You shouldn’t try to be the boss of your dog
The Alpha dominance myth exposed. In the early 1970’s Dr David Mech made the claims that Wolves and therefore dogs live in a heirachical world where the Alpha dog is the leader of the pack. His work was based on previous studies in the 30's & 40’s by a Swiss...
Dog Trainer vs Dog Behaviorist: Decoding the Difference
When it comes to understanding and training your dog's behavior, you may have encountered two distinct roles: dog trainer and dog behaviorist. While both play vital parts in helping owners nurture harmonious relationships with their canine companions, their approaches...
Embracing the Chaos: Navigating Life in a Multi-Dog Family
We all know that dogs are a human's best friend, and when you have a multi-dog family, your heart is brimming with love. Yet, life in a multi-dog household can be quite an adventure. It's a journey filled with laughter, moments of chaos, and endless amounts of joy....
What is a Fear Phase and how does it affect my dog
Have you ever wondered about those mysterious puppy fear haseand how they affect your four-legged friend's journey? Well, you're in for a treat because today, we're taking a mindful plunge into this fascinating topic. Fear Phase: A Puppy's Rite of Passage Puppy fear...
Why Free Shaping Tricks is Important
When you think of dog training most people will think about teaching your dog to sit, down or walk correctly on a lead, but this is necessity training. There is a whole new world out there if you want to embrace it. Trick training allows your dog to show off and you...
Don’t do the HAND SNIFFY
In the Auckland region, the number of dogs in 2019-2020 registration year has gone up from 110,969 in the previous year to 112,530 in 2020 – an increase of 1,561 dogs. This was reflected in most other regions in New Zealand. Did you know last year (2020) in New...
Is getting two dogs at the same time a good idea?
Generally dog trainers / behaviourists will all agree that this isn’t a great idea. Personally we have done this many times before, but we certainly understand the risks and the amount of work that’s required to avoid the associated pitfalls. Unfortunately, I see this...
Introducing a rescue dog into your home
We have recently introduced another dog into our family. She is a 16 month old Border Collie. In fact she is Star's Sister Star? I was called to her home where she was experiencing some issue regarding resource guarding of the owner and the children in the family....
10 Things you should NEVER do with your puppy
Getting things right with your puppy from the very beginning is so important But with the myriad of advice out there on the internet about what you should do, its hard to work out what is right and what is wrong. Get it wrong and you could be in for a life time of...
Dogs, Back to School and Separation Anxiety
Did you realise that the change in routine of kids in the family being at home for two weeks, and then disappearing again for no understandable dog reason can have an emotional impact on your beloved furbaby? I am sure that most of you are aware of this as you can...