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Five Great Dog Training Tips

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We were at a home dog training session recently and our client was really passionate about being a great dog owner. “I really want to be a great dog owner but there are so many opinions and suggestions of what I should do!  Are there some general things that I really need to focus on?” There are bookstores and on-line resources just packed full of dog books.  If we wanted to, we could spend years just reading about what we should do with our dogs.  I don’t know about you, but I have would rather spend that time enjoying my dog.  With that in mind, let me cut to the chase and give you the five "you really shoulds" for your dog: First, good dog owners walk and exercise their dogs . Most dogs love to run and play. It is both a physical and mental release and helps keep them emotionally happy and physically strong.  Feed a good quality food . Good nutrition is one way a dog owner can proactively make a difference in their dog's health. Over the past two decades
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Last Minute Tips Keeping My Dog Safe for Christmas

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By now I have been given multiple tips to keep everything great for my doggie and guests during the Holidays.  I have had a few people over up to now.  The main event is about to occur.  Is there anything else I should think about now that we are finishing the tree and taking all the presents out of our closets and putting them around the tree?  EVERYONE is coming over on Christmas day, so it will be very busy and crazy.  What are my last tips? The Holiday Season has been going on for the last few weeks, but for many of us, it is now “show time”.  Without trying to overwhelm you with an entire list of every possible thing you might experience, we would like to focus on just a few items.  These are the items that you and your dog are about to experience within the next two days.  So let’s get going: Your Christmas Tree:   Decorations… Now is the time that you are finishing decorating your tree with balls and tinsel.   If your dog is “ball crazy”, you could be encourag
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Bufo Frog Threat to Your Dog

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As we start to get more rain down here in South Florida, I am seeing more and more baby frogs under bushes, by the back gate, and even sitting in the middle of the street. Some of my friends say they are really bad, but aren't they just frogs?  They just hop away when you walk by and eat flys.  Right? You couldn't be more wrong!  Bufo frogs in South Florida are incredibly dangerous to our dogs and other pets!  This is the first time that I have ever used red, bold lettering in one of my blogs, but I am really serious on this one.  If your dog gets into a tussle with a Bufo frog, he could be dead in a matter of hours! Like many of the other "out of control" animals and plants in South Florida, Bufo frogs were introduced with poor foresight and zero planning.  They were originally introduced in Palm Beach County in 1936 to try and control sugar cane pests and were reintroduced near the Miami Airport through 1955.  They generally range up to nine inches in width
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Wolfie and the Elevator

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What can you do with a dog that is slightly fearful of other dogs and you live in a building and have to use the elevator? Let me tell you one thing for sure.  You don't want to force Wolfie into a situation where he is placed in a fight or flight situation in a confined environment (like an elevator).  You don't want to let the other dog in the elevator and do something like move to the corner of the elevator and hold him on a very tight leash or pick him up and firmly hold him.  When you are doing these things, you are placing Wolfie in an unsafe situation.  As the "Alpha Leader", you never want to put your pack or any members of your pack in an unsafe situation.  You are now "telling" Wolfie that you are a bad leader and don't have the ability to keep him safe.  This means that Wolfie will step up to be the leader and will take a more aggressive stance in the elevator (bad!). We must understand that as the Alpha Leader, it is our biggest r
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