Many of us have been there. It is a relaxing Sunday afternoon. We are finally getting the opportunity to enjoy that football game or book and our dog enters the scene and begins to bark! Maybe for a game of fetch, a walk, a treat or some affection? We satisfy our dog’s immediate need, head back to the living room and are the barking commences once again! This is appropriately known as “attention barking” and it can be extremely difficult to live with, especially if one has a

A marker is simple. It “marks” the exact moment your dog did something right (“YES!”) or wrong (“NO!”). It is useful because it serves as a bridge, helping our dogs connect their actions with consequences, like a treat for doing something well! Once a marker is established, we can use it in many ways, including basic training, behavior change, and even cool dog sports and games. It is not a command, but rather a way of clearly indicating to your dog that they got it right (o

Any parent of a teenager knows that, by and large, taking away their phone is the ultimate punishment. However, if my phone use (landline...

My recent journey to Florida for the "Training Without Conflict" program, led by Ivan Balabanov, was born from a sense of failure. I...

As the world evolves and we are living closer together and spending more time indoors, dogs bred primarily for companionship are becoming...

As a dog trainer, one of the first questions I ask of newly minted dog owners is what kind of life they are planning for their canine...

The toughest cases I see tend to fall into two extremes: shelter dogs who have been deprived of the basics, and dogs whose owners love...