I've been teaching infant preparation in-home dog training courses almost since the beginning of Mutt Magic. What have I learned now that there's a two-legged addition in my own home? Well, for starters, I'll probably never have the "The dogs will...
[caption id="attachment_225" align="aligncenter" width="234" caption="Kristina with Brutus & Argo"][/caption] As a naive and amateur dog owner, I made the mistake of rescuing a second dog without really understanding the first. Within 4 months, I had two young, male dogs in my house with more energy than...
Most dogs, like most people, are natural followers. In fact, humans have bred dogs to follow our leadership for thousands of years. Even if you're not a natural-born leader, your dog needs you to learn to be one for his sake! Many behavioral problems are a result of a...
Keeping a training journal while working with your dogs can be very rewarding. I often suggest this to clients that own dogs with behavioral concerns when they enter into a training program, although this can be very useful for all dogs. I keep one for each...
A very common question I receive is, "How do I control my dog when people come over to visit?" The best training techniques I can suggest would be to pattern train boundary training and target training. Commonly used in our classes, the "Place" and "Touch" commands are...
Heat can be very dangerous to our pets. Last month, I repeated an essay by Dawn Rexroad on the "Hidden Dangers of Summer," which included information on parasites that are common, as well as how to recognize and, more importantly, prevent, heat stroke. This month,...
[caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Photo courtesy of Bartlett Image."][/caption] Over the last 6 years that Mutt Magic Training has been in operation, I have been fighting against the stigma of being a “pit bull trainer.” In order to do so, I try to highlight as many...
As yet another food recall is being listed, this time by Diamond, it's time to address the health and safety of your dog's diet. This particular recall is regarding salmonella concerns. For those of us that feed a raw diet, our dogs could possibly be...
Some dogs are content with simple provisions of food, shelter, and our affection. Of course, these are the basic necessities of pet ownership. However, most dogs need more than this, and failure to provide the other essentials can make for not only an unhappy and disobedient...
Red shows us basic commands that are covered in our group classes! Note that his commands are in German - you're welcome to use whatever commands you prefer with your dog. With the exception of Intermediate and Advanced classes, our group courses are done on...