I get several calls a week from people wanting to get their dog certified as a service dog, therapy dog, or emotional support dog. More often than not, however, the callers are confused as to what each of these designations are and what the requirements are of each....
Just after Christmas I began reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is a well written book that distills complex psychology, learning theory and neuroscience into an easy to understand manual for how to improve your life by making good habits form and making bad...
My heart sank as I read the first email in my box on January 2nd. The email said, “Please cancel my request for puppy class. Both my vet and breeder advised against participating in the class until my puppy is fully vaccinated.” Once again a new puppy owner has...
It all started a few years ago when a friend called me and asked if I wanted to travel to the middle of nowhere to see if my dog could earn a Farm Dog title. She said, “…it’s a little like an AKC Canine Good Citizen but for farm dogs”. She thought my Cattle...
I have always had success crate training dogs. I think a lot of that success has to do with my mindset about crate training. Instead of looking at it from the human perspective, I look at it from the dog’s perspective. What do I mean by that? Well, when I ask most...
I haven’t always been a positive reinforcement trainer. In the early days of my training, before becoming a professional dog trainer, I trained with a great deal of punishment. I did a lot of scolding, leash jerks, and even did some competition style training that...
