Exercising Your Dog Safely in the Summer Heat
The dog days of summer are here! We just got through our first couple of heat waves, and we all know that there are more around the corner. Recently, on a particularly hot day, a client asked, “What do you do with your dogs on days like this?” So, this month I’m diving in to answer that question! How do we provide enough exercise and enrichment for our dogs when it’s way too hot to safely spend much time outside? It’s easier than you might think!
5 Things NOT to Do to Resolve Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety
Last month I discussed 5 things you can to do to resolve separation anxiety and/or separation distress. This month, let’s talk about 5 things not to do.
Before You Leave! Preparing Your Newly Adopted Dog to be Left Home Alone
Congratulations on bringing home your new dog! It’s an exciting time and there’s lots to do in order to help your dog transition into their new home. Along with picking out the perfect food, treats, toys and the comfiest dog bed, you’ll also want to prepare them for important life skills like spending time alone in their new home. Preparing them properly for alone time will help minimize separation related problem behaviors like separation anxiety or isolation distress.
To Crate Train or Not to Crate Train My Dog?
“Should I crate my dog?”
“Crating my dog seems cruel. Won’t he be sad?”
“I’d prefer if my dog slept in her crate at night rather than with me. Is that ok?”
These are some of the common questions I get asked pertaining to crate training a dog. In fact, the topic of crating a dog can spark some pretty polarizing debates.
So, should you crate your dog or not? Well, like many dog training questions, the answer is, “it depends.”
The Story of How Training Saved My Dog’s Lives
A couple of years ago my dogs gave me quite the scare by putting their dog training to the test. It was shortly after moving into our (then) new home and we were so excited because Shiloh and Roxi finally had a beautiful, fully fenced backyard to run in. All was good! That is, ‘til one morning, while I was outside on a Zoom call letting the dogs play in the sun, when I realized it was WAY too quiet. Something wasn’t right.
Help! I Think My Dog Has Separation Anxiety!
Does your dog bark it’s head off when you leave the house?
Or, maybe you’ve come home to your house utterly destroyed (how can they do THAT much damage in such a short period of time!?)
And what the heck, now they seem to have suddenly forgotten all of the potty training you’ve taught them because you’re finding puddles and piles upon your return. You took them out right before you left, surely they could have held it!