Training

Shaking hands – offering a polite paw – is one of the most popular and endearing tricks in the dog world. And it’s easy to teach your dog!

Tricks are great crowd pleasers, and teaching your dog how to play dead along with other tricks is a fun way to bond. If “play dead” is on your tricks wish list, here’s what you need to know to achieve a star-worthy performance.

Scent work for dogs makes use of olfaction (the sense of smell), a dog’s primary sense for interacting with the world. Scent training for dogs is just building on what they already do by instinct from a young age.

By definition, punishment is something that will decrease the probability of the occurrence of a certain behavior. Generally, this punishment involves something that is sufficiently startling or aversive so as to thwart the “problem” behavior. If the dog has benefitted from the behavior in the past, it will take even more startling or aversive punishment to override his expectation of getting that reward again. Frequently, a punished dog stops attending to you; you become something to be avoided.

Owners often turn to dog trainers when they’re feeling exasperated. They report that their dog has the following behavior and training issues: Has no...

Prevent complaints about your dog in multi-story housing or dog-friendly high-rise offices – and keep him safe – by managing his behavior in the building’s elevators.

When you think “leash,” chances are you think of a four-to-six-foot strap made of nylon, cotton, hemp, leather, or (horrors!) chain, with a snap that attaches to your dog’s collar at one end and a handle for you to hold at the other. You use it to keep him close to you when you take him for walks or other places where he has to be under control. But a leash can be so much more than that! Let’s think outside the box. There’s no law that says leashes have to be a certain length, made of a particular material, or be limited to one snap and one handle. There are all kinds of things you can do with non-traditional leashes. Heck, there’s even a good use for the grocery store chain leash.

A whole lot of dog owners are working from home now, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Lots of dogs are loving it – and...

Most of the time, when dogs do something we don't want them to do (such as stealing our socks or jumping on our elderly...

“Reactive” is a term gaining popularity in dog training circles – but what is it, exactly? In her book Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals, Applied Animal Behaviorist Karen Overall, M.A., V.M.D., Ph.D., uses the term to describe animals who respond to normal stimuli with an abnormal (higher-than-normal) level of intensity. Take a deep breath and relax. We have positive training solutions for dogs who "go off" or "lose it" in certain circumstances.

The sport of American Kennel Club (AKC) tracking started out as a stepchild to its competition obedience Utility Dog (UD) title. Although you needed to pass a separate tracking test to earn your UD title between 1936 and 1946, tracking garnered a one-paragraph description in the rules and regulations of the time. Fans of tracking pushed for changes in the rules as a result of increased understanding of scent work and, in 1947, tracking became a separate class. The Tracking Dog (TD) title was the only tracking title available until 1980 when the Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) title was added.

Do you and your dog absolutely love people? If so, this rewarding volunteer activity might be for you. Here’s how to prepare yourself and your canine partner for providing comfort to people in need.