One of the most common things you hear as a dog trainer, or even as someone wanting to train their own dog, is that your timing matters. Not just the aspect of how quickly you do something, but also the order in which you do something that can make or break your effectiveness at training the dog in front of you. There are lots of different ways to train dogs, really any animal. Some methods I strongly oppose to and some I am a huge proponent for. But at the end of the day, wh

Dog bites are a tough subject to talk about. Whether you work with dogs, are around dogs, own dogs, or even just go anywhere that has the potential of having a dog, there is a potential that you could encounter teeth. For most people, it is a small encounter. I don't anticipate getting bit by a dog when I go to the grocery store, but I know my chances of receiving a bite can increase substantially when I go to an owner's home for the first time and I have been informed the do

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

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

Taking your dog to a dog park can ignite quite the conversation between dog lovers. Some dog lovers are in the camp of a dog park not being a good idea. Some dog lovers are in the camp of dog parks being a great place to take your dog. Both camps are correct. Dog parks can be great depending on the dog, the owner, and the park itself, but they can also be horrible ideas depending on those same criteria. Here are some questions to ask yourself on if you should be taking your d

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

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

It's a nice, sunny day out and it seems like a good day to do something for your dog. So, you head to the dog park, the equivalent of doggy Disney World. You get there and everyone is ignoring that there is a "big dog" side and a "little dog" side since the "big dog" side is muddy, and everyone congregates on the "little dog" side. Your puppy is about 30 pounds, so you go in anyway. Your puppy finds a buddy to play with in this group of medium and large dogs and things appear