On the Fourth of July my neighborhood is an unrelenting bombardment of non-stop fireworks. This generally starts around the dinner hour and continues well into the wee hours of the next morning. For the duration, there is barely a moment of silence. My neighbors, left and right, front and back,...
Thunderstorm Phobia
Stacy contacted me in great concern. Her new rescue, Markie, had kept her up all night as a thunder storm rolled through her area. Stacy was tired, but she was more concerned over her new dog’s intense fear during the storm. Markie trembled and whined, and she paced. Hiding under...
The Stubborn Myth – Busted!
Nothing gets me jumping up on my soap box faster than one of my students claiming that their dog won’t pay attention, can’t learn something that they are trying to teach, or that their dog respond to their “command” because their dog is stubborn. Stubborn just does not exist. Those...
Puppy House Training 101
Yesterday I received a call from someone asking about house training her Rottweiler puppy. She stated that "Raven" her 4 months old pup is urinating and defecating in her home on a daily basis. In fact, her puppy potty’s in the house far more often than she potty’s outside. The...
Teaching Puppies to Be Home Alone
Everyone who adopts a puppy will eventually have to leave their precious little bundle of joyful fur and frolic home alone. Work, shopping, errands, children’s activities or even a social outing will at some point separate us from home and hound. Preparing puppies to be calm, and feel safe and...