Conversations with a Dog Trainer

  Our dogs need physical exercise, we all know that. You hear all the time about how you should be taking your dog on walks every day to meet their exercise needs. Do you know though, that you need to meet their mental stimulation needs as well? A lot of our dogs stay home while we are at work or school during the day. When we do not meet our dog's energy outlet needs, they tend to find a way to get rid of that energy. Usually, it's by doing something we won't like, such as playing tug with the curtains, playing with the oversized stuffed toys on the sofa, (throw pillows) or scavenging for super yummy treats that were hidden in that tall can thing in the kitchen (trash can).   There are ways that we can help our dogs burn energy mentally just like we do physically. A lot of the time mental exercise can be even more exhausting than physical exercise. The following are interactive food toys that you can get on Amazon. Snuffle Mat These are used to feed your dog their ...

It takes time, patience and dedication to train your dog. Think of it as a journey.  When you go on a road trip, you need a plan and an idea of where you want to go and what you are going to do when you get there. You most likely would have planned out your route and got your map ready on your gps.  Granted there are some that just say "Let's get in the car and just drive".  I however, am NOT one of those people.  Dog training is also not one of the things that can fall under that free for all mindset either.  You need to know what it is you are going to be teaching over all so that you don't shoot yourself in the foot.  So I have two in-board service dogs that I am training.  They are both young retriever puppies and love having something in their mouth.  It's not always the things they are allowed to carry in their mouths.  I heard my husband saying to one of them Leave it. I looked and she had my slipper in her mouth.  My normal res...