ARF! Training

I’m just not gonna think about it. Whatever Grady does on the course, I’ll remain positive but firm in my expectations. For the next minute, we both have our jobs to do so I’ll focus on mine and trust he will do his. The important thing is that Grady and I are here to...

Not giving it up!  No way, no how! So you have a dog that you’d love to play fetch with but they refuse to bring the ball or frisbee back to you.  Or, you are training them and as a reward, you toss your dog a toy only to find that they proceed to fly by you with the...

It’s that time of the year!  Time for joyous celebration, shopping, overeating, overdrinking, visiting relatives, crowds, traffic, the inability to decide what to buy for Aunt Betty, the sudden realization that what you bought for Aunt Betty won’t work at all, and,...

January 26th, 2015 It’s gonna be a long, long winter’s day is all I kept thinking as Dawson’s energy level grew.  For a week (or six months, I don’t know. I’ve lost track of time), the weather has been either bitterly cold or rainy so there is little opportunity to do...

Number of dogs per day. The more dogs there are, the more chances of something happening. Find out the staff to dog ratio. Staff to dog ratio. Make sure there is adequate staff to supervise the dogs. Anywhere from 10 to 15 dogs per staff member is a good number....

Which do you like better? A dog that is trained to have good manners or one that hasn’t a clue that tackling you like a NFL linebacker is a bad thing? Certainly you’d agree that it’s great fun to be dazzled by a pooch that displays a variety of tricks simply for your...

Having a dog that comes immediately when called is a marvelous thing. When I was training Grady to come promptly when called (dog trainers often refer to this as a recall) I had one goal. I wanted Grady to find the sound of my voice irresistible. Puppies love...

This summer has had record breaking temperatures so it is good to be reminded of how the heat can affect our canine friends. In fact, it really doesn’t take much for a dog to get overheated in hot temperatures since their body temperature is higher than humans’...

There are several benefits of Doggy Day Care. Here's what I consider to be the most important benefits for your dog. A tired dog is a happy dog. And, or course, a tired dog is less likely to get into trouble! D oggy day care is a great outlet for their energy and it...