Author Mickey Stillwell Do you know that the reason your dog listens probably isn’t because he is stubborn, or dominant. It is because your dog really doesn’t understand what you want. Or, what you think you are saying, isn’t what the dog is hearing. 1- you don’t train often enough Sometimes once our dog has engagement and knows a behaviour we are asking we allow our dogs to go on auto pilot. So then sometimes…   Continue

I asked Mickey Stillwell what errors she made in the ring, or what she saw. The focus was on mistakes that cost owners points. These may not be in the books, or on the cheat sheets. They may be things you haven’t even thought of, but judges will NA or remove points. Bowing when giving a command Improper hand position Body language for the finish (dipping shoulders, head tilt) Head movement Moving fingers on the…   Continue

The process is fairly simple. You may register your dog whether it is a purebred with papers, identifiable as a breed, or a cross of multiple breeds. Performance Numbers These numbers are for all dogs who are neutered or spay. Step #1: Click this Link https://www.ukcdogs.com/performance-listing Cost is $20 USD You will be directed to download this document: https://www.ukcdogs.com/docs/registration-forms/performance-listing-application.pdf There are 3 options to submit your registration If your dog can be recognized as a…   Continue

How many times have you dealt with dog behavior that is out of control, but they are yelling ‘It’s okay, he is friendly.’ In most cases this ‘out of control’ behaviour is not okay. What I find most interesting is that this apparently friendly behavior is not accepted by dogs. Just this weekend a puppy jumped into Carlo’s face and he gently placed his muzzle over the puppy’s muzzle. The incident lasted less than a…   Continue

Puppy socialization is the most misunderstood aspect of raising a puppy. We take a puppy on a play date with our neighbor’s dog, let 3 kids pet the puppy, and voila. We feel that we have socialized our puppy. The truth is, most of us don’t care until the puppy develops annoying behaviors, or even dangerous ones. You are ahead of the curve because you are here reading this blog. Remember that trainers do not…   Continue