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,…

Happy New Year!  The holidays are finally over and life is back to normal.  The kids are back to school, you are back to work and the dog is in shock because he is all alone.  Dogs are pack animals and as pack animals it is innate within them to want to have others around them.  In the wild, that is their canine pack but in domesticated animals, that is you and your family.  Even older dogs go through stress at being left alone after having a couple weeks of company and activity.  Under normal situations your dog might be fine being alone but now that they have had company for some time,…

The Beginning:  The first widely-documented appearance of dog Agility was as entertainment at the Crufts Dog Show (England) in 1978. The demonstration immediately intrigued dog owners because of its speed, challenge and the dexterity displayed by the dogs. People wanted to see more, and indeed wanted their own dogs to be able to participate. The demonstration was so popular that it went on to grow into local, then national, and eventually international, competitions with standardized equipment.   In 1986, Kenneth Tatsch founded the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA). The event’s popularity sparked interest around the country.  One year later, Charles (Bud) Kramer founded the National Club for Dog Agility (NCDA) in Kansas with the goal of…

We, as humans, have better eyesight than our dog friends.  A dog sees 20/75, which means what we see at 75 feet, a dog can only see when it is 20 feet away.  But because of this loss, a dog can see much better at night than we can see.  Contrary to popular belief, a dog can see color, as humans we have 4 colors that stand out for us, a dog only has two, blue and green.  Yet a dog can see contrast and detail much better than their human counterparts.  A dog can walk into a room and see a chain swinging but unless he saw the piece of kibble drop to the…

Everyone has heard the phrase of a dog working “in drive”.  Whether the dog is doing obedience in food drive (what type of treat am I getting tonight?) or prey drive (where’s my ball?), most trainers use some type of motivator for their dog.  Unfortunately, this is mostly utilized by obedience enthusiasts and competitors and not pet owners.  We have all heard the phrase, ‘what’s in it for me’, like their human counterparts; dogs do what is good for them.    Training in Drive?  If your dog has a high food or prey drive, it may not be wise to train your dog in that drive.  Points are lost in training because of the dogs…

Many people believe that there are two theories of thinking when it comes to dog training, simply by their name, but in essence the ideas are the same.  The first theory is usually referred to as “Positive Training”; many people believe that the definition of Positive means that there is no punishment or correction and that the dogs are trained through praise and rewards only.  The second theory is usually referred to as ‘Compulsive Training’, which is training done through the use of force or corrections.  Both definitions above are incorrect and if you speak with trainers who define themselves as being of one or the other ‘religion’, you will understand what I mean.  Passé Dog Training:  There was a time many years ago that trainers…

Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Competition, Agility, etc., all of these are wonderful classes that owners take with their dogs to better their obedience skills and mentally stimulate their dogs.  I enjoy watching my client’s dogs improve each time they work their dog in each class.  The improvement is dramatic and the results are great; but, why do owners believe that obedience is only the mastering of skills learned in class, during class?  Obedience is 24/7 with our dogs.  From the moment we wake up until the moment our eyes are closed, if we are near our dogs, they should be well mannered and obedient.  Too often I have dogs entering my classes and…

What a great idea – a day care for your dog.  Why not?  While you’re working your 8-10 hour day your dog is playing and socializing with other dogs and being pampered.  After your full day of work, pick up your dog and both of you are ready to sit down and watch some mindless television.  Great idea, right?  Wrong.  When I began my dog training career 16 years ago I thought it would be a great idea also.  Unfortunately, like everything else, the idea of day care for your dog is being ruined by people looking to make a quick buck.  Day cares for dogs are going the route of bagel shops and pizza parlors; there will…