In this fifteen-minute talk on dog-friendly dog training, Dr.Ian Dunbar has no dogs with him but still easily manages to keep the audience’s attention. He starts out by saying that dogs have interests, such as chasing squirrels or sniffing each … Continue reading →
Dr. Ian Dunbar, dog training expert, calls the dog crate a brilliant training tool in this video which is barely over a minute. I call him brilliant for one simple step. As he points out, and as most dog trainers … Continue reading →
When you think about dog training, we are fortunate to be living in this time. Even before the internet brought us together in a variety of new ways, veterinarian Dr. Ian Dunbar, dolphin trainer Karen Pryor, and others were doing things that would have massive effects on how people think about dog training. Now, positive dog training is turning up everywhere.
Dr. Dunbar has gone on to create an outstanding line of books and DVDs, including one of my all-time favorite DVDs, Sirius Puppy Training. He founded the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which describes itself as…. CLICK THE TITLE TO READ MORE…
Continue reading →Do you have any overweight dogs? Here are some tips to help your dog slim down. [1] If you feed dry food, make your dog work for some of it. At mealtimes, go outside if weather permits or you can … Continue reading →
As you can see from the images below, the most popular dog crates are the wire ones. I think people prefer them because we like the open look of them as well as for the practical detail that these fold flat, … Continue reading →
If you crate train your puppy or dog, you’ll find it useful in a wide variety of situations. For example: You can confine the dog if guests come over who are afraid of dogs. The dog is comfortable being in a … Continue reading →
Positive dog training: sounds nice, doesn’t it? But what does it really mean for you and your dog? It means the opposite, of that old saw “no pain, no gain.”Here are a couple of my favorite books on it: Positive … Continue reading →
People often wonder how long their training sessions should be, whether it’s with a puppy or an adult dog. This reminds me of the old joke that goes, “How long should a dog’s legs be?” The answer: “Long enough to … Continue reading →
Recently I clicker trained my six-year-old Rottweiler to watch me, that is, to make and hold eye contact with me. As you may have heard, many dogs don’t like to do this, but once I clicked and treated for it … Continue reading →
I happened to discover dog trainer Emily Larlham recently, and I’m very impressed with this prolific, internationally known young woman who works with positive methods, I love it that she has dozens of free dog training videos on Youtube. So … Continue reading →
A friend of mine, Jessica Brewer, has been fostering a Pit Bull mix puppy who is 8 months old now. She brought him over to our house for a play date with our Rottie Lola a few weeks ago. He … Continue reading →
Train Your Dog Month is January. I’m doing my bit by picking up again on clickertraining Lola, and she and I are having great fun with it. I’ll tell you a bit more about this special month and also share … Continue reading →
I’ve been visiting with Luke Browne, a family member in San Francisco who has been a professional dog walker for almost eight years — “professional” here meaning that it’s how he makes his living. From our rambling chats over several … Continue reading →
We have often watched Victoria Stillwell’s television show, and we’ve enjoyed her brisk no-nonsense style combined with positive reinforcement training methods. I get a kick out of how she comes to the rescue in such a wide variety of situations, … Continue reading →
Every year the Association of Pet Dog Trainers recognizes trainers who are doing outstanding work in communication positive dog training skills. For 2012, the Dr. Robert Curran NewTrix Video Award went to Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, CCS, BGS. She made this … Continue reading →
Renowned veterinarian-trainer-writer Ian Dunbar is known for expressing his opinions, and they are worth listening to. He’s had a huge beneficial influence on how we relate to dogs. I describe a little of what he’s done on this page about … Continue reading →
The Dog Days of Summer are generally the hottest and perhaps the most humid time of year, depending on where you live. It lasts from July till early September. The name is used because Sirius, the Dog Star, rises before … Continue reading →
Dogs often learn very quickly when you use a clicker, because they are being shown when they do what you want, rather than being punished or scolded when they do things you don’t want! My dog training tip for today … Continue reading →
The great diver Greg Louganis, who won Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988 (and many other titles) strives for excellence in anything he does. Turns out that he’s a dog person as well. A Florida newspaper reported: His life is … Continue reading →
Have you ever trained your dog to do something in one room and then discovered that he doesn’t do it as well anywhere else? Dogs tend to learn things connected to location, which is why it’s good to do training … Continue reading →
Several people who took my survey a while ago mentioned crate training. Here are the two most challenging situations: [1] A year-old Rottweiler who used to go in his crate when asked now doesn’t want to. He can’t be lured … Continue reading →
There are a lot of romantic images in my mind, and maybe in yours too, of a dog out for a walk with me in the countryside, free to explore and have a glorious time. (Those images don’t include the … Continue reading →
Do Something Choose a behavior that you want to train your dog to do. Got it? That’s a start, but often people never get to the next step, which is doing something. This tip is to do something towards instilling … Continue reading →
