She CANNOT be with dogs! Will she love or hate Prince and others?

Is your Border Collie being mischievous? Is your German Shepherd digging under the fence? Is your Labrador Retriever driving you crazy by bringing you the ball? These are all examples of a bored working dog that needs something to do.

If you have a dog it does need some training. Depending on your lifestyle or what you expect from a dog will determine how much training you will do with it. Keep in mind that every dog does need some basic training to make it a good member of the family and a welcome addition to your home.

This is a really good question that is asked quite often not only from my obedience training customers but also from my dog training students. And the answer is really pretty simple. In the beginning we are shooting for perfection because we want the dog to learn good habits. So it’s probably always best to have the dog in training mode when it is on a leash.

Rules are good for your dog just like rules are good for your kids. We all like to know what the rules are up front and what we are allowed to do and what we aren’t allowed to do. There is nothing worse than doing something and then finding out it’s against the rules. So let’s share those rules with your dog from the very beginning.

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how old should my dog be before I start formal training. As far as I’m concerned that’s an easy answer, 4 months (16 weeks). At four months old your puppy is like a blank canvas waiting to be painted with all the training you want for your new family member. At four months your dog hasn’t developed a bunch of bad habits and he’ll never be easier to physically manipulate because he’s getting bigger everyday.