Over the years I have occasionally encountered dogs that, for some reason had very little or no interest in playing with a ball, a tug, or a Kong. These dogs were missing the sheer unadulterated joy of chasing a ball, playing a game (Two Ball), playing tug, and the chance of more meaningful interaction with …
Building Your Dog’s Drive And Increasing Desire To Work Read More »
You have gotten the dog of your dreams, your head filled with Norman Rockwellian images of him (or her) dozing peacefully at your feet in front of the fireplace or enjoying a leisurely stroll along the beach on a clear, crisp morning. But wait… this dog, your “dream” dog lunges, pulls and drags you along, …
Do you own a monster-puppy? I did. As of today, Gidget the Belgian Malinois puppy is exactly six months-old and I am happy to report that she has successfully made the transformation from monster-puppy to a well mannered adolescent dog. Below are some of the behaviors she has learned, using the same techniques I outline …
What if the dog you’re considering might be dog aggressive? That didn’t stop dog trainer Lynn Stockwell from adopting Clara– who turned out to be a wonderful companion. Lynn explains: It’s been made painfully aware to me that I haven’t updated people here as to my recent acquisitions (well, there’s one important item, the rest …
She’s Dog Aggressive, Are You Sure You Want Her? Read More »
That was actually a ZZ Top song. Except when they sang it, it wasn’t “Just Got Spayed Today” … it was, “Just Got Paid Today.” Whatever. Gidget, our five month-old Belgian Malinois puppy just got spayed… last Tuesday. And it’s been a rough ride for both her, Carla and I. The night she got home, …
If you’ve been following my series about raising a Belgian Malinois puppy to be my next “demo dog”… then you’ll know she’s about 4 1/2 months old. And four months of age is when I like to start with formal obedience training exercises. Everything until then is just done to build positive associations to command …
Five Dog Training Commands I Use Around The House To Make Life Easier With My Puppy Read More »
The wind was blowing hard and Juan Valdez, our Golden Retriever, still needed to be taken for a walk. I put the Belgian Malinois puppy, Gidget, in the exercise pen and then locked up the house. Juan and I started on our walk and about a half mile down the road, we engaged a man …
If you’ve read any of my dog training books, then you know that I subscribe to the pack philosophy of dog psychology. And you don’t need to be an animal psychologist to watch a pack of dogs and know that if you drop a steak in the middle of the room… the most dominant dog …
Carla and I set up a garden this year. We decided to experiment with Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” system– which means setting up 4’x4′ wood raised beds and filling them with a special soil mix of 1/3 vermiculte, 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat moss. … Everything a big-hearted dog would love to dig, roll …
Carla and I were in San Rafael, Marin County/California last week. We got lost looking for a burrito place my sister had recommended for lunch and overshot “High Tech Burrito” by about three blocks. As we were making a U-turn I almost drove into the Guide Dogs For The Blind sign. For some reason, I …
Secrets We Discovered At The Guide Dogs For The Blind Headquarters Read More »