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

  We are always told “prepare for emergencies.”  The problem is the nature of an emergency is they are unpredictable and the situations are usually not something we expect.  All we can do is do our best to prepare so when it happens we at least have a head start. The type of emergencies I talk about in this episode is any situation where you either, can’t make it back home or you ha...

A question I get ALL the time is about taking your puppy outside before they are fully vaccinated.  This question usually comes up during potty training but my answer has nothing to do with potty training. In short, your puppy needs to get out and start experiencing the world BEFORE they are fully vaccinated.  I know this can come into direct conflict with your veterinarian’s advic...

We are always told “prepare for emergencies” or “make an emergency preparedness plan.”  The problem is the nature of an emergency is they are unpredictable and the situations are usually not something we expect.  All we can do is do our best to prepare so when it happens we at least have a head start. The type of emergencies I talk about in this episode is any situation...

A fenced-in backyard is considered a very valuable resource for a dog owner.  It makes owning, potty training and exercising your dog SO much easier.  Or does it? With anything that makes our lives easier there is always a downside.   I know this, because I share this struggle with you. In this episode I talk about a very recent experience I had with my own dog.  Lucy’s behavio...

We know that finding the right dog food for our dog is important.  It can also be overwhelming.  Most of us want to be able to walk into a pet store, pick up a bag and make the right decision.  Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There is a lot of different information out there about which dog food. Deciphering what is true and what is based on common beliefs that may o...

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin The best way to stop your dog from jumping up on people is not to allow him from to do it from day one. The best way to stop your dog from sleeping on the bed with you is to teach him to sleep in his own bed from day one. I know, it sounds so simple. When your dog is a puppy it’s easy to let him jump because at that point...

Welcome to Part Two of the two-part series on helping you find the right dog care for you.  In part one ( Episode #14 ) I talked all about facilities.  In this episode I talk about Pet Sitters. Who will take care of your dog when you can’t is a very common concern for most dog owners.  With good reason.  There is a high level of trust that has to happen for you to feel comforta...

Do a test run.   Don’t forget to check out part two (episode 15) where I talk all about pet sitters. Dog Care Questionnaire To help you through this process I have provide you with a questionnaire you can use as a starting point to ask lots of questions and figure out which facility is going to be the best for you and your dog. The questions are designed to give you a head start.  ...

  Both Dog Parks and Dog Daycares are a place for your dog to get exhausted while playing with their friends.  Beyond that, you and your dog’s experience are quite different. Where dog parks are free, daycares cost money.  You get to stay and interact and play with the other dogs and people at a dog park but a daycare allows you to take a break while your dog is having fun. The biggest differ...

You don’t have to be a dog person to know about basic obedience. It’s usually the first thing you think of when someone says “training a dog”. It is popular for very good reasons. I could list a hundred reasons for you and your dog to go through some kind of obedience training. In this episode, I name a few but I mostly talk about what, in my opinion, is the most important part of your basic obedi...

I find so many dog owners go right for their retractable leash.  And I get it! I did the same thing when I got my first dog. Retractable leashes make so much sense in theory; make it short when I want to, give them freedom when I want to. It’s like 10 leashes in one!” Except they are anything but convenient for the safety and training for your dog. If you don’t already have a retractable leash you...

Potty training is a rite of passage for all puppy owners.  It’s not the pretty part of owning a new puppy but it’s the one training none of us can ignore. Sometimes we forget that our dogs don’t come pre-programmed to go to the bathroom outside. This is a habit we have to teach them. The concept of potty training and what you need to do isn’t hard.  The time, the effort, and the em...

Indoor pads (or wee-wee pads) have a purpose but house training should not be one of them. Indoor pads are one of those products that seem like a good idea and great tool to make house training easier but in the long run it does anything but. Not only does it add more work in the long run but it is possible your pup may never get fully housetrained.   In this episode, I talk about why I strongly d...

When your dog jumps on you, your family and your friends it can quickly turn into an annoying habit. Luckily there are a few things we can do to prevent or correct this behavior. Most of the time our dog jumps on us it is to get our attention. And if we are honest most of the time, that is exactly what we give them. Remember attention is attention, good or bad. So even if you are telling your dog...

I had a lot of fun recording our first Q&A episode!  You asked some great questions that have influenced the topics of many episodes and now I want to answer some specific questions. In this episode, I answer three great questions sent in by listeners. Topics include: Multiple dog household Handing a new young dog with older dogs The difference between adding a male or female dog to your pack....

Does your backyard look like someone has been digging for gold?  Having a crater filled back yard is frustrating, not pretty and can even be dangerous.   Digging is one of those things that dogs just love to do.  It’s right up there with barking and chewing and being with us. The most common reasons why a dog digs is boredom or has too much energy and he is looking to entertain himself.   Other re...

What do we do when our dog steals our stuff? We all know the scene: it’s gotten a little too quiet so you go searching for the little fuzzball that was just at your feet. You turn the corner and there he is, chomping happily away on the book you were reading earlier, or maybe it’s something that clearly came out of the garbage. First, you panic because don’t know how much he actually ate. Once you...

When we think of crate training, we usually think of potty training our puppy.  It makes sense because these two things go hand and hand.  Using a crate is the best and most efficient way to potty train our dogs.   In this episode, I want to convince you that crate training goes way beyond potty training.  If done correctly a crate can be an essential training tool and a way to...

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about your recall command; most commonly known as “come”.  I’m not going to be talk about teaching your dog the actual command. What I am going to talk about is building a few everyday habits so when it comes time to teach your dog the command, it’s going to be a heck of a lot easier.  In fact, if you do this right, a formal...

Leaving food out for you dog all the time is convenient and seems harmless on the surface, but there are many downsides to free feeding. I talk about how free feeding can affect your dog’s behavior, health, potty training and more. You will also get some tips on how to change the habit if it has already started.   Feel free to share or leave a comment below.

Once you have decided that you are ready for a dog (if you haven’t check out episode 1 ) it’s time to figure out which dog is right for you. During this episode, I talk about 10 different traits to think about to help you decide what type of dog will best fit into your life. While I use examples of different breeds, I do this just to give you a picture of what I’m talking about. Deciding which tra...

Want a new dog? Not sure if you are ready? Getting a new dog is a big decision and a long term commitment. Getting a dog isn’t something you can decide overnight, so we are here to help you figure it out! This episode walks you through 5 questions to ask yourself to see if you are ready for a new dog. Are You Ready for A New Dog? is the first part in a two-part series. Episode 002 will walk you th...

Welcome to Your New Puppy’s Podcast!! Getting a new puppy (or dog) is exciting and fun but it can also be very overwhelming.  No one gets a good dog by accident.  It takes time and energy to get the well-behaved dog we all dream of when we decided to bring home our new four-legged family member. My goal is to guide you through all the information you need to guide you through the first months to a...