boys for the day so the mom could take care of some grocery shopping and other errands without having to wrangle two children on top of the tasks at hand. So the dad had a great idea: it's hot outside, it's summer, let's go to the pool. So he got the boys together and they headed over to the public pool. Dad was relaxing, the kids were having fun, until the inevitable happe

Ah socialization! I hear this word probably a hundred times a week by owners. "We need to socialize him more." "It will be good for his socialization." "We went there so he could get socialized." These are just a few of the phrases I hear from very different owners with very different dogs constantly as if it was a catch phrase that should be said around dog trainers. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that use this phrase don't actually know the meaning behind what they are

As a professional dog trainer, I work with thousands of dogs and their owners. I work with first time dog owners, experienced owners, owners that have worked with other trainers before, and everything in between. Along with experience level comes different personalities as well, from human and canine alike. But what a professional dog trainer should know is how to work with these different personalities and how to create a training plan that is good not only for the owner, bu

I am obsessed with the show "Criminal Minds". I watch it religiously. I love the show so much, I feel like my calling in life could have been as a profiler if I wasn't such a chicken and didn't absolutely love dogs and doing what I do. There is one person I have to thank for enlightening me to this show and his name is Scott Jetter. My late mentor had so much knowledge and deep understanding of dog training and dog behavior that I hope to one day have the same amount of under

One of the many grievances I hear about as a professional dog trainer that has a very simple fix is that of dogs that bark and/or whine in the crate. Dogs that have minor crate issues are very easy to work with. Puppies are also very easy to crate train. There are many times where people want to work on private lessons, which are typically an hour long, just to teach the dog to be quiet in the crate, but I am here to tell you, it is very simple. I have outlined and provided a

If I ever was reincarnated, I can tell you what I would never want to come back as. No it is not a dung beetle, slug, or other gruesome animal most people initially state as a horrible animal to be. My answer would be even more specific. I would never want to come back as a puppy. Yes, you heard correctly, a dog trainer would never want to be reincarnated, if that were even possible, as a puppy. It has nothing to do with my love of dogs or coming back as something cute that w

Summer is a fun and crazy time. There's trips and vacations, tournaments, barbecues, and chaos in between. When we get ready to celebrate Independence Day, we plan for our barbecues, fireworks, trips, etc. One area people forget to prepare for is their dog on the Fourth of July. For some, this is your dog's first Independence Day and you can do little things now to make it a good experience, or a bad one, for your dog. Here are some tips to get you started. People frequently

As soon as I spot it, my heart skips a beat. I see it, the eight-legged monster, the spider on the wall, my true mortal enemy. Every time I see a spider in my house, my immediate inclination is to kill it. As soon as it is smashed and flushed down the toilet, I'm a little relieved, but still on the lookout for one of his spider buddies. Have I ever been attacked by a spider? No. Have I ever been bitten by a spider? No. Has a spider ever walked on me making me jump out of my s

If you take your dog to dog parks pretty regularly, you have probably made friends or at least acquaintanceships with some of the other regulars at the dog park. You may know their name or at least their dog's name, what they do for a living, and other little tidbits of information about their life and they know yours as well. After you let your dog loose, you most likely gravitate over to people you already know and are comfortable with. But did you think your dog may have t