THE LITTLE DOGS THAT COULD One of the best parts of my job is that I get to travel around the country teaching people how to train show dogs, handle their show dogs and help shy or fearful show dogs. Read more…
POWER STEERING WITH FOOD I like to use food as a lure to help teach dogs new behaviors. I also use food when prompting a dog to reposition a foot in the show ring. So, in the case of a Read more…
RETIREMENT HOMES FOR SHOW DOGS If you have been around the dog show scene for any length of time you know that show dogs are frequently “retired” after they have finished their show careers. Some people take offense to this Read more…
PULLING ON THE LEAD -PART ONE Last month my new puppy arrived from Australia. He is co owned by me and my good friend and lives with me and will be trained and shown by me. Jager (pronounced YAY-ger) is Read more…
The Mechanics of the Hand Stack By Fran Hellman, CPDT-KA Whether you call it posing, setting up, hand stacking or hard stacking, stacking is the process of correctly presenting a show dog to its best advantage in the show ring. Read more…
STRUCTURE ISSUES CAUSED BY OUR OWN TRAINING? Huh? What did she say? I am sure you are thinking that this doesn’t make any sense, but once I explain it you may find that you have had something similar occur. Today Read more…
If you know me at all, you know my answer is YES! I have spent the last 14 years of my dog training career focusing on behavior consultations. For years I have gone into people’s homes to help them with Read more…
DREAMY CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER For years now, peanut butter has been a go to for many dog owners. Peanut butter is tasty and safe for dogs and can be used for so many things. I am going to share some Read more…
SAFE PUPPY EVALUATIONS Many breeders, such as myself, grade our puppies at around 8 weeks old. The official “puppy grading” is when the breeder and the breeder’s friends, mentors and peers get together to look at each puppy as a Read more…
BIG PUPPIES AND SMALL COLLARS Despite the title of this blog post, I am really talking about all puppies and small collars. Frequently, people show up to classes or I see them at shows with puppies on choke chains. I Read more…