Just like humans, dogs have personalities. Yes, a dog’s temperament is somewhat determined from birth, but there are some things you can do to shape your furry family member’s personality. The key is to first fully understand what your dog’s natural temperament is so that you can work with it rather than against it. Here are a few tips that can help.

Discover Your Dog's Temperament

Know the Breed

The first step in discovering your dog’s temperament is to research the...

Could there be anything better than a new puppy? Especially if that puppy is your very own.

But if you haven’t enjoyed the company of a puppy lately, you may have forgotten just how challenging they can be. It’s probably time for some training. Which means you’ll need a hefty dose of patience.

Communicating with Your New Puppy

The first step in training your puppy is knowing how to communicate. As much as we like to think of our furry family members as almost human, we know...

When you call your dog over, what happens? If you’re like many pet owners, you can’t guarantee your dog will come running. But this unpredictably can actually be dangerous, especially if your dog runs into traffic or gets too far out of your line of sight. But even without that danger, having a dog that comes when called is a huge convenience.

Training a dog to come when called isn’t easy. But with a little patience and a few little tricks, you can teach your dog to come on...

Training a new pet isn’t easy, but once you learn a few simple tricks it can be a little less daunting.

I often work with dog owners who are struggling with one or more behaviors that are becoming a problem at home.

To these owners, usually the answer is a simple fix. It takes plenty of patience and persistence, but the rewards are well worth it. Here are a few easy training techniques that will get great results.

4 Easy Dog Training Tips

Establish Yourself as Leader

One of the most...

Whoa! Put down the pitchforks!

I know, this topic can be…controversial. This title seems a bit contradictory, but positive punishment is basically applying something unpleasant or aversive to your dog to reduce the frequency of or stop an unwanted behavior.

In positive motivational training this is a basic “no no”. Hence the bad rap. And I totally understand that.

I have always been a believer and proponent of teaching most behaviors in a positive way. Using praise, treats,...

First and most important, dog urine marking is not a housebreaking issue. Though urine is involved, cause and correction are very different, so let’s not confuse the two.

Urine marking can occur in both male and female dogs of any age. However, it most commonly starts in adolescent male dogs and continues into adulthood. It can be a huge issue that is upsetting to the entire family, usually because of behavior or sanitary concerns.

It can be so severe an issue that many people give...

Thanksgiving is here and with it the official start of the holiday season. From the last Thursday in November until well into next year, it’s a time of gatherings and celebrations.

And family.

Family is what makes the holidays great. And to most of us, our dogs are family. It’s essential that Rudolph the Schnauzer have a great time too if we are to call these festivities a success.

So, before the first guests arrive, it’s a good time to review the rules. Just like we know we...

A friend recently reached out to me because her parents’ 7-year-old Standard Poodle was showing signs of separation anxiety.

Her parents had relocated to Florida and now the dog continuously barks when her parents leave the apartment and the neighbors are complaining. To make matters worse, the dog is also showing other symptoms and has stopped eating.

Many times a dog will start showing signs of anxiety (panting, salivating, pacing, barking and whining) as soon as the owners start to...

Halloween is a holiday for thrills and chills. But it’s important we don’t forget that the best way to enjoy a holiday is by making sure we enjoy it safely.

It’s fun to include the family pet in family activities, so it’s natural to think that we should include our dogs in the festivities. I once saw a family dressed as the dogs from Paw Patrol with their dog dressed as Ryder. It was very creative.

But the best holidays are safe holidays. Especially for dogs.

Leave...

Puppies explore the world with their mouths.

It is completely normal for puppies to mouth just about everything, including us. And unfortunately for us, a puppy’s baby teeth are very sharp and painful - like little needles.

It helps, though, if we understand that they don't mean to be hurtful.

It doesn’t help the physical pain but it may allay some fears.

Some of my clients quickly jump to conclusions and fear they may have an aggression problem. But most of the time it is just...