Author: Nan Long

About 15 years ago, I changed the way I worked with my dogs. I had been using obedience based training that used power based control as the methods to manage my dogs. They performed not as much out of willingness but rather because compliance was required. Looking back I realize that my dogs were not … Continue reading Connection versus Control Based Training

Did You Know? That dogs and human heart rates both slow down when they meet each other? (provided both are willing!). When dogs sit together with their human their hearts begin to beat in synchronicity. Dogs “love” in their hormones by an increase in oxytocin that in turn increases the oxytocin in their people. These … Continue reading Why We Love Science!

Have you ever wondered why your dog suddenly experienced an unusual behavior? Sometimes issues can be caused by what’s known as trigger stacking. Fearful events that happen in quick succession that don’t allow time for the dog to recover emotionally. If you are experiencing issues like that we are here to help. Please call us … Continue reading Trigger Stacking

It’s all about the recall (Come command) The single most important thing you can teach your dog is to return to you. It’s a safety measure and if you work on nothing else, practice that. I always teach clients and their dogs how to successfully practice and make it a fun game. Call us at … Continue reading Training a successful recall

The work starts immediately upon bringing your puppy home. No puppy should leave it’s mother or litter mates before 8 weeks of age. Of course there will occasionally be exceptions with rescue puppies. There are crucial social interactions that are needed prior to that time with their puppy family. It is important that their next … Continue reading Puppies! Let the fun begin!

This is a good share and so true today.  We humanize our dogs and expect them to be perfect and never display dog behaviors. They are after all dogs and it is our job to help them cope in our human world. Our private in-home consults help you gain the exact help you need.  A … Continue reading We Are Force Free Canine Professionals

“I’ve witnessed firsthand the destructive power of shock collars in dog training. Shock collar and electric fence companies will tell you they’re not harmful when used ‘correctly,’ but this is false. What they don’t tell you about is the damage these devices can do, both to the human/canine bond and to a dog’s emotional stability. … Continue reading Dangers of Positive Punishment

(Great tips for the Holidays!) When work with clients one of the first things we talk about is proper management. That is the use of management so dogs can’t practice behaviors we don’t want. What our dogs practice, they get better at! Until consistent training can occur management is very helpful. An example of this … Continue reading Effective Use of Management and Training

Of course you do, and that is the best place to find your dog trainer. In fact the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviorists has made the following recommendations to veterinarians about dog training: Does reward-based training mean that dogs are allowed to do unwanted behaviors?Use of reward-based methods does not mean dogs are allowedto … Continue reading Do you trust your veterinarian?

My Dog Pulls, What Do I Do? We can help you have a dog that walks nicely on a leash. Unfortunately we often inadvertently reward pulling by following our dog. In other words pulling never happened until we connected the human to the other end of the leash! Different equipment, such as no-pull harness can … Continue reading