The summer months are the perfect time for both you and your dog to get some exercise! The extended daylight hours just beg for you to get out to the local parks and on the trail with your dog. But before you hit the parks and trails, just remember these dog walking tips to make your trip both enjoyable and safe. Bring water for your dog – Although most parks are very dog-friendly and do provide drinking fountains (and even doggy-height drinking fountains), be sure to bring your own water and water receptacle for your dog. There are many portable options including collapsible bowls and water bottle/bowl kits. Dogs can become dangerously dehydrated and you don’t want to be caught without water. Be aware of other dogs – Just because a dog is out in public, don’t assume that they are friendly. Some park trails are very narrow and sometimes … Read More
Meet Nicole Veile!
We had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Veile back in Fall 2014 when she was a volunteer at the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center in Overland, MO. She had called asking to pay out of her own pocket for private lessons so she could teach the dogs at the shelter better manners and they could find, and stay in, their forever homes more successfully. Nicole was a wonderful natural trainer and picked up clicker training concepts very quickly. Fast forward to February 2016 when obedience class started at Petsway. We knew exactly who to ask to assistant with class, and Voila!, she accepted. Meet Nicole and you’ll see, too, why The Persuaded Pooch is so proud to have her as our Assistant Trainer! How did you get your start in dog training? Reward based training was introduced to me with a variety of different animals during an internship at a … Read More
Livin’ the Free Life?
There’s no doubt we want nothing but the best for our dogs. Sometimes what we term as “the best” for our dogs can often be translated to what allows our dogs maximum freedom, particularly at home. For example, freedom to run in a fenced yard, freedom from having to be in the crate while we’re gone, freedom to go in and outside through a doggy door whenever they want are all highly desired by pet parents. Indeed, there’s no timelier discussion as we just celebrated our country’s freedom and independence. The Importance of Freedom Lots of reasons come to mind why we set goals of freedom for our dogs. First of all, freedom equals fun, and who doesn’t want to have fun? We want to run, play and bask in the sun in our time off. What dog wouldn’t want that, too? Freedom for our dogs often means convenience for … Read More
Getting Your Dog Ready for Summer Action
Published on Petsway.com – Wednesday, April 20, 2016 Did spring break and Easter sneak up on you? How about tax day?… Well, guess what? Summer is just around the corner, so consider yourself duly warned. That means time to start that swimsuit diet, planning those summer BBQs and finding plenty of activities for the kids to keep them busy. With all the craziness of planning for the human family members of the home, don’t forget to prep your dog for those classic summer activities, too! Summer is all about family-time, and your dog definitely qualifies as family. You want his summer to be as fun and stress-free as possible, too, don’t you? So here are some things to think about as you’re planning for summer fun with your dog: Vacation – Does your dog get to travel with you on your road trip? Awesome, unless your dog refuses to get … Read More
The “Four-Legged” Approach to Good Behavior
Image courtesy of http://jonathanturley.org One of my most cherished bosses in the world once used the analogy that there are 3 “legs of the bar stool” of that particular company that supported our department and its efforts. Without one of those “legs” the entire operation would come crashing down. I love the first day of group dog training classes, where I get to share my philosophy on training and get students on the same page before they even bring their dogs to class. This is where I, too, get to use my own “bar stool” analogy when it comes to obtaining good dog behavior. Except in my version, there’s four legs to the bar stool. Let’s face it, when there’s something as unpredictable as dog behavior at stake, you want to make sure you’re on the most stable foundation possible… Leg 1 – Nutrition What you put in Fido’s mouth … Read More