Between working as a dog walker for years, owning two dog walking companies and teaching countless dog owners how to leash train their pups, I've learned a thing or two about how to solve leash-related problems and improve the walk experience. If your walk could use a little work, read on 'cuz this one's for you! 1. Treat walks as a training session, not a free for all. Your dog is always learning - learning how to do things you like, or learning to do things you don't lik

One of the first changes I make when working with a new client is I have them switch from bowl feeding to hand feeding. To a lot of people, it can seem like a tedious switch to make (aka a lot more work!) but there are so many advantages to adopting this routine with your dog. First of all, hand feeding reinforces a leadership dynamic and teaches your dog that all good things in life come through you. This has nothing to do with outdated ideas about the domination/submissio

When I first began training dogs and learning about training methods, it was very common to hear things like "say as little as possible", "don't use words, use your energy" and "the more you say, the more confused the dog will be". There was a time when I even followed this (misguided) advice. And let me tell you from experience....it ain't workin! The notion that words (aka COMMUNICATION) do not belong in dog training is a popular and prevalent one. But when you actually thi

Unreliable recalls are a common complaint among dog owners. Generally speaking, there are two primary reasons for this. One - rock solid recalls require a tremendous amount of training. Most dogs will come when called inside the home, but get the dog outside in a high-distraction environment and all bets are off. It is absolutely crucial to train your recall amidst all kinds of distractions once your dog has learned the command in a low distraction setting. This is not a

I love marker training. It's great for teaching obedience commands and it is incredibly helpful for behavioral modification. Using markers in your training will help your dog learn faster and will streamline the training process. A marker indicates to the dog when the desired behavior has been offered. Many trainers use clickers as markers (of which I am a big fan), but a simple word (such as "yes") used consistently every time the dog gets it right will do just fine. The

Q: This question comes from one of my wonderful clients (shout out to Heather!! <3). She adopted an older dog recently who didn't have much training, but is the sweetest pup and quite smart! Leda picked up basic commands very quickly but seems to require a big pay day in order to perform. Heather asks - how do I get my dog to comply with commands without food in my hand? A: The issue you are having with the food is very common and that is why it is important to phase out

One of the most common problems I see among dog owners is the issue of how to get their dog to pay attention to them. You can be the best trainer in the world, but if a dog won't look at you, who cares? Here are some tips on how to engage your dog and make training much simpler. 1. Be something that your dog WANTS to look at. Easier said than done? Quite possibly. But it's so important to remember that we are always competing with the environment for our dog's attention