Soon after the honeymoon period of bringing a puppy home begins the transition from training pads to real potty training — getting your dog to tell you it needs out, not just choosing a corner of the crate because it hasn’t yet figured out how to communicate with you. An advantage of potty training with…
Part of potty training a puppy is teaching them to go outside — and to tell you when they need to. It doesn’t matter if you’re potty training with a crate (like we did) or without one. The only exceptions are mobility issues that make it hard for a dog to get outdoors, or health…
As I was laying out the dog training tools and equipment I’ve come to rely on, it dawned on me that many of them weren’t planned — they were picked up in response to challenges. Some of those tools I once thought were debatable, or even unethical, led me down a rabbit hole of different…
Dogs have a knack for finding their own cosy spots around the house. Take our dogs, for instance. We’ve got this runner in front of our kitchen sink—not for them initially, but to keep the floor dry. Yet, every time someone comes knocking at the door, that’s their spot to hunker down. They picked it…
There were twelve dogs in the training hall that night. Twelve dogs, twelve owners, and the lead trainer suddenly looked at me and said, “Let’s try him off-lead.” My stomach dropped. We’d spent months building the foundations — sit and wait, steady lead-walks past other dogs, recall from as far as the training lead would…
Is your Staffy puppy biting? Nipping and mouthing is totally normal — especially in Staffies, who play rough and love interaction. You don’t want it sticking around though. Those baby teeth get replaced by jaws with serious snatching power. It’s a good idea to start teaching bite control early. Let’s break down why it happens,…
Think back to when you first brought your dog home. Did you mentally picture peaceful walks, open fields, and the joy of watching them sprint full-speed across the grass—ears flapping, tongue lolling, completely in their element? And, of course, in this perfect vision, you’d simply call their name, and they’d turn on a dime, racing…
I was surprised to come across a rather heated online discussion: Why teach your dog stay? Should it be an actual command, or should it be implied when you tell your dog to sit or lie down? I hadn’t given it much thought before. For me, “stay” (or in my case, “wait”) is a must-have…
If you’ve ever felt frustrated because your dog won’t come back when called—whether at the park, on a walk, or in your own backyard—you’re not alone. The challenge of dog recall training is one that many dog owners face, especially when it feels like your dog is tuning you out, or only listens when it…