The term "rescue" is attached to virtually every dog not purchased from a breeder. There is a reason behind this word choice, and it's not because such a high percentage of dogs are being tied to railroad tracks or came within inches of being chomped on by a crocodile.

Have we become a nation of virtue signaling dog "rescuers". You betcha. And the dogs are paying the price.

Are you using the command "leave it"? Is it really as beneficial as you think? It might depend on how you're using it. If you ask 10 people what it means, you'll get 10 different answers. Most of the time it is a total waste of breath. Take a listen.

Touching, Talking, and even simple eye contact can be encouraging to a dog. So why do we do all of the above when our dog is doing something we don't like? Human nature! That's why. And it's getting in your way.

Do you always follow through with things you supposedly "expect" from your dog? Or are there times when you think it's okay to kind of let it slide "this time"? Do you think that affects your overall results as far as how well your dog listens? You betcha.

In today's episode we are talking about some rather common mixed messages I see people sending their dogs all the time.

If your dog is a little nutty, chances are good that you've noticed there is room for improvement. But usually the things we notice are the things that are really problematic for us, not the things that actually indicate the dog is really unbalanced. We notice things that inconvenience us...like the dog won't listen or chews your shoes or the dog is "afraid" of people, etc.

But the true nature of your dog's state of mind is visible when none of those things are occuring. And they are tied together.

What are you not seeing in your dog??

Customers consistently tell me they are blown away by the changes in their dog and how much better their behavior is at the end of a board and train. I'm going to tell you exactly why that is so you can have the opportunity to do those things at home! Specifically, today, we are talking about...

Puppies! We love puppies!! But seldom do we make good choices with those warm and fuzzy feelings. We risk making all kinds of common mistakes if we don't have a plan when it comes to raising our puppies.

Puppies are cute, and fun, and snuggly. But they are also hard work. And I think a lot of times, we aren't prepared for the hard work. We also have no idea what we should really be doing. Just bringing a puppy home and throwing them into the household and expecting them to "find a groove" or "figure things out" is not a good plan.

Lots of good info here for anybody with or getting a puppy in the future. A lot of this could apply to any new dog, not just puppies. I don't keep any secrets.

This ties nicely into all the off leash talk lately. There's a local issue here where I live surrounding off leash etiquette for a specific individual. My thoughts on the issue aren't hazy. At all. And neither should anybody else's be.

I cannot believe it has come to this. We live in a world where dogs are treated as teddy bears and we have no respect for our fellow humans

Normalize responsible dog ownership and mutual respect.