Canine Resource Guarding

Canine Resource Guarding refers to a dog that guards a resource, anything the dog perceives as valuable or important, from other dogs or people. Is this normal behavior? Yes and no. All mammals guard, us included. It is primal and ensures survival. Where it enters the not so normal zone is when it was accidentally…

Open Communication

Communication with your dog isn’t as simple as you talking and hoping your dog listens. Communication where you connect with your dog and your dog connects with you, and there is an understanding where you are working together, is what I refer to as open communication. Sometimes it is words, but most of the time…

I don’t train husbands …

For nearly two decades now, not a week goes by where I am asked to help with a husbands behavior. And my answer has always been, I don’t train husbands. For a good reason, but I’ll get to that in a minute! My training business is surprisingly more men then women. I never really took…

Accepting your dogs energy

It is one thing to have a dog, it is another thing to understand or gel with your dog. Good work cannot happen if there is a gap in focus, orientation, language, or intention. This is a fact. And what it comes down to is accepting your dogs energy. In other words it is learning…

Happy Christmas Trade Secrets

I want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas this year! Instead of my annual festive card, via post, e-mail, or reindeer and sleigh, I have decided to have some fun, tell a story, vignettes if you will, a tale of sorts. My Muses that I share my life with encourage living between the…

Puppy Classroom Trade Secret #58

When I walk into my classroom, puppies will rush at me, glob onto me, and jump up to say HI. And when I step out to demonstrate with one of these little pups, it is smooth, seamless, and moving perfection. No real hitches to speak of. Why? The reality is, with a puppy you don’t get…

Puppy Classroom Trade Secret #34

When you stand up in front of a crowd in any way, shape or form, you will be judged, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it’s just a thing. If you choose a profession where you will be standing up and speaking out, especially in a…

Puppy Classroom Trade Secret #127

We live in a world where many people see puppies as two dimensional beings, meaning length and breadth but no depth. Kind of like an input/output machine of sorts, if something is asked of a puppy, then the puppy responds accordingly, without conflict, reservation, or opinion. But boy oh boy, when a puppy reminds their…

Puppy Classroom Trade Secret #19

There are those nights where I cannot wait to get to class. New little puppies, friendly people, laughter, snuggling, teaching, learning, just all a bit magical. These nights are like a drug, kind of addictive. And then there are those nights where I just cannot seem to get in the mood to face piranha like…