Scene 1: A wild-acting dog that jumps on every human in reach, that bites, tears your house apart, constantly escapes from the yard, fights with other dogs, and never comes when called. Scene 2: A dog that sits calmly when new people enter the home, gets along with other dogs, never pulls, always walks on a loose leash, and pays attention to you despite other interesting stuff going on. A well-trained dog is a pleasure for everyone – you, your guests, strangers on the street, and anyone else he meets. But training takes work. A class is the perfect place to start – and we welcome you to join one of ours — but a class is only as good as your commitment to doing the post-class work necessary to maintain what you and your dog learned.
There is plenty of information out there to help you learn how to train using a clicker, but your best bet is to hook up with a trainer, as in me, to help you work out the behaviors and right timing for your dog.
Well, let me clarify this one. Dogs sniff. Dogs need to sniff. Dogs sniff to make sense of their world and surroundings. But when your dog is a proverbial crotch sniffer, well, that’s the epitome of embarrassment for you and more embarrassing for the respective crotch owners.
Dogs lick, but let’s say there are lickers and then there are serious lickers. Dogs lick for a number of reasons including to calm, soothe and reduce anxiety for themselves. But some dogs just want to keep on licking – furniture, blankets, human bodies. A dog who won’t stop licking needs to get control of his tongue. Granted, this discussion has been a bit on the tongue-in-cheek side, but whatever your dog’s issue is, we can help. Think New Year’s resolutions, think Wags to Rich’s and Wags and Riches – the ultimate WAR on aversive training and behavioral techniques
Wags and Rich’s: The ultimate WAR on aversive training techniques
Basic obedience training gives your dog a way to behave that thrusts him into a never-ending happy dance because he always knows what’s expected of him. In our Wags to Rich’s Obedience classes, you’ll learn to teach your dog these behaviors: Sit Stay Down Off Leave it Drop it
But what about the behaviors no one wants to talk about? Call them cute, call them quirky, call them funky, but whatever you call them, you want your pup to stop them. If your dog does any of the following, you are not alone. We can help you and your dog turn over a New Year’s leaf, and we promise to never tell a soul!
Picture this: you are out for coffee with a friend, and you’ve brought your fearless Fido along for the ride. Only Fido doesn’t sit passively while you and your friend sip and chat. To your horror, Fido sees your friend as prime humping territory. It’s hard to tell who’s more humiliated, you or your friend, but one thing’s for sure, you two will never have coffee together again.
This one is really bad when the bathroom door is left open, the toilet lid up, and the toilet bowl, shall we say, is not empty.
Since it’s the holidays, here’s the scene. Your long-lost cousin has done an over-the-river-and-through-the-woods thing and arrives at your door, arms laden with presents. Guess what Fido’s first move is? Yep – here’s hoping there was nothing breakable in those presents and that your cousin doesn’t sue you for your dog’s negligent behavior.