Most young dogs are eager to please. They want to make you happy and yet their behavior very often achieves the opposite effect. You may wonder how your dog could possibly think that by stealing your shoes he will increase your happiness. The answer is simple: He’s a dog. HIs perspective is completely different from yours. He thinks he is livening up your dreadfully boring day by initiating a game of grab-the-shoe.  Until he is reliably trained, his choices will be based on trial and error and a flawed interpretation of desirable behavior. In the meantime, you must provide structure that limits his chances of making bad choices. When dogs stay with me for training, their day has a simple structure: Eat, drink, walk/play/train, crate time, repeat. This structure facilitates…

(and keeping mistakes to a minimum!)  If you have recently brought a puppy into your home, you have my congratulations and my sympathy. Congratulations, because raising a puppy will change your life! My sympathy because, well . . . raising a puppy will change your life.  Sure, the little guy will steal your heart. He will also steal your socks, your sandwich, your sleep, and if you are not careful, your sanity. Face it; your puppy is a ball of fur filled with pee, poop, energy, and curiosity. He has an alarming lack of impulse control and his primary means of exploring new discoveries is his mouth. He will lick, chew, or eat anything—regardless of whether it is disgusting, valuable, or dangerous.  He will run…

Teething is more likely to involve chewing on household items whereas play biting is a form of social play.  When your puppy is biting you, he is biting because he considers you ‘another puppy’ not an Alpha or leader.  If you are providing your dog with enough play, attention and exercise, this behavior should be a rare occurrence.  Teething on furniture etc. is a natural behavior in all puppies  Confinement and Attention  My puppies are crated when I am not paying attention to them.  They do not have the run of the house.  They come out at times when I can give them my undivided attention and that means no texting, television or…

Puppies usually start to play with each other at about 2 ½ weeks old.  Initially they are crawling on each other and biting; as their mobility increases the wrestling and biting increases.  As they get older they will begin barking at each other to initiate play, sometimes even baring their teeth.  Once toys are introduced, stealing or grabbing of toys and getting everyone to chase you is the new game.  But that game usually ends in a tackle with biting and fighting over toys.  This is how dogs play!  Home Sweet Home:  You bring your puppy home, you want to lie on the floor and cuddle with him because he is so…

Too often clients tell me that their dog ‘freaks out’ when they are at the Veterinarian or when they try to cut their nails or anytime they have to be restrained. These dogs are sometimes friendly in normal situations but the restraint causes them such fear they resort to biting.  These bites occur during nail clipping or grooming, while they are being examined by a veterinarian or when they become tangled in a leash or caught on a fence by their collar.  These bites occur because the dog anticipates pain even when no pain may occur.  I have discussed this in my article titled “Good Stress” which I encourage you to read.  Good Stress:  When dogs are raised…

(and the people who greet him!)  Socializing your puppy is extremely important. However, socializing your puppy in the wrong way can do more harm than good. To properly socialize your puppy, you must provide the experiences and training that will build a foundation for him to function successfully in the world he shares with you. In other words, you must teach your puppy to greet and interact with others appropriately and to remain calm and behave well in a variety of situations.  Along the way, you may also need to teach some people the appropriate way to greet a puppy!  How Exciting  People tend to get excited when they see a puppy. They may squeal, giggle, jump, and rush toward your pup with…

 Most of us have heard of the studies that show how the simple act of petting a dog can provide significant health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. It’s amazing that such a simple act could work such wonders! But is it a simple act? Not really. Like all social interactions, giving attention to your dog can communicate different messages, depending on the context. Giving your dog the wrong kind of attention, or giving attention at the wrong time can result in unwanted behaviors that are more likely to raise your blood pressure than lower it!   Don’t communicate the wrong message.  You are your dog’s leader.  Attention should be given on your terms, not when your dog demands it. Giving in…

A puppy’s education begins from the moment of its birth. A pup’s mother teaches it how to interact with her, with littermates, and with other dogs. While they are still with their mother, puppies begin to understand the hierarchy of group life. During this time, the mother dog is also teaching them how to eat, defecate, play, and how to be alone for periods of time, as well as other important social skills.   Most pups leave the litter and begin living with a human group when they are about 2 months old. At this point, humans must pick up where a pup’s mother left off. When you bring your pup…

Once you bring a puppy home it is exceedingly easy to treat him like one of the family.   The puppy and becomes another child.  In this case your new puppy or dog now considers you a littermate, pack mate or friend, not a leader.  For some dogs this is not a problem, for other dogs you can begin to see how your new puppy or dog tests you to see if you are going to step up to the plate and become ALPHA.  Dog Behavior:  Being your dog’s leader is the foundation for dog training.  Dogs live in a pack environment similar to the wolf pack and to the human…

The first step on the road to owning a dog is to ask yourself some tough questions?  Why do you want a dog?  Can you afford it?  Are you prepared to take care of the dog the rest of his life?  Do you have time to commit to this dog?  Do you have time to spend the next two years training this dog?  Do you have time for daily exercise or walks?  If you answered yes to the above, let’s look at some options to find your perfect dog.  This is going to take some time.  Just like you are not meant to marry every person you date, every dog’s temperament…