Perfect Companion K9

A lot of people look confused when l tell them to implement structures in their life. They think it is very odd that they should put the dog in commands all the time. (Who does that?) They can not comprehend why they should not give their dog excessive affection (isn’t that why we have dogs?) And they cannot imagine how to tire out their dogs if they do not go to dog parks (l need to let my dog play to tire him out or else he won’t sleep!) When l told them not to let other pe

Dogs are being rehomed or put down daily because of behavioural issues. This is a fact. It is also a fact that many of these dogs were once little puppies who were very loved by their owners. What happened? One common mistake l have seen new owners (or even experienced dog people) make over and over again is their misunderstanding on “socialization”. For some reason, many people mistakenly believe they need to find some doggie friends for their puppies, and they believe t

"Why did my dog bite me? I am so nice to him!" Many owners feel very puzzled, frustrated, and even betrayed, by aggressive behaviour from their own dogs. This German Shepherd in the picture used to attack anyone who came close to her crate, her owner, her house..,etc. It was a perception and relationship issue. Since l had Anja, she never showed any aggression even once about anything. Nothing at all. She is a very gentle, sweet, easy going dog. I developed a mutually respect

When you have a dog that you cannot take out on a walk because he is just ridiculously out of control, you most certainly have a dog who is also ridiculously out of control inside your home. To have a well behaved dog, training has to start from inside your home. A lot of people just let their dogs run free in their homes. They struggle with the concept of leashing their dogs inside; they do not want to crate their dogs; they do not spend time training their dogs inside their

Very often we let our dogs experience lots of excitement around other dogs; but once our dogs become a bit calmer, we try to ramp them up to play some more or we take them home. This will, overtime, create a dog with a single response whenever he/she sees another dog - extreme arousal. In the human world, we have more than one response in front of others- we can be very attentive (e.g. work, classroom), very active (e.g. sports), very aloof and quiet (e.g. library); we may no

Why should I train my dog? Why can't I just let her run in the park? Training is very important because it is the common language that both the dog and human can understand. Just like learning a new language in school, the more we practice, the better we will become. Similarly, the more we spend time training our dogs, the better we will understand each other. Training should be very fun, it is something the dog should really look forward to. By making it a lot of fun to list

I am a strong advocate of zero on leash greeting. By that l mean when my dog is on leash we will not under any circumstances greet another dog in any form--no sniffing, no body contact, and no playing. Why? Because dogs are very black and white creatures. The more crystal clear the direction, the less stressed and confused they will feel. When my dogs are on leash they know it is not the time to get excited or concerned when they see another dog. There is no exception. This r

My idea of making this video comes from being told by many people when I first got Spot that I should never let her off leash because she was so anxious she could never be trusted... Many did not even believe that it was possible for her to ever have a normal life on leash, never mind off leash freedom. I believe often what we expect from our dogs is bounded by our own limited vision. We hold our dogs back because we fail to comprehend how far a dog can go with proper trainin

Dogs are social animals but they are pack animals, too. Pack animals stay close to their pack. It is not natural to see dogs rushing excitedly to play with another pack in the wild. You and your dog and other members of the family (other pets, parents, spouse, children...etc) is the pack that your dog views himself as being part of. Take your time to interact with your dog--play, train, walk, and work with your dog. This can greatly enhance your relationship and bonding. Tiri

A lot of dog owners like to encourage their dogs to say hi to other dogs and people. They believe that if they do not do this, their dogs will not be friendly and could become aggressive. Because of this mindset many owners spend many hours and lots of money to "socialize" their dogs to make sure they have a "friendly" dog. Many day cares or boarding facilities call it social experience when they put a bunch of dogs together and let them play until they are tired. Often, to t

I was in a restaurant and there was a couple sitting next to our table. The wife was really dressed up, her hair was beautifully done, her makeup was impeccably applied, and the gown she was wearing matched perfectly with her purse and her necklace. The husband, on the other hand, was very casually dressed in a polo shirt and a pair of jeans. He appeared to be quite troubled by something at work and spent his whole evening on his phone, while the wife quietly ate across from

Heard this today, "My dog knows lots of tricks but wont listen when I need him to!!" from someone whose dog loves to chew furniture and bark non-stop. This is what I think. Your dog is always watching you whether you know it or not; your dog does not only pay attention to you when you are training him. Therefore, we need to be mindful of the message we send to our dog and to keep the message consistent. The message I am talking about is not just verbal commands such as come,

Having a large breed is a big responsibility. Please train your dog, it is not an option. You should at least train your dog so he/she can walk on leash calmly when passing another dog, human, bicycle, skateboard...etc. If you cannot control your dogs on leash you should not let them off leash, it is very simple. A large powerful breed can cause serious damage when he/she is out of control. Many such breeds are not for beginners with zero training experience. These dogs are c

A reactive dog can be rehabilitated but it needs time. During the rehabilitation process at some point the dog would have to be in public setting being introduced to stimuli in a controlled manner. As considerate dog owners, we should give these dogs the space they need to help them get over their problem asap. By allowing your dog to rush toward such a dog despite the warning and pleading from the owner you can greatly stress the dog and set the training back by many weeks o