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Let’s talk potty training!  Puppies are adorable but they’re definitely a lot of work. It can feel absolutely overwhelming so hopefully this information helps out a bit. You can use these tips with an adult dog as well.   How long can my puppy hold it?   It varies from pup to pup but on average a young puppy can hold it however many months old they are plus one. So if you have a two month old puppy they can on average hold it about three hours. This is during the day when they are awake and active. At...

Resource Guarding   Let's talk about resource guarding. Dogs of all ages can exhibit resource guarding. I worked with puppies who might resource guard a toy, bone or food to adult dogs guarding spaces or their humans. I wanted to talk about RG when it comes to food. I've had clients ask about this in my dog training classes many times. What is resource guarding?   A dog guards something they find of value which they don't want to lose. The dog may growl or even snap when you try to take a certain toy, bone/bully stick or food. Technically if you think about it this is a trait that...

What is the "leave it" command?    A "leave it" command tells the dog that something is off limits at that moment/to walk away from it. For some dogs maybe a person or a dog will be a "leave it", we don't have to say hi to every single person or dog we see. Or maybe your dog might be reactive to other dogs so you could use a "leave it" command before the situation escalates when your dog sees another dog. It could be that squirrel, bird or bunny you don't want your dog chasing. Or that tempting garbage on the sidewalk your dog...

Why teach the drop it command?  It is a great way to get your dog to drop whatever is in their mouth when you need them to. Dogs will pick up things they shouldn't, it's not just puppies many dogs of all ages do it. (a rock, mulch, a piece of garbage on a walk etc).  If they don't know a drop it command you have to physically pry these things out of their mouth but really what that says to your dog is.... you are taking their things!! Most of the things they pick up they view as items of high value,...

Why do cats urinate or defecate outside of their litter box? Cats are very clean animals so when one starts urinating or defecating outside of the litter box something is wrong either behaviorally or it could be health related. Please take your cat to their veterinarian to rule out any health issues first. My experience with my kitties. When I had my kitties over the years one of them, Lincoln started inappropriately urinating on dog beds, rugs and eventually my chaise. This was out of character, I knew something was wrong. I took him to the vet and it was health related....