Tulip's Here!

Tulip's here! I got to adopt her this past Saturday. It was a crazy day, full of classes not how I would do a first day with a new dog but we made it. She's pretty adaptable and low key. But a great deep WOOF of a bark which I love. Lots and lots of drool and hair but I'm okay with it having had Pyrs and loving Pyrs. It's all a part of the package. She only knows SIT. Which is helpful but we have a ways to go. She will be taught with force free positive training like my other dogs. She's a dream and has wanted to sleep with me from day 1. Mac sleeps with me so not sure how it would go but so far so good. We have Rules of The Bed that must be followed and if everyone does, it will work out fine. I can see the advantage of two dogs in the bed in the winter. Especially a 105 lb dog. She loves looking out the back door and barking at foot traffic on Pippin Rd. A couple WOOFs is okay. I discourage continual barking and reward the stopping of it. Her and Mac have been playin' "Wild Kingdom" (wrestling) all morning.

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Tulip's coming!

Just got the word this week that I can adopt Tulip this Saturday! Yay! I have a full schedule of classes Saturday but we will work it out. So want her and Mac to be best friends and my goal is to take them together to parks and such. It might take a while to get that accomplished. And for Tulip to be a Therapy dog. If she enjoys it. Mac does not. He likes to look around and get out. Tulip seems to love people and enjoys being made a fuss over. We shall see. Once she gets settled in, I will do some meet/greets at the park with her. I'll announce on Facebook where I'll be and when and you all can come out and meet her. Welcome Tulip! Got great plans for you. And Mac!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! I have the most delightful, nicest clients anywhere! You guys rock! I will give you a tip for the day-your dog is your mirror. Oh yea. If you are frustrated, upset, angry, it travels right down to your dog. If your dog is acting up, look at yourself and see if you are upset about anything, not even particularly related to your dog. Bad day at work? Fight with hubby? Relax then interact with your dog. Have a Zen moment. Change your attitude, think positive, see positive and things will change. I promise. It works!

Playful Pooches

Playful. There's a reason I named my business what I did. It's all about the play. It's all about having fun, building a relationship with your dog. Find your inner dog and PLAY! Your dog can learn through play and your dog can work through issues with play. Tug, ball, wrestle, organized play like agility, rally, flyball-the list is endless. Just be sure you and your dog are having fun. Life's short. Their's is even shorter. Soon will come the time the can't oe won't play much anymore so PLAY now! And just one more mention-their life with us is too short to send your dog away to be trained. YOU CAN DO IT! I CAN HELP! Don't lose your dog and tons of money for weeks or a month. You can do it and have fun doing it. I promise!

Don't Send Your Dog Away Part 2

More on Sending your dog away-like I said in a previous post, your dog isn't a piece of equipment that you send away for a tuneup and it comes back fixed. It is a living, breathing relationship that needs to be nourished and worked on every single day. Does your dog really need to know the trick "You're Under Arrest"? You gonna pay tons of money for that? Or that your dog can "down stay" in a corner till you want to take him out to play with him like a doll on a shelve? I want my dog to live in harmony in my home with me with reasonable boundaries to keep him safe. And that he is always happy to interact and play with joy and happiness with me. Not fear. Not submissiveness. He's not a slave, he's a dog! With feelings and emotions. And a spirit that I don't want to ever be broken. Don't let anyone ever break your dog's spirit. He will never be the same. Cherish, love and respect your dog. They aren't with us all that long. They trust you, don't break that trust!

Don't send your dog away!

So many folks on Facebook sending their dogs away to trainers to train. Wow. That's how trainers make a ton of money. Wow. Training your dog is not that hard. It's not brain surgery and with a bag of treats and a few minutes a day, your dog can behave just as well. And you have no idea what they are doing to your dog while you aren't there. I'm sure some great trainers do this well but I've heard HORROR stories and dogs can come back as ROBOTS. Seriously. Dogs have even been lost from training places and even died. You can train your dog yourself and you should. It's YOUR responsibility as an owner. I help folks train their dogs and I can help you too. Success can be yours (and your dog) with minutes a day and a few hot dogs. Don't waste your money.

