The Dog Blog

A Free Resource for
New and Experienced Owners

The Key to Motivating Your Dog

If you find your dogs response to commands, especially around distractions, is lack luster at best, than take a look at what you're using for motivation. The type of rewards you use in training can make the difference between a... (continued)

Bringing Home a Rescue Dog

Adopting a rescue dog can be incredibly rewarding, but many people don't realize that many dogs don't come "move in ready." Here I share three important things to know about your new rescue, a common mistake I see people make... (continued)

Is Your Dog's Collar Too Tight or Just Right?

Did you know…. ....that a dog's neck can expand when they get hot? ???????? It can! Just like your feet, ankles and hands swell when your temperature goes up, your dogs neck can, too. When blood flow increases to the large veins (like... (continued)

Cleaning Dirty Paws Made Easy

With terrible weather comes the need to wipe a lot of wet, muddy paws. A lot of people have trouble wiping their dogs feet because either the dog won't stand still or constantly pulls their feet away while you are... (continued)

Six Holiday Safety Tips

Since many of my friends, clients and relatives already have their Christmas decorations up, I wanted to share some simple safety tips for the holiday season to help keep your dogs safe, healthy and out of the emergency vet this... (continued)

From Alpha to Understanding: A Dog Trainer's Journey

I used to be one of those trainers who taught using dominance as my base for all behaviour. Even after I transitioned into positive training, when a dog would act up I would still use that as my behavioural model,... (continued)

Quality Canadian Dog Collars and Tags

If you're anything like me, you want sustainable products for your dog that you know will do the job, last a long time and make a positive impact. As a dog trainer for well over two decades, I have run... (continued)

Bark Box Halloween Fun

If you haven't heard of Bark Box, it's a monthly subscription of dog products that are sent directly to your door. Each box is full of toys and treats customised to your dogs size and each month offers a unique... (continued)

Teaching Your Dog to Drop A Toy

Now, be honest. How many times has your dog picked something up that he shouldn't have or stolen a ball from another dog at the park and then, for the life of you, you couldn't get it back from him?... (continued)

How To Stop A Dog Attack

Have you ever been charged at by an aggressive dog? If it ever happened to you, would you know what to do? Yesterday, my own dog was attacked. Well, almost attacked. But only because I knew how to stop it from... (continued)

Should All Dogs Be Saved?

Telling someone that they need to euthanize their dog is the shittiest part of my job. I entered this career to help fix them, not to kill them, but once you’ve been in this career long enough you realize that... (continued)

Calm at the Coffee Shop

Imagine yourself sitting outside on the patio of your favourite coffee shop, enjoying a Double Double with a good friend, your dog lying quietly by your feet calmly ignoring the people and dogs going by. If not, then this exercise... (continued)

When Is Rehoming Your Dog The Best Option?

Rehoming a dog is a very taboo subject. After all, dogs are for life, no? For me that’s a definite yes……but…..sometimes circumstances dictate that rehoming is actually in the best interest of everyone involved, especially the dog, and we’d be... (continued)

Socialization Myths: Part 1

There are so many myths about socializing dogs, that it inspired me to create a 3 part video series to bust some of the most common ones I hear. Tune in for Part 2 this week! Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRYxouBpEFc In this... (continued)

How Taking Advice From Other Dog Owners Can Harm Your Dog

It doesn’t matter who you talk to, nearly every dog owner you meet is happy to give you training and behaviour advice about your dogs, even if you didn’t ask for it. While everyone is well intentioned in doing so, the... (continued)

Overcoming Fear of Noises

A few years back I got a toaster. When I first brought it out of the box, it had to be run three times in a row to get rid of any chemical residue left over from the factory. I... (continued)

No more biting issues!

Charlie is doing great! The biting/mouthing is not really an issue any more. If it does happen, it ends pretty quickly without any drama- it’s great! I bought a 20ft rope which I let him drag around in the yard... (continued)

What's Your Dog's "Type"?

A friend messaged me the other day saying he noticed that one of his dogs seemed to have a preference for playing with little white fluffy dogs, both male and female, and he wondered if this was normal? Dogs, like... (continued)

How To Resolve Fence Fighting

Fence fighting is what happens when dogs on opposite sides of a fence or other barrier act in a barking, aggressive frenzy when they see one another. This barking can start off friendly enough but over time the frustration of... (continued)

Tuna Fudge Training Treats

These are healthy, easy to make training treats that appeal to even the fussiest of palates and can cater to dogs with food allergies. They also taste good enough that if you get hungry while you’re training, you can snack... (continued)

On Grief and Losing a Loved One

A very special client emailed me today letting me know her dog had recently passed. Even though she had lost several dogs before, she was really struggling with this particular loss and asked if I had any words of wisdom... (continued)

Walking Made Easy: Teaching Your Dog To Wear A Head Halter

If you have a hard time walking your dog on a leash due to mobility issues or you have a dog that is far too powerful to be walked on a leash with a collar or harness, this video is... (continued)

Teaching Your Dog To "Find It"

It's that time of year where the weather is starting to become cold and gross, making the temptation to shorten your walks or cut the odd one out all together really high. But your dog still needs to exercise his... (continued)

How to Fade the Food Lure

Having a dog that "only works for food" or "only listens if he knows I have a cookie" is one of the most common complaints I hear. So today I want to teach you how to eliminate the food lure... (continued)

You Have To Listen To Be Heard

Continuing from last weeks video, here is another simple but powerful exercise that will impact your relationship with your dog (and everyone else) in a positive way without having to do any training with your dog. It all starts with... (continued)

