Visiting the groomer or vet can be a tense experience for both the guardian and the dog, especially if the environment has stressful associations and outcomes. At my

Travel trouble With many pet-friendly resorts, parks, and other destinations available, you may consider fun outings with your furry friend. But what can you do if your pooch

Aren’t you beautiful! Imagine a life where your dog loves being groomed. When you pull out the brush or nail trimmers, your dog comes running—just as if you

Crate Training: Beneficial to the Entire Family  For many of us, life is both joyous and hectic. Between work, children, entertaining friends and family, and simply living, we

When I arrived at my client’s house last week, she was very excited to show me how well her dog Missy was doing with hand targeting. “Watch this!”

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

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

Old view, new view The old school of thought was that playing tug with your dog would teach him to be “dominant” and should be avoided at all

This letter is shared for historical reference and enjoyment. While it reflects the best practices at the time of publication, standards and recommendations may have evolved. You can read