Oh Behave!

I’ve been off the web for a little while. As much as I love blogging about dogs and dog training, major taxing life events have interrupted. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, writing feels like a task I’m not quite prepared for. The ideas don’t flow like they used to when I was blogging regularly. Sentences feel awkward and strained. The words on the screen don’t seem to fully capture what I want to say. . . I’m rusty.

You may be wondering what any of this has to do with dog training. Good question. Continue Reading

What do good manners and playing with your food have to do with one another?

Everything . . . if you’re a dog!

One of the best and easiest things you can do to enrich your dog’s life and lay a foundation for polite dog behavior is encourage him to play with his food. Food puzzle toys abound – nifty contraptions into which you stuff food or treats, and give to your dog to “solve” so he can eat what’s inside. Continue Reading

Sometimes I’m a little behind. I just learned about this terrific cause/movement called Blog the Change for Animals, which takes place today, July 15 and on 3 other days during the year. I’m adding this post to the mix hoping to inspire you to do something to help animals in need.

I’m thinking of senior dogs, the ones who are so often rejected by shelters or overlooked by potential adopters. Those graying muzzles, those slow careful gaits, those soft sweet eyes. . . I’m thinking of Rocky, a senior chihuahua-terrier shelter dog in my last East Bay SPCA humane education class, who stole my heart with his lavish affection for any and every human, his love of food and training, and his happy goofy personality. He was adopted by a family who seemed to be enamored of him from the get-go and didn’t mind his advanced years in the least. Continue Reading