Question: My dog is a really sweet dog, but he doesn’t like being around other dogs.  He’s not a mean dog; he just has no interest in playing with them. He would rather hang out by my side if we go to a dog park.  How do I get him to engage with other dogs? Answer: Most people who contact dog trainers WISH they had a dog that would focus more on them then on other dogs.  They pay good money to get that sort of control. Since your dog naturally gives you attention over other dogs you are actually quite lucky! If he isn’t interested in playing, then it’s obviously not as important to him as it …

Question: My girlfriend will be moving in with me in the next month.  She has a cat, and I have a dog that's a husky mix.  I'm not sure how my dog will react with a cat in the house. He's never been up close to a cat, but there is a neighborhood cat that roams around and every time he sees it he goes crazy and wants to go after it. Knowing this, is it crazy for us to try and introduce these two to each other, or should we be looking to re-home one of them?   Answer: Cats and dogs can certainly live amicably under one roof.  Some may even become best friends. On the other hand, some dogs may …

Q: My dog listens well and is responsive in the house, but not so much when I take her outside off leash.  How can I get her to come when called? A: My first response to this will always be, “Don’t take her off leash yet…she’s not ready.” Many people assume their dogs will listen under distractions and then grow frustrated when the opposite holds true. Remember, being outside is ONE BIG DISTRACTION. The right training will get her ready, but without it you will have a dog that just assumes when she is off leash she can do what she wants to do when she wants to do it and there is no real …

Question: My husband and I adopted a dog a few months ago but wanted to give him time to settle in before we did any formal obedience training with him. Now that he has fully adjusted to us and our home we have been trying to work with him on some basic commands. The problem is that he has no interest in treats. How do I get him to work with us? Answer: Many dogs are not necessarily motivated to work for treats, but that doesn’t mean you can’t train them.  There are lots of ways to train a dog and a number of things that dogs find rewarding.   If you are really stuck on using treats, you …

Question: I'm not quite sure my dog understands me when I tell him what to do.  He just looks puzzled.  Answer: If you haven't trained him to understand then he doesn't understand! Words don't have true meaning to a dog until we actually show them the meaning. Dogs don't come to us speaking English, Spanish, French, Greek or German.  Their language is less vocal and more body oriented.  So when we bring a dog in to our home, we can't assume they will understand us just because we somehow told them so.  We must show them.  Take for example the word "sit." All dogs know how to sit.  However, …

I am not a fan of the retractable leash, also known as the "flexi-lead." If you happen to be a proud owner of the flexi-lead, then just hear me out.  This particular instrument was made with good intentions, such as allowing your dog a little more movement so he's not so restricted when walking. However, it is a dangerous tool, especially because it's a problem even when it is being used the way it was designed.    From a trainer's perspective, it's a terrible leash. It encourages a dog to pull and relinquishes any and all control you may have of your dog - unless of course he is well-trained…

Q: How do I stop my dog from chewing on his dog bed?   A: This, believe it or not, is a common question. I had one client whose dog chewed up four dog beds before he and his wife decided to ditch the bed and allow the dog to sleep with them. Then a baby came along and the bed got too small so they called me. If you want your dog to respect his dog bed, you can't just throw the bed out there and expect him to "accept" it as a place to rest. Some dogs might naturally gravitate to it, but if they start showing signs of chewing on it, you will need to show him the correct way to behave on the bed…

Q: My dog likes to jump on people when they come to visit. Can you help me? A: First of all, dogs are social so they get excited when someone enters their immediate environment. They want to get close and check us out. However, oftentimes we inadvertently reinforce their behaviors by simply touching them at the moment of their jumping up. Sometimes we pet them when they jump. This is a nice feeling to them so the jump is actually getting reinforced. Sometimes, if we're not interested in the attention right then and there we try to push them away with our hands.  Again, our touch reinforces …