Are you ready for school? How about your dog? The time is now to prepare your dog for school to start especially if you have been home all summer. Dogs get used to the summer routine and can have a hard time adjusting to being alone all the time. Here are a few things you can do to start helping your dog prepare for school. 1. Start what will be your normal morning routine [...]

On my recent trip to Breckenridge CO I noticed a few things. First of all, the city itself is vastly dog friendly.  There are parks for the dogs, water bowls outside many of the shops, a few stores that allow dogs and almost every patio was dog friendly. There are dogs at every turn being walked by their owners, hanging out at café’s and part of some of the shops.  Many of the shop owners [...]

Benefits of Group Classes For many of those who do not know what group classes entail here is a brief overview however for most people group classes are a very familiar thing. Group classes are generally set up for puppies in one class and adult dogs in another.  This allows for proper socialization of puppies with puppies and adults with adults.  Most classes are set up to go over basic obedience commands like “Sit”, [...]

Socialization What does socialization mean for you and your dog? Socialization (Per the dictionary) “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.” Young Puppies Everyone socializes their puppy for the most part.  What is the first thing you do but show off your new friend and who wouldn’t?  So, you bring your new puppy to family [...]

Todays post is one that comes from my last lesson today but I actually see on a regular basis. And the topic tonight is families with kids and dogs and managing both. One of my most common complaints in households with this dynamic is that the dogs are nipping, mouthing or biting the children. And what I most commonly see when going into the household is a dog that regards the human children as [...]

With winter coming and the cold days ahead here are some indoor activities that can help burn some energy and keep your dogs happy. Experiment With Inside Games There are lots of games that can be played inside the key is to vary the games you play. The other thing I suggest is regularly rotating toys to keep your dog interested. Tug can be an excellent game for teaching self-control and releasing energy, when played [...]