Traveling With Your Dog Should Not Be Stressful!

With so many people getting vaccinated, our long-awaited vacation plans will finally happen in the coming months (fingers crossed). Dog lovers often include their dogs in their travel plans because we love spending time with our animals, yet their presence can cause us to stress. What if they soil inside? What if they break something? […]
The Compassionate Dog Trainer

Empathy is one of the most important skills we possess as humans. The ability to understand and relate to another person’s feelings from their point of view rather than our own. This provides healthy relationships in both our personal and professional lives. Empathy allows us to show compassion. Compassion is necessary when training dogs. Each […]
Why does my dog follow me around from the moment I walk in the door from work?

Why does my dog follow me around from the moment I walk in the door from work? We recently had this question to us. We like to invite our ISCDT students to reflect on the question before reading our response. Find out if your answer matches ours. Here is our response to this dog owner: There […]
When Is It Okay To Pet A Service Dog?

A reader asked us this question. While we do not train service dogs, we’ve had the pleasure of discussing the difference between a service dog and other dogs at local schools. Service dogs are different from therapy dogs and emotional support dogs. These dogs are not pets, rather they are working dogs with paramount jobs. […]
Why Does My Dog Lick and Hump Me?

In this blog we will answer a question from one of our podcast followers. He wanted to know: Why does my dog lick and hump me? I am going to begin with the humping issue and then follow with the licking issue. Why do dogs hump? Humping can be sexual in nature, especially for young, […]
Why Do Puppies Bark At Their Reflection?

What do puppies see when they look in the mirror? Most will see a playmate, while some others view the reflection as a canine intruder. One thing dogs will never understand is that they are looking at THEIR OWN reflection. Their brains are not wired the same way human brains are, meaning unlike us, dogs […]
Ask The Trainer: What breed of dog does not do well living in a multi-dog home?

Thank you for your question. I honestly do not like listing dog breeds that do well, or don’t do well, in a multi-dog home. The reason is because everyone has their own opinion. I have read articles that list the Golden Retriever and Maltese as dogs who do better living alone. While other articles list […]
Think You Suffer with Imposter Syndrome? Tips to Help!

Have you ever felt that your accomplishments were luck rather than actual achievements? Although you are skilled and educated in your field, you think you’re fooling people into believing you are good at your job. If this fits your mindset (either now or in the past), you have experienced imposter syndrome. Don’t worry because you […]
The Ultimate Guide For Families Considering A New Dog

Your client is considering a new dog. This is an exciting time for them. While it may have been a long-awaited decision, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t use only their heart when choosing a dog. When we rescue dogs with only our heart, we sometimes end up regretting that arrangement and in the […]
Know A Dog Who Fears Family Members? 10 Helpful Ideas

One of the most upsetting situations for a family with a newly adopted dog is learning that the dog fears one or more family members. Very often this fear is not realized until after the dog is in the home for a week or two. By that time the rest of the family has formed […]