Halloween Doggies

Halloween is fun. Dressing up and decorating is part of the festivities. So is taking photos and movies of our dogs. Some of my board-and-trains revisit me for boarding and boarding-and-updating behaviors. Two very special kids are like my extended family. I’m fortunate to get to see them often. This year, they stayed with me while their owners had an extended time away. They each learned a trick. Hendrix, the Corgi is a little shy and not all that trustworthy {Read More}

Reteaching An Old Dog Trick To A Young Dog

Training a large-breed puppy to do certain tricks is easier when they are indeed a puppy. When they grow larger, the mere manueverability of you in relation to your dog can be tricky. But once a dog has learned how to learn, tricks and new behaviors can be taught at any age. This is my nearly 5 year-old Dobermann who learned how to roll over as a puppy. Admitedly, I seldom ask him to roll over. So when I decided {Read More}

Reward Based Board And Train Dog Training

“Where’s my reward?” It’s normal for a dog to expect a reinforcer after listening to a cue and performing the behavior. Even after a behavior she’s done for years and years. If you don’t reinforce with food, the behavior will weaken and eventually, disappear. So ask yourself when your dog stops responding as she used to, “Have I been periodically rewarding the behavior I’m cuing?” When dressing up a dog in a holiday costume, even if it’s a simple fluffy {Read More}

Five Reasons To Feed Your Dog On A Schedule

Why should dogs be fed on a daily schedule rather than free fed? 1. If you’re housetraining a dog or puppy, putting the pooch on a routine feeding schedule will help regulate the when and where of the output. 2. Leaving food out all day makes for stale food, but keeping food in a sealed container or bag prior to feeding your dog keeps the food fresh and tasty. 3. Food left out all day will attract ants, flies, and {Read More}

Bath Etiquette Training With A Pittie Puppy

Astrid was a 4-month-old Pittie who joined the Love Wags A Tail board-and-train program to learn basic puppy manners. At one point, she needed a bath, and I quickly found out that she was “allergic” to water. She fought me every step of the way during the bathing process. I couldn’t imagine what the next 10-plus years would be like for the owners of this precious pup every time they wanted to bathe her. As many people know, Pitties are {Read More}