Sit. Stay. Read.
obsessed with dogs
We have a… joke? saying?… for this mode Cooper gets in. He totally blacks out. He won’t listen. He won’t calm down. He won’t stop. He won’t come or sit or stay. He. just. won’t. We say (in his voice, of course), “Cooper isn’t here right now. Please leave a message, and he’ll get back …
Right now: It’s 7:52 on a Saturday night. I’m in my cozies snuggled under the covers with Cooper. Laptop balanced on my knees. Beer on the side table. And I am wiped. But, this is the first chance I’ve had all week to write about time management for dog training–the theme of this past week’s blog …
When I saw the theme for this month’s positive reinforcement pet training hop–my training mentor or inspiration–my first thought went to trainers whose work I devour: Patricia McConnell, of course. Victoria Stilwell. Debbie Jacobs. Et cetera. But I wouldn’t know about any of those amazing women without their critical predecessor. When I started to really think …
Let’s say you’re at school hanging out on the playground. Another kid has some pieces of candy that you really want. You have two possible courses of action: Shove the kid over and snatch a piece, or ask him nicely if he’d be willing to share. The outcome in both instances is the same. You …
It’s easy to forget how much progress is made with incremental, teeny-tiny baby steps. When you’re in the thick of it, especially when you’re dealing with a problem behavior instead of, like, a fun trick, you can’t even fathom that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, let alone see it. Once …
National Train Your Dog Month and the monthly Positive Pet Training Blog Hop happen to coincide with our first real glimpse of winter. Just a couple weekends ago, we were out throwing a tennis ball for Cooper in shorts. Today? Icy, snowy, gray, the kind of weather where you have to bundle above your eyeballs for …
Oh, this is a big topic. I think I could do a whole week’s worth of posts on positive reinforcement training with multiple pets. But for the blog hop, I’m going to focus on one thing: names. Every morning, two hours after he finishes breakfast, Emmett takes a pill. So, every morning, two hours after …
For the May Positive Reinforcement Pet Training Week blog hop, the theme is reviewing products that we use in positive reinforcement training. As you guys know, I’m a pet products junkie. I love testing stuff and figuring out what’s best for my guys. It helps that I write two articles a month for Pet Age Magazine about just …
Today I’m writing about Responsible Pet Owners Month as part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Rubicon Days, Cascadian Nomads, and Tenacious Little Terrier. When you have a reactive dog, there are inherent responsibilities. Of course, there are tons of responsibilities for even the kindest of souls, but it’s heavier when your dog poses a …
We are participating in the Caring For Critters Round Robin hosted by Heart Like a Dog. Think of the Round Robin like a relay race, each blogger will be passing the virtual baton to a fellow blogger, who will share their experience in caring for their ill or injured pet. Tomorrow Joanna Paul at Creature Clinic …
This post is part of the My Writing Process Blog Tour. I was thrilled when Jodi at Kol’s Notes tagged me to take part because I adore her blog and loved reading about her process. In fact, I’ve enjoyed reading the writing process of all the bloggers who have taken part in this tour. It’s …
Lucas is a remarkable dog. He’s well-trained, playful, and downright silly. He’s brilliant and loves to learn; his only limitations are physical ones. He’s happiest when he’s running, top speed, ears flapping, or wrestling with his brothers. He loves to have his ears rubbed and his butt scratched, and when you settle in to watch …
