Precious K9s Dog Blog
Is it time for you to add a new member to the family?
It is so exciting to bring a new puppy home. We get to go shopping.We take it everywhere with us and show everyone. It is exhausted by the end of each day and sleeps with us perfectly...Then we go back to real life...Now we have a little peeing, pooping, and sometimes...
When should you start training your new dog?
When should you start training your new dog?The long and short answer is..." Immediately"!First impressions are important with humans, but imagine what they are like for a dog... They are brought out of familiar surroundings and put into a whole new life. Sometimes...
Unwanted Behaviors
I often times start out a lesson listening to all of the things a dog does that the parents don't appreciate. "How can I get my dog to stop digging, barking, shredding my house, etc."? The long and short answer is...EXERCISE... Yep it's kind of that simple......
Can you fix every dog?
As a professional I am asked difficult questions weekly if not daily. One of the hardest questions I have been asked over the years is, "Can you fix my dog"? Unfortunately, the answer is more complicated than just "yes" or "no". Over the years I...
Resource Guarding
How many of you have brought home a new dog...loved everything about it...and then one day it growled or snapped at you over a toy, or it's food, or a piece of trash?!?! This is a behavior called Resource Guarding. It is a behavior all animals do to some extent....
Walking with your dog should be like therapy.
There aren't many things that are as relaxing as going on a long walk with your dog...right?! Okay, so some of you are laughing right now...but hang in here with me...Picture you and your dog on the perfect walk. Choose where you like to walk most...in the city,...
Dogs helping children
I was invited to speak last week at my children's school for career day. The school has a non verbal child that listens really well, but I noticed he was trying to find things to do with his hands a lot. The teacher asked if he could pet "V" the Pug, who has been...
Therapy with dogs in today’s world
These days dogs wear many hats in our lives. They can be the smiling face we love to see when we get home, the constant companion on the go with us for the day, and the reason a person having a bad day looks forward to a better future. Of course, there are a million...
My new blog
This is a new blog that I am going to use as a place to talk about the things that come up in my giant world of dog training. There are many days that I would just love to tell someone about the class I had, or the client that was trying so hard to save their dog....
What is really happening when you punish a behavior out of your dog?
All to often I have people tell me things such as, "He used to growl at me, but I broke him of that really quickly" or "She used to jump on people, but now all I have to do is show her the newspaper and she will stand quietly". That's great, maybe,...
Is training really important for your foster dog?
Yes! Yes! and Yes! My Facebook page, and really my career, revolves around my behavioral modification training programs. I am fortunate that after almost 20 years of training, I have the ability to offer many different programs that can benefit many...
Doggie Daycare…Is it for you and your pup?
There are many factors that come into play when it comes to choosing whether or not daycare is for you and your furry family member. 1) Location: Is it convenient to drop off and pick up? ...
Do you really know Springfield’s laws on dogs?
I don't normally link my two blogs together, but I feel it is important I reach the largest audience possible. Many of you don't know that Springfield, Mo has Breed Specific Legislation. But many of you do know of the legislation because you...
From Unpredictable Puppy to Distinguished Gentleman
From Unpredictable Puppy to Distinguished Gentleman An email I received from a student... When I first came to Sidekick with my baby Boxer, Julius Caesar, he was about nine weeks old. He was born June 4, 2012 and I got him when he was about 6 or 7 weeks old. This...
Giving medication to an alligator?
Is giving medication to your dog like giving medication to an alligator? Medication may sometimes be a necessity, but no one wants to walk around with scars from giving medication to your pet. Even if your dog...
How do you even begin to leave the house with your scared or reactive dog?
Having a scared or reactive dog can be hard to live with. It's somewhat like a catch 22... They are going nuts in the house because they need exercise, but you don't even want to take him out the front door where people can see him act like a nutcase. So how do...
Breed Specific Legislation vs. Dangerous/Vicious Dog Laws
I know there are a lot of people that don't even know what Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is, so I'll start with that. BSL is legislation is usually put in place, in a panic, when a dog viciously bites or attacks an adult, child, or another dog....
Why does my dog have these issues and how do I “fix” it?
Many people start their private lessons by telling us what issues their dog has. Some dogs are scared of people, some of other dogs, and some dogs are just plain scared. The owners usually follow this conversation with where they got the dog from...
Did my dog really eat that?!
How do you handle it when your puppy, or adult, picks up a sock and runs around the house with it. This is a very fun game for the dog, but not so much for you. There are a few basic behaviors you can teach your dog to remedy this situation. First, here's a small...
Do you and your dog really want to do the same things?
This is in continuation of a blog post a friend of mine just posted. "Are you really having fun with your dog?" She talked about how hard she was working toward different goals and how if she pushed herself and the dog too hard Beanie would shut down.See, dogs...