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Your go-to dog training page for tips, ideas, products & articles, designed to help you and your dog live your best lives together! Our goal is to promote positive, force-free & intimidation-free dog training methods, so you can have fun while learning with your dog.
“Coaching” dog training is a collaborative approach where you, as the dog parent, are actively involved in every step of your dog's training journey.
We’re thrilled to offer our “Home Schooling” Dog Training Service – our alternative to a traditional “Board & Train” program designed to fit seamlessly into your busy schedule while delivering the same exceptional results as our in-person coaching sessions.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the Director of the Behavior & Training Department At The Marin Humane Society, the founder of Canine Behavior Associates, and the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Parenting Your Dog, Trish King, to the podcast, how she would deal with a dog that gets way too overexcited before going out on a walk (in a 4th floor walk up, no less!).
Today, we'll focus on the power of a “positive interrupter” vs a verbal correction with a firm “no” when our dogs are doing something we don't like such as chewing on furniture or digging in the backyard!
Leash reactivity (a.k.a dogs overreacting towards triggers while on leash) is one of the top 3 behavioral issues we get contacted for. In fact, our own dog, Zippo, has struggled with his emotional responses towards other dogs as well. This has allowed us to live the “leash reactive pet parent life” and learn so much from it.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, whether she thinks we should just let our puppies "figure it out" when socializing with other dogs.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, whether she thinks that allowing a young puppy to greet other dogs while on leash counts as good socialization. We loved her point about how dogs in the wild greet other dogs in a very specific way that a leash doesn't allow.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, whether puppies are acting out of spite when they go potty somewhere in the home where they are not supposed to.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, whether puppies are acting out of spite when they go potty somewhere in the home where they are not supposed to.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Paws For Thought Dog Training, Maddie Messina, whether the popular puppy training myth of rubbing a puppy's nose in their pee or poo to teach them not to go potty in the house is an effective way to house train a new puppy.
On one of our all-time favorite episodes of The Family Pupz Podcast, the owner and head trainer of From Dusk Till Dog, Erika Gonzalez, explains whether she thinks we need to exhibit dominant behavior towards our dog, in order to show him/her who's the "ALPHA", for fear that they might dominate us first.
When it comes to puppies, biting/mouthing/nipping is usually at the top of the list of the most common complaints I hear about from new paw-rents! I can also personally relate after fostering quite a few puppies myself in the past who were determined to bite (in the cutest way) every inch of my skin! :)
Every dog loves a good toy! Here is a dog trainer’s list of favorite interactive and food dispensing dog toys!
For many people who want to train their dog using positive reinforcement methods, the idea of rewarding your dog for behaviors you want to see persist makes absolute and total sense.
For example, you ask your dog to sit, and if he sits, you reward him with a treat in the hopes that he'll reliably sit when you ask him to do so again in the future. But for many, at least conceptually, it's harder to understand how to reward your dog for behaviors you want to see go away, like jumping, biting, and of course, barking.
Socialization is important because it will provide your puppy with the social skills needed to interact with other people and dogs confidently, while preventing your puppy from becoming fearful, shy or skiddish in the future.
We’ve recently chatted with Dr. Saunders at Sploot Veterinary Care to discuss the best way to ensure that your pup is ready for his/her first vet visit, as behavioral issues related to anxiety at the vet clinic is a pretty common issue that they encounter at the clinic.
Imagine for a moment that you are casually walking down the street with your spouse, and all of a sudden, you catch a glimpse of your favorite celebrity (i.e. Beyoncé or Brad Pitt), and you literally CANNOT believe your eyes.
Almost immediately, you start sweating uncontrollably in your state of discombobulated excitement (“is it hot in here, or is it me?!”).
Meanwhile, your spouse, who is completely oblivious to your mini freakout, casually asks you where you would like to go for lunch.
When my husband and I moved to Denver from New York City at the end of 2018, I immediately hit the ground running to build the dog training company that I’ve always dreamed of building.
I had already started training dogs for a few years as the founder of Play Pals, a dog walking and cat sitting company in London and New York City, because as any experienced dog walker will tell you, having a few dog training tricks up your sleeve makes your job a LOT easier.
One Of The Most Common Questions I Get Asked Is, “What Is A Doggy Doula®?”
Many already know that a doula is a trained professional who provides mothers with continuous physical, emotional, and informational support before, during and shortly after childbirth, so it’s common (and unsurprising) for many to think that a doggy doula™ provides support to an expecting dog, or even that a doggy doula® is a dog that provides this support for her expecting human mom!
On another episode from the archives of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked board-certified veterinary behaviorist, the owner and lead clinician at the Animal Behavior Clinic, and one of our favorite people, in general, Dr. Chris Pachel, to give us his take on whether he thinks dogs would still exhibit anxiety-related behaviors if all humans on Earth suddenly started treating dogs in a humane and loving way.
