Good Dog University

10/07/2025

Follow my weekly training blog. This week's topic is reactivity.

A dog that lunges wildly at the end of his leash, barking at every person he sees is displaying reactive behavior. Reactive behavior is often caused by fear. Rather than being truly an aggressive dog, this kind of behavior is an exaggerated response to something that the dog encounters that triggers...

09/16/2025

Follow my weekly training blog on my website! This week is about focus.

Many people tell me that their dog is stubborn, or will not listen, or just plain loses focus. By changing owner behavior we can see a very different response from the dog. If my dog is chasing a squirrel towards the street, in order to get my dog to recall, I need to be more exciting than the squir...

09/10/2025

Follow my weekly training blog!

We might think that dogs will automatically love going for a ride in the car, but the opposite may be true for your pup. A stressed dog will exhibit outward signs such as trembling, barking, drooling, pacing, and even vomiting. As with most training, getting your dog to settle is done incrementally....

09/03/2025

🐾 Is your puppy's biting driving you crazy? You're not alone! Many new pup parents face this challenge. Learn about bite inhibition and effective training solutions in our latest blog post! https://wix.to/jx9TfLb

This is a common problem that clients have with their pups. And puppy teeth can be very sharp! Bite inhibition is partly taught by mother and litter mates. State laws prohibit people from selling or giving away puppies under 8 weeks of age, but people still do it all the time. Pups really need to st...

08/27/2025

Puppies naturally have a following behavior! Learn how to teach your pup to "heel" without needing a leash! It's easier than you think! Explore more: https://wix.to/weRF87L

08/20/2025

Is your puppy chewing up everything in sight? 🐶 Discover why teething is a natural process and how to help your furry friend with their chewing habits. Check out our latest blog for tips and solutions! https://wix.to/jOxI5oR

Puppies will be teething up to around 8 months. However many dogs continue to be chewers throughout their life. Let's address puppies first. It is very helpful to not let puppies have free roam of the house. This way we can "puppy-proof" a particular room or area. Be sure to have electric cords secu...

08/12/2025

Training methods have come a long way! 🐕✨ Learn about the force-free approach to teaching your pet the sit and down commands. It's all about positive reinforcement! Read more here: https://wix.to/3aMNUDq

Training methods have progressed over the years. The "old school" way of training the sit command was to pull up on the leash while pushing down on the pup's butt. Training the down might have included grabbing hold of the front legs and pulling them out from under the dog, or putting the leash unde...

08/05/2025

Adopting a shelter or rescue dog brings joy, but it can be challenging when you don't know their history. Learn about the rule of threes to help your new furry friend settle in. Discover how understanding their needs can make all the difference. Read more here: https://wix.to/Lr3mxz6

When adopting a shelter or rescue dog, we often do not know its history. Not only are we unsure of the mixture of breeds, we don't know about past trauma and behavior. First, I find it helpful to know what breed or breeds I am working with, as this provides great insight to what the dog was bred to....

07/29/2025

Is your pup a little too pushy? 🐕💨 It's important to establish expectations and boundaries for your dog. Learn more about teaching your dog personal boundaries and to respect your space in our latest blog! https://wix.to/udelk9v

Before you add a dog to your family, it is helpful to decide in advance what are your expectations and boundaries. However, if you already have a dog that seems to violate your boundaries, here are some tips to fix that behavior. Dogs tend to seek our attention. They will jump on us, climb in our la...

07/23/2025

Discover how reward-based training can elevate your dog’s learning experience. Check out our latest blog post: https://wix.to/xI75ykh

If you think about it, people would not likely continue working if they never get a paycheck. Dogs are not robots and they will often shut down or just quit working if you don't reward them. So how does this work? We first have to know what motivates our dog. Most dogs are treat motivated, while som...

07/16/2025

Unlock your dog's training potential with the three D's: Duration, Distance, and Distraction! Check out our latest blog for tips building reliable responses in your pup. Read more: https://wix.to/hKJuXKl

The three "D's" stand for duration, distance, and distraction. While this is most applicable when teaching the stay and recall, keeping these in mind for other training will help set your dog up for success. Duration. When we ask our young pup to sit, we immediately mark the correct behavior and the...

07/09/2025

Is your puppy barking excessively? Discover the reasons behind it, from fear to boredom, and find effective solutions! Read more here: https://wix.to/JbtabeP

There are many reasons why a puppy may bark: fear, startle, boredom, needing to go out, wanting attention, etc. Understanding why your puppy is barking will help you address it. Little puppies are cute when they are first learning to bark, but it is important to ask yourself if you will still think....