In many cases, motion sickness begins as a true response to motion but then turns into a psychosomatic response to a previous bad experience.  To cure motion sickness, it is very important that you go extremely slow and do not push the dog.  I am going to outline steps to cure motion sickness, if you have not successfully completed all the steps and you need to take your dog to your Veterinarian or training class, purchase Bonine, a human non-drowsy motion sickness treatment so the physiological factors of motion sickness will be eradicated. Treat him with one adult dosage.  It is very important that you take as much time as necessary…

Instantaneous Obedience  Our world is a world of Instants:  Instant Coffee, Instant Messages, Instant Relationships, Minute Meals, 10 minute Oil Changes, etc.  One thing I can guarantee, there are no instant training tips for the training of dogs.  So often, new clients will see my own dogs and state, “I want my dog to listen like that!”  Well, training my dogs to the level they are at took years, not weeks or months.  If you put in the time, you will have the results you desire.    Not Just Basic:  So many people sign their dogs up for Basic Obedience and/or Puppy Kindergarten and figure, that’s it, I’m done.  Basic obedience is…

Last month I wrote about training so as not to confuse your dog. This occurs when the handler or owner is inconsistent in the use commands or corrections.  Repetition goes hand in hand with preventing confusion.  The only way a dog is not going to be confused is if the handler, trainer or owner repeats the exercise enough times, using the same words and/or commands, so the dog understands what his expected response should be.  For example, if I am teaching a dog an automatic sit from the heel position, I take about five to ten steps forward, slow down, stop bringing my left foot to my right and command…

On a recent trip to Saddle River Park in Saddle Brook, New Jersey there was a sign at the entrance to the path.  The sign stated that (1) you must clean up after your dog (a ‘no brainer’ in my opinion) and (2) all dogs must be on a six-foot leash, flexi leashes and long leashes are not allowed.  Upon reading that sign, a huge smile broke out on my face!  This is what I have been preaching for years; finally I have been legitimized by Saddle Brook, New Jersey!  Long Leash Use  A long leash or flexi leash is to be used only as a training tool.  A long leash…

I’ve heard many horror stories lately from clients leaving their dogs with relatives when they went on vacation.  Though at first, it may seem your dog would be more relaxed at your brother’s home, especially since you visit often, without you; your dog is under a stress level that you may not see.  A Pet Sitter:  Keeping your dog at home and having a dog walker come in to take care of your dog may not be a great idea either.  If your dog walker comes four times per day for a total of ½ hour per session, then your dog is only getting interaction and exercise for 2 hours…

I received an email from a client this week asking a couple questions about training.  She had two questions that I felt were relevant to all of my clients.   Question #1:  Should I keep her training leash attached to her training collar while she is in the house or is it okay to attach her leash to her buckle collar?  At my first session with this client I advised her to keep her training collar and leash on her dog at all times, when she is there to supervise. If she needs to correct, she is in a position to do so.  This is extremely important!  Without a collar and…

Recently, I had the pleasure of training with a special white Boxer and her “Aunt” (I’ll leave their names out just in case they would rather stay anonymous).   This Boxer is a recent rescue and her owner is undergoing cancer treatment so this special dog was sent to New Jersey to live temporarily with her Aunt.  This Boxer is older and has obviously lived a life in fear of humans.  She does not trust easily but once she warms up to you she is the typical, licking you in your face, Boxer.  Luckily, her Aunt realized that a trained dog is a happy dog so she sent this Boxer off…

 Two questions that I get asked most often and usually in the same breath are “is my dog too old to be trained?”, and, “what do you think of Cesar Milan (the author of several books and star of his own show on Cable Television)?”   To you, these are two separate questions, but both questions can be answered using almost the same context.  Is my dog too old to learn?  No, I think any dog can be trained, no matter the age, breed or temperament.  Dogs are followers.  Man domesticated the dog because man needed a friend, and dogs allowed themselves to be domesticated because they needed a pack leader.  …

Though I make no claims of being a formally schooled behaviorist, much of my day consists of watching dogs interact with each other and replacing wrong behavior with appropriate behavior.   I have attended numerous seminars and educational forums but most of my knowledge was learned from watching my dogs give birth, the raising of their pups and watching how dogs in our day care and training school interact with each other.  The Steps:  I have narrowed a dog’s body language down to 5 steps, which my human eyes can differentiate.  But these are not steps as we understand steps, most of the time all of the five below happen at the same time,…