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

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

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

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