Please welcome the revised edition(s)!

I am very pleased to announce that Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out has a new revised version! It has somehow been ten years since the first publication of Fired Up, and the book has gone further than I had ever dreamed. A lot can change in ten years, however–not… Continue reading

Podcasts about Books & Training!

I had the opportunity to chat with Melinda Schiller on her fantastic Elite Pets Podcast, in two episodes themed around my training books. We had some great questions about training and problem-solving and problem-prevention. (Also there’s a bit of news hidden in the Fired Up talk!) You can catch each… Continue reading

Nail Trim: Making It A Choice Makes It An Easy Choice

Labrador on Klimb platform and Doberman sitting beside, both hopeful

I made a mistake yesterday. I went to a drawer in the kitchen. Not just any drawer, it’s the not-a-junk drawer, where I keep among other things the dogs’ nail trimmers. As I opened the drawer, two dogs materialized behind me, sitting politely with ears forward and eyes bright. So of… Continue reading

Better Together is Coming Soon

Hey, there’s a great new training book hitting the shelves! Better Together: The Collected Wisdom of Modern Dog Trainers is a comprehensive collection of both practical and inspirational advice from some of the best trainers in the world. Learn the methods of modern dog training through more than 60 articles from 28… Continue reading

Recall Roundup

Black Labrador Mindy sits and watches deer eating across a wide, rocky creek
This entry is part 22 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

Last November — yes, I’m more than a little behind on posting — Mindy took a trip with me down to my aunt’s ranch in Texas. I knew this would be an exciting trip for her for a variety of reasons, not least of which that the ranch is a… Continue reading

Training & Gaming at Gen Con

This entry is part 19 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

Mindy joined me at Gen Con this year. Because you can’t buy that kind of socialization experience. What is Gen Con, you may ask? Well, “Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science fiction and adventure game convention in North America. Gen Con, The Best Four Days In… Continue reading

The Training Game and What It Teaches: The Rat Is Always Right

Many clicker trainers are familiar with what is almost universally known by the ridiculously simple name of The Training Game. It’s a shaping game played among humans, and most often a learner is sent from the room while the group determines a (physically and socially safe) behavior to shape, and… Continue reading

Fireworks Without the Freak-Out

This entry is part 18 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

So it was the Fourth of July this past weekend, Independence Day, with all the challenges that brings for pets and their people. I was traveling with Mindy, the guide dog in training, and we did fireworks. With flying colors (terrible pun intended). Continue reading

Puppy’s First Tornado – Preparedness for Pets

This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Storm Watch

Spring came very late to Indiana this year, and I got complacent. With a lot fewer spring storms, I didn’t prep for tornados like I should have. So when the warning sirens went off a few minutes ago and I saw that a tornado had been sighted, I was unprepared.… Continue reading

Puppy Training on a FitPAWS Donut

This entry is part 16 of 25 in the series Service Dog Training

So apparently I forgot to publish this blog post — sorry! Set the Wayback Machine for a few months ago, when Mindy was small enough to use this size FitPAWS Donut. The weather was too bad (sub-zero Fahrenheit) for puppies to play outdoors for long, and this was not only… Continue reading