Blog

When I work with a new client, I structure the program to focus on the puppy's house manners first, their leash training second, and their socialization third. We will spend about three or four weeks working on the house manners, about two or three weeks on lease training, and then we take it on the road and go to Lowe's, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Tractor Supply, and any other pet-friendly stores that we can find for the puppy to get socialization practice.  Depending on the p

My dog Dixie has been diagnosed with heart disease after a routine checkup before teeth cleaning. They found a heart murmur, then, from an X-ray, found an enlarged heart and congestion in her lungs. I have created a GoFundMe  account to help with her expenses. Start-Up Fees: Including adoption or breeder fees, initial vet visit, microchip, supplies, and training .  $2000-$8000 Monthly Expenses: Food  Medication (heartworm, flea, and tick prevention) Daycare Dog Walker Groomin

Being an effective leader and building trust in your dog requires a skillset grounded in effective communication, temperament, and focus. This is exactly what I'll discuss in this article.  What to do? Make sure your communication with your dog is crystal clear.  In other words, I see a lot of new dog owners who will say a lot to their dog, and it means nothing. It's like a line in that Talking Heads song from the seventies, “You’re talking a lot, but you're not saying anythi

As a dog owner, you want to do everything you can to ensure your furry friend is happy and healthy. That includes making sure they're getting the right nutrition. There are a lot of different opinions out there about what the best diet for dogs is, but the truth is that there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The best way to ensure your dog is getting the nutrition they need is to work with your veterinarian to create a customized plan.  In the meantime, here's a basic overview

Recently, in Northern Alabama, there were multiple kids bitten by dogs in various cities. I was on the news again last week, talking on WHNT News Channel 19 and giving tips on dog safety and working with reactive dogs. It's become such a problem. The story that I did was in reference to a girl who got bitten at her apartment complex when another dog, that's a neighbor's dog, was on a leash and approaching her. It got off-leash and got excited, ran to her, bit her in multiple

All new at 10 tonight. A 9-year-old is recovering after a vicious dog attack in Hansville. Left her with severe injuries on her face. Delilah McKay was sitting outside on her apartment steps when a dog that was being walked by another child all of a sudden attacked her. The family shared photos that show her injuries, and we want to warn you, some of those photos may be graphic. Delilah's mother tells us a nearby teenager managed to get the dog away from her daughter. Delilah

Training a dog can come with a huge set of challenges. If you have a high-energy dog that engages in destructive behaviors, gets bored easily, and makes life harder, you know what it's like. What makes it harder is trying to train a dog that you also have a hard time keeping up with. A high-energy dog may be a unique challenge, but fortunately, this challenge is far from impossible. Breeds are a good determiner Dog behavior is often genetic, and you'll find that many dogs of

After training a couple of thousand puppies and using this technique on my own puppy, Dixie, when I got her at 10 weeks old, the very first thing I taught her was go to your bed and stay .  I have a video on my phone of May 5, 2020, at seven o'clock at night, where I'm showing people how I trained Dixie to go to her bed and stay the very first day that I got her. My clients are amazed at this video and how well Dixie picked it up, and how easily I taught it to her the first d

A lot of people get these two confused. They don't even know there's a difference at all, and they don't know that there's many different...

When you're out and about, you may see other dog owners with off-leash dogs. Sometimes, they keep in pace with their owners, heeling with...

Let’s talk about the power of group training for your puppy or dog. This is not a class where you will learn foundational skills like...