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Birds fly, whales swim, bears hibernate, canines walk. One of the most fundamental characteristics of all canines is that they travel long distances together. With dogs, walking is almost essential to their well being. Dogs form packs through walks. Hence why mastering the walk with your dog is so crucial. A walk is where trust and respect between the two…

According to the National Library of Medicine one of the most fundamental experiences that connects all mammals is touch or, to be more precise, skin to skin contact. It goes on to say that “for most mammals, touch is the first sense to develop. They must feel vibrations on the surface of their skin to enable them to respond to…

Many people do not know this, but I am one of the only trainers that works in K9 Rehab – that means I work with dogs with a bite history. I believe the reason that most trainers do not work with dogs like that is because of the intensity that comes from dealing with dogs that bite. In my world…

It is truly a wonder how many clients come to me stating their dog has major separation anxiety. I could write an entire book about the cases where clients have come to me and said their dog’s can never, ever be left alone. One client once told me that a trainer expressed that her dog would never be able to…

If you stumbled about this blog, it means that you are a dog person, are soon to be a dog person or have some curiosity about what it means to have a dog. I often say that nowadays, when it comes to finding a good dog professional, it is the wild west out there. Most people find a trainer by…

Recently a friend came to visit me with her two dogs. She is an extremely successful person with a very hectic schedule. Her biggest concern was that one of her dogs was starting to “over react” when meeting other dogs. Her dog became tense while trying to control the other dogs. She didn’t understand why since she had socialized her…

As of 2022, 44.5% of U.S. households own dogs. That is a 6% point increase from just seven years prior. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the increase of dog trainers in the same period would be somewhat the same. I say it all the time, it is the wild west out there. In the pandemic, dog trainers…

Sometimes the easiest way to answer a question is by asking a question back. how long until a human is fully trained? Or to put the same question a different way: how long do we give an athlete, a scientist, a musician to be fully trained? We often forget that dogs are incredibly complex beings that have needs of their…

One of the most beautiful things about raising a dog is experiencing the growth both physical and psychological that they go through. We can all agree that (for most dogs at least) the puppy behaviors change rather quickly and sometimes your dog’s behavior will be stable for months and then all of a sudden changes start to happen. That (leaving…

Human beings are social creatures and have found a way to understand each other’s body language in the most subtle ways. It is said that 80% of human communication is non verbal. So we can detect and understand a fearful position anywhere. Dogs can do the same thing. However that is where the closest parallels of behavior stop when it…