With so many choices of dog food available on the market, it can feel impossible to decide which is best for your prized pooch. But, we’re here to help you understand the world of grain-free dog food; our comprehensive guide will help you to make an informed decision on what to feed your pup.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the the owner and head trainer of "The Doodle Pro™", the host of the highly-rated and popular, The Doodle Pro™ Podcast, that has most recently ranked #1 on Australia and New Zealand's charts and #3 on the genre's US, Canada, and UK's Apple charts, and generally one of the foremost experts on doodles on the planet, Corinne Gearhart, who just so happens to be allergic to dogs herself, what her opinion is on the popular belief that all doodles are “hypoallergenic”.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, and Tanya, talk about why we love "Before & After" dog training videos so much as a society, why it's so hard to stand by and look at (never mind record) a dog "losing it", and why positive reinforcement dog trainers don't lose sleep over it.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, tells us why she thinks the term "Reactive Dog" is a misnomer.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, explains what "Trigger Stacking" is, and how it relates to reactive behaviors in dogs.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, how she applied the training and experience she gained with working with car reactive dogs to her own life.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, what her training protocol would be to train a dog that exhibits reactive behaviors inside the car towards strangers outside of it.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Positive Partners Dog Training LLC, Brianne Harris, what she would recommend to a client who is expecting a large gathering of friends and family, and has a dog that has a bad habit of "Demand Barking" at the dinner table.
On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we discussed the importance of focusing on the steps in dog training, rather than the goal, with the founder of Positive Partners Dog Training LLC, Brianne Harris, as focusing on the goal too deeply, like trying to get your dog to stop demand barking for a specific duration or by a specific date, can be counterproductive to the actual achievement of those goals.
Dear Family Pupz,
One of the most frustrating things about being Roxie’s (a French Bulldog) mom is that she always runs away from me the minute I pick up her leash when it’s time to give her a walk.
It’s gotten to the point where my boyfriend and I have to go chase/hunt her down together to even have a chance of getting her harness and leash on her for a walk.
Do you remember when you took your little brother/sister, your son/daughter, or your young cousin to Disneyland for the first time?
Imagine for a moment, the sheer amount of sensory overload that their brains must have been experiencing when they excitedly walked through the park turnstiles for the first time.
“Well of course dogs don’t understand English, I’m not an idiot!”, might be exactly what you’re saying to yourself right now.
And for most of you, this might be completely obvious, but for others, whether they’re aware of it or not, the idea that our dogs don’t come out of their mother’s womb knowing the entire English language (or the language that you regularly use) is a bit foreign to them…
This body signal can be used to signal friendly intentions, stress/avoidance or warning/guarding.
When my dog is crying/whining in his/her crate at night, should I let them “cry it out”, so as not to encourage this behavior? This question is, by far, the most common question that I receive on crate training.
One of the most common dog training requests I get from my clients is to help them with a dog that jumps. This dog might jump up on them, family members, house guests, and/or anyone and everyone that they might encounter while out on walks in the neighborhood or at a nearby park.
Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking when he looks at you sitting on the couch? Is it possible he may be thinking “Well, are we going to do ANYTHING today?”
Like you, your dog is probably more than ready to get out of the house and enjoy the summer before it quickly passes. His problem, however, is he can't buy plane tickets, drive a car or even just go for a walk by himself.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us indoors at a level unprecedented in modern history, whether due to real unemployment levels reaching the highest level in the U.S. since 1934, or due to nearly half of all the employed U.S. workforce now working remotely from home.
This has led to a tremendous increase in the time we’ve been spending indoors with our dogs…
… In other words, dogs were happier when they earned a reward by performing a task, rather than just being freely handed a treat.
A question I often get asked is what the difference in benefits is between private dog training in comparison to group dog training classes.
Why teach your dog to perform a “down-stay”?
It's a great impulse control exercise.
It could be an alternative to undesirable behaviors we experience.
If done properly, early positive exposure to a variety of environments will help your puppy adjust socially in a human society & build your puppy’s confidence.
The best way to “speak dog” is to train your dog by utilizing positive training methods that reward the behaviors you want and that tap into your dog’s way of learning.
For a dog, personal space is of great importance, and as such, lip licks & tongue flicks can be used as an indication of a personal space violation.
Yawns are some of the most common communication signals dog owners observe in their dogs.
A great and alternative way to feed your puppy her daily meal is to ask her for behaviors and reward her with her kibble every time she is successful.
Crate training is essential for successful potty training. It helps create a private spot for your puppy & allows your pup to travel safely in a car, or on an airplane.
Whenever a new client purchases a puppy or dog training package from me, they instantly receive an automated email with information about what they can expect from me (and what I will expect from them) during the entirely of the package, tips on how to train effectively, scheduling, and various contracts and pledges, to name a few.