The fruits of our labor and being thankful

If you are a dog trainer, how many times do you feel you are dragging yourself out of bed early to go train when you really just want to stay under those warm covers and sleep some more? Sometimes it may be training after a long day of work when  you’d rather...

Advocating for your dog at trials

We all know we need to be an advocate for our dogs ALWAYS. This means not putting them in an unsafe situation or not letting someone treat them inappropriately, etc. When we are trialing and under rules of an organization/exercise we can sometimes lose our judgement...

Training a young intact male

What I’ve learned about training my young intact male: I’m not more interesting than dog pee or dog smells. Food is not always a motivator, nor worth eating at meals. Toys are not always a motivator. Trying to get him to stop sniffing is futile and adds...

Being with dogs

Why do you like being with your dog(s)?  So much has changed with dog “ownership” since my childhood. Let’s call it companionship, as that sounds more like what it means to me! My dogs are my companions. More than a pet and a teammate, but also those...