Stop taking your dog for a “walk.” We need to master the basics first. Whoa. What do you mean do not take my dog for a walk? Are you crazy?  Well yes, I am a bit crazy, but that’s beside the point!  A well-structured walk can be one of the best tools you have to establish leadership and shape the relationship with your dog.  Walks provide great exercise for humans and dogs. There is some stat out there about having a dog increases your expected life span. I am convinced that a big part of that is because of the amount of additional walking humans do. There is so much research and information about how walking more (for humans) is one of the best ways to improve your health. Therefore, it’s great for the both of you! So why are you telling me to stop taking my dog for a walk? Remember how I said a well-structured walk CAN be one of the best tools in dog training? When not done properly, it can be detrimental! Dogs learn by routines and associations. Therefore, i...

Are fences themselves a bad thing for dogs? Of course not. Are Cities a better place for dogs to live? No. Any place can be a great place for dogs to live. However, having a fence and living in a city comes with typical patterns that owners and dogs fall into.  Historically, “City” dogs have a much better mental state of mind than their suburban counterparts. Let’s think about two owners, one city, and one suburban. Owner 1 lives in a high rise apartment building in a busy part of town. Owner 2 lives in a house with a nice backyard and fence surrounding it. Every time Owner 1 takes the dog out to go to the bathroom, he must be on a leash. He must go through multiple doors to get outside (good opportunity for leadership) and he will be standing right next to the dog the whole time while he goes to the bathroom. Then maybe they play with a toy in the common grassy area before heading back inside. The theme here is that the owner is right next to the dog because the dog is on a leash...