Handle Yourself! – 10 Tips for Safer, Smarter Dog Handling
I have trouble keeping my posts short but this one will reign me in. I pulled my back muscles out the other day working with my own dogs and need to get back in bed with ibuprofen and the heating pad! I realized from this that sharing a Top 10 List of Handling Tips is...
Demo Dog’s Delight! – How a Social Pup Ends Up in Growl Class
A few weeks ago, I used the word, “maddening,” in a blog as I confessed the near-meltdown I had when trapped at home with my pets for about a week. It was then I realized a change was needed and quick. Freedom, The Boyfriend’s stinkin’ cute Hound mix, had...
Going Away? Let Them Play! 10 Things to Ask Before Hiring a Walker or Sitter
Professional Trainers are known for having very strong opinions about certain topics and a lack of reserve about sharing those preferences. The amount of tongue biting we do in public to conceal our opinions in an effort to not be obnoxious is surpassed only by the...
Landlocked in a Trainer’s Nightmare!
Oh, sure, they look calm here, but the cycle of dog and cat crazy zoomies repeated itself several times a day while we weathered the snow storm here in Charleston, South Carolina this past week. Locked together in an apartment with no escape other than the...
Walking the Walk and Eating My Own Dog Food
There are certain questions Professional Trainers hear with some frequency. "How in the world will I find time to train my dog?" is muttered often, and usually accompanied by a deep sigh. I feel you here.... Oh, do I feel you here! Trainers are known for not "finding...
National Train Your Dog (and Cat) Month!
Each year, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the largest professional association for dog trainers in the world, proclaims January "National Train Your Dog Month." This campaign’s goal is to promote the importance of training and socialization to all dog owners…...
Holiday Guests? Pets Trained?
As you hurry to ready the house for guests this holiday season, have you said to yourself quietly, “I hope the Pets behave themselves when everyone is here.” Maybe wishing you had brushed up on their Basic Manners skills a bit with a few training exercises? Don’t...
Making Poo Pick Up Fun?
To make the task of poo pick up more interesting, convenient and, dare I say, “fun,” Bags on Board offers some great ways to carry bags with you on your walkies. Check it out! Sure, picking up poo can be annoying and even downright disgusting. I can’t stand it. But it...
Every Dog Should Have
Kong, Kong, Kong: all Kong toys rock! Blue are for puppies with softer teeth, Red are for normal, adult chewers, Black are for adult, extreme chewers. Buy a whole bunch of them in different shapes and sizes. Fill with treats like kibble topped off with peanut butter...
Basic Pet Supplies List
A friend of mine adopted a Dog not long ago and asked what basic items she should be sure to have on hand from the start. The following compilation evolved from that. This is a high level list and by no means definitive, but I hope it is of some help to those of you...