This month’s Positive Pet Training theme is Mantras. Here’s mine: My dogs can do no wrong. Last night, Leo countersurfed a steak off a grill at the GrandPawrents’ house. We all laughed about it, because who leaves an entire steak on the counter in Leo’s presence? The only reason to be upset would be ifContinue reading “Dogs can do no wrong”
Category Archives: training
Nothing’s Gonna Break Our Stride
My training goal for 2018 is to have two ambulatory dogs. I already had Mia on anti-inflammatories and acupuncture when Leo needed TPLO surgery in November. I already had the greatest dog step in the world for the car*, and prophetically had trained Leo to use it. Mia got her own walks for a fewContinue reading “Nothing’s Gonna Break Our Stride”
Senior Dog Doesn’t Want to Come Inside
This month’s Positive Pet Training Blog Hop has the theme What To Do When Your Dog Doesn’t Listen To You. For me, that’s like every day. They do what they want. I’m not going to lie. So I don’t have any legit training tips to offer. I mean, mostly, they’ve been good doggies lately. Leo, now thatContinue reading “Senior Dog Doesn’t Want to Come Inside”
Now who’s reactive?
You know how dogs can become fearful after a bad experience like another dog getting in their face at the park? That happened to me a few weeks ago. With another person. During the springtime, our go-to weeknight walk takes us past a ball field and up a little hill. I try to time itContinue reading “Now who’s reactive?”
Top 5 Positive Pet Training Tools for Reactive Dogs
This month’s theme for the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop is training tools. I thought I’d give you the rundown of five things that have made a huge difference in my life with my dogs. 5. Food puzzles In the wild, animals spend most of their time looking for and eating their food. When we feedContinue reading “Top 5 Positive Pet Training Tools for Reactive Dogs”
Running out of Cheese
In my last post, I wrote about a de-facto off-leash area. If everyone else’s dogs are off leash, why can’t ours be? For me, it’s an issue of manners. People who don’t have reactive dogs (or people who don’t KNOW their dogs are reactive, especially those whose dogs are small) think it’s perfectly fine forContinue reading “Running out of Cheese”
An Inspiring New Dog Food Pyramid
This month’s Positive Pet Training Blog Hop theme is mentors and inspiration. If you’ve read Bark and Lunge (and I recommend you do!), you know I have a complicated history with trainers. The first few gave very bad advice. Then we met a positive reinforcement trainer who changed our lives by helping save Isis fromContinue reading “An Inspiring New Dog Food Pyramid”
The gift of Leo
This month’s Positive Pet Training Blog Hop theme is The Gift of Positive Training. Oh, what a gift it has been. Leo’s leash reactivity has gotten so much better. I’ve started saying he’s cured, which is not entirely true, because he still exhibits barrier frustration, but man, I’m going to have to scroll down aContinue reading “The gift of Leo”
Sibling Rivalry
This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop, although it doesn’t deserve to be. It contains a few examples of what not to do, but hey, maybe that’s what I’m known for. It starts with a success story. Last month, my mom was in town for a week, and I’m thrilled toContinue reading “Sibling Rivalry”
Three times I spoke up for my dog
Often, people with reactive dogs are overly concerned that others will judge us for the uncontrollable, barking, lunging, frothing beast on the other end of the leash. We need to get over that and just worry about our dogs. I have gotten better and here are three examples where I was proud of speakingContinue reading “Three times I spoke up for my dog”
