“Where’s my reward?” It’s normal for a dog to expect a reinforcer after listening to a cue and performing the behavior. Even after a behavior she’s done for years and years. If you don’t reinforce with food, the behavior will weaken and eventually, disappear. So ask yourself when your dog stops responding as she used to, “Have I been periodically rewarding the behavior I’m cuing?” When dressing up a dog in a holiday costume, even if it’s a simple fluffy {Read More}
Five Reasons To Feed Your Dog On A Schedule
June 6, 2022 by
Why should dogs be fed on a daily schedule rather than free fed? 1. If you’re housetraining a dog or puppy, putting the pooch on a routine feeding schedule will help regulate the when and where of the output. 2. Leaving food out all day makes for stale food, but keeping food in a sealed container or bag prior to feeding your dog keeps the food fresh and tasty. 3. Food left out all day will attract ants, flies, and {Read More}
Bath Etiquette Training With A Pittie Puppy
January 8, 2022 by
Astrid was a 4-month-old Pittie who joined the Love Wags A Tail board-and-train program to learn basic puppy manners. At one point, she needed a bath, and I quickly found out that she was “allergic” to water. She fought me every step of the way during the bathing process. I couldn’t imagine what the next 10-plus years would be like for the owners of this precious pup every time they wanted to bathe her. As many people know, Pitties are {Read More}
The Dachshund Fickle Pickle
July 24, 2021 by
Bean the Dachshund visits me occasionally for boarding. This puppy had already been through housetraining and puppy board-and-train. Now, when his mom drops him off, he beomes Mr. Hyde. Is he friendly then? Not at all! If I dare to pick him up while his mom is near, he would likely display teeth and use them! So I don’t do that. When the coast is clear and he and I are alone, he turns into Dr. Jeckyll. He is sweet {Read More}
Housetraining A Puppy In The Rain
July 7, 2021 by
Elsa was a wet weather phenomenon over our yard. Wet weather or not, I had a client’s Pug puppy to housetrain. So we put on our big girl pants and got to work on the housetraining job under a purple parasol while the rains came down. Luna the Pug and I were out for her first morning walk. We sheltered under the awnings to avoid the hard rains, and ventured out when the drops softened a bit. We celebrated when {Read More}
