What is the natural relationship? “They fight like cats and dogs.”  This saying reflects the commonly held belief that dogs and cats just can’t get along because they

Potty Problems? Are you having trouble teaching your puppy (or even your adult dog) appropriate elimination behaviors? Don’t despair. There’s an excellent chance that your dog can be

Use the clicker to help eliminate puppy nipping. All puppies engage in “puppy biting,” which serves a purpose or function. Puppies may bite due to hunger, needing to go to

This training game is derived from a dolphin research project in which I and others participated, “The creative porpoise: training for novel behavior,” published in the Journal of

Be my Valentine? February means Valentine’s Day, a happy time for me as a child. I lived with the principal of our school, Mrs. Sturley, who set up

What’s missing? “I don’t even know where to start. It just seems so huge and daunting. I don’t know how to define a plan, what steps to include,

A new trick Many dog guardians complain that their dogs steal food from kitchen counters or even the dinner table. A term was even coined to describe this behavior:

Clipping, snipping, brushing, poking… Pets have to tolerate not-so-pleasant procedures during grooming or veterinary care. But it’s hard to convince a feisty Fido that it’s great fun to

Focus on the student and the process Someone recently asked me how the term “microshaping” developed, and what, exactly, it means. I think I probably originated that term

Happy New Year! When you make your New Year’s resolutions this year, why not include your dog? Popular resolutions such as “get more exercise” can easily include the

Recognize your dog? Do you have an excitable, active, or reactive dog? Does one or more of the following phrases describe your dog? Wishful thinking Wouldn’t it be

Scent discrimination is one of the “advanced” obedience exercises, but it is actually one of the easiest to train. Why? You are working with the dog’s single most