For a very good guide to all sorts of dog training processes and dog behavior challenges, I use and recommend Clickertraining ...that link goes to the description of this terrific ebook you download immediately, wherever you are! -- Rosana

The title combines two things that might not be related but are. We are going to be making a long trip with our dogs and cats. My husband and I have been living in Mexico for four years, near Lake Chapala. It’s been really nice in many ways, but now we are selling our house here and moving back to Colorado. I’m very excited that we will be living in a small town where we lived for a decade and there is a real sense of community.

The long drive north will be in late April, and I’m already doing a bit of training review with the dogs, as I recommended in this article I did back in 2008: Train Your Dog Before Vacation Travel and I’m getting our kitties used to their carrying crates by feeding in one and having the other in a choice location on my desk, next to my computer. Read the rest of this entry

So many interesting and maybe scary things happen in our everyday world. Wherever you live, you have things going on nearby. Maybe some of these:

• Cars stop and start.
• Rock music blares out as a teenager practices drumming.
• Cats, squirrels, birds, and other animals move around.
• Greasy papers from a fast-food joint are lying in the gutter.

Once your puppy is old enough to go out into the world with you, who knows what you will encounter and how your puppy will react? Read the rest of this entry

Do you play with your dog? How many dog tricks can your dog do? Dogs are such playful animals by nature! We humans (adults anyway)  can get too serious and need a reminder from our dogs of how much fun life is meant to be.

Dog tricks and games also do serve the purpose of furthering our training too. The dog doesn’t know that rolling over is a game but coming when called isn’t. It’s all part of the great game of life!

Here’s a dog trick you and your dog can have fun with. Read the rest of this entry