Dog Matters Blog
Tips, advices and balanced trainings for dog owners.
Teach Your Puppy To Be Left Alone
It’s fun and helpful to take some time of work to bond with your new puppy and help them settle in. But there’s something super important to teach them during this time that a lot of people miss - how to be content being left alone. If you are constantly with your...
Teaching Your Puppy To Walk On A Loose Leash
One of the first things puppies learn about walking on a leash is that when they pull on it, they get to move forwards. This is a form of reward and reinforces the behaviour of pulling. It might not seem to matter much when your puppy is small, but by the time they...
Why Crate Training Is Great For Your Puppy
Crate training was a totally new concept to me when I got into dog training. It’s never been as big a thing in Australia as it is overseas. At first, I wasn’t sure why you’d want to put your dog in a cage. Now, I don’t know how anyone survives puppyhood without the...
Help! The puppy is biting the kids!
There’s nothing as exciting as getting a new puppy! But the excitement can quickly turn to stress because puppies are like toddlers with sharp teeth and no hands running around in your house. All puppies use their mouths to explore and play so puppy mouthing and...
Is It Bribery To Use Food Treats In Training?
A lot of people I meet are concerned about using food treats in training. When the dog is performing well, they’ll say, “he’s just doing it for the treats,” or, “she’ll do anything for food!” When it boils down to it, there are two motivations in dog training - the...
The Number One Rule Of Leash Pulling
There are many factors that influence leash pulling. When I’m helping a client to stop their dog from pulling on the leash, I break it down into steps and layer each step over the top of the next. We work on how to hold the leash in the best way, the timing of...
Could Counter Conditioning Help You And Your Dog?
Have you ever heard of counter conditioning? You may have even used it before without realising it. You might need to use counter conditioning if you’ve ever: Felt embarrassed by your dog’s behaviour while out in public because they’re freaking out and you can’t get...
Is It Bribery To Use Food Treats In Training?
A lot of people I meet are concerned about using food treats in training. When the dog is performing well, they’ll say, “he’s just doing it for the treats,” or, “she’ll do anything for food!” When it boils down to it, there are two motivations in dog training - the...
Realistic expectations with baby puppies
Imagine this: a young girl tells her parents that she would like to take up figure skating and they sign her up for classes. At the first class, she wobbles and falls a few times but by the end of the class she is skating from one end of the rink to the other without...