Getting Your Dog Comfortable Being Brushed

For some dogs, regular brushing is a must, but often avoided because the dog is un-cooperative. Regular brushing not only helps to get rid of dead hair and skin cells, it keeps your house cleaner and also makes your groomers... (continued)

"Why?" And Other Questions To Ask When Training Your Dog

As a society, we are usually taught to follow what others tell us. Following the rules as they are laid out is favoured to critical thinking. When we're told that drinking two cups of milk every day is necessary for... (continued)

Dogs Still Need to Be Dogs

I recently worked with the sweetest,... (continued)

Tips For Safe Playtime

Something I have been seeing quite a bit of lately are dogs who are getting really aggressive with their owners when they are playing with them or refusing to play altogether. A case in point was a puppy I... (continued)

What You Believe, You Can Achieve

If you can't imagine your dog behaving well, or even what it would look like if he did, getting the results you want from your training will be much more difficult and in some cases, impossible. Here I teach you... (continued)

Positive change to positive training

Thanks for all your help with Charli and being so patient with us (mostly me!) as we transition to this new style of training. I found your advice really helpful, and we both saw the wisdom in it. We're both... (continued)

How to Safely Introduce Two Dogs On Leash

The way dogs meet and greet each other when they are on leash can make or break their relationship and how much they like each other from the start. In this video, I share a really simple exercise to safely... (continued)

Thank You Communicanine!

Thank you so much for taking on the challenge of training our little girl, Tia. You are the only one we had total trust and confidence in. Ulla, Doug & Tia the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier, 5 1/2 months old.... (continued)

Freedom is Earned, It's Not a Right

I know how important it is to you to be able to give your dog(s) off leash freedom. And as a trainer, I want nothing more than to help you teach them to listen reliably when they are off leash. You... (continued)

Puppy Socialization Tips While Social Distancing

If you’ve just brought a puppy home, you may be stressing out about how to socialize them right now with our current social distancing requirements. The good news is your pup doesn’t need to meet hundreds of people and dogs... (continued)

Introducing a New Dog Into Your Home

It's SO EXCITING bringing home a new dog, right?! And we all hope that the new dog will get along beautifully with the dogs we already have, but that isn't always what happens. So to increase the chances of getting... (continued)

Four Simple Ways to Stuff a Kong

I am ALL about problem behaviour prevention. After all, it's usually easier to prevent them than to fix them. Giving your dog something productive to focus on, like chewing on a well stuffed Kong, is one way to keep them... (continued)

Week Two: Learning the Come Command

In week two of our training series with reporter Maggie and 7 month old, Lucy, of A-channel's Breakfast Television, we reviewed last weeks loose leash walking lesson with and introduced the come command. Plus, we talked about the importance of... (continued)

Who's the Boss?

No, I’m not talking about the 80’s TV show. I’m talking about the question I regularly get asked by my clients about my dogs’ relationships to one another. My answer? All of them are. Contrary to what some dog trainers might have... (continued)

Preparing Your Dog Before Your First Baby Arrives

For some dogs, transitioning into life with a new baby is effortless. For others? Not so much. So I'm sharing with you some of the most important things to start teaching your dog NOW, before that baby arrives, that will... (continued)

How to Get the Perfect Dog

(As posted in Monday Magazine February 2014) Imagine taking your dog to the park or on a hike, letting him off leash and trusting him to come back when you call him? Or bringing him on your next family trip with... (continued)

Five Tips for Sending Your Dog to the Sitter

Most of us leave our dog sitters with a pretty comprehensive list of our dogs care instructions. In addition to that, here are 5 simple things you can do to minimize everyone's stress while you are away, especially in the... (continued)

Housetraining 101

While there are no shortcuts to housetraining a dog or puppy, there are plenty of things you need to do to ensure the process doesn't take an unnecessarily long amount of time. Whether it's a puppy I am raising or... (continued)

3 Tips to Help Reduce Barking When Your Dog is Alone

We all know what a nuisance barking can sometimes be (especially if you own a Terrier like I do!), so to help you maintain a good relationship with your neighbours, I'm sharing a few simples strategies about how to help... (continued)

Five Tips to Stop Your Puppy From Biting

We all know that puppies have sharp teeth, but how do we teach them to be more gentle with them?? Here are 5 strategies to help you get through that nasty puppy mouthing stage without turning yourself into a human... (continued)

Dog-to-Dog Introductions: The Fearful Dog

When you have a fearful dog, introducing it to other dogs isn't as simple as it is for an outgoing dog. Here I teach you a really simple approach to help give your dog exposure to other dogs without stressing... (continued)

Building Comfort Around Your Dogs Food Bowl

True or False: You need to take your dogs food away from him while he's eating to teach him that you're allowed to do that. This video answers that and gives you a two-part exercise on how to a) teach a... (continued)

Teaching "Go Potty" on Command

This week I'm sharing with you one of my FAVOURITE life hacks - how to teach your dog to go to the bathroom on command! This has saved me so much time in waiting for busy or distracted dogs that... (continued)

Lessons From a Dog Trainer: How I Got in My Own Way

Some days when I am out with my dog, Cricket, I act like anything BUT a dog trainer. I repeat commands, I get angry and irritated and I lose all sense and reason.There have even been days when I've felt... (continued)

Why Visiting The Vet May Solve Your Dogs Problem Behaviour

Behaviour problems can have many root causes. Many years ago when I worked as a veterinary technician, a client brought in a new dog who hadn't been to a vet in many years. She was 7 years old, growled at... (continued)