Rescued Rover

10 Helpful Tips for New Dog Trainers

Want to be a dog trainer? Just getting your feet wet? Here are 10 tips for new or aspiring dog trainers to help you get started. 1. Expect to work for free… even if you are hired for a paid training gig. You were hired on as a mentee or a kennel technician at a training facility and you’re feeling on top of the world. Or, maybe you are still looking for a mentor but feel all in. At this point,…

Happy Early Birthday, Versailles

My heart dog turns 6 years old on Monday. It is amazing to think back on the years, to smile at the good times and laugh at the not so good, knowing in the big picture of things it is all just a bunch of seconds forming wonderful memories together. When I was looking for my first working dog years ago, I had a deposit down on an East German/DDR litter. I was 19 years old and thought I wanted a…

Life with Your Aggressive Dog

Experienced dog trainers commonly work with dogs who have shown aggressive tendencies — whether or not they have actually injured another dog or a person, it is critical that their owners understand the severity and the commitment it takes to own an aggressive dog. Many owners are desperate by the time they realize training is necessary, and unfortunately often with that desperation also comes…

The Importance of Zen in Your High-Octane Dog

Although I am currently only on my second personal working dog, my professional training experience over the last 7 years along with my association with multiple dog clubs in Colorado and Arizona have brought to light one of the biggest mistakes repeated over and over again by green working dog enthusiasts. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crazy information out there. Because I wish I had been…

The current fad is to take a puppy everywhere to meet everyone and everything in the world. Unfortunately, there is also an extreme increase in dog aggression and leash reactivity, and fear with new people and places. This is not a coincidence – socializing our puppies is important, but it is more important to do it CORRECTLY. When socializing a puppy, it is important that the puppy finds the new…

Signs of Fear Aggression in Dogs Head held low Wrinkling of the nose Curled lips, teeth exposed Corners of the mouth pulled back Ears pinned back Raised hackles Tail tucked/lowered Panting Fearful dogs will typically choose fight over flight if given the option. In a kennel environment or on a leash, we have taken away their ability to run. If you must handle a dog exhibiting fear aggressive…

Separation anxiety is typically caused by the anticipation of an owner’s return and often anxious behaviors occur either soon after they leave or before the dog feels they will return. If owners make their arrivals and departures less exciting, they can prevent or decrease the anxious behaviors. If a dog is exhibiting mild separation anxiety, the following steps should be taken: Obedience…

No, it’s not the end for e-collars.

Reponse to: The end for shock collars? Original article is in normal text. My responses are listed in bold. Something puzzles me about the arguments made by shock collar advocates. On the one hand they claim the e-collar doesn’t hurt, and on the other they say it’s a last resort to prevent ‘dead dogs’ due to recall and chasing problems. Surely the second justification casts doubt on the first?…

Balanced Dog Training: What is it, and why do we care so much?

Balanced dog training. A phrase that seems so obviously desirable, that it is hard for the average dog owner to understand why there is so much fuss about it between dog trainers. Unfortunately, the philosophy of “balanced” training has been under attack heavily in our industry – so much so that a huge split has occurred in the field. Instead of working together for the bigger picture, many dog…

Assessing Aggression: The Complexity of Predicting Canine Behavior

This year in the United States, it is estimated that consumers will spend a total of 60.59 billion dollars on their pets. This number has risen consistently throughout the years and is astronomical when compared to the 17 billion dollars spent in 1994 (American Pet Products Association). Unfortunately, the number of dogs euthanized in shelters each year is also quite large. According to the…

Just some obedience training!

It’s been yucky, snowy, windy outside. Versailles and I have been training in obedience, rally, and back into IPO.. lots of training time for the two of us! We had a decent session today that I had decided to record. It is always the funniest things in dog training. Versailles can down-stay for 15 minutes with my back away from her while another dog performs a routine – but man, this new tug was…

Our First Attempt at AKC Novice A Obedience

We were SO incredibly close! We decided to pursue our CD title in June and have been preparing like mad – our teamwork was great, but the odds were not in our favor. With this being our first trial, I had NO idea what time we would go up – the only time slot near obedience listed was 11:20am, so I figured if we go there by 10:30am…