Today’s dog training tip comes from a dream I had last night.

In the dream my Rottweiler Lola was reaching up to take something off a table. I said NO and she stopped immediately, turning to look at me. I said “Good girl! What a smart puppy!” (Even though she is six years old.) And I rubbed her chest.  Then I turned to a couple who were with me, beginners at understanding how dogs think, and I said to them that in this case the word no wasn’t really negative in any way, as it was simply conveying information to the dog… that the object she was interested in was a people thing rather than a dog toy.

Well, I could probably stop this blog post right there and you’d get the point. But I will expand it a bit. I have known some people who don’t feel that they can tell their dogs NO. (Some of them have trouble, for the same reasons, telling their kids NO. Dog training principles fascinate me partly because they help me understand how human minds work as well.) But in fact, NO is a very useful word between you and your dog. Read the rest of this entry

Have you ever been out walking with your dog when you spot one or more other dogs, off-leash and with or without an owner, coming towards you? Here’s a tip for handling that situation. Of course, if your dog is perfectly socialized, there probably won’t  be any issue. Or if you know those dogs and everybody is friends. But what if your dog doesn’t like other dogs in his face, like our LarryDog, or is afraid of them? Read the rest of this entry

Here’s a dog training tip that we’ve done with every dog we’ve ever owned. Of course, they know the sit. Well, as we prepare their dinner plates — or breakfast plates for that matter — they can get rather excited.

So at one point or another in the process, whoever is doing the feeding asks the dogs to sit. LarryDog is almost 14 and sitting is getting a little harder for him on our tile floor, so we don’t usually ask him  till just before the food is going on the floor.

I’m not sure if you can see LarryDog’s tongue, but it is sticking out a bit as he waits! Read the rest of this entry

Here’s a good way to get your dog to stop barking when someone comes to your home. It will take some time and a friend, but it might just rid you of a very annoying habit that many dogs have.

Does Your Dog Bark at the Door?

By Aidan Bindoff

Does your dog bark when you have a knock at the door? Follow this simple plan to end excessive barking at the door.

Many dogs will bark when they hear a knock at the door. This is probably to announce the arrival of a new person to their territory. They learn pretty quickly that a knock on the door is quickly followed by a visitor.

But what if a knock at the door was only occasionally followed by a visitor? Read the rest of this entry