Why Puppy Kindergarten is vital for your dog

Do you have a puppy between eight weeks and three months old? Then there’s not a minute to lose: enroll your new friend in Puppy Kindergarten!
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recently released a position statement recommending puppy socialization classes for puppies three months of age and younger. This recommendation is an exciting acknowledgment [...]

How old should my puppy be before I start training?

“How old does my puppy have to be before I can begin training?”
This is a question I am asked often. The puppy in this video is 10 weeks old; but you don’t even have to wait that long! “Training” starts the day you bring your new dog or puppy home to live with you — [...]

Disc Doggin’!

This is my friend Tracy Custer (foster mom to my cattle dog Gimli — Tracy has a littermate), practicing with a few of her 11 (yes, 11) amazing rescued disc dogs.
Most of the moves you see here are used in freestyle competition, which involves the handler throwing to the dog, who catches and performs tricks [...]

Finding the best name for your puppy

I had a terrible time naming my latest German Shepherd puppy. She came to me somewhat unexpectedly; all my previous puppies were named well in advance, or at least, I had several good ideas. But this time, only two weeks had elapsed between the time I talked to my breeder about her and the time [...]

Want a smarter dog? Try target training

An easy way to add to your dog’s repertoire of tricks or commands is to teach her how to target objects.
Targeting (or “target training”) means your dog pays attention to, and then performs an action based on, a particular stimulus (usually an object such as your hand, or a target stick). A dog putting his [...]

Charging the clicker

A short video demonstrating how to get started with clicker training by introducing your dog to the clicker.

Doggie Zen

“Doggie Zen” is an exercise I learned from clicker trainer Shirley Chong. This exercise is particularly effective in teaching your dog to focus on you amidst distraction.
Before you begin, remember…

A click is a promise that a treat is coming. Always offer your dog a reward after you click, even if you have made an error.
Reinforce [...]

Teach your dog his name

Let’s teach our dogs the most important word they’ll ever hear: their names. The good news is, this simple, life-saving word can be taught in literally a matter of minutes.
All you’ll need to do is grab your dog, a leash (if you need it to keep him nearby), and 50 or so really, really good [...]