Dog Training – Puppy and Dog Training

From Chaos to Good Dog: Raising Your Puppy the Right Way, One Follow-Through at a Time

October 17, 2026 by Maureen

A chewed-up living room in soft morning light: a shoe gnawed into three pieces on a rug, a small puddle near the front door, and a puppy curled asleep on a sofa cushion looking inn

Your shoe is in three pieces, there is a puddle by the door, and the puppy who caused both is asleep on the sofa looking innocent.

Meet the Chihuahua

October 17, 2026 by Maureen

Two chihuahuas sitting side by side on a cream linen blanket in soft window light: a glossy short-haired fawn smooth coat and a long coat in cream and tan with feathered ears and a pl

If you are looking for chihuahua breed information before bringing one home, the useful questions are practical ones.

Doberman – “The Velcro Dog”

October 16, 2026October 16, 2026 by Maureen

I have to start by saying the Doberman is my favourite breed of dog. I have owned Dobermans for over forty years and to me they are a great dog to own. The only thing better than owning a Doberman is owning 2 Dobermans. Can you tell that I may be a wee bit prejudice? … Read more

Learning How To Train Your Dog To Do Tricks Can Be a Lot of Fun

March 12, 2025September 21, 2017 by Maureen

Training a dog can be quite rewarding. The more you put into it the more you get out of it. Most dog owners will take the time to train their dogs the basic commands like sit, stay, come, heel and down. Often they will leave it at that but some dog owners like to show … Read more

Hearing Dogs For Deaf People

September 8, 2017September 7, 2017 by Maureen

I read an interesting article online the other day about what a non-profit organization in Japan is doing about the problem of abandoned dogs. This organization, although they cannot rescue all the dogs, have opened a facility in Yokohama, Japan that will implement a training program for these abandoned dogs to be trained as service dogs … Read more

Establish Yourself As Pack Leader

April 21, 2019June 17, 2017 by Maureen

Dog training has changed a lot over the last few years and one term we have been hearing more and more often is “Pack Leader”. Is it important to establish yourself as pack leader? Will it help to train your dog better? Will your dog listen to you more if you are the pack leader?

Many dog owners are now desperate to find out how they can become the pack leader. They are tired of being taken for a walk, being yapped at when the dog wants something etc. Dog owners want to be in charge in all situations and they want to know how their dog will respond to unfamiliar things when they are out and about.

As a responsible dog owner you need to understand how a dog pack works. When you grasp that you will also understand why it is so important that you be in charge and not your dog. If you let your dog be the pack leader he or she will eventually make a mistake and there may be dire consequences to that mistake.

Are Dominant Dogs Trainable?

August 18, 2017March 4, 2016 by Maureen

Have you ever had a dog that you considered aggressive towards other dogs? Have you ever been in the situation that when you are walking your dog you run into another dog and your normally calm dog turns into Cujo.

training dominant dogs — pulling on leash

You usually tend to do a couple of things. Maybe when you see the dog approach you cross the road to avoid him or you may just stop walking your dog altogether.

Your dog’s actions are controlling your actions. So this can only mean one thing. Between you and your dog, your dog is the boss when it comes to your relationship. He is the one calling the shots not you.

Sure you have tried pulling on the leash, tried a different collar or even a harness, maybe you have even tried to entice him with treats to no avail.

You need to take back your rightful position in your pack. You need to be the leader not the follower you have become.

You see your dog as aggressive but he is also dominant. A dominant dog is only doing his job and that is to protect the pack even if you are the only other member of the pack. Anything that he deems a threat to himself and you he is going to react in protect mode, thus the aggression.

Deciding How To Train Your Dog

March 12, 2025January 31, 2016 by Maureen

When you first bring that cute little puppy home have you given any thought as to how you are going to train your dog? If this is your first dog you may have not looked at all your options when it comes to the training of your new puppy.

Of course we all know one of the first things we will train our dog to do is to go potty in a designated spot. Now is this spot going to be in the house on a pee pad or outside in the backyard? Maybe you are going to first teach your puppy to go on a pee pad and then later train your puppy to go outside.

Reasons That Can Affect How You Train Your Dog

March 12, 2025November 29, 2015 by Maureen

Medical

Before you start to train your dog it is a good idea to make sure your dog is healthy. Unforeseen medical conditions may affect the way your dog responds to certain stimuli.

One such ailment that could affect your dog’s behaviour is hip dysplasia and related arthritic conditions. In the early stages these medical conditions could go unnoticed. If you are trying to teach your dog to sit and you try and force the dog to sit by pushing on his back-end this may cause severe pain to your dog. The pain may make your dog react by biting you.

Another medical condition that may affect your dog can be various skin diseases. Your dog may be prone to ear infection and suffer from allergies. The itch caused from the skin and the ear will cause your dog to scratch a lot. When not properly attended to your dog may then develop very bad body odour.

Ways To Stop Dogs From Digging

April 21, 2019November 23, 2015 by Maureen

Well here we go again another problem that many dog owners have. They want to find ways to stop dogs from digging. Now you are going to see a common thread when we approach any behavioural problem we have with our four-legged buddies. The common thread is for every issue we have with our dog’s behaviour we need to find out the cause of the problem before we find a solution to it.