I don’t even know where to start. It just seems so huge and daunting. I don’t know how to define a plan, what steps to include, or when to raise criteria. It’s just easier to go out and do something, muddle around. I know that’s not efficient, but at least it’s something.

My active young dog burst into the room and, seeing us eating, immediately checked herself and lay down. To reward this show of self-control, I tossed a piece of my candy her way. “You can’t… 

Does your dog get excited or frantic when guests come to the door or when meeting new people? Unfortunately, once a dog has slipped into a frenzy, it’s difficult or impossible to get calm, thoughtful behavior again. The job of trainers and responsible owners is to prepare dogs beforehand so that these challenges are, well, less challenging.

What is a No Reward Marker (NRM), and is it a useful tool or an awful mistake? Should a good clicker trainer use an NRM, and, if so, when? It’s out there, lurking. At times you feel it stalking just behind you. At last it springs as someone asks, “Why don’t you tell your dog it was wrong?”