Blog

(Mostly Archived)

My Take on Microchips

My Take On Microchips   I recently read an article that had me twitching trying to control my irritation.  The article was titled something to the effects of "Research Shows Microchips Cause Cancer" and it was only slightly less inflammatory than the title...

read more

Thankful for Good Neighbors

Thankful for Good Neighbors As a dog walker (and to an extent, as a dog trainer), I spend lots of time in neighborhoods that are not my own.  While I dog walk only very near to my neighborhood, they are still very different areas.  The more time I spend in these...

read more

C.L.A.S.S. Evaluation Pittsburgh

C.L.A.S.S. Evaluation Registration Open   I mentioned last week in a post that the first C.L.A.S.S. evaluation was scheduled for February 23rd at WPHS, well, now the registration is open as well! You MUST register for the evaluation online prior to 2/23 unlike...

read more

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy a selection of my favorite Lovey-Dovey pictures of my ridiculous critters.                 And this is one of my absolute favorites ...  <3  I love these dogs so much!       Do you...

read more

Wordless Wednesday–Teaching Stay pt. 2

Wordless Wednesday--Teaching Stay pt. 2 A few weeks ago I posted my Stay for Duration How-To Video.  Here is the companion piece, How to teach Stay focusing on Motion and Distance.     Stay tuned for another video in the stay series!

read more

Tired Dogs are Crazy Dogs?

Tired Dogs are Crazy Dogs?   Yep, you heard that correctly.  Many dogs, particularly youngsters and puppies, are like toddlers-- when they are at their most tired is when they are running around, screaming, and causing chaos.  Although tired dogs are happy dogs...

read more

APDT CLASS Evaluation

APDT C.L.A.S.S. Evaluation   WPHS has set the date for the very first APDT Canine Life And Social Skills BA level evaluation in Pittsburgh! We will only be offering the BA level exam this time around (since we are the first in the area to offer CLASS, we don't...

read more

Wordless Wednesday–Back up with Shayne edition

Wordless Wednesday--Back up With Shayne Edition Here's Shayne learning how to "back up" in heel position.  I talked about the process and how I decided on the process in yesterday's blog but here's the video to accompany it!   Enjoy!       What...

read more

Problem Solving

Problem Solving I may be biased but I have to say that positive trainers are some of the most creative, think-outside-the-box, and dedicated problem solvers out there.  I am constantly hearing from "balanced," "alpha," or "aversive" trainers and their allies that...

read more

How To Teach "Stay"–focusing on duration

How To Teach "Stay"--focusing on duration Whenever we are training any behavior, but most particularly with stay, we need to think about the "3 D's."  Duration--how long can the dog do the behavior.  Distance--how far away can you be and your dog still do the...

read more