Blog
Learn more about our successes, our struggles, and what we have learned from our clients at The Freckled Paw.
The Daily Daisy: Bags are Unpacking
Around week #3 Daisy become quite uncertain about novel things. Things that were not there yesterday are now quite terrifying. People putting pressure on her by looking at her or walking towards her also sent her for a loop. This was particularly apparent when I tried...
What do dog trainers do?
When do you know you need help from a professional? If your HVAC breaks, you call that guy, and he recommends regular maintenance to make sure you aren't in a pickle in the future. Dog trainers are the same. We can come in and fix a big issue or help with a bit of...
The Daisy Daily: Settling In
We like to tell people to wait to see changes in your dog at 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months. Here we are at the 2 week mark and I have already seen quite a bit of settling and pushing the boundaries. Thankfully, I see things before they become an issue and can...
Sending your dog to School: Public or Private School?
Getting the most out of your Group Class Group classes are an excellent way to learn more about training your dog from a professional. If you have never owned a dog before, or this is your first dog without your parents help, then Group classes are a great place to...
Dog Jobs: Getting Promoted
Now that you have determined what you dog knows, you have created a training plan for the things he didn’t know, and you can start to use those things to give your dog information when he needs it. Find one area where you are telling your dog “No.” First, “No” does...
Give your dog a job: First Evaluation
Give your dog a job: First Evaluation You have completed your puppy class or basic obedience class, and those skills are just not transferring to home life. What happens when your dog “knows stuff” but you are still having some behavior challenges. This is your dog's...
When “Sit” becomes a job
In the last blog we discussed why your dog needs a job and how to make sure their needs are being met. Once you are checking those boxes of enrichment, exercise, diet and communication, where do we go from here? Take a look at one area of your life with your dog that...
Give your Dog a Job: Perfect Employment
Give your Dog a Job: Perfect Employment Before we determine what your dog’s job might look like, let's look at the definition of a “job.” Google says it is a paid position of regular employment. Time to break this down! A Paid Position We all want to think our dogs do...
Delayed Reinforcement
Fun fact about me: I go to the gym at OrangeTheory a few times a week (usually). One of the things I love most about my gym is that I get a report at the end of every class with a bunch of statistics about my workout. Yesterday my heart rate monitor died right at the...
Is using treats in dog training bribery?
My favorite myth about positive reinforcement training is that using treats is bribery. I am very careful to make sure my clients are not holding the treat in front of their dogs face and asking for a behavior. Treats before behavior is bribery, treats after behavior...
The Reinforcer we forget about!
People pay therapists lots of money to discuss their relationships and how to make them better. There are more facebook groups, and web pages dedicated to understanding other people and how to improve your relationship with your friend/spouse/neighbor/parents. Most of...
Recalls: Don’t abuse them!
One of the top requests from our clients must be a dog who comes when called. We have so many requests that we teach a class on the beach that spends 3 weeks going over this one skill. As a dog trainer, how do I get a dog who comes back to me every time? Dogs are not...
Give your dog a job: Your dogs paycheck
Every dog works for a paycheck Most people are very stingy with their dogs' paychecks. I think I tell people to increase the number of treats they are giving every single appointment. Those treats are your dogs paycheck. Are they working for minimum wage or are they...