First off, congratulations on your new perfect puppy! Many people do not realize how much work some puppies can be for the first six months of their lives, and that’s just the beginning. As you’ve learned, house breaking a puppy can seem impossible. Essentially, it is like having a newborn...

What is socialization and why is it so important? It is getting your puppy acquainted with as many different animals, people, and circumstances as possible. In my opinion, socialization is one of the most important things in young puppies’ lives. If I were paid every time we received e-mails or calls...

One of the most important steps to raising a confident dog is to play tug with your dog. People do not realize how important this step is in confidence-building. We preach confidence building daily at our dog training in Virginia. It does not help that there is so much misinformation out there on this...

One big fear many dogs have are fear of noises (loud trucks, fireworks, thunder, etc). When we do puppy consultations at our training facility, Off-Leash K9 Training, in Woodbridge, Virginia, we always tell people, “Immediately start exposing him/her to as many noises as possible.” Turn on...

Anytime I appear on television or in a magazine, one of the biggest things I always talk about is “confidence building in dogs.” In my opinion, it’s one of the most important, yet, one of the most underrated aspects of dog training. Many owners and trainers alike overlook this very...