Ah, back to school….. I remember that wonderful feeling of “Oh Thank Goodness, it’s finally back to school time” when my kids were growing up. All summer long spent keeping the kids (and dogs) busy in that constant chaos we call Summer! It was a relief when the kids were back to school and my own personal routine became my own again. From our dog’s perspective however, they’ve gone from kids being home, lots of crazy energy, constant play, and constant companionship to empty bedrooms, quiet...

Hand targeting is one of the easiest behaviors to teach your dog. Your dog targets everything with their nose, we simply give their nose something to run into - the palm of our hand. Our hand goes down, the dog runs their nose into our palm, we mark and reward the “touch” Great, we have a dog who will happily target our hand. But now what? Why are we teaching our dog to target our hand? It’s cute, it’s fun for the dog, it’s easy. But what’s the practical purpose? Here’s a few great...

What’s in a name? We spend a lot of time naming our puppy. Whether it be a name that reminds you of a happy place, or a name you think is cool, or a sport you love, etc., you spent considerable time coming up with the perfect name for your dog! Your dog honestly doesn’t care what you call him - he doesn’t speak English, or for that matter, human. He hears sounds and syllables, and sometimes those sounds and syllables have meanings. But his name is important, whatever that name may be, and...