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The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts

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Training with treats is an effective means of positive reinforcement training so long the treats are not a bribe.

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training: 6 Tips for Training With Treats

Training with treats is cornerstone of positive reinforcement dog training. It’s dog-friendly, it’s fun and the basics are easy for trainers of all ages and skill levels. At its core, the concept is simple: feed behaviors you want to see happen more often.
E-collar dog training is not recommended by most expert trainers, as it can traumatize the dog.

Why E-Collar Dog Training Is Not Recommended

E-collars are dog-training devices used to deliver several stimuli to the dog wearing the collar, including auditory, vibration, and electric shock. There are several...
Treats and patience are an important part of teaching a dog to lay down.

How to Teach a Dog to Lie Down

Are you having a difficult time teaching your dog to lie down? With some dogs, it’s more difficult than others, but it’s not impossible. The reason is likely that you are not properly communicating what you want. In some cases, however, timid dogs are less comfortable lying down. It’s up to you, as the trainer, to determine where your difficulties lie.
Teach your dog to play dead with these simple steps and patience.

Teach Your Dog to Play Dead

Tricks are great crowd pleasers, and teaching your dog how to play dead along with other tricks is a fun way to bond. If “play dead” is on your tricks wish list, here’s what you need to know to achieve a star-worthy performance.
Dog training tools like treat pouches and tethers can make positive reinforcement a daily habit.

Best Tools for Daily Dog Training

When it comes to training our canine companions, there are a few important items — beyond essentials like a collar and leash — that you’ll want to have on hand to set you and your dog up for success.
Keeping dogs off the sofa and other furniture is a training exercise.

How to Keep Dogs Off the Couch

For many people, a dog on the furniture is taboo, an unacceptable behavior. Others may be wishy-was about it. Once the dog becomes used to getting on the furniture, it becomes a learned behavior though.
An older rescue dog rests in a comfortable crate with the door open.

How to Crate Train a Rescue Dog

Crates are management tools meant to help your dog feel safe during your absence and other times he may need to chill. Dogs who learn to love their crates use them independently for relief and safety .
Rally obedience is an obedience based sport for dogs.

How to Get Involved in Rally, an Obedience-Based Dog Sport

I’ve been teaching my Rough Collie, Dashi, tricks and obedience skills since she came home at 10 weeks old. She began learning agility foundations...
Long line training allows dogs room to explore without pulling their owners around.

A Long Line: The Surprising Problem-Solver

The ever-changing outdoor environment is wildly exciting for our dogs. Alas, when they enthusiastically zigzag after every scent, bike, or friend, they yank us along with them. To break free, start fresh! Head to a new spot, with a different approach. Ditch the 6-footer and grab a long line, which is essentially a longer, thinner, lighter leash.
Knowing how to teach a dog to heel can help keep your dog safe.

8 Steps to Teach a Dog to Heel

Sometimes we need our dogs to follow tucked up close to us in a heel position, so it’s a valuable skill for your dog to learn. While most often useful for safety, it can also be helpful for foundational work.
Dock diving incorporates toy retrieval along with diving and swimming.

What Is Dock Diving? How to Get Involved in This Swimming-centric Dog Sport

Do you have a dog who zooms into lakes, creeks, and rivers at first sight? Does your dog live for fetch and toy play? If so, dock diving may be the sport for her.
A canicross runner and her dog competing in a crosscountry race.

All About Canicross

Canicross—the name comes from the words “canine” and “cross-country”—is, essentially, the sport of long distance trail running with your dog.

Latest Blog

Don’t Adopt Littermates

STOP! Don’t do it! Whether the idea of adopting two puppies just occurred to you, or you had been planning to adopt two all along, every trainer I’ve ever met would advise you to think twice and adopt just one. Because training and socializing littermates well is more than twice as difficult as training and socializing one puppy.