When I think about dogs marking their territory, the first image that comes to mind is a male dog hiking his leg and relieving himself on every bush, pole or fire hydrant he comes across. I never associated urine marking with female dogs until Haley started doing it a few years ago. It’s common for intact males or unspayed females … Read More
What is Opposition Reflex and Why Should I Care?
Have you ever heard of opposition reflex? Maybe you’ve heard of the term but you don’t really understand how it affects dog training in a practical sense. I’ll give you a hint, you might experience it every time you take your dog for a walk. Opposition reflex was discovered by Ivan Pavlov, the physiologist who also discovered classical conditioning through … Read More
How to Make Your Dog Howl
I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s howled at my dog, hoping she would join in and howl along with me, right? Some of you might have dogs that like to howl, like scent hounds or wolf-like dogs such as huskies, but Haley’s not one of those dogs. No matter how much I sacrifice my self-respect in attempts to … Read More
What Drives Your Dog Crazy?
You know what I mean, it’s the thing that turns your normally sweet, obedient dog into a crazed lunatic. It’s the thing that renders your Sit and Stay commands totally useless. It’s the thing that triggers the “Game On!” mode inside your dog’s brain. For some dogs it’s squirrels, for others it may be laser pointers but usually there’s something … Read More
How Much Sleep Does Your Dog Need?
As I’m typing away here, Haley is sound asleep at my feet. She loves my blogging days much more than other days, like house cleaning day. On cleaning days, she follows me from room to room all day long. Maybe she’s inspecting my work as I vacuum all her black hair off the white couch or maybe she’s worried one … Read More
Why Does My Dog Greet Me With a Toy?
What’s the deal with dogs that greet you with a toy when you walk in the door? I don’t mean to sound like Jerry Seinfeld here, but I’ve always wondered why Haley does this. Sometimes she does a little panic routine as she frantically searches for something to put in her mouth. Usually it’s a toy laying nearby or an … Read More
What Should You Do When Your Dog Growls at Someone?
I admit, that’s a pretty broad question to answer because dogs growl for a lot of different reasons. There are good growls, like when a dog’s having fun playing tug-of-war and there are bad growls like when a dog growls at a young child. Nobody wants their dog to growl at an innocent child and our first instinct is usually … Read More
6 Simple Ways to Build Trust With Your Dog
Does your dog trust you? Maybe you never really thought about ways to build trust with your dog before, but this past weekend something happened with Haley that made me realize how important it is. I gave Haley a soft, chewable bone, you know the kind that are similar to dental bones and get a little gummy when chewed. Well, … Read More
Do Dogs Get Spring Fever?
How do you know when spring is about to arrive? Here in the Midwest, it’s been a long, cold winter and I’ve been searching for signs of life under all this white stuff covering the ground, but I haven’t seen a Grape Hyacinth or Daffodil bulb spouting through the soil yet. Then it happened! I got the official word yesterday … Read More
How to Stop Your Dog From Getting Into the Trash
For a dog owner, there’s nothing more joyful than coming home to a happy, wiggling pup. Until—you walk into the kitchen and find that she’s knocked over the trash can, shredded papers and containers, and pretty much consumed everything even remotely edible from the can. Urgh! You know you’re not supposed to correct a dog after the fact because she … Read More