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   Tulip`s pups-picured here at 12 days old-are now 8 weeks old and going to their new homes. They are adorable and I hope I see them in puppy classes. I will post some pics if they do. Momma Tulip will be coming here in a couple weeks. Can`t wait to have a Pyr in the house again.   

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   Oreo-the dog that launched my training career. If you had been a perfect dog, it may never have happened. Thanks for being you!  

Getting Dissed

Lately getting dissed on Facebook by another trainer. Bullied, ridiculed. Ugh. You just gotta wonder if he bullys people, how will he treat their dog? I'm confident in what I do, how I do it and the great results folks get that I'm doing my lif'e's work and what I'm meant to do. Building relationships, helping folks train their dogs because it's really not that hard. I'm just there to help the process, encourage, coach and listen. That I do. His Rule (the bully trainer) says a great trainer will have videos for you to see training my own dog. Yea, I got a video for you, Jack! How hard would it be for a trainer to train their own dog? Duh. A few hot dogs and a camera. Duh.What does that show? A better video would be of one of my classes when I'm helping overly excited dogs, frustrated owners, ceiling leaking because it's raining and the roof isn't finished. Or my puppy classes with tons of puppies, kiddos, and swirling madness and then all of a sudden everyone is listening even the dogs? I gottcha video, Jack.  Here is a pic of Keebler, 10 yrs old, dubious mom at the beginning of his classes and now he has his CGC. Proud, proud dog momma. Even prouder dog trainer. Go Keeb. And mom. I always believed in you. And sometimes that's all folks need is someone to believe they can do it. Video that, jack.

Group Classes

Just read a comment from another dog trainer putting down group classes, almost ridiculing and bullying folks into board and train or private sessions. Ugh. There are so many benefits to group classes. I've been teaching them for 12yrs and love, love, love them! I love teaching folks how to train their own dogs. It's not rocket science. I'm very leery of someone who takes your dog for 2 weeks and then he's supposed to be trained. I hate to tell you but your dog is not like a computer you send off to the computer geek and it comes back all fixed. It is an on going, living, breathing relationship that starts on day one. I'm like a coach that helps you and your dog be a working team. Your classmates in class are like team mates, cheering you on and sharing their good/bad experiences with the rest of  class. Together we learn and bond. And share. And your dog learns to trust and respect you and you him. Sometimes I'm afraid for the methods some trainers use when you aren't there to see them train your dog.

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   TBT-my Oreo! Still miss you even though it`s been almost 6 yrs.   

I Love My Job!

I love what I do. Hope you can tell that in my classes, my conversations with you, my emails, my blog, and my facebook page. It is so awesome to meet and be able to help so many folks with their dogs. I have been teaching and helping folks for 12yrs. Now folks are getting another dog who have taken their dogs to me in the past. Or they love their relationship with their dog so much, they get a second dog. And it has been so much fun. If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it. I'd have stayed with my boring job I had for 30yrs. If I didn't teach and believe so much in positive, reward, relationship based training, I wouldn't do it either. That jerking and yelling and forcing and dominanting your dog is so wrong. Wrong for me, wrong for you and wrong for your dog. And definitely not fun. And your dog doesn't learn that way. Their spirit is broken and your relationship with your dog forever flawed or destroyed. Not for me. Not for you or your dog. Not on my watch.

Spring at last, spring at last!

The grass is greening up. Has anyone else noticed? I love the new green of spring. Might have to cut the grass for the first time this year soon. Love to cut grass. But I only have a suberb lawn not the acres some of you have. Stay tuned, another message below this one. Just started my park classes. Love, love, love them! Love working outside with all the natural distractions and seeing folks out enjoying the weather, walking their dogs. My new park classes are drop in, pay by week, although I do have some discount packages available too. They are topical this year so that's fun. The topics may change but these are the ones folks have been asking for. No longer at Dog Day Every Day. Never got many if any folks there so we have to move on. Wonderful new vet opening a practice in Montgomery soon. Www.cincinnatihillsanimalclinic.com I may do some workshops or classes there. Dr Katie Carullo. Her pup Hazel just graduated my puppy classes. Sad about the Reds losing on opening day. But as Zig Ziglar says-get up, dress up, show up and never give up. And so we will.