“How do I get my dog to stop using the bathroom in the house?” is a question I receive on a near-daily basis. Whether adult dog or puppy, potty training
Dogs and Children: Appropriate Interactions Between
Dogs and children are very much alike. There are many similarities between dogs and children, including how they learn, their play styles, how their social skills are formed when growing
No Bark, All Bite: The dangerous consequences of bark collars
Whether the sound is “woof, woof,woof,” “bork, bork, bork,” or “yip, yip, yip,” we can all agree that there is a certain line between acceptable dog barking and barking that
Thunder Scared: does your dog suffer during thunder storms?
Even though we are nearing the end of summer, we are still amid thunderstorm season. Whether it’s heavy rain or a light sprinkle mixed with light rumbles or heavy crashes
The Mouse That Dropped the Dog Trainer
In order to break up some seriousness and add some lighthearted humor, I have decided to take a different turn on this blog post. Today, due to popular demand, I
Understanding Reactivity Thresholds in Our Dogs
A common thought process that I encourage a lot of people to consider is what I call, “Reactivity Threshold.” This is something that I explain to many of my students
The Problems with Positive Punishment
Recently I talked to a woman who came through looking at “No Pull” harnesses for her young boxer. When I talked to her about his pulling, she opened up that
“Wrong Prong”– Miscommunication and Wrong Association
It happened. These are the frustrating moments that we so frequently hear about, but now have witnessed it firsthand. A few weeks ago, one of my colleague’s former students came
The Importance of Socialization
The undeniable importance of early socialization cannot be understated. The goal period for socialization is 7-24 weeks old. The rule of thumb for puppy socialization is to make it a
When Passions Merge
My name is David and I’m the full-time dog trainer at Petco in Barboursville, WV. My dog training journey started in 2015 when I was working as a Correctional Officer for the