Adopting your dream dog

Whether you choose a puppy, adult dog, purebred or mixed breed, male or female, here’s a quick checklist to help you find the dog of your dreams:

Make a list. Write down all the qualities of your favorite dog of all time, both good and bad.
Rank these qualities in order of importance, from “must have” [...]

Your agility dog: Building focus and drive (Part Two)

In Part One of this two-part series, we talked about what drive is, why it’s important, and the difference between drive and arousal. This week, we’re going to take a peek at some strategies to increase focus for dogs prone to arousal and talk about how to build drive.
Focus and agility
Now that we can tell [...]

Classes near Athens, Ohio

Our group classes are tailored so you and your dog can gain positive, consistent behavior in the real world. We take you beyond commands to the world of animal behavior. Our positive reinforcement techniques make learning fun and effective. Not 100% satisfied? Take the class again for free!
A new class series will begin in mid-March. [...]

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 [...]

When to seek help with your dog

Most folks either know of or used to have a dog that was absolutely perfect — never made a mess in the house, didn’t shed, never jumped up, never barked inappropriately, never lunged at people or other dogs, never chewed the furniture, always laid quietly in another room during dinner, always paid its taxes on [...]