Your New Puppy

Where should your dog sleep?  This is a simple question with multiple answers.  On one had I have a strong recommendation where your dog should be sleeping.  On the other, it really doesn't matter as long as you make the decision and then stick with it.  To make this more clear split my answer into two […] The post YNP #035: Where Should Your Dog Sleep? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Adding another dog to your pack is an exciting time.  It can also be a little stressful because you want to make sure that your current dog accepts your new puppy. Sometimes when you bring a new puppy home the current dog immediately accepts the puppy and it super excited to have a younger brother and […] The post YNP #034: Introduce Your New Puppy to Your Current Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

My dogs aren't perfect, and I'm ok with that?  You would think because I'm a dog trainer I would care more.  But that's exactly why I know it's OK. Training a dog is time-consuming and it’s something that most of us just simply aren’t good at.  Most likely you won't be able to teach your dog […] The post YNP #033: My Dogs Aren’t Perfect, So What? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

There are so many dog supplies out there it can be overwhelming.  Over the years I have developed a list of my go-to supplies that I use and recommend to my clients. In this episode, I talk about what my favorite dog supply is in each of these 8 categories and why they have become my […] The post YNP #032: My Favorite Dog Supplies appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Dogs learns through repetition and reward. The easiest and most efficient way to reward your dog is by using treats.  That is why they are the go-to for trainers and dog owners. Even though treats is the most popular way to reward your dog they are not, by far, the only way.  In fact, there are […] The post YNP #031: Reward Your Dog Without Treats appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Dog obedience training is the first thing we think of when we say “training your dog.”  In fact, it might be the only thing we think of. Your dog’s training goes WAY beyond obedience but it is a very important part of your new puppy’s education. When starting from scratch it’s important to create a strong and […] The post YNP #030: The First 4 Steps to Teaching Any New Command appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Bringing your puppy home is exciting and maybe a little stressful.  The ride home is the first time you are 100% responsible for them. If this is your first puppy you may be even more nervous. Your puppy might be nervous too.   It’s a short and simple topic but something I get asked all the time. […] The post YNP #029: The Ride Home appeared first on Playtime Paws.

When we think of crate training we usually think of potty training or where we put our puppy when we aren’t home.  Crate training goes way beyond that. In fact, we should be using it after potty training AND when we are home. I usually get some resistance to this.  Most dog owners have a sense […] The post YNP #028: 5 Reasons to Use the Crate When You’re Home. appeared first on Playtime Paws.

How to handle a shy dog is important for all of us to know.  If you are anything like me, you just want to put ALL the puppies.  But not ALL of the puppies want to be pet.  Wait, what??? Crazy, right?   This is even worse when it’s our own puppy.  We are all excited […] The post YNP #027: How to Handle a Shy Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

The foundation of positive dog training is to reward the behaviors we want repeated and ignore or redirect the behaviors we don’t want repeated. Oh, how I wish it were that simple.  A question we don’t even think to ask is “how does the dog know what behavior we are rewarding or correcting?”   This is where […] The post YNP #026: Timing is EVERYTHING When Training Your Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Very often I get asked: Is human food good for dogs?  Or "should I feed my dog people food?" Or they say with pride “I ONLY feed my dog, dog food” The first thing I want to dispel is the idea that there is a difference between "people" food and "dog" food.  Food is food. The distinction […] The post YNP #025: Is Human Food Good for Dogs? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

The thought of raising two puppies together can create a lot of warm, fuzzy, and fun images.  They will keep each other company, entertain each other, exercise each other, and create perfect Instagram moments of snuggling together in their bed. We go into it aware that it will take more work.  Of course, it makes sense, […] The post YNP #024: How to Raise Two Puppies at the Same Time appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Did you remember to praise your puppy?When using positive training our main tool is to reward behaviors we want our puppies to repeat.  The more we praise our puppy's good behavior the more likely they will grow into a well-behaved dog.  Unfortunately, there are many times that we don’t remember (or worse, we don’t even realize) […] The post YNP #023: Did You Remember to Praise Your Puppy? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Separation anxiety is when your dog is stressed out because they are separated from you.  Every single dog has the potential to develop some form of separation anxiety because dogs don’t know how to be alone naturally.   This is one of the many things we need to teach them to live in our world.  Separation anxiety […] The post YNP #022: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety appeared first on Playtime Paws.

A question I get ALL the time is about taking your puppy outside before they are fully vaccinated.  This question usually comes up during potty training but my answer has nothing to do with potty training. In short, your puppy needs to get out and start experiencing the world BEFORE they are fully vaccinated.  I know this […] The post YNP #021: Balancing Vaccines and Socialization appeared first on Playtime Paws.

We are always told “prepare for emergencies" or "make an emergency preparedness plan."  The problem is the nature of an emergency is they are unpredictable and the situations are usually not something we expect.  All we can do is do our best to prepare so when it happens we at least have a head start. The […] The post YNP #020: Your Emergency Preparedness Plan When You Have a Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

A fenced-in backyard is considered a very valuable resource for a dog owner.  It makes owning, potty training and exercising your dog SO much easier.  Or does it? With anything that makes our lives easier there is always a downside.   I know this, because I share this struggle with you. In this episode I talk about a […] The post YNP #019: The Downside of a Fenced-in Backyard appeared first on Playtime Paws.

So often, we get stuck in the idea that our dogs need to eat out of a bowl.  BORING!! Our dogs are programmed to work for their food so let’s use that in our favor.  We already feed our dogs so let’s make it an event!  Our dogs have a blast AND it also help […] The post YNP #018: Ditch the Bowl and Make Mealtime an Event appeared first on Playtime Paws.

We know that finding the right dog food for our dog is important.  It can also be overwhelming.  Most of us want to be able to walk into a pet store, pick up a bag and make the right decision.  Unfortunately, it's not that simple. There is a lot of different information out there about which dog […] The post YNP #017: 5 Dog Food Myths and the Truth Behind Them appeared first on Playtime Paws.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” - Benjamin Franklin The best way to stop your dog from jumping up on people is not to allow him from to do it from day one. The best way to stop your dog from sleeping on the bed with you is to teach him to sleep […] The post YNP #016: Stop Behaviors Before They Start! How Thinking Ahead Can Make Training Easier. appeared first on Playtime Paws.