Your New Puppy: Dog Training and Dog Behavior Lessons to Help You Turn Your New Puppy into a Well-Behaved Dog

Potty training can be overwhelming.  The good news is, one of the first things we can check off the list is getting our puppy to sleep through the night.   Potty training overnight is a little different than during the day.  Even though they can hold it longer overnight, they still aren’t going to make more than 4 hours or so at first.   Our goal is to take them...

Potty training can be overwhelming.  The good news is, one of the first things we can check off the list is getting our puppy to sleep through the night.   Potty training overnight is a little different than during the day.  Even though they can hold it longer overnight, they still aren’t going to make more than 4 hours or so at first.   Our goal is to take them...

When we thing of what our dog’s walk should look like we think of them walking by our side without being distracted by anything and only sniffing when we say it’s ok.   Spoiler alert!  There is NO “should”. I’m here to let you off the hook.  Your walk doesn’t have to be perfect.  As long as your dog is 6 feet from you, you and your dog are en...

When we thing of what our dog’s walk should look like we think of them walking by our side without being distracted by anything and only sniffing when we say it’s ok.   Spoiler alert!  There is NO “should”. I’m here to let you off the hook.  Your walk doesn’t have to be perfect.  As long as your dog is 6 feet from you, you and your dog are en...

A microchip is a tiny device that is placed below your pet’s skin.  It has a unique 15 digit code that you register along with your contact information.  This way if your pet ever gets lost, shelters, veterinarians, police stations, and others can scan the microchip and access your contact info and help return your pet to you.   Think of it like a tag that can’t get lost...

When we thing of what our dog’s walk “should” look like we think of them walking by our side without being distracted by anything and only sniffing when we say it’s ok.   I’m here to let you off the hook.  As long as your dog is 6 feet from you, you and your dog are enjoying the walk, and everyone around you is safe, then I don’t care what your wa...

Most of the time we want to use the cue “off” to tell our dogs to “get down”.  For example, when they  jump on us or our guests or when they jump on the table or counter.   I have nothing against teaching this cue, I just approach it in a different way.  If we think about it, what we really want to teach our dog not to jump up.  So, if we need...

Potty training is hard.  It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months.  Even then you can still have a random accident here and there up to a year.  It’s a process that we can’t rush our puppy through.  We can set them up for success as much as we can but it usually takes as long as it takes.    If you’ve been    It can be very dishearteni...

Nipping is one of the biggest struggles every puppy parent goes through.   It can be very disheartening especially when the kids don’t want to play with the puppy anymore.   That’s why I’m giving you my three favorite games that I teach my clients to help with a nipping puppy. Each one is designed to give you a way to interact and play with your puppy while keeping...

A strong recall is one of the most important behaviors your dog can have. That is why I wanted to replay this episode about how to get a stronger recall.   This is a special training that I do inside my digital products ( YOUR Perfect Puppy and Playtime Paws Academy ) I talk about how I approach recall as a habit that you and your dog need to develop (not just a command to teach).   This...

A lot of new puppy owners wonder if it’s OK to use a pen in addition to or instead of a crate.   The idea of giving your puppy or young dog room to move around and play is a very appealing one.  BUT there are some drawbacks to giving them this extra space.  A emphasize using the crate because I believe it is an essential tool to have throughout your dog’s life. &#16...

Every dog needs a collar and leash.  There are many options out there so let’s talk about them. Each of these tools has it’s advantages and disadvantages and there’s no one perfect solution that works for every dog. In part one I talked about the different types of leashes .    In this episode (part two) I talk about the most common types of collars and harnesses t...

Every dog needs a collar and leash.  There are many options out there so let’s talk about them. Each option has it’s advantages and disadvantages and there’s no one perfect solution that works for every dog. So in this episode (part one) I talk about the most common types of leashes that are available. In part two I talk about the different types of collars and harnesses.&#1...

Socialization is the most important training you can do for your Puppy. We want to get our puppy out from the very beginning. There are also lots of things we can do every day at home in addition to the outside world.  Bonus: Socialization tires a puppy out!  In this episode I talk about: A quick review on what it means to socialize your puppy. Why socialization is so important. 5 ways t...

Something I get asked often is how I feel about using a potty bell.   If you listened to my complete guide to potty training then you know that I don’t mention using a bell at all but does that mean I don’t want you to?  No go ahead…well, maybe…  While I’ll show my clients how to use the bell if they ask, I find myself talking them out of it more o...

Something I get asked often is how I feel about using a potty bell.   Stay can be a useful command (“Stay” so I can take your picture).  It can be used for safety (“Stay” while I clean up this glass that just broke).  I also use it all the time to focus an overstimulated dog.   With just a few adjustments you can build a foundation to a stronge...

Teaching your dog “Stay” is one of the easier cues to teach your dog…if we do it right.  And of course most of us are doing it wrong.  Stay can be a useful command (“Stay” so I can take your picture).  It can be used for safety (“Stay” while I clean up this glass that just broke).  I also use it all the time to focus an overstimulated d...

Maybe you’ve never heard of raw feeding your dog.  Maybe you have but you’re not quite sure what it means.  This episode can start to answer some of your questions.  Raw feeding is something that I’ve dabbled in but I am NO expert.  Since I do get questions about it all the time, I’ve decided to bring in Kasie Maxwell Grujcic to help teach us more about...

“Practice makes perfect.”  We all know that one.  Well it’s just as true for our dogs.   When we teach our dogs how to sit we know to start at step one and work them up to a reliable sit in any situation.   When we want to change a behavior (like barking, digging, leash walking, or counter surfing) it’s no different.  We don’t usuall...

In part one we talked about demand barking.  Here in part two I go into detail about alter barking.   Alert barking is when your dog is barking at something.  A dog out the window, a noise like a doorbell, your neighbor who’s washing their car, etc.   ​ In this episode I talk about: Summary of what we talked about in Part 1 . What is alert barking. The different tech...

I’m back to burst some bubbles (POP!).  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my fenced-in yard just like most dog owners.  But just like with most things that make our lives easier there’s a downside.  I’m here to help you minimize them! My goal is to make sure that you and your dog can use your backyard in the best way possible.  And that means there’s some...

Allison is back with some more great tips on how to take better photos of your dog! Back in Episode 52 Allison  In this episode Allison talks about: How to approach a photo session with your dog. How to photograph two dogs together. How to handle a dog that won’t sit still. How to photograph a dog with a dark face.  Press play and enjoy! Other resources mentioned and related to thi...

Socializing your dog, especially when they are young is SUPER DUPER important.  If you have listened to me at all then this is not news to you.  You know that you have to expose your dog to many different people, places, environments, sounds, textures, and, yes, dogs.  This creates that confident, well adjusted dog that you can take anywhere and not have to worry about them.  B...