Today, I wanted to discuss with you guys the different types of corrections that all trainers use. I know, this can be a little controversial. Yes, ALL trainers use corrections, even the positive-only trainers. The nice thing about being a balanced trainer is that you can say both yes and no to your dog, depending on whether we choose to encourage or discourage a behavior. Keep in mind, that to your dog, if you don’t say no, that’s an automatic yes.

Today I wanted to address an issue that we hear about a lot here at Ruff Beginnings Rehab; Leash Reactivity. Several clients have talked about how their dogs are fabulous with other dogs off-leash, such as at the dog park, but on-leash the behavior leaves much to be desired.

When it comes to potty training a dog, regardless of age, the first step is to not allow an opportunity for it to happen. You may be asking, how do I do that? I can’t be on top of my dog all the time. I’d like to relax, too! Not to worry, it’s quite simple, really. When you’re home, you can tether your dog to you by keeping them on a leash. Tether this leash to you. Either to your wrist, or to your belt. This prevents your dog from being able to sneak off somewhere to eliminate within...

Leadership: That word gets thrown around as much as motivation guru’s talk about positive thinking and how it improves quality of life over all. Both of those things are very important, except we tend to not really, really listen. We know we should do it, but life gets in the way. Well, I am hear to tell you (though I know you know, but bear with me) that without leadership, you are likely to struggle with your dogs behavioral issues for life and if you have a new dog, without leadership that...