The Dog Blog

A Free Resource for
New and Experienced Owners

Week Three: Discouraging Jumping & Moving to More Distracting Environments

In week three of our training series with reporter Maggie of A-channel’s Breakfast Television and her 7 month old Labradoodle, Lucy, we talk about how to discourage your dog from jumping up on you. We also discuss why it's important... (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)

Teaching Your Dog To Be Calm

Do you have a dog that can’t settle down, especially when there is a lot of activity going on around them? Or a dog who prefers to constantly play or be busy instead of calm and relaxed, regardless of how... (continued)

The Key to Successfully Training Your Dog

We all admire those well trained dogs at the park or out walking with their owners and wish ours listened like that, too. Well, yours CAN listen like that and all it takes is doing this one simple step. Until next... (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)

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)

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)

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)

Socialization Myths: Part 2

This is part 2 of the series uncovering some of the more common misunderstandings about how and why to socialize your dog. This video will explain: ~ the behaviour changes you can expect as your dog grows up from a puppy... (continued)

{{content:words:40}}... (continued)

Getting the right focus

As I have a high drive dog, I have had many challenges curbing her energy and focusing her on a goal that is mine, not hers. Darcie is right on top of Sam's every move, never missing a prick of... (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)

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)

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)

Dogs and Calculus

When we raise our children from babies, it is understood and expected that they won’t understand our language or know our rules. We know that it will be our job to teach them, step by step, and then to remind... (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)

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)

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)

Picking the Right Dog

Stay connected with me on Facebook and Twitter. We all go into purchasing or adopting a new dog with high hopes and expectations, but it doesn't always work out for the best. Here I explain how to determine what the best... (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)

Halloween Safety Tips

????Happy Halloween!!???? Although tonight is going to be a fun night for most of the kiddos, for many dogs it’s going to involve a lot more stress. People moving around in strange looking costumes, non-stop strangers at the door and, the... (continued)

My Top 6 Must Read Dog Books

As winter approaches, there's no better time then the present to curl up on your couch with a warm blanket, hot cup of tea and a great book to learn more about the dogs you love and share your life... (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)

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)

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)

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)

Dog Park Etiquette: Are We Having Fun Yet? Understanding Body Language in Play

Let’s talk about play. What’s normal and what’s not? What’s okay and what’s pushing the limit of appropriate? How do I know if my dog is being too aggressive or if he is feeling uncomfortable? Everyone you ask will have a... (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)

Teach Your Dog To 'Get Dressed'

Does your dog play keep away when you want to put his collar, harness or head halter on? Here’s a simple hack: teach them how to co-operatively suit up to make heading out the door a hundred times easier.Please note:... (continued)

Teaching a Release Cue

As important as it is to teach your dog what sit and down mean, it's equally as important to teach them a release cue so that they know when those tasks are complete. Otherwise, how would they know when they... (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)

Is Your Dog A Strong Puller? Try This

Head halters can be a really useful tool, especially if you have a powerful puller or a dog that is reactive when out on walks, as they give you way more control. The downside is very few dogs take to... (continued)

Week Four: Road Test – Taking Our Leash Manners to the City

In week four of our training series with reporter Maggie of A-channel’s Breakfast Television and her 7 month old Labradoodle, Lucy, we take the show on the road and do our lesson in downtown Sidney. We talk about how to... (continued)

Three Steps to Living With a Problem Free Dog

We all want live with a dog that has no issues. While there's no such thing as the perfect dog, there are 3 simple things you can do to ensure that your puppy or adult dog develops into one you... (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)

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)

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)

Balance in Exercise

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time telling people to change how they exercise their dogs. It is a common misconception - and one that I, myself, used to perpetuate - that dogs need a good hour or... (continued)

Dogs Still Need to Be Dogs

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

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)

Three Easy Ways to Make Training Fun

Have you ever noticed that when you're having fun learning something, not only do you learn it faster, but you can't wait to do it again? Dog training is exactly the same - if either you or your dog are... (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)

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)

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)

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)

Week Five: Teaching a Dog Not to Jump Up

In week five of our training series with reporter Maggie of A-channel’s Breakfast Television and her 7 month old Labradoodle, Lucy, we not only talk about how to discourage your dog from jumping up on you when you come home... (continued)

Week Six: A Wrap-up and Review at the Park

In week six of our training series with reporter Maggie of A-channel’s Breakfast Television and her 7 month old Labradoodle, Lucy, we wrap up our lessons with a quick overview of what we covered, a demo of Maggie's now excellent... (continued)

Proper Dog Etiquette

Is it appropriate to let your dog greet and play with every dog they meet on the street? Since dogs are social creatures, do they need to make new friends every day? What do you do if you're walking your... (continued)

Teaching Your Dog To Love Being Caught

If you have a dog who refuses to be caught when he is off leash, always running away every time you reach for him, this video is for you. For some dogs, playing the Gotcha Game alone has completely curbed... (continued)