One of the most frustrating times to be a dog owner is when your puppy is between the ages of seven and nine months.  While this article will help anyone whose dogs have a low self-control level, it is aimed at the 9-12 month old adolescent dog. At 5-6 months your puppy ‘chemicals’ that make him cute and cuddly, obedient and passive, wear off. At 6 months your puppy starts a major ‘flight/fear’ stage. At 7-9…   Continue

Adopt, Don’t Shop Facts and Myth There are solid camps on either side of the Adopt Don’t Shop movement. Both have their facts and good points, and both have their myths. If you are considering bringing a dog into your home then take a few minutes to consider both sides of the issue. The Ugly Truth About Marketing First – you must realize that what you read on the internet is marketing. It is designed…   Continue

Adopt a Dog – Red Flags I was texting this morning with a couple who have adopted before, and chose to adopt again, but after seeing several dogs chose to buy a puppy.  Being ‘savvy’ to the adoption world they knew to be careful. They already learned to avoid buying based on emotions. That cute dog, or the adorable dog, can be a nightmare. If our new neighbor loads the front yard with derelict cars,…   Continue

Stop Puppy Biting You have the most wonderful puppy.  It is full of bounce and play, but will cuddle. It is also smart. You can teach it tricks in a few minutes. And it looks at you with loyal, loving eyes. But it doesn’t understand that it shouldn’t bite. Bite Inhibition The problem is that your puppy didn’t come from a kennel where the adults were allowed to teach the puppy bite inhibition at 6…   Continue

There is a lot of jargon in the dog training world. Many of them are no more than catch phrases used to attract followers to a single, specific training method. Like any behavior theory, it will work on some dogs, but not others. Before giving up and thinking that your puppy is bad, or out of control, take a few minutes to learn two things that most trainers won’t talk about, and will try to…   Continue