The Dog Blog

A Free Resource for
New and Experienced Owners

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Dogs Still Need to Be Dogs

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

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)

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)

Pulling on Leash

One of the biggest complaints I get from owners is that their dogs pull on leash. Here I explain why your dog still pulls despite any training you may have done and a simple exercise to start teaching your dog... (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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Fun with Tricks: Teaching the 'Leg Weave'

Keeping your dog mentally and physically stimulated can be really challenging, especially if you have a high energy dog or one that is recovering from an injury. Teaching tricks is a great way to combat boredom while building a better... (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)

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)

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)

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)

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 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)

Trail Etiquette: 5 Ways to Share the Trails

We undoubtedly live in one of THE. BEST. places to walk our dogs in all of Canada, but sometimes we share very different views on how to best share our walking spaces. Here are 5 simple etiquette tips for you... (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)

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)

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)

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)

"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)

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)

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)

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)

Week One: Learning Loose Leash Walking

In week one of our training series with reporter Maggie of A-channel’s Breakfast Television, we introduce Maggie, her 7 month old Labradoodle, and teach the fundamentals of loose leash walking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV5M82V5cJk Additional Lessons: Week 2 – Learning the “Come” Command Week... (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)

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)

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)

The Journey Is the Destination

I was talking to a client after class the other night about some of the challenges he’d been having with his young pup, the biggest of which being that she wouldn’t come when he called her. He mentioned that he’d... (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)

Come Command Do's and Don't's

'Come' is the one command that almost everyone struggle's with at some point and, for some of you, that struggle is a daily occurrence. Let's be honest, most of us (yes, even me) have had the experience of being left... (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)

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)