The Dog Blog

Playtime can be an incredibly valuable time for you to build your relationship with your dog… if you take the time to set it up. In this video, Scout is helping me demonstrate the difference between passive and enriching playtime. Anytime we can get our dogs to be mentally and physically engaged, they will get more out of their time with us. We can also use this time to incorporate impulse control and basic commands!

Let’s talk about portion sizes. How much is your “scoop” of food? A scoop to you might be 8 ounces, a scoop to me two overflowing cups, and a scoop to the guy down the street might be a handful. In order to make sure that your dog is getting the proper nutrients that it needs, we really need to be looking at portion sizes on the food label. This will show you how much

Is your dog easily distracted? Does she ignore you whenever anything catches her attention? Start having her work for her food! This will teach her that you are valuable and worth paying attention to. Plus, you’ll be able to get lots of repetitions in for any new skills that she’s working on. It’s a win-win!

I often hear people say: “my dog knows how to sit, so we can skip over this step”. But can your dog sit in a variety of situations, for different people, and around lots of distractions? Your dog may know how to get into a sit, but that is just the first step to teaching a solid command. Once your dog knows how to sit, teach them how to do it anywhere, anytime, and for

Have you ever heard someone say “you get what you pet”? We’re talking about your dog’s energy and behavior. Petting is incredibly rewarding for your dog. When you pet your dog, you are essentially telling her that whatever she just did or is currently doing is good and earns her a reward. So if you pet your dog when she is panicked, jumping, barking, or whining, you are telling her that those behaviors will get

Hank struggled with the vacuum when I first brought it out, so I wanted to turn this into a teaching moment because lots of dogs struggle with this. However, this fast learner only needed one correction to understand that he couldn’t chase the vacuum. So the video itself is underwhelming. You won’t see a big transformation or any huge learning moments for him. But we do go over lots of important information and strategies on

We’ve shown you how to introduce your dog to the cot, how to layer in the e-collar, and now we’re going to show you how to start adding in distractions. This step is really what we’re all working towards, but don’t forget to start slow with our first two videos to make sure that your dog has a good understanding of the place command before moving on to this step. Anytime you’re teaching a new

I love those ears! This was such a sweet moment in Molly’s training that I wanted to share with you all. Molly came in pulling at the end of the leash. And I mean PULLING. As in, you better not let go of that leash because she did not want to be attached to you. She was interested in everything but you. We’ve been working so hard on teaching her to prioritize us over the