Beware the Poisoned Mat
In dog training, we most frequently hear the term “poisoned” attached to the word “cue,” meaning a cue for a particular behavior has taken...
Mat Training Tips
Mat training – teaching your dog to go lie down on her mat on cue, and stay there – sounds pretty simple, and in...
Whole Dog Journal’s 2019 Gear of the Year
If there is one thing that drives us crazy, it’s spending our hard-earned money on something that looks useful for our dogs – but...
Do The Work To Keep Your Dog Comfortable During New Experiences
In November, I went to a seminar about dog behavior and training and, for the first time in my life, brought a dog so...
Is Your Dog Reluctant to “Go” Outside in Winter?
It’s fairly common for dogs to decide that it’s just not worth the trouble of dealing with rain, snow, or freezing temperatures in order...
Ways to Keep Your Dog Active During Winter
It can be very challenging to keep your canine family members happy during the ravages of winter. Even those who live in the warmer...
“No-Look” Reinforcement Training
Remember when you were a kid and your mom would catch you doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing, even though she wasn’t...
If You Are Angry, It’s Not Training
Not long ago, I got to take a weekend off in San Diego. On the first day, quite by accident, I ended up at...
Haptic Cues
I recently learned a new word: haptic. It refers to any technology involving the sense of touch, so vibration collars are technically “haptics,” and...
Vibration Collars: What You Should Know
Vibration collars are frequently suggested as a good tool for communicating with hearing-impaired dogs. I hadn’t had much experience with them, so when I...
Wolfwill Vibration Collar: The Negatives
I found the concept of a vibration collar potentially useful. But in practice, there were a number of things I didn’t like about the...
Understanding Your Dog’s Nose
All dogs have noses – and they all know how to use them. Our awareness of our dog’s nose capabilities is nothing new. We...