Dogs live in the now and that’s one of the many things I love about them. I also love how dogs learn from associations. The key components of our daily routines help dogs learn how to adjust their behavior to best suit their needs. When I get ready for bed each night, I take the barrier to the bed away. I keep an ex-pen panel on the bed during the day because one of my dogs urinates on the bed {Read More}
Bunny Ears on Your Dog
April 18, 2014 by
Would you like to put bunny ears on your dog, so you can take a few memorable Easter pictures? There’s a first time for everything, and this was the first time this adolescent Elkhound wore bunny ears. You can almost hear him howling, “Help me!” So how do we help him? There’s a little trick to this. And it works. Contact me if you’d like help with teaching your dog to get used to bunny ears, or any other head {Read More}
Cows Jump For Joy
April 13, 2014 by
It’s hard to watch this without wondering. Just because we have the upper hand in the way things are run on this planet and just because they don’t, is it really appropriate how we treat them and use them for our benefit? There’s more to cows than meat, milk, and leather. Apparently, they love life as much as we do. By Helen Verte Positive Dog Trainer in Broward County Fort Lauderdale
Walks With My Dog
April 8, 2014 by
I love going on walks with my dogs. Not taking them for walks, but going on walks with them. They have a say on what we do as much as I do. Why shouldn’t they? They’re part of my life, and I want them to enjoy their time on planet earth, too. One of the things dogs love to do is sniff. This is Dudley and he could take an hour-long walk in a 100 square-foot area if there were {Read More}
Dogs and Destructive Chewing
April 5, 2014 by
We call dogs who chew our stuff destructive chewers, but in reality, they really don’t know the difference between their stuff and ours. They have an internal program running that makes them want to chew, shred, express themselves. And sometimes the target of their behavior can get them into really big trouble, through no fault of their own. They were only doing what their hardwired dog brains told them to do. With management and training implemented, however, the behavior of {Read More}
Aggression
April 2, 2014 by
Dogs who are displaying aggression with teeth showing, snarling and barking, are unnerving to most of us and can be embarrassing if we’re out in public with a reactive, teeth baring pet. After all, dogs are our companions and we sometimes forget that they also have a powerful set of teeth that they can call upon when threatened. Dogs display aggressive behavior to create space. Either they want someone to leave, or they are willing to leave. Whichever the case, {Read More}
Door Dashing
March 30, 2014 by
When you open a door, is it a race between you and your dog who gets out first? Or if in the car, does your dog barrel over or through you to hit the pavement first? Do you feel angst when you’re about to open a door because your dog may get loose and you’ll be unable to catch him? That thought is a dog parent’s worst nightmare, especially when the worst case scenario is the outcome. This behavior of {Read More}
Dogs Who Jump on People
March 27, 2014 by
Puppies who jump on people are cute and manageable. In fact, most of them can be picked up when they jump, but they’re being rewarded for the deed every time they’re picked up. But as puppies grow, their jumping habits also grow because of the encouragement they received through the months of their youth. Then they get yelled at or worse, when all along, they were encouraged to jump, most likely by owners who weren’t thinking ahead and didn’t know {Read More}
A Dog Not Allowed On The Bed!?!?
March 24, 2014 by
Dogs know when they can behave without getting reprimanded, and when they cannot. In this case, apparently, the guardian of this dog doesn’t allow her dog on the bed. I know people have rules like that, and we can train dogs to stay off furniture, but they do learn when it’s safe to get up on that bed and when it’s not. Dogs who learn this, and any dog who’s a dog can learn this, are not being dominant or {Read More}
Dog Training Is Unregulated
March 22, 2014 by
Jean Donaldson of The Academy for Dog Trainers “Informed consent means no obfuscating language regarding motivators. Owners should ask any dog trainer what actual physical events will be used to motivate their dogs, as well as whether there are less invasive methods and procedures available to achieve outcomes.” Jean is my brilliant mentor and that is her gorgeous Chow Chow, Buffy. Ask me these questions, and I will be happy to answer you. When I train dogs, motivation is fun {Read More}
Equal and Appropriate Pay or Else
March 18, 2014 by
Here’s an amusing, but telling video, on how animals distinguish equal pay for equal work. In this case, capuchin monkeys. Keep in mind, that we are told that the same experiment was done with other animals besides the monkeys, including dogs. I am assuming the same results were produced. This leads me to conclude that, if we have and are working with multiple dogs, we should reward them with equal pay for equal work. Otherwise we may hear from their {Read More}
Funny Bones on St Patty’s Day
March 16, 2014 by
As much as it’s painful to lose a beloved dog, as we truly have a short time with them, during that shared time, there is so much room for laughter. Through training times and through day-to-day life. That’s one thing about dog parenting I appreciate, a dog with a sense of humor. I’ve had more dogs with senses of humor than not; and though I loved them all, the ones with humor dug a deeper wedge in my heart. Even {Read More}
What Breaks Your Heart?
March 14, 2014 by
Pippin Verte Schwarzmann March 3, 2002 to February 24, 2014 Leissl Verte Schwarzmann April 27, 2001 to August 16, 2013 Bouchard Verte Schwarzmann January 10, 2003 – June 17, 2013 Oliver Verte Schwarzmann December 1, 2001 – July 16, 2012 Baby Verte Schwarzmann April 28, 1997 – June 1, 2010 Ginger Verte Schwarzmann March 3, 1999 – November 9, 2009 Regis Verte Schwarzmann Deceber 15, 1996 – January 4, 2009 By Helen Verte Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, {Read More}
The Privilege of Meeting Our Own Maturity
March 12, 2014 by
St. Patty’s day is just a few days away, and today, I ran across some excellent Irish wisdom, so I thought I’d share. This one brings tears out of one of my eyes, and a gleam of gratitude out of the other. We all age, and mostly it seems to happen at an insignificant rate. Until one day. One day, we look in the mirror and wonder how maturity settled in so fast. It’s a shock. I was speaking to {Read More}
You Can Change Your Opinion
March 6, 2014 by
I often wonder if, out of all the careers on the planet, dog training isn’t the one with the most old wives’ tales still on the table and being used by some industry professionals. Or old husbands’ tales. Let’s not be sexist. One of the big reasons for that conundrum is the fact that dog training is an unregulated profession. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can call themselves a pro dog trainer, have their set of old wives’ tales playing {Read More}
