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Dog Training Tips & Guides
Practical advice for dog owners on positive training, puppy development, behavior solutions, enrichment activities, and building a stronger bond with your dog through everyday learning.
Easy Dog Tricks to Teach Your Dog at Home
The easiest tricks to teach your dog are touch (a nose bump to your hand), spin, shake hands, high five, find it and paws up. All six are on the AKC Trick Dog Novice list, and each one can be taught with a treat lure, a marker word and a few minutes a day. This guide covers step-by-step instructions, a difficulty table, safety rules, tips for kids and how simple dog tricks add up to a title. What Makes a Dog Trick Easy? A trick is easy when your dog can do it in one simple mo
Heather Pohlman
Oct 138 min read
How to Teach a Dog to Come When Called
Short answer: To teach a dog to come when called, pick one recall cue, pair it with a great treat until your dog lights up at the word, and practice indoors first. Then add distance, a long line outdoors and harder distractions, one small step at a time. Reward every single arrival, and never punish a dog that comes to you, even slowly. This guide gives you the steps, the games, a distraction ladder, a sample week-by-week plan and the fixes for a dog that won't come when call
Heather Pohlman
Oct 138 min read
Puppy Socialization Checklist: What to Introduce and When
Short answer: A puppy socialization checklist is a plan for calmly showing your puppy the people, sounds, surfaces, places and handling it will meet in life. The most important window is roughly 3 to 12-14 weeks of age, with the first three months mattering most. Most families bring a puppy home at about 8 weeks, so the weeks from 8 to 16 are when your checklist does its real work. Keep every new experience short, positive and at your puppy's pace. Below you'll find a week-by
Heather Pohlman
Oct 138 min read
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop? And How to Stop It
Short answer: Dogs eat poop for a mix of instinct, curiosity and habit. Mother dogs clean up after their puppies, puppies explore with their mouths, and bored, stressed or very food-driven dogs can turn it into a routine. A medical problem can also be behind it, so a vet check comes first. After that, steady management and force-free training usually work far better than any powder or punishment. This guide explains why dogs eat poop, which causes need a vet, how to tell what
Heather Pohlman
Oct 138 min read
Family Dog Training: Build a Stronger Bond
Short answer: To train a dog as a family, agree on one set of cue words and house rules, reward the behavior you want the same way every time, and give each person a job that fits their age. Keep sessions to a few minutes, supervise children at all times, and practice in everyday moments. Consistency across the household is what makes training stick and builds a stronger bond. Below you will find a family cue sheet you can copy, an age-by-age guide for kids, a simple daily ro
Heather Pohlman
Aug 218 min read
7 Reasons Why Dog Training Is Essential
Short answer: Dog training is important because it keeps your dog safe, prevents the behavior problems that are the top reason dogs are given up, and makes everyday life calmer for the whole family. A trained dog comes when called, walks politely, and is welcome in more places. Reward-based training also builds trust, so your dog wants to listen. Below are seven reasons, each backed by research where it exists, and a simple way to start training at any age, including our free
Heather Pohlman
Jul 106 min read
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