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As a dog owner, you love your pup. Sometimes, those cute eyes are hard to resist, and you just have to toss them a piece of what you're eating, too. However, not everything that people can eat is also safe for dogs. The next time you give into your pup's begging, make sure that you're not giving them a treat that causes them harm. 1. Anything chocolate: While most dog owners are aware that they cannot digest chocolate, it is worth paying extra attention to keep them from get

Potty training is a problem for many people. I have found that people either get it or don't, and it's not an issue with the dog. It's not the dog's fault. It's an owner issue.  People call me to discuss puppy training, and their entire focus is on potty training. This happens a lot, and it's been happening ever since I've owned Top Gun Dog Training .  The goal of this article is to shift the new puppy owner's focus to the bigger picture of raising a puppy, beyond potty train

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

Many people underestimate the level of responsibility needed to raise a puppy. So go back and listen to that first episode of What's Needed to own a new puppy. And today we're going to talk about the truths and the myths of raising a puppy. The Truths: 1: Raising a young puppy is a part-time job.  For some people, it's a full-time job. You have to be on top of that puppy all the time. They're going to potty 10-12 times a day. They need a tremendous amount of sleep. They need

Building structure with your new puppy is one of the best things you can do to create a happy, healthy, and obedient puppy. There are many reasons we want to build a structure, and several ways to do so.  Why you should build structure in your puppy's routine Structure creates calmness in the puppy. When you have a structure where they know what they're going to do next, they're not stressed out overthinking what's going to happen next. They are not concerned about when they

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

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

So you love dogs. You have a knack for understanding them. Perhaps you have already helped friends with their dogs, or maybe this is all brand new. Either way, you're here because you want to turn that passion into a real career. Good news—you don’t need a PhD in animal behavior or a decade of apprenticeship to get started. However, you do  need a plan, some education, and a lot of hands-on practice. Embarking on a career as a dog trainer may seem daunting. With vast knowled

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

Puppy socialization is the most important thing to teach your puppy from ages 8 to 16 weeks. Some experts say from 4 to 12 weeks. The breeder will usually start socializing the puppy from 4-8 weeks by exposing it to a variety of different people, animals, sights, and sounds. And then when the owner takes the puppy at eight weeks, they continue until 12 weeks or even 16 weeks. When we start socializing our puppy, we need to consider vaccinations. Your veterinarian will provide

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...

Puppy behavior modification entails modifying the puppy’s behavior to decrease unwanted behaviors. Unlike obedience training, which...

Dog owners typically accept that their canines will have more needs and require more daily interaction than more independent, hands-off...

HUNTSVILLE, AL, UNITED STATES, May 13, 2025 -- Exclusively known in Huntsville, AL. area for his puppy training and dog behavior...

I've trained a lot of puppies recently who have had fear, anxiety, and stress at eight or 10 or 12 weeks old, and I've also worked with a...

Like it or not, potty training is not a puppy issue or a behavior problem. It’s your responsibility to teach a new puppy how to go potty...

One way puppies can explore the world and learn about things is with their mouth. They pick up everything from the ground and bite stuff...

Puppies have different needs from humans. Contrary to what most new puppy owners think, building leadership and trust is not based on...

Providing good care for your dog is more than just going through the motions of daily tasks. It's a deep understanding of your dog's...