Search Results for: Off-Leash Reliability? Recall? Leash Off Game On!

Off-Leash Reliability? Recall? Leash Off Game On!

Your dog focusing on you off-leash, recalling them away from other dogs or even them just choosing to stick close to you can seem so daunting. All too often, our dogs learn that when the leash comes off… the game is on with everything in the world but us. We teach each of our dogs Read More

Starting out with your new puppy

You’ve been planning for months, and at last your new puppy is here! Your expectations are enormous: this is going to be the perfect dog you’ve always wanted. And maybe that’s right, and your little puppy will become your Brilliant Family Dog. But for many of us - and for many of our puppies - Read More

Positively Dog Training Episode 708

Victoria shares the gifts she’s celebrating this holiday season, including the success of the #LucysLaw campaign, California’s ban on pet store sales, and Australia’s first state to ban puppy mills. Also: dogs unhappy going into kennels, over-bonded pets, and how to create safe boundaries without fences.

Reality Check: Nine Things That Your Dog Wants You to Understand

Knowledge in all forms seems to wax and wane according to the dynamics of the times that we live in. This is consistent on all subjects but in particular, with dog behavior knowledge. We have come so far with an understanding of dog behavior and how to modify it, yet old school techniques and thought Read More

Building Tolerance To Frustration

As a behavior specialist, I am always thinking ahead: how does what is happening today influence how the dog may behave in the future? An always-important aspect of dog training is to teach tolerance to frustration and to build impulse control.

Letter From The Dog

Since when does “just a minute” only apply to humans? We dogs say it too, except when we do, you humans get angry. You let us off the rope thing to go run around and play and then you ask us to come back at the most inconvenient of times, just when we are having the best fun – playing with other dogs or chasing small fluffies. When we don’t respond, you get mad and tell us how bad we are, but apparently you don’t understand that when we hear our name, look back at you and then continue with our game, we’re also saying “just a minute”. By the way…..how long is a minute?

4 Dog Park Alternatives for You & Your Dog

Does your dog really love going to the dog park? In some cases, the answer is yes! For highly social pups, the dog park can be a mostly fun and stress-free experience. But if you've noticed that your dog spends most of his time at the dog park glued to your side or pawing at the exit door, it's worth considering some other alternatives.

Create Your Dog’s Security Zone Today

We can actually make our dog’s feel both calm and confident about their surroundings AND teach them a better way to cope when they do experience those emotions of overexcitement and overarousal.

Real-Life Impulse Control For NBN Dogs: “Whip-It” Game!

The whip-it game involves building real desire and harnessing your dog’s desire to chase, using a horse lunge whip with a toy attachment! We then apply real-life impulse control to it! We show you how to play it in our latest training video.

Introducing the Newly-Redesigned Positively No-Pull Harness

The newly-redesigned Positively No-Pull Harness works by utilizing the dog’s natural center of gravity much the same way a harness on a horse does – effectively and painlessly allowing the handler to redirect the dog when she pulls during walks.

Can My Dog Be Stressed? [Part 1]

Those of us who have a reactive, anxious, or fearful dog, work very hard to make life easier for them (and us!). We try this idea and that technique, perhaps with distressingly little success. Some days our dog just seems worse! Here is the first of three excerpts from my next book - Building Confidence Read More

Police K-9 Officer Surprises Local Neighborhood with Ice Cream

It’s not often you see a police officer buying a person ice cream from an ice cream truck, let alone an entire neighborhood, but that is exactly what Officer Shawn Humphreys, from the City of Lawrenceville Police Department, did when out on patrol last week.

Reactive Dog? Play The Cone Game (With Video)

I often get asked what games should I play with my dog if they maybe lack confidence, are anxious or fearful or reactive or just need some fun injected into their lives. Well, the answer to all of those is something I call the cone game.

What is Arousal in Dogs and Why Should I Care?

A "Naughty But Nice" (NBN) dog is exactly how it sounds - they are nice, beautiful, lovable dogs underneath but sometimes they make bad choices! In fact, many of the things that NBN dogs do are often motivated by high arousal!

Teaching a Dog Not to Be Scared of a Leash or Collar

Desensitisation and counter conditioning are valuable skills to use with fearful dogs and great care must be taken when using these tools in order to make sure that we don’t push dogs beyond their limits, making their fears worse

Creating & Sticking to a Dog Training Plan

I spent the first two articles of this three-part series talking about Tricky’s drive, what I did that caused her to lose it, and the things I did to build it back. Now I will talk about what I’ve done to keep it and suggestions to help others to do the same.

Positively Success Story: Tia

When I lost my husband 4 years ago, I turned to my 2 yr Boxer Tia for comfort and to share my overwhelming sense of loss. We both grieved together.

Leash Control: It’s Not About Control at All

People go to great lengths to try to achieve what they see as a "gold star level" of leash control using all kinds of questionable methods. But here's the thing: true leash control isn't about control at all.

Confessions of a Dog Trainer: I Have a Reactive Dog (Part 3)

As promised, I am going to talk about some of the things I did that helped curb her reactivity towards other dogs. These are things I did in addition to handling exercises designed to keep Charlotte’s attention on me AND the behavior modification to help her feel differently about dogs.

9 Essentials for Walking Your Dog

Although walking with your dog seems like a routine activity, a good walk always starts with preparation and the right equipment. So here are some tips for having the best walk with your dog!

Play With Your Dog More in 2016

Playing is an important part of your dog’s life. Beyond the daily walk, playing with your dog has a number of positive benefits. Here's why you should play more with your dog in 2016.

A Different Kind of “Boundary”

In the last few blogs, I introduced you to the idea of a “Naughty But Nice” dog and some tips to survive (and also transform) them! I this blog, I want to share with you the next two tips - relationship & boundary games!

Is Your Dog Naughty But Nice?

A Naughty But Nice (NBN) dog is exactly how it sounds - they are nice, beautiful, loveable dogs underneath but sometimes they make bad choices! Over the following blog posts, i’ll share with you 5 tips to focus on in training, living with and enjoying your NBN dog.

How to Stop Your Dog From Biting the Leash On Walks

Something that I see happen frequently is the dog happily grabbing the leash and trying to turn the leisurely walk into a game of tug. This can lead to frustration and a sore arm. So how do we solve this problem?

The Myth of the Militant Dog Walk

Is it time to reevaluate your leash walking requirements to more fit your lifestyle? I know over the years I have, and both me and my dogs are happier for it.

Positively Dog Training Episode 501

Victoria and Holly start Season 5 of the Positively Podcast off with a bang, including some great Ask Victoria questions and an interview with 'Of Dogs and Men' filmmaker Patrick Reasonover.