Sometimes puppies make a mess when they are playing. Sometimes they are being clever, but that gets them in trouble. When you are working with a puppy you need to set boundaries ‘before’ the puppy starts acting bad. Set the ground rules and do not break them. Let your puppy know where the limits are. A puppy who is punished without knowing what it is doing wrong can develop ‘reactive issues’. These are stress and…   Continue

Leave it. A puppy who understands this has the foundation for good manners and reliable control. Every puppy obedience task is built on the leave it command. To heel well a puppy needs to learn not to pull towards things it is interested in. A long, reliable, stay cannot be accomplished unless the puppy understands the leave it command. Teaching the leave it command without using punishment is vital to building a trust relationship with…   Continue

Socialization is one of the most misunderstood aspects of dog training. Almost everyone knows puppies need to be exposed to as many situations as possible so they will grow up to be confident, well behaved dogs. Wrong This is possibly one of the main reasons why the number of reactive dogs in urban centers is high. It is also possibly one of the main reasons why small dogs are most likely to drop out of…   Continue