Paws and Reward Blog

1. Management is your best friend. Management can be a long term solution to a behavior problem or a short term solution while you are training a new behavior response in that context. For example, you can manage your dog’s barking by leaving the blinds closed. You could do that forever OR you can do that for now while you … Read More

There is unspoken pressure for all dogs to get along in many different environments such as on leash greeting, dog parks, daycares, breweries….the list goes on! Not all people get along so I am not sure why we would expect that of our dogs?! Many dog owners want their dog to meet other dogs while walking on leash. There are … Read More

Enrichment and mental stimulation are the most important outlets you can provide your dog at any age! It can help reduce many unwanted behaviors in our young puppies and adolescent dogs as well as keep our senior dogs sharp, exercising their cognitive abilities! Enrichment can help prevent these behaviors: Puppy Mouthing Attention Seeking Behaviors Boredom Destruction Anxiety and fear Barking, digging in the … Read More

What is a reward? Google told me a reward is defined as a thing given in recognition of one’s service, effort or achievement. One of the most important concepts about rewards is to remember that their value is defined by the person receiving them, not the person giving them. For example, if I went to work and instead of a … Read More

One of my favorite tools when working with a new client is to teach their dog how to relax on a mat. There are so many benefits to this behavior: It teaches your dog how to settle. It provides an environmental cue (the mat) indicating to your dog how you’d like them to show up or be in that moment. … Read More

“This is my ball.”  “I am pretty sure I saw it first.” “Actually, when you were playing with Charley, I had my eye on it.” “Oh yeah, well it’s mine now!” “Over my dead body!!” If dogs could talk, this would be close to a resource guarding conversation. Resource guarding is when a dog acts in a confrontational manner towards … Read More

Mouthing and chewing are very normal dog behaviors; however, they can be destructive, painful and dangerous if not addressed right away. When puppies are very young, they learn bite inhibition from their littermates. If puppy A applies too much mouth pressure to puppy B, puppy B will correct puppy A indicating his discomfort. Play may temporarily end and if that … Read More

If you are checking out this post, hopefully your dog understands what your recall word means for off leash dog training.  If not, please check out this Beginner Guide to Come!   If so, let’s begin!! Dogs do not have the capability of generalizing one behavior to multiple contexts.  For example, just because your dog knows how to come when called … Read More

Years ago, when Sully, my family and I relocated to Denver, I was concerned about our living situation. We moved into a boutique, pet-friendly apartment building, which meant we would be running into other dogs in hallways, stairwells, and elevators. Sully and I had never lived in this type of housing before, and I wasn’t sure how he would adjust.  … Read More

How is it that our dogs know THE EXACT moment when we need to focus on other tasks that do not include them, such as a work conference call, the latest episode of Homeland or chatting on the phone with our best friend??? EASY….You trigger them. The dog has learned a sequence: When mom picks up the phone, I lose attention. When … Read More