Anyone who has ever trained a dog is familiar with the challenges of getting a dog to the point of having a reliable recall. The goal is that she comes reliably when you call her… no matter what! It’s not … Continue reading →
I first heard of dog trainer Leslie Nelson in connection with the Really Reliable Recall™ method she developed, which is a way of training your dog to have just what it says… a recall that you can really trust. Here … Continue reading →
Veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar once had a Malamute puppy. And it’s a good thing for the rest of us that he did…. When he couldn’t find a training class for young puppies anywhere in the San Francisco … Continue reading →
How do you choose dog crates? There are three common types, and each is best for different things: wire dog crates airline-safe crates soft (fabric) crates and carriers. On this page, I’ll describe and illustrate each type and their uses. … Continue reading →
Wondering how to begin crate training your puppy or dog, or even whether you should? This page will tell you. Crate training gets a dog so used to being closed into a crate that he or she can safely be … Continue reading →
Dog clicker training… is so much fun for both dogs and people that the training part just slips in! Dog clicker training… gets the dog to figure out what you want, making it an enjoyable game. This wonderful, cruelty-free method … Continue reading →
To me, positive dog training is…using methods that enhance our relationships with dogs. The methods of Ian Dunbar, for one. Using clickers with dogs. The Tellington TTouch. Rewards at times, when the dog does what we want. Maybe it’s helpful … Continue reading →
Clicker training for dogs can be done in many different ways and for many different purposes. If you are learning clicker training on your own, I think DVDs or videos may be better for giving you the all-important sense of … Continue reading →
When I read , by Suzanne Clothier, right away I was caught up in the lovely way she relates to dogs and other animals. So I wasn’t really surprised when Linda Tellington-Jones turned up in the book, quite early on … Continue reading →
How can you find time for dog training? I have two tips on that today. That question came to me as a comment on my review of Nicole Wilde’s excellent book, Don’t Leave Me, which is on separation anxiety. It … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
Do your dogs have opportunities to play with other dogs? If you have more than one, they may well play with each other, unless you have a situation like ours. Lola is 5, LarryDog is 15. He is past much … Continue reading →
I met a very interesting dog and owner one day. I was doing errands in a nearby town when I saw a large dog with a SERVICE DOG jacket on. I glanced at the owner and could see that he … Continue reading →
Are you training your dog to do a specific action but running into problems with it? There can be a variety of reasons, and a variety of solutions for this common situation. Here I want to talk about one solution. … Continue reading →
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. … Continue reading →
Crate training is well known as a tool for housetraining dogs of all ages, but I have found that its uses go far beyond that. Our five-year-old Rottweiler Lola (shown in the photo) loves her huge crate, and seeks it … Continue reading →
begins with a very sturdy dog clicker which fits easily into your hand. It makes quite a loud click, especially good for working at a distance — if it is a bit too loud for your taste, you can muffle … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
1. Dog training would take away from your time to watch television. 2. Your dog is alpha and won’t let you do anything. 3. If God meant for dogs to sit, they would be born with chairs on their bottoms. … Continue reading →
Want to get better at dog clicker training? Here’s a way that you probably would not have thought up: learn to clicker train chickens! Long-time dog trainer Terry Ryan is one of several trainers who have taught workshops on clicker … Continue reading →
I have a long list of possible topics for this blog, and “Nothing in Life is Free” has been on the list for a couple of years now. This is an approach to dog training in which your dog has … Continue reading →
There is a lot that can be said about training a dog to come when called, and I’ve written about it before, but in this article I am going to focus on something I just learned from Patricia McConnell’s excellent … Continue reading →
Off-leash activities with our dogs are great, but for safety’s sake, the dog needs to know to come when you call. Training a dog to come when called isn’t all that hard to do, but training a dog to come … Continue reading →
I read a really outstanding article on Cesar Millan and his methods, in the blog of Patricia McConnell, which I follow regularly… Here is a snippet which catches the essence of her point of view: I personally believe that Cesar … Continue reading →
Why is this llama training video on a dog training website? Read on. My husband and I used to raise llamas in the mountains outside Ashland, Oregon. We bred them, took people on day hikes with them, and created books … Continue reading →
, by Chris Zink, is a prize-winning book. It’ss great to see a comprehensive book on dog agility, by an expert, being so recognized. Here is what’s in the book… quite a range of topics: Last updated: Tuesday, July 5, … Continue reading →
Dogs, like us humans, can develop fear of an endless variety of things. Once I got an email from someone whose Labrador puppy was afraid to go outside unless someone was with him. My Basenji, Sunbeam, had an odd list … Continue reading →
