The last few days have been a whirlwind. From the good: we gained a new service pup in-training. To the sad: turn-in day for Schooner. Everything happened in less than 24 hours and I was emotionally exhausted after the entire ordeal. I’ll catch you up on the details of each event and introduce you to […]
Easy Dog Training Treats on the Run
Schooner is in socialization overdrive right now. I’m finding places to go every day so I can get him out and around lots of different sights and sounds. The more he sees in a happy and comfortable way, the less excited he’ll be when it’s time for him to settle in and get to work […]
My “Take Your Dog to Work Day” is a Little Different
The first Take Your Dog to Work Day was in 1999. We’ve come a long way, baby! 300 companies participated in that first year. Now, thousands of companies are having dogs at work today! Rocky, the Original I started taking a dog to work in 2001. Rocky, our first service dog in-training, came to work with […]
Fixing Your Dog’s Problems
Schooner, the service dog in training, had his monthly check-in at the service dog organization and we ran into some interesting dog training problems. A couple of comments from blog readers appreciated my honesty in writing about the problems. Yes, even professional dog trainers have trouble. I’m already working on Schooner’s issues and here’s our plan […]
Stinky Dog
Great Danes amuse me for so many reasons. I think their sheer size is comical for starters. When you add in their vocalizations, things start to get really funny. Topping it off are their facial expressions. I can’t take it, they crack me up. Is it just me? Takea look at the video and let […]
7 Easy Steps to Teach Your Dog “Leave It”
Seven Easy Steps to Teach “Leave It” December 2012 Here’s the situation: you’re struggling to open a child-resistant cap from a big bottle of Tylenol. Before you know it, the lid pops off and the bottle shoots through the air, spilling Tylenol all over the floor. Your dog comes running, eager to gobble up the […]
Dogs in Public: Lessons Learned by Doing
If you want your dog to behave in public, you have to teach him in public. Teaching your dog at home or at obedience class is a good start, but if you expect that teaching to carry over to “real life,” you’re going to have to work in that situation. Because public work is a […]
Bittersweet: Siena’s Got a Home
Sweet Siena, the loveliest spotted Great Dane, has a wonderful new home. Anytime one of “my” dogs (not really mine, by the way — all these dogs are really Service Dogs of Virginia‘s dogs, I just raise them) goes to a new home, whether they’re placed as service dogs or are career changed like Siena, […]
Service Dog Training: What It Takes to Make a Good Service Dog
Lots of people say “I think my dog would be a good service dog, he’s so friendly!” Truth is, it’s really hard to become a service dog. Friendliness is just one of the many things a dog needs to be good at to meet the high standards of service work. As we evaluate our latest […]
Dog Training: Ask the Trainer – How to Teach Your Dog Without the Word “No”
Siena is our 13th service dog we’ve had a hand in raising. And she’s the 13th dog that doesn’t know what the word “no” means. How can that be, I hear you saying. She must be a monster if you don’t say “no.” She, like the other dogs we’ve raised, are very well behaved […]