Subscribe

The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts

Home Behavior Impulse Control

Impulse Control

White Labrador Retriever Dog Sitting In Green Grass and Chewing Wooden Stick On Grass

Why Does My Dog Chew on Wood?

Wood chewing is fraught with potential veterinary emergencies, from splinters in the mouth to pieces lodged in the gastrointestinal tract and more. So even though it's natures favorite chew toy it shouldn't be your dogs.
Dog running at the park and pulling its owner

Teach Your Dog to Walk Without Pulling

It might be an exaggeration, but dogs that don't pull seem to be an exception rather than the rule.
Brown and white boxer dog leaning on balcony as if he's looking outside, barking or howling

How to stop a dog from barking

Dogs bark for many reasons, but the overall reason is communication. You may just want to know how to stop your dog from barking,...

Why Do Dogs Roll on Their Backs?

Dogs rolling on their backs is adorable. Repeated rolling though can be a sign of excessive itchiness that might need veterinary care. Dogs also have a habit of rolling in things their owner's might not care to smell or wash out of their fur.

Understanding Canine Compulsive Disorder

Also called compulsive behavior disorder, this is a mental health disorder characterized by the excessive performance of repetitive behaviors that don't serve any apparent purpose

Properly Supervising Dogs

Five types of dog-to-dog supervision, from left to right (or from 1 to 4 stars): No adult supervising dogs; Adult present but distracted; Reacting after the dogs are too close; Having a plan, being prepared; Fully present, adult supervision

Training Your Dog to ‘Wait’ and ‘Stay’

can save your dog's life.
Thanks to Morgan Macy, training assistant at The Canine Connection in Chico, CA, for demonstrating these techniques.üStart teaching the food bowl wait" with the food bowl held high. Look for your dog to shift her eyes from the bowl to your face.üClick (or use another marker) to indicate she's doing it right

Letters and Corrections: April 2018

There are many ways to add mental stimulation to a simple game of fetch. For example, we can ask the dog to jump onto a platform and lie down before we throw a disc for him. We can ask him to go through an agility tunnel before catching the ball. The important thing to recognize is when the dog is getting over threshold and stopping the game or reducing its intensity until the dog calms down. If you know the signs of hyperarousal, depicted in the infographic in the original article, then you will be more able to help your dog.

Training a Over-Aroused Dog

It's true that dogs like Australian Shepherds, a breed commonly referred to as high drive" and thought of as "needing to work

Your Dog’s Behavior: When to Manage, When to Train

How do I stop my dog from stealing food? How do I get my dog to stop drinking toilet water? Why does my dog run off all the time? These are just a few of the countless things dogs do that make their guardians run to professional trainers for help. The reality of dog behavior modification is that often the solution to a dog's bad habit is not through training the dog, but through carefully managing every opportunity the dog has to practice unwanted behaviors.

Put A Stop to Door-Darting Dogs

Door darting is an impulse-control problem. It's also incredibly self-rewarding. Remedying the issue requires teaching the dog to exhibit self-control around an open door, while employing diligent management to prevent the rehearsal of unwanted behavior. The following tips can help.

Nose Work is Great Exercise for Dogs!

When your dog has learned how to search, this makes a great rainy day indoor exercise activity. You can also routinely scatter her meals around the yard so she has to search through the grass to find them; put her on a long line if you don't have a fence. You can also name her favorite toys and have her find them. You can even have family members and friends hide and have her find them.

Latest Blog

Is That Dog Fortunate or Tragic?

What about the dogs who accompany unhoused people? Some may see dogs in rough conditions. Others may see dogs who are seemingly completely content to be with their owners 24/7.