Getting a new dog this holiday season? Congrats! Here's some advice to make the transition easier. Before you bring your dog home, take some time to think about what areas the dog will be allowed in, what areas the dog is not allowed in, and how you plan to confine the dog when necessary. Dogs can’t read our minds, so it’s important to take measures to enforce these boundaries. In the rooms that you will allow your dog to hang out in freely, make sure that you puppy-proof

Does your dog hate riding in the car? Here are some tips to help make car rides a more enjoyable activity for your pooch. Improve the positive to negative ratio: For many dogs, car rides mean one thing – VET VISIT. This means that they associate getting in the car with going to the vet, whether that is the destination you have in mind or not. You can teach your dog to enjoy the car more by simply changing this association. My rule of thumb? 10 positive experiences for e

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 This has nothing to do with outdated ideas about the domination/submissio

Owning a fearful dog can be very stressful and confusing for pet parents. It is not always clear how or why the dog became fearful, which can make treating the condition quite challenging. Fearfulness manifests in a number of ways in the canine world. Some dogs are more passive and their fear causes them to retreat, cower and avoid the things they are fearful of. Other dogs become defensive and their fear triggers what appears to be an aggressive response - barking, lungi

Adequate exercise is the cornerstone of a well-behaved dog, we all know that. For many owners, however, this is easier said than done. Here are five fun ways that you can give your dog a good workout when you're short on time. 1. Play the Recall Game - This game can be played with only person or the whole family. In addition to getting your dog running around, it also has the hidden benefit of perfecting your dog's recall. For one person + dog - put Scooby in a sit/stay

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

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

Welcome to the first installment of K9 Holistics Dog Training Q&A. If you have a question about dog training or behavior, you can submit it via email or through our Facebook page (please include your email address, dog's breed and age). Today's question comes from Claire Papargiriou via Facebook. Claire writes: "5yrs. Neutered Eng. Bulldog male. Rescued at 11 months, lives now w/ fixed bossy female, Maltese. Not dog friendly. Can't go to vets without him barking & pulling t

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

Are you feeling restless? Do you need more fun in your life? Do you feel like you're losing that spark that you once had? When was the last time you laughed together...REALLY laughed together? I'm talking about you and your dog, of course! Daily play time is essential for your dog, but it doesn't have to be boring for you. Hide-&-go seek is one of my all time favorite games to play with dogs...and here's why! 1. It helps cultivate a killer Sit-stay. This game involves p

I get asked a lot about the differences between dog training and behavior modification, so here is a description of the differences between these training modalities and what they are used for. Dog training is essentially obedience, manners and/or vocational training. It means we are starting from a clean slate and teaching the dog how to interact with us and the world. We are creating behaviors that were not previously present. Dog training is cumulative, meaning we start

Separation anxiety is a fairly common problem for today's modern dog. There are many factors that contribute to this specific form of anxiety, and it is an issue that typically takes a lot of persistance in fully resolving. If your dog is suffering from moderate to severe seperation anxiety, I would strongly advise you to seek the help of a professional. For mild cases, or for the sake of prevention, here are some tips to help ease the symptoms of this problem. 1. No big

"Hi there, my name’s Christine Fasan and I’m the owner and dog trainer at K9 Holistics. It is a beautiful, rainy, thunderous day here in Florida, and I thought I would take the opportunity to talk a little bit about thunder phobias. I see it all the time, it’s a very common problem, and if you live somewhere like St. Petersburg, Florida where we have thunderstorms pretty much daily, that can be a really challenging situation for you and your dog. Obviously there can be a

Several of my clients have asked me this week what they should do about their firework-phobic dogs this holiday weekend. I thought I would share some trainer tips on how to deal with this issue without having to resort to doggy xanax (always a last resort in my book). 1. Exercise. It's always the first place to start. Make sure your dog is totally pooped by the time the sky starts lighting up. Take a super long walk or run, have a rowdy play session, and finish it off wi

Here are 10 things that you can do to help your dog achieve optimal health and improve behavior. 1. Double your exercise. Whatever the amount of exercise your dog is currently getting - double it! Exercise is one of the best ways to improve behavioral issues and keep your dog healthy and active. Go for a long hike, play a game of frisbee or take a run, just get 'em moving! 2. Improve nutrition. I highly encourage my clients to read pet food labels carefully, and choose

I was exercising a client's dog last weekend, enjoying the peaceful morning sun and appreciating the dog's calm, relaxed energy. When all of the sudden, I was rudely jolted from my blissful state by a crazed little Yorkie bounding toward us at full speed, barking like a banshee. Didn't take me long to realize that the poor little guy was contained via the modern day canine torture device known as the electric fence. This highly over-stimulated pooch would race toward the e

Over the weekend, I met with a new client whose recently adopted Terrier mix is terrior-izing (haha new word) her two cats. His high prey drive makes him want to chase anything that wriggles, squiggles, runs or jumps. This can create a lot of stress in a household with more than one animal. Fortunately, there are many ways to work with this drive so that you can bring more peace and harmony into your life and your dog's too. Here are some tips for all you humans with high

Dog's don't bite without good reason, and the key to preventing dog bites is proper education and a thorough understanding of what causes them in the first place. Here are some tips to help keep you and your family safe. As we know, dogs cannot communicate with us through words. Instead, they communicate through body language, vocalizations and if necessary, with their mouth. Whenever a dog bite occurs, you can bet that the dog gave fair warning first with his body languag

It would be nice if we could trust the companies that manufacture pet food to use only the best ingredients in their products. But unfortunately a close look at some of the most popular brands of dog food reveals a sad – and very unhealthy – truth. Find out what kind of junk is lurking in your dog’s dish! Reading labels is just as important for your dogs health as it is for yours. And nowadays, it couldn’t be more crucial when it comes to selecting proper nutrition for you