My Soul Dog

It's hard to put into words what your dog means to you, let alone a Soul Dog.  Here Jennifer describes her Soul Dog, KJ.  We don't know why they are so special, we don't know how they got so special, they just are.  KJ went through a lot with her parents and now she will forever live in their hearts.  Thank you, Jennifer for sharing KJ's story.  

You take your dog to a training class for a reason. You are trying to teach your dog how to live in a human world and limit the frustrating behaviors.  Even though you are in a class, that doesn't mean things don't get frustrating and you feel defeated.  That is one of my student's experiences and this is podcast was inspired by what I saw, the feelings surrounding the interaction a...

Don't ruin your summer outing by ending up in the Pet E.R. due to your pup suffering from heat stroke or worse, water intoxication.  Both are avoidable if we know the signs, symptoms and what to do next. Don't think for one minute this can't happen in your own backyard. Dogs are sensitive and must be watched like children. Take a listen and find out what I am adding to my first aid...

So much goes on in dog play both good and bad.  Knowing when to press the "pause button" can keep dog play at its best.  Knowing the signals and signs to look for are paramount.  Once you know the signals to look for, you can monitor dog play with confidence.  Use the techniques I use and what I teach in my dayCARE employees to keep the daycare running smoothly with little to no incident...

I was inspired by artwork that stopped my scroll while on social. Looking at this photo resonated with me because I was feeling that right now.  There is a narrow view of where you are at with your goals, your training, your whatever you are working, and then there is the wide angle.  Do you ever go back and look how far you have come? Even though you feel like you are not making any progress, cou...

Why is it that dogs bring out a love that we can't describe?  Is it because they are lying beside us in our darkest moments? Is it because no matter what kind of day we are having, they are always happy to see us?  These are all true but there are more scientific reasons dogs mean so much to us.  And don't forget to thank our ancestors for cultivating such a beautiful gift, the love of a...

I can sit in a box, I can sit with a fox. . . .  Generalization is not as easy for dogs as it is for humans.  In this episode, I discuss why training is so good in the classroom but terrible outside.  Leave with tips and tricks to make your training useful everywhere you go. 

Fall is a favorite season in the PNW.  If only our dogs felt the same way.  Dogs have to endure silly costumes, people in their home, the doorbell on the fritz and tempting treats left out and about.  It's quite stimulating and most times over stimulating for our pups.  Here are some helpful hints to weather the Fall season, especially Halloween.  Those costumes can be scary! 

Stranger Danger effects daily life for both you and your dog.  In this episode, we discuss what it is, why it might be happening and ideas to help.  The sexy has been left out of this episode.  We are left with real talk.  By no means should this episode be a replacement for a professional trainer, but using the techniques in this episode will open the door for healing your fearful pup.  Progress...

Fence fighting or barrier aggression can be very much a problem. It sounds terrible and is very much misunderstood.  Let's talk about it and the ways in which you can help if you have this problem.  Your dog will be much happier! 

I took my dog for a walk and it's like we did nothing. He is still asking to do something. What can I do?   Dogs need variety as much as humans.  What should you do more of; mental stimulation or physical stimulation?  Should I buy a treadmill? Should I take my dog to daycare?  What should I do?  Find out exactly what to do here! 

How do I train 2 dogs in one house? How do I train 1 dog in a house with 4 dogs?  Your questions has been answered!  And for all those with 1 dog, there is a skill in this episode that is good for single dogs too.  It's one of my most favorite and the uses are abundant!  

Will I always have to bride my dog with food to get a behavior?  Luring forever is not necessary.  When training your dog, there are steps you can take to fade out your food lure.  Yes, you can get to a place when you ask your dog for a behavior, your dog responds.  Find out how to fade the lure in this episode.    

You may be living with a saboteur and not even know it!  Often in dog training, the problem is not the dog, it's the what, or more specifically the who living at home undoing all your training.  Boil down to find the actual source of your frustration and I will bet, it's not the dog.  

How does bribery, reward and sledding all end up in the same podcast? Leave it to me and listen.  Of course, we all want to have a dog who will listen anytime and anyplace.  Of course, we want a dog to not have to see a treat before offering a behavior. One day you can ask your pup to do something, and they will do it, but today is not that day.  You need to make sure you are taking the right step...

Melissa and I met years ago.  We both foster rescue dogs and have come together to share our views and experience. If you are on the edge wondering if you should foster, this is a MUST listen.  It's not always a cake walk; it can look a lot of different ways and there are a few must haves that make foster life easier.  We share it all in this episode.  The good, the bad, the tears, we share i...

"You know better!", "He did it because he was mad at me" are phrases I hear from owners about their dog.  Are these true or are we putting human emotions on our dogs? Is this detrimental? Dogs are a part of our family now more than ever.  Even though pet dogs are a multibillion-dollar industry, this does not make them human.  In this episode, I discuss several examples of anthr...

Take the quiz and find out if you are a helicopter parents.  Stay long enough to know if you are helping or hurting? This topic has come up many times in the last few weeks in my training classes and daycare, it's worth mentioning.  Remember, we are trying to help our pups live their BEST life but are we really helping or are we "helping".  Have a listen and then decide!  

What do you do inside when the temperatures rise?  Take a listen! I share several things you can do to not only help your dog settle in the evening after sleeping the day away, but these tips also help with common problems like not coming when called.  Yes, you can work on skills inside the cool house and see huge improvements by summer's end.  Stick around to the end when I go on a tangent a...

Oh boy, it's come around again, the 4th of July, a dog's nightmare!  Not only is it a nightmare for your dog, but it's also a nightmare for you.  So many dogs end up trembling in the bathtub or closet or worse, running away. This fear can be helped but you must start at the right time. Here are some tips that might just make things go smoothly.  Then, let's plan for next year. ...

As if the Miracle Puppies didn't teach me enough, they teach me about the importance of colostrum.  Yeah, yeah, I know it's really great puppies get this from their mommas, but did you know it's just for puppies? Did you know what makes colostrum an incredible, not talked about enough, natural powerhouse?  I had no idea until I went down the rabbit hole.  Come with me on this journe...

I was not expecting one week to feel like a lifetime.  I was not expecting how difficult it would be to bottle raise 5 puppies.  I have never done this before. When I said "yes" to taking these puppies, I thought I would just lose a little sleep.  Oh how wrong I was! Lost sleep was only a fraction of what happened this week.  I have made a lot of mistakes and I have made a lot of good ch...

MustLuvBoxers Rescue was at it again!  Five puppies were left orphaned and needed bottle feeding.  They were not even one day old yet.  Of course MLBR jumped in and said YES!  That's where I come in!  Someone had to take them in and bottle feed around the clock.  Here is their story and the goings on of the bottle babies.   Rescue is not easy but worth it!  

Of course you made large goals. Of course you wrote out the steps to achieve that large goal.  Did you think about accountability and motivation? What is going to get you out of bed in the early morning to go to the gym? What is going to make it so after a long day, you will get your dog ready to train? I discuss two of the largest hurdles in my life that I had to overcome with the "it's...

Just when you think having a "good dog" was easy, then comes Part 2!  In part one we talked about setting goals and setting mini goals.  Now it's time for accountability! Just by setting your dog training goals do they happen. If only!  Now it's time for action, but when?  When will we do this?  Have a listen to start planning your road to your "good dog".